How much to replace front bumper?

hdom wrote: ↑ Most dealerships just out source the body work to another body shop unless they have their own in-house department which is rare. I would just get quotes from body shops and your insurance company would be able to tell you which are their preferred shops which you can use and quote from even without a claim. If you are looking to save money, you can probably just source another wheel cover and replace that one on your own. Cheaper if you go used, ie. get one from a you pick scrap yard.

mrweather wrote: ↑Over $1000 by the time the dust settles. There might be some savings if you can find a junked Elantra of the same colour and pull the bumper and wheel well liner from it.

TrevorK wrote: ↑My car was just over $1000 for a new front bumper with paint. There are places online that advertise cheaper options where they use after market bumpers and send it to you already painted, but the reviews on RFD have been somewhat iffy on the paint matching, plus you have to still install it at a shop. If it's a reputable shop they'll use the software to generate a quote and the hours to replace the bumper should be very similar, so you should not need to go to 6 of them.

Ideally for a 6 year old car you would find a bumper at the wreckers and have it installed. For this I'd expect under $500 total to buy it and pay someone to install it. Going this route you can also get the wheel well liner for cheap.


However one alternative is just leaving it be. A "bumper" is just a piece of plastic (does not rust) and not a structural component. Other than looking broken, leaving it damaged is perfectly fine for your car provided it does not affect any sort of lights that are on it.

nffclsr wrote: ↑ To the OP, tell your mom not to stress, things like that happen all the time. Believe me, she is not the first and won't be the last to do something like that.

If there are any sharp edges, holes, or anything dangerous looking on a bumper cover a police officer may very well pull the car over to have a look. It is in the safety inspection regs that bumper covers have to be in good condition in case a pedestrian is hit as they are part of a car's pedestrian impact system (it is one of the regulations that have prevented some cars from being sold in North America). A car missing a chunk of bumper can not pass a safety inspection in Ontario.

Basically, if an officer notices something that looks dangerous they can pull the car off the road and/or charge you with operating an unsafe vehicle, I've even seen a careless driving charge but that was pieces of a bumper hanging off. I've often heard they will mention that something doesn't look right and to get it fixed as soon as possible then send you on your way, but be aware that they can do much more than that at their discretion.

Obviously the OP is doing the right thing getting quotes and advice to repair or replace the damage. I would also say not to discount the dealerships completely, many parts actually have to be sourced through dealerships if no aftermarket parts are made, and many dealerships own body shops so you might find their pricing to be competitive. Some body shops will look into used parts for customers as well, with the car being a 2013 that may be the way to go.

crystallight wrote: ↑ Thanks. I guess I'll go in expecting a cost between $1000-$1500 and if it comes in under $1000 at all then I'll be happy.
I don't think I would do the option of trying to find the parts in a junk yard. I've never done anything like that before and I'd probably mess it up somehow.

crystallight wrote: ↑ Another question. How long would a bumper replacement take? I assume they probably wouldn't even need to keep it overnight, correct? They would obviously need to find/order the part and during this time we would still have the vehicle with us, but once the part has come in I would bring it back to the shop and it would take a few hours or so? Or actually, if they need to repaint it, do they need to keep it overnight to dry?

if it takes multiple days, I assume most body shops don't have free loaners so we'd have to pay for a rental during the repair?

TrevorK wrote: ↑
The "junkyards" for newer cars, in my area, remove the parts for you. You could literally get them to give you the used bumper then go to a body shop to have it installed. When getting quotes you could also ask the shops if they are able to take care of this for you.

$1000 is a lot of money and you will not be the first person to ask about putting a used bumper on.

TrevorK wrote: ↑
Putting on my brand new front bumper took an entire week (drop off Monday, pick up Friday). You can likely shave some time off of that for a non-insurance job, however it will still likely need to be there for several days. A body shop would have to have a very, very good handle on their workload to have it done quicker because they are juggling many jobs at a time.

The drying should be done in a booth with heat - called "baking".


Putting on a used on is under a half day of work.

crystallight wrote: ↑ So I assume when going to a body shop, most of the time they'll use new parts unless I specifically ask for used? I'll try and get quotes for both new and used and compare. I'm fine with a used bumper as long as it looks the same as before and can save us money.

So your car was just sitting there for most of time and the actual work was just a small fraction of that week? Interesting...I would've figured they'd be more efficient and knew which cars would be worked on which days. Maybe not 100% accurate, so if a bumper takes 1 day then it might get delayed and end up taking 2 days, but not a whole week. Were responsible for your own rental during that week?
Why would a non-insurance job take less time? I understand they need to coordinate with the adjuster but I didn't think that really takes up much time.
When you say putting a used one on is under a half days of work, does that mean a new one will take longer/shorter?