Minor rear end shunt - next course of action?

[domV8]

I was in a queue of cars this morning in the Chimaera (stationary), when a woman in an MPV drove into my car from behind.

I guess it was between 2-5mph, as it was pretty soft - but I heard a "crunch" and my first thought was that the fibreglass had been broken.

Upon getting out and inspecting - the my car (paint, shape, etc) seems normal, but I noticed that her numberplate was snapped along the length of it (ie. snapped horizontally).

Looking at it - it appears that her numberplate is on a level with the thin, egg-profile bumper part that sticks out the most.

Her number plate also has a slight airgap between the plate itself and the bumper behind.

My paintwork, bumper shape etc looks untouched (from the outside)



So my question is:


Is fibreglass something which has a little "elasticity" in it, and might have been able to take a small impact without cracking - or it is it more characteristic to have cracked invisibly under the paintwork and compromised the integrity of the rear..?


Any help or suggestions most appreciated.


Thanks,




Dom

[slideways]

Cracks may appear later so I would still take it to a fibre glass specialist and follow up the claim just in case

[phillpot]

Never mind the fibreglass, what about the whiplash injuries, how many months will you need that neck brace, the constant pain, the recurring nightmares, not worked since etc. etc. ?

[plasticman]

Fibreglass is flexable to an extent . The thicker the panel the less flexable it is . The bumper area is quite tricky to make because of the sharp angles and the easy way round it is to add more glass and fill air bubles afterwards (not my way)
The best way to check your car is to wash it . Apart from the area of impact you also need to check the scalloped area above the exhaust , the valley line going horizontaly from wheelarch to wheelarch and the small area in between the top corner of the bootlid and the roof .

[domV8]

phillpot said:

Never mind the fibreglass, what about the whiplash injuries, how many months will you need that neck brace, the constant pain, the recurring nightmares, not worked since etc. etc. ?

....er, no.
I don't believe in that kind of sh*te - as I'm sure you don't really - I just want the car to be as-was before this morning...

Dom

[domV8]

Have just checked the car again - and there are vertical scratch lines spaced about 0.5cm apart, all the way along the "upper surface" of the main bumper on the right-hand side (about half the bumper).

So the bumper will have to be re-sprayed for starters...



Dom

[jimed]

Bit of a bummer Dom - if there are cracks in the paint it may be that the fibreglass has flexed and the paint cracked as a result but perhaps it would be worth getting a fibreglass specialist to have a quick look at it in case the fibreglass is damaged under the paint. I'm not an expert on this at all but a few years ago looked at a Griff which looked absolutely fine but my wife noticed a slight blemish on the front of the car which on further examination was very squashy - ie you could put your hand on the patch and it would deflect easily and quite a lot - so evidence of underlying damage which was not apparent by just looking at the paint finish.
Jim

[Andy Pandie]

I had a young lady roll slowly into the back of my Chim whilst I was stationary, as with yours at no more than a few mph. Her front fog broke and the glass subsequently dug into the bumper which meant some filler and a blow over. Whilst this was being prepped the body shop found a crack under the paint from the impact zone up to the corner of the number plate area (recessed style).

[jimed]

That wasn't Looby Loo was it Andy ....
(Sorry couldn't resist that but maybe it shows my age ...)
Jim

[Graham]

Years ago my wife managed to reverse the disco into the back of my chim. the tow bar hit the bumper bit at cracked it. it didnt look too bad, but when they repaired it ( Central TVR) it had cracked all the way underneath as well, so the entire underside of the car at the back ended up resprayed as well..

they did a cracking job, at a good price too a it wasnt an insurance job.

[330p4]

Dom sorry to hear that but give it 2/3 days & the gelcoat cracks will more than likely start to appear it never shows immediately
Ian

[domV8]

Thanks to all who replied.

Case is with insurer now, will be speaking to garage who are assessing car, and passing along all info.

Much appreciated.


Dom

[Andy Pandie]

Dom,

Hope you get it fixed soon

jimed said:

That wasn't Looby Loo was it Andy ....
(Sorry couldn't resist that but maybe it shows my age ...)
Jim

Jim,

No I don't let her drive

But she does visit the forums from time to time so be careful what you type