I Cracked My Bumper On My First Car and It's A Bummer!

[Star-Lord]

So I went to park at my work and I went to close to the curb and cracked a bit. It's not huge but still it's upsettting. I've had my car for almost 4 months and it"s upsetting since I tend to keep it clean and well kept. It's a used 2017 elentra.

Here's a picture.

Also any recommendations on what to do? Would it be okay if I left it?

 

[Ghost Rider]

You can scour ebay/craigslist or car-part.com for a used bumper in the same color and swap it yourself. Bumper covers ( you cracked the cover, not the bumper) are fairly easy to replace.

 

[Rocketz]

It's plastic. There is nothing to do besides getting a new bumper.

Nothing is going to happen to it.

 

[Grouch Douglass]

Depends on if you think its worth hundreds of dollars to fix or not? I would guess it is at least the cost of a typical 500.00 insurance deductible or more if paid for out of pocket. You might get lucky at a local body shop if they have the right part.

 

[Deleted member 2802]

It's plastic. There is nothing to do besides getting a new bumper.

Nothing is going to happen to it.

Click to shrink...

I Cracked My Bumper On My First Car and It's A Bumper!

 

[HylianMaster2020]

That's nothing it doesn't even seem like a big crack.

 

[Eila]

I think it's rather small, not worth replacing. But that depends on the person, I guess.

 

[julia crawford]

Reminds me of that time i put my week old brand new smartphone on the same pocket as my car keys.

 

[kyle mechlachlan]

that's what bumpers are for, so no big deal. literally on my first solo drive i smashed into a metal beam at a gas station and completely fucked up my front right bumper. i had the car for less than a week.

for that? could get some black duct tape and be done with it.

 

[The Albatross]

Sucks when it's your first scrape/whatever on a car. My car is now just covered in dings and bumps from people dooring me, one huge enormous scratch that genuinely looks like someone keyed the fuck outta my car one day, which I'll never understand how/why that happened. I also used to take pride in having a clean car inside... but now with a 2 year old... it's just complete filth

 

[poptire]

Those kinds of things are going to happen. Best to not get too attached to vehicles.

 

[MikeRahl]

If it makes you feel any better I managed to write off my first car before the first payment came out.

 

[Shadybiz]

Yeah it's a bummer, but it was bound to happen sooner or later. A few months after I bought my 2008 Mazda 3 (bought used in 2009), some asshole at a golf course pretty clearly ran into the rear bumper with his golf cart and left the scene; had a nice little dent after that. Sucks, but shit happens.

 

[Volimar]

It starts like that but before long you're holding it on with zip ties.

 

[TRV]

The first damage on a car always sucks. I scraped one of the wheels of my car a few weeks ago. However, no car that is actually used will stay damage-free forever, and ultimately no-one cares about or will even notice most damages, except you as its owner. So don't be too hard on yourself!

 

[AndreGX]

Congrats! You got your first car damage out of the way. Enjoy the stress reduction now that your don't have to worry about maintaining a perfect car.

Really, it's only going to bother you more than anyone else and it's a waste of time and money to chase perfect maintenance for an object that otherwise depreciates by the day. This shit happens and will happen again

 

[LtCasual]

If you have access to a drill you might want to drill a small hole at the tip of the crack to stop it from spreading.

How to Stop a Crack from Getting Longer Tool Tip #18

This is a little video about how to stop a crack from getting bigger. It will work on plastic, metal, glass and wood.

www.youtube.com

 

[ABK281]

My Mazda 3 hatch is constantly being used as a pickup truck due to constantly having to help my mom move stuff. Got three large scratches on the rear plastic bumper while trying to stuff a large metal object into the back. This is also how I learned how thin the paint on the car is.

 

[SystemShark]

Bought a used 2008 Nissan Rogue (New to me) in 2009 and 3 weeks into owning it, a civic rear ended me. :(

Bought a 2020 Dodge Caravan this September and 3 weeks into having it a Kia Sorrento decided to smash my rear quarter panel above the driver side wheel. :( :( :(

Insurance for the win on the Caravan, but still super disappointing.

Your crack may be a quick patch job at a body shop, but probably not worth it. Wear it as a reminder maybe. ;)

 

[Star-Lord]

Congratas! You got your first car damage out of the way. Enjoy the stress reduction now that your don't have to worry about maintaining a perfect car.

Really, it's only going to bother you more than anyone else and it's a waste of time and money to chase perfect maintenance for an object that otherwise depreciates by the day. This shit happens and will happen again

Click to shrink...

Thanks for the advice! I guess its a bummer since I tried my hardest to make sure i didnt get any damage. Oh well :(

 

[Annubis]

Couldn't you epoxy and paint it?

 

[turbobrick]

Also any recommendations on what to do? Would it be okay if I left it?

Click to shrink...

As long as you don't hit any more things, it really shouldn't get worse. Bumper covers are pretty flexible and will move around so its possible it could spread a little over time, but probably not by much. If you drill a hole at the end it should stop it from spreading. Its probably not worth actually fixing, as its plastic and it generally requires replacing the whole thing.

 

[Deleted member 9241]

I have these huge boulders at the end of my driveway. A few years ago my father in law came over to show us his brand new Prius. He hit one of the boulders backing out and scraped his rear passenger side pretty badly. He never got it fixed.

 

[AndreGX]

Thanks for the advice! I guess its a bummer since I tried my hardest to make sure i didnt get any damage. Oh well :(

Click to shrink...

No worries, and I get it--it sucks! I speak from a position of having been exactly where you are. Love your car for what it, dings and all. It adds character :)