Rear Ended - what should I look for?

[brianhuntRVA]

I was rear ended last night by a Civic. Nobody was hurt which is good. The other drivers insurance is taking care of things. The damage is to my rear drivers side. The damage appears to be limited to the bumper cover center and the bumper end - the part that wraps around to the side. I have the cladding so it is a multi-part bumper cover.

Anyway, I'm wondering what I should be looking for other than cosmetic things. Or what I need to make sure the insurance company checks. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[duffdog]

if the trailer hitch looks skewed at all, the frame may be bent. which is bad.

 

[RonJR]

I would agree to check the frame, but honestly there is very little in a Honda Civic that is stout enough to bend a 4runner frame. I've been rear ended once in my '94 on the trailer hitch, and my daughter's '97 took hard hits on the front end twice that trashed the front bumper and wrinkled the fenders. In no case was the frame tweaked at all.

Hopefully you'll be just fine except for cosmetics.

 

[4gin007]

Once the bumper is removed all other damage will easily be visible. I think the frame will be fine, no way a civic could damage it with a light easy hit as you described. Be sure the insurance co checks the rear body panel on the side of impact.


Dont worry to much though, everything will be fixed thoroughly, just make sure you take it to a good repair shop, you can text me and ill give my opinion about the shop they suggest you take it to. Another thing to be aware of with your unpainted bumper is that the new panels wont match the old panels. I assume your middle section and right or left corner section will need replaced, its gonna be noticeable and the replaced side wont match the quarter panel flare, just something to be aware of. Since the other person is paying demand OEM parts, first option for our aged vehicles will always be after market.

 

[2003-4x4runner]

Rear Ended - what should I look for?
How about a new steel bumper? Take the insurance money and buy a steel bumper. You can even install it yourself.

 

[emoore924]

Check the gap around the rear doors. If the back of the car is bent, they'll tend to open up at the top and tighten up near the bottom, or visa-versa depending on the the nature of the hit. Also, the rear doors may have difficulty closing correctly.

Check the liftgate for fitment and latching (does the electric latch still close like it did...).

And, look for new "waves" in the metal in the sides between the wheel wells and the back edge of the rear doors (indicating stretched or stressed metal) or in the roof, especially near the edges where it bends down to meet the sides of the vehicle.

Your adjuster should know all this already...

 

[brianhuntRVA]

Thanks for the replies. I will definitely take a look at the frame myself.
[MENTION=60930]4gin007[/MENTION] the irony here is the left corner section was replaced by me only about 5 months ago. The old one was faded badly. Surprisingly the color matched very well. I got it from rock auto and made sure to get the CAPA version which was still very cheap. Now it will have to be replaced along with the center section.

The impact was still pretty rough. She was attempting to change lanes but didn't notice the stopped traffic ahead. So her front passenger side hit my rear drivers side. Her car was in bad shape. Smashed headlight, bumper obviously, crumpled hood, definitely some quarter panel damage because she couldn't even open the passenger door more than a few inches.

 

[kevinpt]

i just got mine back from the shop today after being hit. sorry to hear

 

[brianhuntRVA]

i just got mine back from the shop today after being hit. sorry to hear

Man 2016 must be the year or rear end hits. Guy I work with had his son get hit the same day as me. What happened in your collision? How's it look now that you got it back.

 

[Jailguard]

I agree with 2003 4x4Runner get a plate bumper. My Expedition was rear ended and I replace it with a plat bumper and swing out tire carrier. Strangely after that I had a lot less people tail gate me.

 

[kevinpt]

Man 2016 must be the year or rear end hits. Guy I work with had his son get hit the same day as me. What happened in your collision? How's it look now that you got it back.

the paint looks good. the rim has one spot on it but im getting rid of the rims when i get new tires

 

[brianhuntRVA]

I agree with 2003 4x4Runner get a plate bumper. My Expedition was rear ended and I replace it with a plat bumper and swing out tire carrier. Strangely after that I had a lot less people tail gate me.

It's a good idea I just can't get past the look of any aftermarket metal bumpers

 

[V8Man]

If the car hit you tire at all, check to see if the axel tube is bent. Take it from me two of my sons got hit in the rear one exactly like yours and the tube was bent.

 

[brianhuntRVA]

If the car hit you tire at all, check to see if the axel tube is bent. Thales it from me two of my sons got hit in the rear one exactly like yours and the tube was bent.

Definitely no tire contact but thank for the suggestion.

Check the gap around the rear doors. If the back of the car is bent, they'll tend to open up at the top and tighten up near the bottom, or visa-versa depending on the the nature of the hit. Also, the rear doors may have difficulty closing correctly.

Check the liftgate for fitment and latching (does the electric latch still close like it did...).

And, look for new "waves" in the metal in the sides between the wheel wells and the back edge of the rear doors (indicating stretched or stressed metal) or in the roof, especially near the edges where it bends down to meet the sides of the vehicle.

Your adjuster should know all this already...

I somehow missed this earlier but thanks for the good advice. I just went out and check all those things out. Everything seems fine except maybe that the lift gate seems to open and close a little differently. Upon close inspection it looks like the bottom left corner of the lift gate (near the impact) seems to be slightly misshapen. I'm talking only a couple millimeters.

 

[Sungod]

I had a similar accident. Mine was just plastic. I got $2000 from the insurance company. Bought used parts and did the work myself and pocketed $1500. It is an 03 so it isn't like you want a brand new shiny bumper anyway.

 

[emoore924]

the lift gate (near the impact) seems to be slightly misshapen. I'm talking only a couple millimeters.

Make sure the adjuster sees this. "Just a few millimeters" may indicate more significant damage somewhere else. It could just be a tweaked hinge but you don't want the liftgate leaking water or allowing exhaust into the cabin due to a misshapen opening. Easy way to find out is to measure the diagonals (there's a spec in the body book someplace). The diagonals should be equal. If that's not the case, you may want to explore having them give the body a little tug to re-square the gate opening.

 

[Walkenvol]

My '03 was rearended my a Mack truck. Killed the rear bumper and liftgate. Bent the frame directly above the rear wheels. Chained it down to a large I-beam and jacked it back up straight with a large hydrolic bottle jack. Bumper parts are available aftermarket. Picked up a liftgate the same color at a salvage yard. Back together and working fine....seriously doubt a honda could do much damage.