Got rear ended today - 2019 Prime

I'd be interested to see some pictures of this condition on your car. I have a 2018 Prime and everything lines up properly.

I would ask the body shop to leave the cover in the car after they replace it, then take a grinder to it and cut out the part with the sticker, then put that in your rear window. It's still valid because it was issued to your car.

 

How does that compare to the other side? Any measurements we can provide comparisons to from other Primes? Perhaps a photo directly from the rear showing the gaps on both sides of the hatch.

 

It's just me.
But on a vehicle that new, I'd want it fixed. Yes, things deteriorate, and that damage to the bumper cover looks pretty minimal, but I'd like to at least keep that type of cosmetic damage at bay for a year.

Believe it or not, I had what looked to be a very similar type of damage done to my 2010 Honda Fit, 9 years ago, about 1 month into ownership.
Somebody rear ended me, causing very similar damage. Basically nothing looked too bad, I had imprints in the paint where the force and impact caused my license and license plate frame to push into the paint.
My car was so new...I wanted it fixed.

What I remember is that as minimal as the damage was, I was told the total assessment couldn't be made, until the bumper was removed and the structures underneath were evaluated. I was told there was a Styrofoam like substance behind the bumper designed to absorb impact, but once it compresses or absorbs the force, it doesn't recover. If that was "dented" then that would have to be replaced.

Also as minimal as the damage to the paint was....it still meant painting/blending the entire bumper. You get all the removal, disposal, and labor costs involved.

In the end? The damage was very minimal, but the insurance covered damage still came to just shy of $1000.

PS.
Do you remember if that gap was that bad before the accident?
Maybe it's the angle of the picture but that seems to be a pretty bad gap and alignment.

I don't see how you can bring a vehicle in, that was rear ended, but then come to the firm conclusion that rear hatch and body alignment absolutely could NOT have anything to do with the accident.

Yeah, I'd compare to other new Primes on the lot.
I also might just want a second opinion.

 

I had a similar experience with a VW Jetta. Rear ended, folded up the bumper cover. At the shop, they found the absorbing foam was crushed and the impact even got into the unit body. What I had originally expected to be about $700 for the bumper cover and paint came to $1500. You don’t know the true damage until you disassemble and look underneath. Never be a nice guy - if somebody damages your car get it restored to how it was before they damaged it.

Edit - or at least know the true extent of the damage before you decide whether to fix it or not.

 

This is not "rear-ended", this is a love tap that any street parking car experiences - just sucks that it happened so soon. Your insurance claim will do more damage to the car value downs the road than these scratches. Uneven hatch gap is present even on new vehicles, nothing to worry.

 

First thing to do with a new car (which I've never bought) is smack it with a hammer so you don't have to worry about that first scratch or dent. So far, all my cars have some pre-blemished, saving me the bother of initializing them.

 

My 1996 Taurus was rear ended soon after getting it. Appeared to just be paint damage. The offending minivan had buckled its hood. Years later, I realized that the impact had twisted the entire frame.

 

How is this? The other driver is likely paying for the damages, since the rear-ender is typically at fault.

 

Car with 1 accident record vs. car 'with clean Carfax' - which one you'd choose?

 

I would choose the fixed one.

Edit - Carfax is not very reliable as a quality indicator. If you do all your maintenance at home, it shows zero maintenance history for example. If you get rear-ended and show the potential buyer that it was properly fixed, that's a plus.

My VW Jetta was hail damaged to the tune of $5,500 and rear ended and it looked like new when sold (and was properly repaired).

 

I see you are in the LA area. Google "bumper repair". There are dozens of places (some even mobile) that can fix this. Had it done on my Scion and my wifes Corolla. When they are done, you can't tell there was a dent or scratch! Really! they do that good a job! They can also "line up" messed up areas. I highly recommend them. They will give you a qoute and it usually takes around 2 hours, depending on the damage. My rear bumper when I had my Scion was hit by a cell phone idiot not paying attention. He actually punched a hole in the bumper. Cost to fix? $180 dollars. Give it a shot. Get a qoute.

 

Sorry to hear this, this is my biggest fear with new cars, is getting (what appears to be) minor damage, then you are in the dilemma about whether to repair or not, as on one hand it sucks to redo original paint, but on the other hand it breaks your heart to see damage on your brand new vehicle.... at least if the damage is a bit more severe, there is no decision to make, you just get it done.

That said, I agree with others in that you absolutely need to have it properly disassembled/assessed before making a decision. Also, it is not the time to be the “nice guy” and go easy on the other guy (particularly if their negligence is the reason for the impact), make sure your vehicle is taken care of properly, first. Get it repaired at the best place you can find.

My Gen 2 was cursed with all kinds of bad luck... over 10 years I collected 12” dents on both front doors from people not holding doors on windy days, a hit & run in a parking lot dislodging the bumper when it was 2 months old (which I never repaired BTW, just touch-up paint on the scratches) to a minor rear ending leaving license plate tattoos, and endless “small” door dings, despite doing my best to park in safer places away from shopping centers, etc. In contrast, in the 3+ years I have had my PiP, I have only one very minor ding on the driver door that you have to look very hard to see, and a minor scratch on the rear door that appears to be from a purse or something, but is pretty deep. I did buy the car 2 years old, and there are a few minor surface scratches, but virtually no dents. In the three years I have had the car, I haven’t changed any parking habits, but I just seem to had better luck (and of course a parking-enabled 2-channel dash cam if anything bad does happen. )

Good luck!

 

Had a minor scratch on my rear bumper near the quarter panel. Cost $1100 to repaint. The explanation I received from a State Farm certified repair shop is that the Blizzard Pearl color is some kind of 3 phase (layer?) paint instead of the standard 2 phase paint job present on most Toyotas. Not sure if that made sense but it made a small repainting job turn out much more expensive.

For the HOV stickers, I only use two of them at a time (rear right bumper on the black trim portion and left front). That way I have two spares in case of accidents or if the Prime gets totaled.