[Taktix1]

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Had a small accident occur while parked. A car reversed into my front bumper and left a small dent and compressed the lower bumper a bit. Very slight damage (see photos). 2023 with 12k miles. Luckily, the other driver left a note and took responsibility (very appreciative of that). My question is, would you bring it back to the dealership for repair or find a reputable shop to do it? Located in northern VA if anyone has any shop recommendations.

[E46G07fanatic]

Something to consider is if you want it on your vehicle's history report. Responsibly party paying cash or going through insurance?

I've always heard good things about D&V Auto Body in Sterling.

[Orient330iNYC]

https://my.bmwusa.com/ccrc

factory certified collision center.
be warned, thats going to be a 3k+ repair- if the other party was going to take care of it out of insurance, they will likely balk.
plastic bumpers cant really be repaired, the correct fix is a new cover.

[Taktix1]

Originally Posted by E46G07fanatic

Something to consider is if you want it on your vehicle's history report. Responsibly party paying cash or going through insurance?

I've always heard good things about D&V Auto Body in Sterling.

I've been debating this all day. The damage is soooo minimal that you'd never know unless someone pointed it out to you. Responsible party is going through insurance. Are there any positives you can think of to just leave it as is? When I go to sell, I'm sure they'll notice it during inspection and ding me anyway.

Originally Posted by Orient330iNYC

https://my.bmwusa.com/ccrc

factory certified collision center.
be warned, thats going to be a 3k+ repair- if the other party was going to take care of it out of insurance, they will likely balk.
plastic bumpers cant really be repaired, the correct fix is a new cover.

The other party gladly gave me their insurance so I'm assuming that's the route they'd want to take. I can't believe this slight ding is going to be a 3k fix though, that's crazy!! Regarding certified collision centers, I've heard lots of good things about D&V also, but they are not on that list you gave which now worries me. Is there a reason to make sure to go to a certified collision center?

[MystroX5]

It needs fixed. I would spot that spot right away if I were inspecting your X7. The issue then becomes the idea of “what else is damaged I can’t see?” Not fixing it will come back to haunt you either resale or trade-in.

[Madsen203]

Originally Posted by Taktix1

The other party gladly gave me their insurance so I'm assuming that's the route they'd want to take. I can't believe this slight ding is going to be a 3k fix though, that's crazy!! Regarding certified collision centers, I've heard lots of good things about D&V also, but they are not on that list you gave which now worries me. Is there a reason to make sure to go to a certified collision center?

My main concern is that BMW has some unique paint and getting it to match/blend right will be really challenging. I had a pearl paint on another car and went to a highly rated auto shop and they royally f’d the paint and couldn’t blend for the life of them. I finally gave up on it and left it but was always so unhappy when walking up to the car.

I’d take a cash settlement and run. I wonder if some heat and PDR could get it close to OE.

[Orient330iNYC]

Originally Posted by Taktix1

I've been debating this all day. The damage is soooo minimal that you'd never know unless someone pointed it out to you. Responsible party is going through insurance. Are there any positives you can think of to just leave it as is? When I go to sell, I'm sure they'll notice it during inspection and ding me anyway.



The other party gladly gave me their insurance so I'm assuming that's the route they'd want to take. I can't believe this slight ding is going to be a 3k fix though, that's crazy!! Regarding certified collision centers, I've heard lots of good things about D&V also, but they are not on that list you gave which now worries me. Is there a reason to make sure to go to a certified collision center?

once a plastic bumper is deformed, its basically a replacement.
the cover is about 1K, the rest is labor and materials.
repair doesnt make sense, on a flexible item like a bumper you'll end up with failure with any flexing, like bumping something in the same spot. plus the labor to prep the repaired bumper for paint is going to be close or more than the labor to paint a replacement.

CCRCs are second only to the VDCs and factory in terms of ability to repair. they have access to the same tools and processes that the factory has. that being said, a well reviewed local shop should be able to handle this repair. you want to make sure the paint match is good and that they dont try to blend the adjacent panels.