OIIIIIIIO
02-19-2009, 07:59 PM
So...I was driving down the interstate during a little snow...enough to cause some idiots too drive to fast and spin around in front of me...saw tail lights and then headlights of 3 different vehicles in about an hour of driving and more than a dozen in the ditch in the smae stretch...
anyway...at some point a big truck must have been through and hit some bumps as there were chunks of ice all over...i saw one a bit too late...didn't want to swerve and end up facing the wrong way so I smashed the ice...beat up and cracked my bumper...stripped the air damn underneath...no damage to any mechanicals other than the ambient temperature sensor...stripped from it's mounting point...hanging down but still functional.
can't really tell from a distance that anything is beat up and cracked. probably doesn't warrent fixing but I feel crappy as this is our "nice" vechicle (2006 Chrysler Town and Country)...also my wife's main vehicle...thought i'd check on costs anyway...I don't plan on making an insurance claim...we have like a $500 deductable...figure just cash...but the first drive in estimate came in as $850. Got another estimate coming from a smaller/local/cheaper but still good reputation in the community...but probably won't be half the price of the other estimate...
don't want to drop nearly $1000 on this...
put in a request at car-part.com for a front bumper...the bumper cover actually...one referal wrote back said $235 delivered for a primed OEM cover...$135 more if I want it painted. i would still need to get the air damn stuff...but the one quote had that listed as $40...
i can turn the wrench and put in the plastic retainer clips...
do i risk going through company that came from a car-part.com request?
i'm a little worried about paint matching "from a distance."
do i just get the part from the car-part.com referal and then have someone local paint it?
do i try and get the parts from the local chrysler garage?
do i just say !@#! it and drive around with a beat up bumper?
we just made the committment to get it paid off by October...a year and a half a head of schedule...plan on keeping it a while so we can be car payment free for a few years (my truck will be paid off by May...also 1.5 years ahead of schedule)...
thoughts?
thanks!
Patrick
anyway...at some point a big truck must have been through and hit some bumps as there were chunks of ice all over...i saw one a bit too late...didn't want to swerve and end up facing the wrong way so I smashed the ice...beat up and cracked my bumper...stripped the air damn underneath...no damage to any mechanicals other than the ambient temperature sensor...stripped from it's mounting point...hanging down but still functional.
can't really tell from a distance that anything is beat up and cracked. probably doesn't warrent fixing but I feel crappy as this is our "nice" vechicle (2006 Chrysler Town and Country)...also my wife's main vehicle...thought i'd check on costs anyway...I don't plan on making an insurance claim...we have like a $500 deductable...figure just cash...but the first drive in estimate came in as $850. Got another estimate coming from a smaller/local/cheaper but still good reputation in the community...but probably won't be half the price of the other estimate...
don't want to drop nearly $1000 on this...
put in a request at car-part.com for a front bumper...the bumper cover actually...one referal wrote back said $235 delivered for a primed OEM cover...$135 more if I want it painted. i would still need to get the air damn stuff...but the one quote had that listed as $40...
i can turn the wrench and put in the plastic retainer clips...
do i risk going through company that came from a car-part.com request?
i'm a little worried about paint matching "from a distance."
do i just get the part from the car-part.com referal and then have someone local paint it?
do i try and get the parts from the local chrysler garage?
do i just say !@#! it and drive around with a beat up bumper?
we just made the committment to get it paid off by October...a year and a half a head of schedule...plan on keeping it a while so we can be car payment free for a few years (my truck will be paid off by May...also 1.5 years ahead of schedule)...
thoughts?
thanks!
Patrick