Today I get my fourth rear bumper.....

[SevenBizzos]

This is my Sonata....or at least what it looks like to other people.

Today it is again in the body shop having it's fourth rear bumper installed. I was hit while stopped at a traffic light a couple of weeks ago. The third bumper was needed because someone was trying to beat the yellow turn arrow and (as usual) did not see my car. The second bumper was needed because someone did not see the car stopped at a stop sign. So, if you are keeping score, three accidents - two of which my car was not even moving.

I should add that my wife was hit in our six day old Edge at the same traffic light I was - which required a new rear bumper as well.

The body shop knows me by name now. It's like Norm waking into Cheers! these days. I'm planning on keeping the car for at least another three years, so chances are I'll be back at the shop soon....

 

[Chris142]

That is weird. Do the brake lights work every time?

 

[Jetronic]

even if they don't work, you shouldn't hit a stationary vehicle. No excuse there. Now if you are driving and brake without brakelights you have some of the blame...

 

[Kestas]

Four times?!! I'd consider replacing the bumper with an I-beam!

 

[SatinSilver]

Maybe some of those quick flashing 3x brake lights would help. At least this didn’t happen to the Mustang.

 

[PimTac]

Four times?!! I'd consider replacing the bumper with an I-beam!

I would add rear facing spikes as a visible deterrent.

 

[MCompact]

My wife’s E39 5er also had a bullseye painted on its rear bumper. Here are the gory details:

1. Stopped in traffic, guy behind my wife lets his foot slip off clutch. Bang! Bumper cover gouged and cracked. Perp wants me to take it to his uncle's garage to have the cover "buffed out". I laugh. Bumper cover replaced.

2. Uninsured moron is driving his live-in girlfriend's uninsured Sunbird. Moron throws cigarette butt out window. Butt flies back into car. Moron begins search for butt, neglecting to notice 5er stopped at traffic light. BIG BANG! Moron offers to pay $100/month restitution if I don't file criminal charges for driving uninsured. More laughter. 5er can be driven away. The disabled Pontiac sits by road for ten days before it is towed off by police. Total damage over $9K-all but $500 paid by MY insurance.

3. Soccer mom arguing with her kid rams her new Accord into a Celica stopped behind my wife who is-you guessed it-stopped at a light. Airbags deploy in both Accord and Celica(no injuries). 528i is driven away. Another bumper cover.

4. The 528i is-all together now-STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT. A guy adjusting the radio in his Tundra rams the car which is third in line behind my wife, causing a chain reaction. Multiple airbag deployments, only minor injuries. The 5er is-once again-the only car that can be driven away.

My wife isn't normally superstitious, but she swears that she will NEVER own another silver car.

 

[bdcardinal]

Maybe some of those quick flashing 3x brake lights would help. At least this didn’t happen to the Mustang.

I loathe those. They are technically illegal in some states because they are close to be considered a "strobe light" which are only permitted on emergency vehicles.

 

[Cujet]

There is some possibility your driving style leads people to think you’ve moved through the intersection.

Many drivers are very perceptive to tiny movement clues. Yet completely miss the big picture, by failing to look directly ahead. If, for example you move position at about the rate most drivers are accelerating away from a stop, some people will run right into your stopped car.

Sadly, many drivers (myself not included hahahahaha, just kidding) find themselves making stupid mistakes based on other drivers perceived actions

 

[ecotourist]

My wife’s E39 5er also had a bullseye painted on its rear bumper. Here are the gory details:

1. Stopped in traffic, guy behind my wife lets his foot slip off clutch. Bang! Bumper cover gouged and cracked. Perp wants me to take it to his uncle's garage to have the cover "buffed out". I laugh. Bumper cover replaced.

2. Uninsured moron is driving his live-in girlfriend's uninsured Sunbird. Moron throws cigarette butt out window. Butt flies back into car. Moron begins search for butt, neglecting to notice 5er stopped at traffic light. BIG BANG! Moron offers to pay $100/month restitution if I don't file criminal charges for driving uninsured. More laughter. 5er can be driven away. The disabled Pontiac sits by road for ten days before it is towed off by police. Total damage over $9K-all but $500 paid by MY insurance.

3. Soccer mom arguing with her kid rams her new Accord into a Celica stopped behind my wife who is-you guessed it-stopped at a light. Airbags deploy in both Accord and Celica(no injuries). 528i is driven away. Another bumper cover.

4. The 528i is-all together now-STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT. A guy adjusting the radio in his Tundra rams the car which is third in line behind my wife, causing a chain reaction. Multiple airbag deployments, only minor injuries. The 5er is-once again-the only car that can be driven away.

My wife isn't normally superstitious, but she swears that she will NEVER own another silver car.

I had a red car like that. Over the course of 2 years almost every body panel was dented, shot, sat on and dented, scraped off by a passing car, etc. And for good measure a lot of the interior parts broke off too (window cranks, door handles, heater controls, radio knobs, etc).

I thought it was because it was red. Either some vehicles are bad luck or these are examples of the strange (but expected) random clustering of otherwise chance events.

 

[wdn]

Now you have three accidents on your Carfax so the resale value of the car has plunged dramatically. There are a lot of people who filter out cars with accidents from their used car searches, myself included.

 

[MCompact]

CarMax offered me $5,000 for the E39. A customer at the indie shop I used bought it for $10,000. At the time I sold it it was eight years old and had 130k miles on it.

 

[el Nuke]

I loathe those. They are technically illegal in some states because they are close to be considered a "strobe light" which are only permitted on emergency vehicles.

They work, that’s for sure. What’s to loathe?

 

[vwmaniaman]

Those long snout trailer hitches frame mounted might save a few bumpers.

 

[bdcardinal]

They work, that’s for sure. What’s to loathe?

Being stuck behind a car with one in traffic for hours gets infuriating.

 

[SevenBizzos]

Good stuff here. I'm not selling this car. It's been a really good car with minimal problems. Yes, some repairs here and there, but very solid and I expect at least 230k out of it. I've spent too much time with good maintenance practices to let someone else benefit.

I get what Cujet is saying. Something like that happened to me 15 years ago when I let off the accelerator to slow a manual car down slightly when someone was turning in front of me. The pickup behind me wasn't at his full attention (doing whatever) and "didn't see me" and hit me in the rear bumper. His claim was my brake lights were out, even though the one that was not smashed to bits worked great. This time around I was sitting at a red light. I'm not sure how my behavior of being stopped at a red light could influence any other driver's decision.

And if it was the Mustang, I can not guarantee the outcome would be the same. That's about all I can say.

The rental is a 2019 Maxima, and so far I'm liking it. Maybe worthy of a rental review here. I don't think I've ever driven a Nissan.

 

[Jetronic]

Those long snout trailer hitches frame mounted might save a few bumpers.

save the bumper, bend the frame?

 

[gathermewool]

Now you have three accidents on your Carfax so the resale value of the car has plunged dramatically. There are a lot of people who filter out cars with accidents from their used car searches, myself included.

He should be asking for a check for diminished value every time.

 

[gathermewool]

There is some possibility your driving style leads people to think you’ve moved through the intersection.

Many drivers are very perceptive to tiny movement clues. Yet completely miss the big picture, by failing to look directly ahead. If, for example you move position at about the rate most drivers are accelerating away from a stop, some people will run right into your stopped car.

Sadly, many drivers (myself not included hahahahaha, just kidding) find themselves making stupid mistakes based on other drivers perceived actions

Say what now? All that to say that inattentive drivers be inattentive.

 

[HangFire]

Maybe it's where you live. If so, time to move.