my poor baby.. :(

[mrkoven]

onramp merge.. car in front braked suddenly, thought he was going.. i basically accelerated into him while looking back at traffic... my fault

just dropped it off at the shop, they said it looks cosmetic and not too structural which is good.. my farmer's insurance doesn't cover full OEM replacements unfortunately.. shop said they will have to get bmw certified aftermarket bumper/hood instead of OEM but assured me it'll look and fit the same.. ive never had an accident before, does anyone know if this is trustworthy? should i pay out of pocket on the difference for OEM?

the silver lining here is that at least i wont have license plate holes anymore...

[paris1]

So the way my body shop explained it to me is that (in Calif. at least) the rule for any insurer is that they have to guarantee the vehicle is repaired to as-new condition (or something to that effect) and if it's not done to the owner's satisfaction, they have to re-do it until it is. That's the "loophole" (so to speak) that a good body shop will use when dealing with second-rate insurers (which it sounds like Farmer's may be!) in order to be able to satisfy their customers. If you have a good repair shop, they will know how to look out for your interests and bring the insurer to heel.

[fmorelli]

A few things. First off I'm sorry to hear about the accident. Glad you are safe and it is cosmetic.

Honestly the factory front bumper fits like crap to begin with - looks like a kit car, especially how they attach by the front fender. That's my way of saying I think it will look just fine. I've had my bumper replace, no big deal.

BMW did a real shitty job mounting the intercooler. I'd want to make sure all the plastic junk up front is not broken or cracked, and correctly installed.

You can get a price difference on OEM vs aftermarket. Also look up the OEM p/n at your local BMW dealer that discounts. A 20% or so discount might get you at the same price, even. Good luck!

Filippo