Reversed into a bollard, now bumper sits unevenly.

[nzm18]

Hi all,

I reversed into a bollard yesterday, it was dark and i didn't see it. However i wasn't reversing that fast and my car was already rolling to a stop by the time i bumped it.

It has some scuff damage to the rear bumper on the driver side which I'm getting repainted soon. My issue is that now the bumper sits a little bit lower on the side of the impact than on the other side. Its only slight but it annoys me and a part of the bumper just below the taillight now juts out more than other side. Have I potentially damaged something behind the bumper? Is it something I could fix or is it basically stuck like that. Anyone had this happen before? Not sure if pulling the bumper off and putting it back on again will fix it?

I've trying pushing on it but it doesn't seem to wanna budge from its new uneven position. Had a vehicle shop tell me 'that's just how your bumper is gonna be now'. I really hope not.. 😅

[Jay762]

There are 3 elements to look at.

small pressed metal brackets on the underside that may be bent which could be easily reshaped or replaced

the main crash bar behind the bumper may be bent which will be a little more challenging as it is more robust

or the clip mounts along the top or edge of the bumper - you can see if these are out by the gap size against the metal rear quarter panels.

 

The bumper is easy to remove but be careful if it is windy as it turns into a sail and gets more damage when it lands (as I found out now also needing a blow over)

check the lower brackets and panel gaps first as it is an easy eye ball then look at a remove / refit where you can inspect the bash bar 

 

Edit - just noticed you dont say saloon or hatch for your car, all my above stuff is hatch based experience but a quick look at some pictures whilst the bumper shape itself is slightly different the mountings look the same