Oh NOOOOooooo! Better get Maico?

[arejayesss]

My girlfriend and I were going out to eat this evening, at the local Outback. I found the best spot there! First spot nearest the door (not handiapped)!! So I commence the usual MM park-job, back end in first, and I hear a small scrape! It sounded like I had sc***** the curb, but with the back bumper? So I pulled forward ever so slightly and heard the reverse scrape noise. When I got out, I realized it wasn't the curb, but the left rear corner of the bumper vs. a cement light pole(don't know who put it there) Luckily the super duper flex bumper we've got was able to flex and not crack the whole bumper. There is a light scratch running up and down the bumper, not too deep. But the brunt of the scrape looks like it penetrated the clear coat and the paint itself:help: I do not know what to do. I have some pictures I will post, as soon as I resize them. Any ideas? Thanks rjs

[KillJoy]

Uhhhh.....you park you MM near the door, and not out in the middle of nowhere????

KillJoy

[knine]

any ideas ??? YESH, let her drive :eek:

[Raudermaster]

There is such a thing called a close spot with an MM? I consider 2 miles away close.

[arejayesss]

Uhhhh.....you park you MM near the door, and not out in the middle of nowhere????

KillJoy

Usually, when I have a choice I park next to a median or at least 5 or 6 spaces away. This particular Outback is always packed and usually I end up parking in the back where the cooks take their smoke breaks!! This spot only had 1 neighbor spot, and it was available!!

[sailsmen]

Thats why most people park front in.

I do not understand the back up and hope u don't hit anything parking style.

[arejayesss]

OK here are the pics. I don't know what to do (besides forfeit parking priveleges, thanks guys) I just did my first wax job ever a couple weeks ago. I am learning! Teach me wise ones!! rjs

[Raudermaster]

You've never waxed a car before? :disbelief:

[lwblumjr]

OK here are the pics. I don't know what to do (besides forfeit parking priveleges, thanks guys) I just did my first wax job ever a couple weeks ago. I am learning! Teach me wise ones!! rjs
Arejayesss,

It'll buff out. :lol:

[arejayesss]

You've never waxed a car before? :disbelief:

There's alot of things I've never done to a car (get your mind out of the gutter) I have never changed the oil myself!! I just purchased my MM on 6/12/07. I had never felt such a passion before for my car. I did, however, change an alternator on my '91 Grand Marquis Colony Park Station Wagon (GMCPSW for all you guys that love acronyms (A)s) But outside of that, I was never that kid that worked on his dads mustang on the weekends or helped a neighbor restore an old gremlin. I never really had that opportunity. But now I am learning so much about my car and others in general and hope to be half as knowledgable as most of you were at half my age(sorry for all the fractions) I really love the finish on my car and would love to restore this BooBoo as soon as possible. Thanks again. rjs

[Bluerauder]

OK here are the pics.

Dayum, that looks nasty. Some of those scrapes and scratches are deep into the cover itself. Looks like a job for the body shop. :(

MM Rule #1 -- never park at the spot near the door
MM Rule #2 -- head in parking only except when in an MM group/event
MM Rule #3 -- sign up for Mike Poore's School of Backing Up

[Mike]

any ideas ??? YESH, let her drive :eek:

........ :lol:

[arejayesss]

Dayum, that looks nasty. Some of those scrapes and scratches are deep into the cover itself. Looks like a job for the body shop. :(

MM Rule #1 -- never park at the spot near the door
MM Rule #2 -- head in parking only except when in an MM group/event
MM Rule #3 -- sign up for Mike Poore's School of Backing Up


#1-Will Do
#2-Will Do
#3-I suppose that's the punishment for my carelessness. Sent him PM

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

The right repair is to repaint the whole bumper cover (spot touch up the base and re clear the whole thing). Cost? Probably about $400-500 at a good body shop.

Second-rate choice: Have a body shop spot touch up the bumper , spot clear it, and blend it. Probably not much less expensive.

That is not just a clear coat scrape, clear is fairly thick, but not that thick.

[ckadiddle]

The right repair is to repaint the whole bumper cover (spot touch up the base and re clear the whole thing). Cost? Probably about $400-500 at a good body shop.

Second-rate choice: Have a body shop spot touch up the bumper , spot clear it, and blend it. Probably not much less expensive.

That is not just a clear coat scrape, clear is fairly thick, but not that thick.
That cost guess is dead on based on my experiences. Had a similar deep scuff on the front bumper when I bought it, cost was 450-500. That's for removal, sanding out scuff, repainting the whole bumper. Maybe a bit less if you get lucky.

[DEFYANT]

You.......let.....her.......

drive?

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

No it sounds like he was driving and he banged the pole?

[sailsmen]

When ever I back up I turn off the radio and roll down the window so I can hear the crunch and the screams.

I should sit up to get above the head rest and put my arm around the back of the passenger seat.

The idea is to rotate your torso to face the back window.

This greatly reduces your chance of backing into something.

Opening the door and looking at the ground only tells you where you have been, not where you are going.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

When ever I back up I turn off the radio and roll down the window so I can hear the crunch and the screams.

Are you running over a crowd of people? (Although you do read from time to time about granny hitting the gas instead of the brakes on her Grand Marquis and running over a crowd of people)

[magindat]

You'll save a buck or two if you remove the bumper yourself and carry it in.

I could do a rattle can touch up job when you are over next week. It won't be perfect, but it won't be as bad as you got. Buy you some time 'till you can get to the paint shop.

[arejayesss]

No it sounds like he was driving and he banged the pole?

Yes, I am the guilty party. I did let my GF drive it once though. It was pretty funny, she was shocked when I said "go ahead, you can drive it if you want" She had the look of a homeless guy getting a hundred dollar bill from someone. "are you sure, but it's your new baby" she replied. She liked it though, compared to her PT Cruiser:D

[SID210SA]

I let my girlfriend drive mine and she is scared to death of it...she doesn't want any part of that anymore

[OneBADLsE]

LOL - Woman, drive...MARAUDER?!

I cant even put those words together without stumbling

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

LOL - Woman, drive...MARAUDER?!

I cant even put those words together without stumbling

I don't even get that far without stumbling.

Woman, drive ... ?

You know it's true!

[offroadkarter]

I have the perfect idea, ill take it off your hands for 18 grand :D

[Bluerauder]

LOL - Woman, drive...MARAUDER?!

I cant even put those words together without stumbling
My wife drives the Marauder and has no problem. Her foot has more lead in it than mine. She can cut nearly 5 minutes off the grocery trip and we're only 1/2 mile away from the store. ;)

[Cobra25]

I have a guy by me that does's the repainting of bumpers and doors for the car dealers in my area. He does excellent work and he will come to you if you live in the local area. Ghost03 has used him in the past so have I on my Dodge and Toyota.( A few of my other friends too). Cost $150-$200 approx the last time we used him.

[Aren Jay]

I worked with a guy who had a lifted 12-14" lifted older SUV, before they were called SUV's. Ford or chevy something. Anyway he backed into a flag pole too. Instead of the flexable bumper like the Marauder he had the steel bumper with little or no give. He knocked the flag pole over and it hit the Harveys fastfood resturant. Cost him a dent in his bumper and it screwed up his rear end, plus $17,000 for a new flag pole and to fix the resturant.

Count yourself lucky.

I would recommend a new rear bumper flex cover thingy, if you can't just fix it and get it painted at a scratch repair place that will blend the colour.

http://www.colorworks.ca/ is the place that repainted my car when the delivery idiots backed their truck into it.

Must be someone like them in your area too.

[arejayesss]

I have the perfect idea, ill take it off your hands for 18 grand :D

awww, how generous of you! I still owe more than that on it!

I will be over at the Tower Shops this friday. So the guys can check it out and we will go from there. I wonder how much it costs for a new bumper cover? Maybe I should just get rid of this one now, and look for another MM that isn't scratched:o Rich will be doing my stereo system install next weekend and he said he could help me out with it, at least a temp. fix. Oh wait, I Know!! BUMPER STICKER!!!!!! That'll cover it up! :P

Thanks again for everyones input. You know, actually I was just feeling left out. I did not have any problems to post about and get help with. So I figured I would just 'accidentally' back into a light post so I could fit in. And now I am an official member of the Mike Poore Back Up Team Trainers, or Mike Poore B.U.T.T.s

rjs