Dear Tom and Ray:
So, I drove my car into my house. That's not the opening line of a joke, I really did do that. I got the house fixed right away to keep it from collapsing, but I just can't decide whether I need to get the body on the car fixed. A little background: My husband bought me a 2010 Subaru Outback primarily for its safety rating. Now that I have smooshed the front bumper, is the safety really compromised? To me, it's not worth the $1,500 the body shop wants to fix it if it's just cosmetic damage. But I will bite the bullet and get the body work done if you think I would be safer in a collision. What say you? Thanks!
-- Joanne
Tom: Don't fix it. It sounds like you're just going to smash it up again anyway.
Ray: Yeah. We don't want to cast aspersions, Joanne, but you dropped a couple of hints here. One is that your husband bought you a car primarily for its safety record. That suggests you may have given him reason, in the past, to be concerned about your safety.
Tom: And hint No. 2: You drove into a house. A house! So I think you're absolutely right. If there's no mechanical or structural damage to the car, then you're under no obligation to fix it. Your body shop can tell you whether there's any underlying damage.
Ray: Your car -- like almost all cars these days -- has a plastic bumper cover. That's the bulge you see outside the car that most of us call "the bumper." It's designed to look like part of the whole front grille for styling and aerodynamic purposes these days. But it's just a thin plastic cover.
Tom: The real bumper -- the steel bar that absorbs impact -- is underneath that. As long as that still functions properly, you can leave the outer, painted skin alone.
Ray: And as long as the lights work, the radiator didn't get damaged, and the hood stays closed, you're not obligated to fix anything.
Tom: Leaving it unrepaired might even serve a safety-related purpose. Other drivers will see it, and it'll warn them to give you a wide berth, Joanne!
(Car Talk is a nationally syndicated column by automotive experts (and brothers) Tom and Ray Magliozzi. Write to them at the Car Talk website.)
2 Comments
By martin on June 27, 2011 6:01 AM
You don't take into account that now that he has his first dent, he sure won't even ask about the next one. Pretty soon he will be driving a dented up scratched piece of junk that he won't feel like taking care of. It will end up being one of those cars that have a bad cylinder and smoke you out when you follow them on the road. I keep my car looking immaculate because of that. Fix the damn bumper!
By Jake on June 29, 2011 4:37 PM
"If there's no mechanical or structural damage to the car, then you're under no obligation to fix it."
WRONG
If they're making payments on the car, there's going to be a clause from the lender stating that if there is cosmetic damage to the vehicle, they are responsible to fix it if it affects the resale value of the vehicle. Unless they own the car outright, they'll have to pay for the damage one way or the other if they default on the loan.