Front chrome bumper damage

[Articlonestar]

Hello there everyone!
So I drive a 2015 ram 1500 lonestar quad cab, with parking sensors. I was inside the warehouse at work when the other driver/co-worker came in and said he backed into my truck. Long story short, he bent my chrome bumper just enough to see a little difference in it pointing down. You can also feel where the frame is protruding ever so slightly out from the surface of bumper. His insurance cut me a check for $920 and said that they will cover more if they find more damage. Is there really anything behind the chrome bumper to really be damaged? Is it an easy replacement to do yourself? (Side note, I watched a video and it shows to strip off the grill, headlights, and upper plastic bumper before the actual lower chrome part). My front parking sensors still work thankfully and are not broken. I'm not a mechanic by any means, but I can definitely figure things out and fix stuff accordingly.

I was thinking of just doing the replacement myself (found an oem replacement bumper for about $350) and pocketing the rest. But I wasn't sure if there was more behind that I should be worried about.

Thank you for reading, and any and all input is greatly appreciated! Happy holidays from a happy ram owner!

 

[WY-Dave]

Check with your insurance to see if doing it yourself will hurt you in the long run. With statefarm, if the cut you a check you have to use a retail place to get the new bumper. CL or FB market they will not replace it if it is damaged again. I used to be able to take it to a claim center and have them "OK" the repair and be good to go again.

On my Jeep I bought a 10anniversary hood and bedlined it myself. When it got hit with hail damage again, they would only pay for the hood, no labor and not the repaint.

Also taking it to a body shop they will be able to check to see if any other damage.

 

[Articlonestar]

That's kind of what I was afraid of. Thank you sir!

 

[stimpy433]

Check with your insurance to see if doing it yourself will hurt you in the long run. With statefarm, if the cut you a check you have to use a retail place to get the new bumper. CL or FB market they will not replace it if it is damaged again. I used to be able to take it to a claim center and have them "OK" the repair and be good to go again.

On my Jeep I bought a 10anniversary hood and bedlined it myself. When it got hit with hail damage again, they would only pay for the hood, no labor and not the repaint.

Also taking it to a body shop they will be able to check to see if any other damage.

yeah, but the OP’s insurance didn’t cut him the check, the other guys insurance did.... so he can fix it however he wants I’d think.

 

[ArmyGrunt66]

With my USAA insurance, every time except once, I got an estimate at a USAA approved body shop, they direct deposited the estimated amount minus the deductible, I always used another shop for the repairs and kept the difference, just my 2 cents. Merry Christmas.

Kevin

 

[likes2build]

As a licensed New York State insurance adjuster and somebody spent two-thirds of their life at a body shop here's the deal. You have no contract with the other insurance company therefore you have no obligation to have the repairs done by a licensed shop or even at all. You are entitled to all parts and labor at prevailing market rate for your damage. If you take it apart and find more damage than was on the original estimate you're entitled to supplemental damages. Just keep copies of all your receipts in case you ever have damage in the same exact place on your vehicle. That way there you have proof your vehicle was repaired from the first loss. Also make sure to take pictures of everything before , during and after the repair. Ka-ching

 

[chri5k]

If the bumper is bent the parking sensors may be out of alignment. While they still work, they may not be optimal. Aligning and testing them for proper function is a dealer only procedure AFAIK so you may want to factor that cost into your self repair.

 

[tron67j]

God information above. You have two options as I see it, the first is to take the money and do things yourself. However, I do believe you will have trouble getting more money if you find further damage as you are not a licensed repair shop, laws are different in every state so be aware of your own state requirements. The second option is to take it to a repair shop, give them the check and let them take it apart. As another former NYS person with some insurance and repair background, it feels like it was 9 times out of 10 that more damage was found after getting into a repair. Good luck.