Gaaaawd, just backed into a tree!

[Fleetchief]

Our house sits in the middle of our property and is surrounded by trees; I was turning the coach around to park it after our trip to Kentucky and backed right into a tree...........@&*^%$$##@#$%%$ jeezzzz, smashed the ladder and the fiberglass bumper!
I went online to the Newmar sight and it says contact your dealer.
I can replace the ladder for 120 bucks, but I have no idea what the bumper is going to cost, any ideas??
My deductable is $500.00 bucks, so if it is even close to that I’ll pay for it myself……..mainly because, well, I’m stupid!! I could not see the gray tree very well in the black and white backup camera.

[AFChap]

When I cracked the fiberglass "bumper" on my Winnebago ...the bumper is about the bottom 4 ft of the rear end ...I had it repaired and repainted at a local body shop. That was apx 2004 and the cost was apx $750. Of course, it all depends on how badly you smashed the bumper. Body shops with experience in repairing fiberglass can do good work, and you shouldn't have to replace the entire bumper unless you really did a job on it!

[GaryKD]

Hi Fleetchief,
Are you close to Nappanee, Indiana?

[TXiceman]

Even if it cost you $1500.00 to fix it, you will be better off paying it out of pocket. If you file a claim, the insurance will go up for several years.

Ken

[Elkhartjim]

I owned a body shop in a past life and can recommend almost any body shop can do your needed repair and paint work. Personally, I would stay away from the dealer because he will most likely sub it out to me, add a mark up and tell you what a great job he did.

BTW...consider a color back up camera.

[Wayne M]

By insurance company standards, that is a moving traffic accident. Ken is correct about your insurance possibly going up. In any case it will be a black mark, even if you call them and just ask questions and say you are going to pay for it yourself, they will mark it down on their "little" form. Go ahead, ask me how I know!!!

p.s., I 'try' to never back up without a ground spotter, even though I have the camera. It just isn't worth it.

[Fleetchief]

I might call a few body shops, I can pull the fiberglass bumper off and take it to a couple body shops for some quotes........boy I needed this like another hole in my body!
I believe your right about even calling my insurance company, good advice, thanks, this was the first trip from Twin Lake Mi to Fort Mitchell KY in this coach and everything ran great, no complaints, except I did scare the crap out of myself, somewhere in Indiana going thru a rain storm, I looked in the backup camera and my wife’s scooter was gone!, after looking at the screen for a few more seconds I realized it was just a drop of water on the camera lens.

[LindyT]

That is a bummer. :( Don't beat yourself up too much - these things happen to the best of us.

[Bob N Deb]

Great idea by a designer a bumper that breaks when you back into a tree . there was a time when they actually worked rather than just looking good

[Chuck 1935]

What you are trying to say is that while parked, picking up grocerys, some truck must have run into the back of your Motorhome and caused a considerable amount of damage AND to make matters worse, they never left a note ! The Swine !!!!

[Fleetchief]

Well, I removed the bumper (another word for fiberglass facade) and took it to a local body shop, the quote was $550.00.
The left side is completely smashed, and the bottom ½ is ripped in half, so I was actually relieved, I also contacted the dealer and had him send the color formula for the original 2000 Newmar Dutch Star, so the body shop can verify the color that the computer recommends, again my deductable is $500.00 bucks so although this whole thing could have been avoided by simply having a “spotter” when I maneuver in close courters, I feel relieved that the cost from the body shop was not more.
Rob

[AFChap]

Great idea by a designer a bumper that breaks when you back into a tree

...yeah, I think we should re-name these so-called "bumpers" something like "bender," "breaker", or perhaps even "break-away panel".

[Fleetchief]

Yea, roger that!, i like break away panel.

[MickBrennan]

Originally Posted by Chuck 1935

What you are trying to say is that while parked, picking up grocerys, some truck must have run into the back of your Motorhome and caused a considerable amount of damage AND to make matters worse, they never left a note ! The Swine !!!!

Shhhh,
That is a felony!