Rear Ended but no damage...i thought

[Lokimaster]

I got hit yesterday coming home from work. Lady in a white Honday Minivan hit me while I was sitting still in traffic. My 2000 XLT, I thought came through with no damage, so I told the lady to go on. My mistake. This morning, once I could see better, I noticied my bumper had bent about 10 degrees down. Still nothing major. Then I drove it. It is making a popping sound, was there before just not this pronounced, coming from the rear end whenever I go over a curve, like leaving a parking lot. In curves, no sound. Interstate driving is fine. This is just another in a long line of issues I have had with this truck. About ready to trade.

Question is, is the popping noise anything to be concerned about? I know this bend bumper will hit me on trade in, so I may try and fix that myself. Any thoughts appreciated but please no beating me up about not calling the cops when it happened, my wife has already done that well.

 

[Blee1099]

Originally posted by Lokimaster
I got hit yesterday coming home from work. Lady in a white Honday Minivan hit me while I was sitting still in traffic. My 2000 XLT, I thought came through with no damage, so I told the lady to go on. My mistake. This morning, once I could see better, I noticied my bumper had bent about 10 degrees down. Still nothing major. Then I drove it. It is making a popping sound, was there before just not this pronounced, coming from the rear end whenever I go over a curve, like leaving a parking lot. In curves, no sound. Interstate driving is fine. This is just another in a long line of issues I have had with this truck. About ready to trade.

Question is, is the popping noise anything to be concerned about? I know this bend bumper will hit me on trade in, so I may try and fix that myself. Any thoughts appreciated but please no beating me up about not calling the cops when it happened, my wife has already done that well.

Did you guys atleast trade insurance information? Hopefully you did. The popping sound could posssibly the swaybar hitting someting, a broken shock mount, etc.. Take it to your insurance adjuster and ask him/her to look at it. As a rule always exchange insurance information after any accident, it doesn't matter how small it is. I unfortunately have a bad experience once that taught me a lesson. I was driving a old 96 Toyota Camry and was involved in an accident that caused some minor damage to the front right fender. After Progressive, the other party's insurance company looked at my vehicle and wrote me a check, I did some routine work to it and discovered the top shock mount compeletely broke off.

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Always call a cop and have a report written. Even if you two exchanged insurance information, the other party may deny that he/she got into an accident with you and the insurance has nothing to go by. I was sideswiped this past summer and was very glad I called the cops because she didn't want me to report it to the insurance so I was like, ok. I called the cops anyway and get a report just in case. Well...I went and got estimates on the damage and then tried calling her for a looooong time but nothing so that's when I filed a claim. Heh...her insurance couldn't even reach her so I was very lucky that I call the cop or I'd have to pay for the damage myself.

 

[Lokimaster]

Well, I didn't. I know, stupid. So I am stuck. Don't want my insurance to get involved because they will jack up my rates.

 

[ALLOUTWAR13]

Are you sure the bumper is not loose and when hte body flexes it just grinds on the mounts? Or have you lloked for any loose parts at all?

 

[ehnco]

Man...me too. Actually my wife was driving my EX to work today and was rear ended by someone. She said it's just the bumper and maybe the exhaust pipe, but will see when she gets here. She got all the info and called the other person's adjuster. What's a '96 EX bumper going for these days from the dealer?? I want all brand new parts of course.....she got hit by a Lincoln Town car that took some major front end damage.....

 

[ehnco]

Turns out my damage was light. Looks like the rear bumper and rear exhaust pipe. Exhaust hanger was snapped off.....waiting for the ins. adjuster to come on over.....

 

[Stephen]

You're looking at $700 or so for the bumper installed probably. Maybe less because thats going on my Limited which has a painted bumper.

The problem with the Explorers is that they have a steel bumper mounted onto two bumper mounts. In any kind of rear end collision one of the mount inevitably breaks and the bumper is torqued one direction or the other.

Is your bumper contacting the hatch in any way, is it loose, can you move it with your hands?

 

[ehnco]

It's just bent inward slightly on the passenger side where the exhaust pipe comes out. No contact with the hatch or quarter panel. She was hit in Delaware which is a no-fault state. The adjuster just comes out and you get a check in the mail a few days later....so i'm getting a new exhaust pipe from the cat back, bumper, bumper skin and labor for all...The brackets underneath are not tweaked at all.

 

[FourXFred]

lokimaster, the only thing that i can think of that would "pop" would be either your shock mounts, or sway bar mounts. an easy way to tell is lay under the truck and have someone else rock it back and forts, and look to see where the noise is coming from. oh, and i bent the crap out of the rear bumper on my old explorer, but i fixed it by backing into a tree repeatedly untill it was close to where it should be. i dont suggest using that method on your 2000 explorer

 

[MONMIX]

If you don't mind the drive there is an awesome shop in Crofton Maryland that will take very good care of you.
Just look for the shiney black 2000 Sport parked out front.

 

[Blee1099]

Originally posted by MONMIX
If you don't mind the drive there is an awesome shop in Crofton Maryland that will take very good care of you.
Just look for the shiney black 2000 Sport parked out front.

What shop you work at Monmix?

 

[MONMIX]

ELITE Auto Body.
We have one shop in Annapolis and one in Crofton ( Odenton )
The Annapolis shop had been in business for over 22 years.
The Crofton shop is just over three years years old.
I have been with the company for 11 years.

Oh, but you just asked what shop didn't you ?