[Bruce24]

I was driving at highway speeds when a bunch of junk came flying out of a truck a few vehicles ahead of me. The debris hit a bunch of cars including mine. I pulled over to the side of the road to check to make sure there wasn’t any junk stuck to my car and see if there was any damage. I noticed that the driver’s side headlight washer cover was missing. I also had some sheetrock and paper stuck to the grill. After removing the debris , I continued home. When I got home I did better inspection and realized I also lost my license plate and the bracket it was attached to. I also took a better look at the headlight washer. When I put my finger in the hole I ended up knocking off a bit of plastic that fell to the bottom of the bumper.

I need to get it fixed; I’m not interested in doing it myself and was wondering if this is something I should take to a mechanic or a body shop? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

-Bruce

[najnad]

I would call your insurance company and file a claim to get it fixed. Likely they will send you to a body shop to get the bumper repaired, bracket, etc. They *should* be able to fix the headlight washer as well, make sure to ask specifically about that when you get the estimate(s) done.

[Opie55]

I find it hard to believe that debris hit your bumper with enough force to tear off your washer door and plate mount but didn't damage the paint. A body shop is what you want. But you need to look closer at the paint.

[Bruce24]

Originally Posted by najnad

I would call your insurance company and file a claim to get it fixed. Likely they will send you to a body shop to get the bumper repaired, bracket, etc. They *should* be able to fix the headlight washer as well, make sure to ask specifically about that when you get the estimate(s) done.

I wasn't thinking about an insurance claim. I also didn't think I would need a new bumper as it looks fine. Below is a picture I took when I got home after the incident. I washed the car he next day and it 'looks' fine. I have a protective clear film on the front of my car which seem to have done it's job protecting the paint.

I guess there could be some damage I don't see that they might find when the go to replace the license bracket and/or repair the headlight washer.

I think I'll take your advice and call my insurance company.

Thanks,

-Bruce

[willywi]

Originally Posted by Bruce24

I wasn't thinking about an insurance claim. I also didn't think I would need a new bumper as it looks fine. Below is a picture I took when I got home after the incident. I washed the car he next day and it 'looks' fine. I have a protective clear film on the front of my car which seem to have done it's job protecting the paint.

I guess there could be some damage I don't see that they might find when the go to replace the license bracket and/or repair the headlight washer.

I think I'll take your advice and call my insurance company.

Thanks,

-Bruce

you can buy these pre painted headlight washer cap on Ebay but I'm not sure how good is the paint quality.

[Bruce24]

Just to follow up -- yesterday an Insurance adjuster checked out my car and found the damage was much more substantial that I could have imagined. Along with the drivers side headlight washer and license plate bracket; the bottom part of the bumper, drivers light assembly and drivers fender all need to be replaced.

Here is the summary of what my insurance company authorized:

[383vett]

What a racket