I had to stop by the local grocery store yesterday, so I pull into the parking spot, and I notice I’m a little close to the curb. I back up a little, and I cringe as really bad creaking and banging noises emanate from beneath my car.
I sat there for a few seconds, afraid to get out and look at the result of my bad parking job. Finally, I look.
Apparently, my bumper had caught on the curb and as I backed up, the right side of it pulled away from the car and completely separated from a piece of…something…that is in the front of the right wheel well.
Wonderful.
I couldn’t do anything with it there, so I had to drive home. While driving, as I approach 30 MPH, I notice a whirring sound. When I get home, I see that the piece in the wheel well that had separated, was forced back by the wind and caused the tire to rub against it. It rubbed enough to create a hole.
Wonderful.
I get home and start to really inspect the damage, and I realize that I might be able to fix some of it myself. I was able to reattach the piece back to the bumper and almost push the bumper completely back into place. The part underneath the bumper must be bent because it’s not exactly flush with the rest of the car as it was before, but it’s pretty close (most people won’t be able to tell). So that, coupled with the hole in the piece in the wheel well (which you can’t really notice), means I’m going to have to get it fixed.
At least it doesn’t look too bad and the car functions fine, so I can get it fixed at my convenience. After checking with the local body shop, I realize they always have the consumer in mind with their M-F 8-5 hours of operation.