XSeries-forum

Hi to everyone
I picked up my new X5 insurance write-off this week, most of the damage is to the bumper and a little bit to the radiator and bonnet,
I should have everything back in reasonable order this week, it's amazing what you can do with a heat gun, to those plastic bumpers.

Hi and welcome. Any pics of the X?

Welcome along

Ho Powercat & welcome aboard I find it ever more suprising how little damage it takes to 'write off' a car these days the damage you mention does not sound much and very little bodywork by the sounds of things. Would be very interested to know how much you paid for the 'X' and what you expect the repairs to cost and if you think that there is a profit to be had at the end of the project, but also understand that this info may be something you wish to keep to yourself A guy (JackX5 IIRC) on the old site did a similar thing to a Steel Grey X5 that had had O/S 'B' pillar damage.

Look forward to the pics and updates on how the repairs go, plenty of useful info for members on this site to come from this type of repair. Good luck

[quote=""Chompers""] A guy (JackX5 IIRC) on the old site did a similar thing to a Steel Grey X5 that had had O/S 'B' pillar damage. [/quote]

That was pulsarjack chompers......I think the name was to do with a previous car he owned and the place he was from/team he supported
Nice fella i met up with him a while back so's he could swap my sat nav with his to test his wiring out ........come to think of it mine has been dodgy ever since i put it back in

[quote=""x555""][quote=""Chompers""] A guy (JackX5 IIRC) on the old site did a similar thing to a Steel Grey X5 that had had O/S 'B' pillar damage. [/quote]

That was pulsarjack chompers......I think the name was to do with a previous car he owned and the place he was from/team he supported
Nice fella i met up with him a while back so's he could swap my sat nav with his to test his wiring out ........come to think of it mine has been dodgy ever since i put it back in [/quote]


Yep that's him , as you say a nice guy.

[quote=""Chompers""]Ho Powercat & welcome aboard I find it ever more suprising how little damage it takes to 'write off' a car these days the damage you mention does not sound much and very little bodywork by the sounds of things. Would be very interested to know how much you paid for the 'X' and what you expect the repairs to cost and if you think that there is a profit to be had at the end of the project, but also understand that this info may be something you wish to keep to yourself A guy (JackX5 IIRC) on the old site did a similar thing to a Steel Grey X5 that had had O/S 'B' pillar damage.

Look forward to the pics and updates on how the repairs go, plenty of useful info for members on this site to come from this type of repair. Good luck [/quote]

Hi Chomper & all, thank you for the warm welcome, sorry about the photos I will post one now.
I will be repairing car crudely I am not seeking perfection and as long as the vehicle passes the MOT
The x was under 5000 I am not looking to sell the car for quite a number of years
If the repair costs are more than £100 I will be annoyed with myself, and so far it's taken me two days, I managed to ripair one of the grills, the other one was missing probably shattered into little pieces, anyway ordered a new one, hopefully get it by the end of the week and finish the job.
Yes I think you could make a profit with this sort of thing, But most BMW buyers are very fussy about the condition of their cars so it's definitely not for me.

A heat gun?? That thing looks mashed (bumper that is) good price there!! surely used bumper not that much on eBay? Be worth it if keeping for few years surely?

Hmmm it's not just a bumper, the bonnet and radiator. Most people selling bumpers on eBay are only selling the outer skin anyway I can't see the damage when I am inside driveing down the road.

I finished the work on my x5 and I passed the MOT, but my total repair cost so far £ 30, that was for one front grille and paint touchup kit.
The accident destroyed one of the parking sensors so I will need to get a replacement, not a priority at the moment.
Here are some pictures, yes you can see scars and bruises but I'm very happy

Looks a lot better 'after' than it did beforehand. You might even get the bonnet dents out with a vacuum type puller. For a spend of £30 not bad though. What state was the front bumper hanger in? Or don't BMW fit one to the front?

The front bumper hanger -if you mean the metal part under the plastic bumper, yes it was badly out of shape but with a 2 tonne chain hoist
and an iron bar it soon became straight.

Do your PDC sensors still work? Very impressive work for £30

No they're not working at all, when I go into reverse, there is one beep noise, and then a flashing green light on the dash,
I have been reading the threads on PDC so hopefully won't have too much trouble fixing it when I get time.
Thanks for the thumbs up