Poorly Car...Cosmetic Repair advice!!

[JC88]

So my weekend got off to a pretty crappy start! Ended up hitting a Laguna's rear quarter thinking he had gone on a roundabout (obviously he hadn't) so now I've got an Edition 30 which has had a minor stroke! Was wondering if the knowledgable folk on here could shed some helpful advice in getting my poorly car all pretty again haha. Seems to me the passenger headlamp and foglight need replacing, with the front bumper and foglight grille needing replacing. The passenger wing has a crease in it from the headlamp being pushed in.

Ive seen the front Hella foglight for sale at eurocarparts for around £40 ish and was thinking it might be a good time to get the open foglight grilles installed when fixing the car. My main concerns are the headlamp, bumper and front wing. Headlamp was pushed in, breaking the mounts as a result and scratching the front. Have seen these available on eurocarparts but am sceptical as to whether these (not being made by VW) actually have the VW logo within the headlamp at all??? Does anyone have a recommendation into purchasing a new front gti bumper / wing and whether any other manufacturers offer high quality bumpers with good fitment (guessing VW will charge a small fortune for them).

Any advice would be hugely appreciated  

[MPS]

buy cheap, buy twice. With regard to bumpers, etc.

[JC88]

Reckon it's best going through a dealership with regards to panels then? Less hassle with fitment I guess? Would I need to provide a part number or anything or would that be something they could bring up with a VIN or registration number?

[MC71]

Are you not going through the insurance company, may have been your fault but i imagine your excess will be less than the cost of the repair, dependent on your age, excess you have agreed and NCD and if you have them protected.

Get VW or a VW approved body shop to have a look at it and give you a quote. I wouldn't worry about part numbers as they will have all that when they enter your reg and as mentioned, only OEM parts will do.

Even if you do buy all the parts yourself and fit them, you will still need a front end respray(excluding bonnet), probably £300+

Hope you get it all sorted 

[JC88]

Thanks mate, yea well ive got 4 years no claims but they're unprotected and just going to play it by ear when the other guy gets back to me with his quote really. Bit of a ballache all in all for a pretty stupid error (at least i've learnt my lesson eh!). Anyone know roughly how much a front bumper would likely set me back at all? Thinking might be worth looking at any breakers in case they have any good condition parts available...

[MC71]

^^^^ front bumper from an ED30. Nothing to do with me so no idea on condition

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-MK5-GOLF-GTI-EDITION-30-GENIUNE-COMPLETE-FRONT-BUMPER-/130758744486?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item1e71d419a6#ht_2884wt_922

Hope that helps 

[56OctyVRS]

Just make sure you still report it to your insurance company even if you arent going to claim from them. I would still go through the insurance as it will cost you less as the parts and labour wont be cheap putting it right. If it was my car id want to make sure it was fixed correctly and wouldnt affect the value of the car.

[JC88]

Yea i know what you mean about the peace of mind getting it done through the insurance company. Just a bit worried making a claim and losing 4 years no claims etc will just absolutely hammer my insurance when it comes to renew in january. When i reported someone hitting my old car to inform my insurance company a couple of years ago they considered that a claim despite the incident not being my fault or any repairs being made at all, yet my premium was increased the following year... Bit of a catch 22 atm so I'm kind of thinking about weighing up my options really... Anyone know how seriously insurance premiums can be affected if you make a claim and lose your NCB etc? Thanks for your input again guys!

[Kalpsn2000]

I see insurance more as protection against major accidents/write-off. For smaller, more cosmetic issues it is usually better to sort yourself as the premium will go up for the next 5 years. All IMO obviously.