Rearended :-(

[crashnburn80]

I was leaving my neighborhood this morning and I got rearended while I was sitting at the stop sign. The other driver 'thought' I went through the stop sign and drove right into me. Really sucks because I just had my car fully resprayed a few months ago. Luckily though he hit me squarely on the back bumper in his Jeep Comanchee (pick-up), so there was no severe damage. Rear bumper will probably have to come off and be repainted and the rear plastic strip replaced and maybe the impact absorbers as well.

Ironically, you could't tell my car had been hit except for a few paint chips, but his truck was kinda mangled. The steel bar front bumper got twisted and shoved up into the front grill and he had some broken plastic body peices below the front bumper as well. Looked like the truck got kicked in the face. Just goes to show how well the e34 is built. Luckily no-one was hurt.

[Alan_525i]

The rear bumper on the E34 is some kind of magical part. I backed into a volvo and did 4700 worth of damage to the car's door and fender and my car only needed a touchup on a paint chip and a new impact strip. Amazing.

[e34it]

I second that, the E34 is well built, i wrecked my old one at 90 kph, hit a concrete pipe, 2 olive trees, and and an ebankment, it held up fairly well, no-one got hurt.

[Jon K]

The rear bumper on the E34 is some kind of magical part. I backed into a volvo and did 4700 worth of damage to the car's door and fender and my car only needed a touchup on a paint chip and a new impact strip. Amazing.


And I got rear-ended by a E36. Sustained $1800 in damage (dealer prices on bumper and paint) while the E36 needed front bumper, hood, grill, radiator, absorbers, ac, etc....

[Jason]

it was right where the rear bumper meets the wheel well. literally not a scratch. wish i could say the same for that civic. seemed like it was made of paper.

[crashnburn80]

Got the quote today, about $1125, the bumper is cracked and has to be replaced. I'll get a new impact strip out of it though, since I had my car resprayed I also got euro trim and the impact strip was the only piece that didn't look up to par with the rest of the car. Almost ordered a new one a few weeks ago.

[Jose]

Don't think the E34 is "untouchable ". BMW'a are very well build, that's for sure, but they also are very safe cars and that means thy absorb the impact energy very extensively in order to protect the passenger. This means most of the time the body work gives in which is hardly seen but the kit on your seems and the seems themselves could heve become open/loose. If you want to fully enjoy your ride without any rust problems, remove all the trimming in your trunk and check all joints/seems in your trunk with a high power lamp for cracks or irregularities. The same under your bumper and car. Do not take it lightly, when a E34 starts rusting after experiencing damage it becomes a never ending story.
Take it from a experienced BMW/Audi/Merc carbody worker.

[crashnburn80]

I took it to the most high end expensive shop in town, so I trust they will fully check out the car. The quote for $1125 is if nothing else is found, which they said they wont know till they take it appart. But I'm not paying for it, the other guys insurance is.

[Jon K]

I took it to the most high end expensive shop in town, so I trust they will fully check out the car. The quote for $1125 is if nothing else is found, which they said they wont know till they take it appart. But I'm not paying for it, the other guys insurance is.


Have them check your transmission mounts. I know it sounds funny, but the transmission mounts are designed to break in a rear end collision rather than fux0r the transmission or driveshaft... make sure they look at them, they will not think to.