Two weeks ago the weather was terrible - it was raining all night long and then the temps dropped down to -5C so when I took off for work the roads were covered with ice... And just when I started to think about crashing and smashing the Jag a young driver with Citroen ZX hit me from behind... The result was broken rear bumper and some damage on the right rear fender.

So I left the car for painting at the local workshop and they did a great job on repairing the rear bumper specially when recovering the cracks on it... they used some kind of fiberglass to rebuild the broken parts. But they couldn't mount back the bumper... The combination of brass nut, steel bolt and aluminium mounting just make for corrosion and after a hit there is a very high chance that the brass nut will break free out of the moulded compartment as corrosion had really taken hold.

So I had a good looking bumper and repainted car... and I was searching for a mount it back. The problem is that the mounting bracket is kind of expensive part (pair of BEC25564) is around 160-200$ without the shipping plus I had to wait for a month for that delivery. Than I decided to make my own mounting brackets and here is a step by step what I did:

1. I created a new aluminum mount that would fit the car:


2. Then I took a metal plate and bend it around it:





3. Then I drill two wholes to fit it to the plastic part of the mount:




4. Then I did a little welding work on the metal plate and the new mount:


5. Then little painting to assure that no rust will destroy the new bumper mount And it's done:







Total cost of the repair - 2$ for the aluminum block and a bottle of good whiskey for the friends that assisted me. Plus, believe me, this construction will last 10 time longer than the original And here is the result:

 

Kudos! Very creative repair! Since the other driver hit you, he was at fault so why was he not given a traffic citation & required to pay to repair your car?

I see by your license plate photo you are in the UK. I am in the USA. I'm assuming the insurance & traffic laws are different but, can drivers damage other vehicles with impunity where you live? Doesn't seem fair.

 

Nice work, but you know I'm a picky so-and-so....it looks like it needs to come up a little to close the gap between body and bumper.

The problem with those bloody mounts is what you've found, a mixture of metals, add saline solution and they don't last long, mine had turned to an aluminium oxide dust. The other issue is they're 'impact absorbing' - once touched they're finished....

I snagged brand new front and rear mounts off ebay, so you might be lucky if your patient. People have to change them when they fit a tow bar. It's a nightmare to actually remove and replace them. I smothered mine with copper grease and the bolts too. I wonder if you can shim them with washers to close that gap?

 

Actually there is no gap I took the photo minutes before we finished mounting the bumper with the steal bolts so it's standing free just laying on the brackets. After we finished the job the car is looking just like new

Iconoclast - actually the letters on the plates are BG, not GB I'm from Bulgaria, not UK... it's still in Europe, but just on the other side of it
As for the insurance, here it is how it works: we have two types of car insurances. First one is mandatory - you pay for 1 year of insurance for a specific car, not personal. The cost of the insurance is based on... engine size??! - I know, it's stupid, but that's the way how it is. The price for my Jag is about 180$ per year. When you hit someone and you're guilty, this insurance will cover some compensation for the other driver. The problem is that the insurance company decides how much to pay for each damage... and they ALWAYS give you less then the half of the price. For example - my girlfriend was hit by a taxi driver who smashed the entire back side of my/our Mercedes 190, including trunk, bumper, lights, both rear fenders... And the insurance company paid her 90$. Can you imagine fixing your car for that price?!!? It's illegal to request money from the other driver if he has such insurance!

So here comes the second type of insurance. It covers (or at least it should) all types of damages over the car, including parking incidents when you hit a wall or a tree for example, it covers theft, damage done by weather conditions etc. even when you hit someone and you're responsible - they pay for your repair. This insurance is much more expansive and it's based on the car's price (7% of it's price). For example: my Jag is insured for 4000$ so it costs me about 300$ per year. So when I got hit two weeks ago my second insurance had to cover my repairs and after that take the money from the other driver's first insurance.
Unfortunately when the car is older than 15 years you receive money just by expertise... if the car is newer you can leave your car at the insurance parking and they take care of the entire repair without even telling you how much it costs.

So... for painting and repairing the bumper and the fender plus new reflector for the bumper I paid 250$ and received 135$ from the insurance You can imagine how I feel now? That's why I hate the insurance regulation here in Bulgaria but that's the way it is...

 

Estillian - thanks so much for posting your repair, obviously using your head and skills you have at hand.

Good job

 

Everyone HATES insurance, everywhere in the world. They are "neccessary evil", and they have a "licence to rob the public". When I lived in Europe, we had "mandatory insurance" (like you are talking about - cheap), and we had, so called "KASKO" which covers EVERYTHING (it stays with the vehicle - not the driver, no matter who drives it!). That one is based on the "replacement value" of the vehicle, and pays in full to fix it, regardless of who's fault it is. If you drive it in a tree on purpose, it pays the full value, and your policy does not go up.

Here in the States, if you have a "full coverage", they WILL pay (minus deductible), but they WILL raise your payment, and basically, they are "financing" you to fix it, because you WILL pay for it in a long run with the increased premium. That's crap. I carry mandatory only, and if I damage my own vehicle, I'll pay for it out of my pocket, thank you very much. I also carry "uninsured motorist" coverage, in case someone without insurance hits me (plenty of drivers in CA with no licence/no insurance, driving beaters!). "Full coverage" is mandated (by the lender) if the vehicle is financed , but I have no payments on my vehicles.

 

Nice repair Estilian, both metals were alluminium I think, or you can weld iron on alluminium?
For 40 Euro probably you could have the originals from the guy that I told you that have some Jags in Pitesti for spares, but I also prefer buying parts from UK (just spent 800 $ for parts from USA, I can't believe it ).

We have in Europe the liability insurance,compulsory, it includes the so called green card, to be insured while travel overseas. You can have also the full insurance, CASCO called in my country, it cost an arm and a leg for a car like Jaguar. For both insurances, when you use them, your next year policy will increase and any future insurance on your name are higher, as the name and personal code is introduced in a database. If you use the CASCO, there is often a fransize , a fixxed ammount that you pay at any claim. It is the car the one carying the insurance, you can give your car to anybody to drive it, being then insured.
In the UK, the things are different, it's the driver insured,any other driver must have it's own insurance. Insuring my Jaguar in UK, for a week to cross the Europe, it costed me 200 pounds, almost 300 $, for a week.

 

I just now looked & see the OP is in Bulgaria, not the UK. I incorrectly thought those wide plates were UK. Speaking only of typical USA insurance, if you damage your vehicle yourself w/o involving another vehicle than you make an insurance claim to repair it & you probably will end up with higher rates or even being dropped by your insurance company. So, for relatively minor damage, if you can fix it yourself as did the OP, it is a great solution.
However, the OP made a point of describing the collision & it seems obvious the fault was 100% with the other driver. I was just curious. Maybe Bulgaria does not require auto insurance & there is no legal penalty for causing damage to others. I know I'd be angry if someone damaged my Jag & went on their way with no penalty or consequences leaving me to pay or do the work to make my cat whole again.

In any event, it is a great post with an innovative repair that may help others in the future who, for example, back into a post & damage their bumper & want to repair it themselves w/o involving the insurance company.