OMG SNO KAOS LATEST: Anyone got a grey Scorpio bumper?

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

So you think you buying some all-weather tyres would mean you're set for winter? Think again!

 

Not content with making me spend 360 quid on a new exhaust as a result of driving on the snakepass as well as the piece of shit that goes by the name of B6105 (the road that you have to take when you've driven into Glossop to find out that the snakepass is closed), the snow fairy thought she'd have a bit of extra fun by making someone smash into the left corner of my rear bumper while I was parked. To make matters even worse, I didn't realise it until I had driven to the supermarket, and by the time I returned someone had parked into the spot where I had been, smashing the broken piece into debris and making any fact-hunting completely impossible (not that it would have been easy to begin with). Obviously there was no note, witnesses, or anything. Curiously, there wasn't any paint transfer, either, but I can't see how it could have happened by itself!

 

Off to e-bay to have a look for a new one. Needless to say, I am not a happy bunny!

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Forgot to say, all of the roads in the neighbourhood had been treated rather well and only had a tiny amount of snow, APART FROM THE ONE WHERE I HAD PARKED.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Thankfully, there does seem to be something on e-bay in vaguely the right colour for fifty quid...

[cobblers]

Thankfully, there does seem to be something on e-bay in vaguely the right colour for fifty quid...

 

 

Fifty quid is a lot of money for a roll of duct tape, even if it is the right colour

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

FUCK! Duct tape seems about 49423% more attractive now. The grey bumper is a different shade of grey. Thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster for fordscorpio.co.uk which helped me decode the VIN plate. Have put requests on findapart etc, but I am not holding my breath. Respraying it will be another 100 notes...and all that BECAUSE SOME FUCKING IDIOT COULDN'T MANAGE TO DRIVE IN THE SNOW AT 7MPH.

[John F]

Could you not do it yourself with a rattle can, Luxo? It's only a bumper, should be easy enough to get a reasonable finish on it without spending a fortune.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

It's body coloured, and, of course, the bumper I bought has seen better days and will need sanding etc too (more $$$). As the body and paint of the car are in great condition (certainly better than anything I've ever had in the past), I've decided to have a decent job done to it. Same old story of getting too invested in a car...Hopefully it won't blow itself up in a comical fashion!

[warren t claim]

If you post up a pic maybe we could suggest what would be a suitable repair?

[Pete-M]

Why not find your local paint man in a van and get him to hammer some shiny paint onto it?

 

Ask at your local car sales pitch, they all use 'em.

[Parky]

Luxo, surely some fibreglass matting, Isopon, and a rattle can could make it decently presentable for a few hours DIY and not much expenditure?

 

I once rebuilt half a Fiat Panda door using this method, looked ace (until mate slammed the door too hard and it all fell out!)

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

It got broken and the broken bits fell to the tarmac and driven on by other cars before I realised it, so a localised repair was not going to be feasible...Hence needing a full bumper unfortunately... As for respraying the new one myself, it's simply impossible to do any DIY when it's freezing cold outside and when any work that could be done inside also requires loads of effort involving climbing stairs, moving things around small access doors, getting funny looks from neighours and employees of the management company etc. When I finally move out of here, I will make my new place a shite/DIY emporium of the highest order.

 

However, there is always a positive way of looking at it- despite all the bad luck, I'm still paying less for motoring than the vast majority of the general population, as well as travelling in an extraordinary amount of comfort!

[Parky]

Fair enough, I have the luxury of a tidy garage which would make life easier. Mrs P wouldnt put up with a bumper in the lounge!

 

Good luck tracking one down, must be plenty of second hand Ford spares places about. What about an owners club - Theres got to be one somewhere?

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

I got a new one today but, as I said, it needs sanding before it gets painted, and I've also decided to transfer my parking sensors across (even though I hate the bloody things, it's hard to judge where the car ends and I'm sure that if I take them off I will have an accident when I'm in a rush or otherwise stressed) so, together with the money I paid for the part and my LPG spent delivering it, the whole episode will set me back almost 300 quid...plus a day lost driving to and back from the middle of nowhere in NE Yorkshire!

[AnthonyG]

Just a thought.. why not leave it as it is or just gaffer tape it up until you move - as the car seems quite vulnerable?

 

You wouldn't want to shell out £300 for it to happen again (or some other damage) in a couple of weeks.

 

I can sympathise if you don't want to drive around in a tatty or damaged car, just strikes me you (or the car) have been a bit unlucky with damage/vandalism with it parked in the city centre.

[baldrickthecunning]

Have you tried an ad like this where the whole car is being broken?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/95-98-Ford-Sc ... 2eb89c4901

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Just a thought.. why not leave it as it is or just gaffer tape it up until you move - as the car seems quite vulnerable?

 

 

The thought did cross the mind, but then I thought again that it's not vandalism, it's just bad luck. In fact I'd say it was a freak accident. It was the ONE sidestreet that hadn't been treated by the Council, and somebody who had managed to avoid the two cars that had been parked behind me and crashed into mine, most likely in very slow motion.

 

OTOH, my door mirror (usual vandal target) will remain attached to the car with cable ties and duct tape until I move!

 

Have you tried an ad like this where the whole car is being broken?

 

ALL of them! Between ebay and bumtree, it must've been at least 7 ads. Plus findapart, 247spares and 5-6 big scrapyards around the Midlands,Yorks and Gt Manchester. The Scorpio was offered in a daft amount of colours (e.g. there were THREE shades of grey offered within the 4 years of its production run) and, being such a flop in terms of sales, it is impossible to find any parts in the colour that you're after.

Might have been able to find a bumper in slightly better condition to reduce the amount of sanding/prep required, but it would've probably been a completely daft colour (for example, there was a bright red one being offered in one of the ads I rang!) and impossible to get a colour match when spraying on it...

[fiatdaft]

Pish,It would look slightly different anyway to the paint being newer than the rest of the paintwork.Why not get a garage to paint the bumper then go back a few weeks later to complain that it doesn't match the rest of the car and try to get the whole thing resprayed?

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

I don't know about the garages that you've been working with/for- I tend to patronise ones who do a good enough job to make it look 100% original.

[fiatdaft]

Aye nae bother, i can't wait till you move and set up your diy emporium,i can then put my amazon vouchers on ebay.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Any colour matches attempted in my shite emporium will, in all likelihood, also be epic- for all the wrong reasons! I had used the term 'emporium' in a general sense and didn't see a business angle to it but, now that you mention it, maybe I can get a few fans of expressionist art to pay good money for my inexistent spraying skillz!