A Jeep Grand Cherokee ran into my rear bumper while I was waiting to merge into traffic. My head got snapped back into the headrest fairly hard, and my S70 was pushed several feet, but I was surprised to see that the bumper looked like it absorbed most of the collision. Lots of paint flaked off the bumper and the bumper is dented, but the trunk appears to be undamaged. I'm wondering if I should be concerned about hidden frame damage, or other long term problems? Or am I just looking at painting and/or replacing the bumper. Has anyone had a similar experience, and can estimate the repair cost? Any recommendations for repair shops West of Boston, MA would also be appreciated. Thanks.

Thanks everyone for your feedback. Two autobody shops estimated the repair at about $1600. It appears the rear body panel did get deformed slightly, and will need to be pulled back into position for all of the parts to line up properly.

I just had a rear bumper cover on my 1998 S70 replaced at a Volvo dealer for $505. I would definitely recommend a dealer - their bumper comes painted so it will match perfectly. It's a simple bolt-on so you can be in & out in one day, as long as there's no other damage.

bucky300,

Your story is familiar. My car was struck from behind by a Pathfinder, but the damage was much more extensive. The trunk lid, L& R rear quarter panels were folded and the roof rails & roof were creased. I'd certainly have a competent body shop carefully examine the car and provide you a detailed estimate of the damage.

All in all a very expensive repair. In fact, the US branch of my insurer wanted to total the car. Fortunately the Canadian office decided to repair it and the body shop did a wonderful job. OTOH I was later thumped by a Mercedes S class at a light and the only damage was a scratch on the bumper.

In Michigan, the person rear-ending another car is always at fault. What's the law in MA?

Bryan

Was the Pathfinder bumper higher than the S70 bumper? I think I was fortunate that the Jeep bumper primarily made contact with the S70 bumper and the bumper seemed to work fairly well.

The other driver admitted full responsibility for the collision to the police officer, and I think in MA he was responsible by default anyway.

I've spoken with a couple of body shops and both say they need to remove the bumper before they can give me a firm written estimate of the repair cost.

bucky,

No, the bumper was +/- the same. However the UAV (urban assault vehicle) was equipped with a massive grill guard.

IIRC the police estimated the speed at impact to be @30mph.

The bumper is not that hard to remove and replace. Let the body shop conduct a thorough examination.

Good luck,

Bryan

Let me get this straight...you got rear ended and you have to pay for the repair? Either your not telling us the whole story or MA has some weird laws.

I was looking for a ball park repair estimate because the other driver wanted to pay for the repairs out of pocket, if the cost was less than $1000. However, I'm concerned about damage that might be revealed after the bumper is removed. I'm also thinking it might be best to get the insurance companies involved since my neck and back don't feel right.

Have a shop check it anyway. Better to be safe than find out your frame is bent down the road and that guy is long gone.

In the light of day, I noticed the bumper is out of position by about half an inch and the right side of the trunk lid sits about one quarter inch higher than normal. The trunk lid is also loose and sometimes rattles. One shop estimated $500 to install a Volvo factory painted bumper cover and at least another $500 to correct the bumper and trunk lid misalignment. They said the price could go up if they discover anything after the bumper is removed.

The $500 bumper with paint sounds about right. I believe it cost $600 to do the same to mine last year. The bumper was pulled out of it's driver side bracket by a UHaul tech when I had a hitch put in... DONT go to UHAUL!! Anyway, price sounds fair. --JH