I just had the car in a shop to check out the damage. The bumper was pushed in on one side, so they and I both assumed the bumper shock had done its work. Not.

Instead of the shock caving in, the mounting did! If this has happened to anyone else, I'm hoping you found a clever way to repair it that you will share.

Here's the situation (there's no way to get a camera and flash in there to take a picture, so bear with me): The shock mounts via a flange to a vertical bolt that runs through the center horizontal web of a double box girder. There are assembly access ports on the top (you see it when you open the rear deck storage lid) and underneath (move the tail pipe aside and there it is).

The impact drove the shock, flange, and bolt forward around two inches, right through this center web. Just peeled it back like it was aluminum foil.

Is this a dumb way to mount a bumper or what? If the mount is weaker than the shock, what's the point of having a shock?

I don't think the shock collapsed and rebounded--if it had, the other car's bumper would have hit my tailgate or taillight. I think the mount just gave up without a fight, and the tear in the box beam represents the total travel of the bumper during the impact.

Does anyone have any suggestions about fixing this? As things are right now, my car looks ok from the outside, but if it gets hit again there is nothing to hold the rear bumper in place.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Doug Harvey