Elle <honda.lioness@gmail.com> wrote in news:c67588a7-23f9-4179-9872-
8d748fb83c8f@26g2000yqk.googlegroups.com:

> 93 Civic DX sedan. It was a collision hard enough that the drawer
> beneath the radio opened and sent the coin change I keep there flying.



Hope you were OK. Did you see it coming?



> As I got out, I thought I would find the Civic's rear would be partly
> flattened. I was amazed that externally, the bumper only showed
> scratches. The exhaust system is intact. Is the integrity of the foam
> etc. in the bumper compromised, though, after a hard rear-ending?



The foam is usually cracked and compressed. If you push on the bumper skin
with your hand, you'll probably find that there is air space that wasn't
there before. You may have a slightly increased chance of parking-lot
damage to the skin (creasing, paint cracking) than you did before, but
otherwise it should be OK.

You can try reaching inside from underneath with your hand (don't know if
you'll actually be able to touch the foam) and see if the foam is loose.



>
> The police made their report. I spoke with my insurance company last
> night. While only once before (on another car 20 years ago) of several
> rear-endings have I pursued a claim, this collision was so hard that I
> am concerned.



Is there obvious displacement of the bumper skin relative to the trunk,
taillights and fenders? Does the trunk still shut exactly as it did before?

The trunk latch is right next to the bumper, so it's a pretty good proxy
for evidence of structural deformation.



--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/