Hello all! New user here. I bought a new 2014 Tahoe LS in mocha steel in May. I had been tolerating my Expedition for 8 years before justifying the cost of a Tahoe and decided to go new. Absolutely no regrets and love my truck.


However, as fate would have it, before I even had the first oil change, some girl snagged my rear bumper and practically broke off the rear corner and broke the taillight. The taillight was easy to replace and ended up going with the OEM upgrade for those, but I'm at a loss on the bumper. She, of course, had no insurance and I have a $1k deductible on my insurance. So I'll end up just repairing out of pocket. Replacement of the bumper will be about $750 to replace, paint, and the top step pad. I don't suppose there's any way to order this direct from Chevy already painted is there? I would prefer to stay OEM, but am handy enough to replace something like this on my own. Anyone have any suggestions? TIA.

 

Get her *** of the road. No Insurance is illegal.

bumpers are easy, usually barely attached.

I don't believe you can get them pre-painted.

 

Already working on that. Filed a criminal complaint against her and there is now a warrant out for her. Problem is she's a bit of a drifter and nobody can seem to find her at the moment.


I thought about maybe a chrome bumper, but not sure how to do it without making the front look strange. I'm not sure I can even do that anyway because of the backup sensors and rear view camera.

 

you pay for something nice and just like that someone wrecks it.

We need some force fields / shields for these things

Since you have to replace it anyway; what about after market? Anything cheaper / nicer looking?

 

No kidding. What I paid for this truck was half what I paid for my first house. Hopefully she'll get what's coming to her, but if they would make penalty's stiffer for these people they wouldn't be likely to take that gamble. I was talking to a city cop here and he was telling me about 40% of the stops they make don't have insurance.


I don't mind looking at aftermarket as long as it is as good or better than the OEM and doesn't make the front look weird in contrast. I haven't really seen anything so far that's any different than OEM, except the chrome bumpers and they don't seem to have the ability to use the sensors and camera from what I've seen.

 

Unless they changed for the 2014 model, I think the rear view camera is still mounted above the license plate. I doubt you will be able to find a supplier that has a pre-painted bumper cover.

 

Do you have "UM/UIM" (uninsured/under-insured) coverage on your insurance policy? If so, your $1000 deductible will likely be reduced to $100. Check your policy if you have this coverage. If not, and it's an available option, GET IT NOW!!!!! And don't be cheap. Buy the maximum levels of coverage your carrier offers.

I speak from professional experience as a multi-state, multi-line licensed insurance adjuster of nearly 20yrs. There are A LOT of people driving around that do not have insurance, let alone adequate levels of insurance coverage. Protect yourself by getting this coverage from any (God forbid) and possibly more serious incidents in the future.

 

And therein lies the problem. I thought I did have UM/UIM. I asked for it. What I wasn't told was that there are three different types. One that covers collision damage, one for medical expenses, and one for both. Mine happens to only be for the medical expenses. So my advice to everyone else is, if you think you have uninsured motorist, then you better check your policy to see which one you're actually covered for.


The REALLY annoying thing about this...the girl that hit me had her vehicle repo'd. Her insurance company is covering the damages to that vehicle because there's apparently a clause that lien holders still have protection for up to 14 days from the date of the accident, regardless of the policy being lapsed/canceled.

 

When I bought my Tahoe new in 2009, I often wondered what would happen when some 16 year old in a $500 honda civic side swiped my $55,000 baby...

I maxed out most of my insurances... cars, house, toys.

My jeep is unfortunitly the most expensive toy to insure... $30k jeep is MORE to insure than my $55k Tahoe... what... the.... ___?

Ohh, and yea, I signed up for (and pay more for) full tort.

 

I'm not familiar with tort as a coverage. What is it?


Sidebar...is there a thread for mods/upgrades/etc. where I can narrow the results down to something more specific to Tahoe/Suburban? I went through the DIY section, but it had everything under the sun there. Maybe another forum?