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Aftermarket rear bumper AVOID!


pianewman

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2017 Fusion Energi SEL, 20k miles. Car was impacted right rear, slow speed...offending driver ran a stop sign. (sigh...accident occurred THE SAME DAY WE PURCHASED THE CAR!)

Fusion needed 3 bumper parts: main bumper, lower valance, and chrome/light inset trim. No structural damage, no damage to sheet metal, no electrical damage.

Offending driver's insurance, Farmer's, refused to pay for OEM parts, and shop ignored/forgot my insistence for OEM parts. They purchased, painted, and installed aftermarket parts.

The main bumper simply doesn't line up with either R or L fender...snug, yes, but wavy enough that it's clear it isn't an assembly issue.

Farmer's is standing its ground, following their standard policy to replace with aftermarket, regardless of the "newness" of the vehicle. Repair shop (Don Davis, Arlington, TX) has agreed to order and install OEM parts for me, and will continue to negotiate with Farmer's. 

Repair shop stated that fitment issues with aftermarket parts are very common, and they hesitate to use them. Why they chose to use them now is very disappointing.

This may be "old news" for many here, but I think the information might be helpful to some.

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Maybe a premature post, because I haven't seen the car yet, but the dealership/shop phoned, 2 different inspectors, to inform me that the OEM bumper fits perfectly! 

What was infuriating was having to deal with Farmers, whose rep. kept repeating the same phrase, "Since this is an installation issue, it should be resolved by the installer." I repeated, calmly, at least 5 times, "Sir, this is NOT an installer issue. This is a QC issue with the aftermarket bumper. It is NOT acceptable.

I'm lucky to be dealing with a shop (Don Davis, Arlington, TX) that is truly "old school", that the customer is always right, and they have gone out of their way to resolve this to my satisfaction.

I'll be picking up the car tomorrow (Sat). I'll post again when I've taken possession.

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Final update: OEM main bumper fits perfectly, aligns nicely with rt and left quarter panels.

To save insurance cost, I opted to keep aftermarket pieces 2 and 3, which are the lower bumper valance, and the piece with the reflectors that fits in between the lower valance and the main bumper. They're not perfect, but since both are well below the "belt" line of the car, the slight poor fit isn't noticeable. It IS a bumper, after all!

I learned that ALL insurance companies are using aftermarket, NOT OEM, replacement parts on cars 1+ years or older. Cost differential vs. OEM varies, and I assume QC varies greatly, as well. I was told that some insurance carriers offer an "OEM Replacement guarantee" clause, which increases the cost of the insurance, of course...

As with many things in life, caveat emptor.

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