Bumper Repair

[cwelty]

I have a 2011 Pilot LX. I have had it now 10 days less than 1 yr. Lastnight backing out of my driveway I turned too soon and clipped the fire hydrant located next to my driveway. The front passenger inner fender cover got a hole poked in it by the outlet nozzle and the corner of the bumper got pulled away. The first 2 or 3 retaining tabs that attach the bumper to the fender were broken.

Today I went in to get estimates and I started at a honda dealer not on State Farm's prefered list and they want to replace bumper. One of the shops that my dealer recommended is on their list and they said SF would want to try and get the tabs fixed before replacing the bumper. The estimator told me they would plastic weld the tabs back together and "they would be the same as before."

I don't know much about plastic welding. It sounds like a cheap half-assed solution to me. Am I correct in this judgement? And do I need to puch SF in to doing a proper repair or is plastic welding sufficient?

My other concern is Honda Finance. This is a leassed vehicle. Are they going to be cool with a plastic weld repair or will they require bumper replacement?

[prettyloaded]

If done right, plastic welding will hold like a new.

YouTube - Repair a Bumper Tab with a Hot Air Plastic Welder

YouTube - Repair a Bumper Tab with a Hot Air Plastic Welder

See what the costs are for replacement of bumper(about 300 w/ paint) and cost of plastic welds.

As for the lease, as long as the work is done by a reliable and certified body shop, the insurance co. will pay and accept the work.