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Just got the unhappy call from the missus that someone backed into the 5 with a tow ball. Got all the details fortunately.
Not looking forward to seeing it.

Ouch. Sorry to hear that. It's never pretty between a towball and a front bumper. At least you will get a nice freshly painted front bumper out of it


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The thing is that some tow bars extend so far back from the rear of the vehicle.
I've seen work vehicles & 4WDs where the bar would be 6 to 9 inches out from the bumper.
People forget this when reversing into parking spaces that are already a tight fit. Most don't care of course.
My wife wonders why I won't park the MX5 around town. That's one of the main reasons.

If you go for a rwc in Victoria the tow ball / extension is supposed to be removed.

To the OP. Bummer. At least it should be a simpe fix (assuming front bumber cover damage only).

To Mr Morlock. Re RWC, does that only apply if the tow bar/tow ball is covering the number plate?

J.

It does not matter if it is obscures or not - I have not looked up the regulation but I think it would say the tongue etc is not extend so as to cause an obstruction or of course risk to pedestrians. My local RWC tester always says remove it. A cop told me the same years ago. Its pretty obvious that it not enforced too hard but some people have significant tow bar obstructions which really do pose a risk to pedestrians in car parks etc. There is a reg as well that says empty bike racks must be removed from cars.

^ this - make sense. In my relatively short driving career I have had my front bumper damaged by a tow ball on no less than three occasions. The fact that there was no bumper-to-bumper contact leads me to believe that if the perpetrator had removed their tow ball whilst not using it the damage would not have occurred. Of course no contact details were left and I was left to foot the bill in all cases


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In my case the perp was about to leave when my wife jumped up and stopped her. Hell hath no fury like a Brazillian woman scorned.

BTW: Can anyone recommend, based on their direct experience, a panel beater in the Melbourne suburbs?

MX-5 Factory in Ringwood. AKA Oven Baked Enamel.

They have repaired accident damage for me on a number of vehicles, and modifications as well.

http://www.mx5factory.com.au/

J.

I intentionally put the towbar back on the Kingswood when Pam and I bought it.
I consider it the first line of defence in carparks (morons will touch park against the towbar before the car, saving it from dents)


The car passed it's RWC test first time with it still attached. (at a RWC tester that's a bit harsh from all accounts)

I know what you're saying Kansei, I leave the towbar on the family car precisely because it deters the idiots from parking by ear, unfortunately I don't have one on the front, which is where all the damage occurs.
I am inordinately careful when parallel parking to avoid touching another vehicle but it seems most other drivers think 'park-by-ear' is normal.

It's called parking by feel. Has happened to me with my daily, clearly a moron with a tow bar who doesn't give a toss, and isn't around to face up to the damage when I get back. Infuriating. From the height either a ute or 4wd.

Rocky wrote:I know what you're saying Kansei, I leave the towbar on the family car precisely because it deters the idiots from parking by ear, unfortunately I don't have one on the front, which is where all the damage occurs.
I am inordinately careful when parallel parking to avoid touching another vehicle but it seems most other drivers think 'park-by-ear' is normal.

Exactly.

It also helps if some idiot (on the phone usually) runs into the back of you.
After exchanging details you get the satisfaction of driving home to replace a tail-light knowing that they'll be sitting there for a few hours waiting for a tow truck because there's a gaping hole punched through their radiator.

Update:
Currently waiting on Shannons Insurance and The MX5 Factory to do their thing.
Hopefully it all goes smoothly.

Do make sure to check the work when it comes back, I have seen a few mistakes come out of there.