Originally posted by Mr Hyde
Besides the ignition recall, all the other stuff you listed is normal wear and tear/maintenance on a new car, not just older ones.
I know you said theres other stuff you didnt write that you are tired about doing, but if the only major things you could list are 2 blown bulbs, low air in your tires, tire rotations, and services, I have to ask are you serious about being tired of putting this kind of stuff into the car to make it look and run right? This is all normal maintenance. Complaining about that stuff is like complaining about doing oil changes. Its all a normal part of car ownership.
Unless you buy a brand spanking new car every single year, you are going to have to do all of what you listed, and deal with recalls too.
45k on a Honda is nothing, you'll get much more out of it, but of course thats only with normal maintenance.
You need to relax Scotty, 99% of your post deals with the rear bumper, so Im with b12, if thats your biggest gripe and thats really killing the car for you, take the car somewhere else, pay a little out of your pocket if you must, and get it fixed. Sure beats what youd loose by getting a new car because the bumper is annoying you so much.
Im the same way, if I know about something wrong with my car, I HAVE to get it fixed, otherwise it keeps gnawing at me, and makes me unhappy with the rest of my car as a whole. I dont live with things like that, I get them fixed to my satisfaction otherwise they annoy me to no end. Sounds like you are the same.
You said you think they used an aftermarket bumper, well if they did with out your permission, and charged for an OEM bumoer, thats fraud, and your insurance company would have a field day once you notified them. Aftermarket companies wouldnt waste the money on making a copy of the OEM body kit, its low volume compared to body panels, so if it was changed, it was an OEM replacement
Take the car somewhere else, let them check it out the bumper, and see if they can the skirt to to line up better.
Hyde,
First of all, thank you very much for taking the time to reply to this. I understand everything you are saying about the maintenance issues; I have absorbed your comments and accepted what you have said.
As far as my bumper; I dont know what is wrong or what they used. I know this sounds crazy but---and perhaps you of all people would understand because it looks as if you have the OEM TL kit on your Acura---now, when I look at the car from the sides, I can clearly see the tailpipe tips whereas before the accident, it seemed like the rear underspoiler concealed the pipes totally----you really couldnt see them. Could this be? What kind of material could have they used other than ordering the OEM Honda kit??
Someone on here told me that these body shops use remanufactured parts if the car is older than two years in order to save money for the consumer; could this be a remanufactured piece of some kind that they used? How can I tell if its an OEM underbody spoiler skirt?