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Hit a garage gate pole. Seems that the metal fender is bent quite well, and the bumper clamp area is also broken, hence its dislodged. What would you estimate would need to be repaired/replaced in this 2012 VW Passat?

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    Depends what you want - back to pre-impact condition, or just safe enough that the bumper isn't going to flap off as you drive? Right now the headlight looks to be shunted back and dropped down- I bet its misaligned and if all the mounts are broken could be held in by nothing more than the wiring harness. That would be bad.
    – Criggie
    Jun 14, 2022 at 12:24

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The metal fender needs re-shaping; a good body shop can repair the existing fender piece. The fender will then need to be painted to match the other panels on the car.

The bumper cover (the plastic piece that reaches around the front of the vehicle) has been pulled out of alignment. Often when this happens, the small plastic fittings (you can see four of them on the top edge in the first photo) are broken, and the bumper cover then needs to be replaced. The first photo, however, shows the four fittings in good shape.

What we cannot see is what kind of shape the other side of the connection is, which is on whatever the visible fittings connect to. That other side piece may be damaged and require replacement. In addition, while I don't see any big scrapes in the plastic, there may be cosmetic damage to the bumper cover that would require surface work (filling and sanding) as well as painting.

EDIT 6-14-22

I think @Criggie's comment is spot on: the headlight looks askew, and its mounts (or even itself) are likely damaged too. It is, unfortunately, a common experience that when digging into a body repair, as one digs one exposes more damage.

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  • I doubt the time involved with trying to reshape the original fender is going to be less than a replacement part, especially if the part can be found 2nd hand and of the same (original) color. It would take a lot of work to get that crease out and then it'd never be perfect or factory fresh. Replacement is the by far better option here, IMHO. Also, if the loops in the bumper cover are not broken, more than likely the brackets which held it in place are ... it's the little things in these type situations which add up.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Jun 14, 2022 at 10:59
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You could try the DIY method which is to heat up the dent using a hairdryer or a heat gun and then freeze it with compressed air. The heated panel will shrink and pull the dent out. This works on shallow plastic body part dents, but not on metal body parts.

Traditionally, auto-body shops would remove the bodywork and panel beat the dent out. Then they would sand and paint the panel. In those days car bodies were stronger and weren’t designed to crumple to absorb impact. These days it is quicker and cheaper for the auto-body shop to simply replace the part of the car that has a dent and pass on the cost. That said, fixing dents is best left to the professionals and not DIY dent repair quick fixes.

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The estimate came up to $3,192.24 and estimated to require 8 days. It took 8 days. The breakdown is as follows:

  • Parts: $1,491.52
    • A/M CAPA Bumper cover: 561807217BGRU @ $245.77 enter image description here
    • A/M CAPA Absorber: 561807248 @ $66.67 enter image description here
    • LKQ Impact bar +25%: 561807109 @ $187.50 enter image description here
    • A/M LT Guide bracket 561807183A @ $13.72 enter image description here
    • A/M CAPA LT Headlamp assy: 561941005D @ $228.33 enter image description here
    • LKQ Radiator support +25%: 561805588B9B9 @ $250.00 enter image description here
    • A/M CAPA LT Fender: 561821021 @ $166.67 enter image description here
    • A/M LT Front bracket: 561821135A @ $28.33 enter image description here
    • A/M LT Fender liner: 561805911B9B9 @ $69.58 enter image description here
    • LT/Front Wheel, alloy +25%: @ $125.00
      • which is weird enough, because the rim was scratched, but they supposedly replaced it.
  • Body Labor: 15.8 hours @ $50.00 per hour, subtotal $790.00
  • Paint Labor: 8.1 hours @ $50.00 per hour, subtotal $405.00
  • Paint Supplies: 8.1 hours @ $30.00 per hour, subtotal $243.00
  • Other Charges: $2.50
  • Tax: $260.22

The bodyshop did all of the work. As a note, I wanted to do a State Inspection when I picked up the car from the shop, and it failed because the emissions were "Not Ready". Was told to drive ~100 miles or so and come back. Most probably because the bodyshop disconnected the battery during the repairs.

ON a different note, I have the repair manual for the VW Passat and will share here for reference:

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Grill Overview:

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Removing and Installing the Front Wheel Housing Liner:

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Fender:

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Plenum Chamber Cover:

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