AI DamageVideo guide · 02:44
Rear End: 12 layers behind the rear bumper
Subtitles: full voice-over text. An English version with its own audio track and subtitles is available.
A Rear End label on a lot only tells you where the impact was. Behind the bumper cover there is also the absorber, reinforcement, crash boxes, sensors and radars, tail lights, rear panel, boot floor, chassis rails, exhaust, wings and suspension.
What to check before you bid
- The boot with the mat lifted, and the spare wheel well.
- Boot lid and rear wing gaps.
- Photos from underneath behind the rear wheels: chassis rails and exhaust.
- Parking sensor and blind spot radar faults.
3D illustration: VW Golf 8 GTI, GT Cars: Hyperspeed (CC BY). The bumper, tail lights and wings are from the model; internal parts are schematic.
A general layout of a passenger car rear end, not an estimate for a specific lot. The set of parts depends on the model and trim level.
Read more in the guideOn-screen text
Text from the checked video frames. The time marks the observed frame, not the exact scene boundary. Translated from Ukrainian.
00:00
REAR END A lot labelled Rear End. An impact from behind. The photos show the bumper and boot lid. But behind them there are twelve more layers. Let's look at what suffers after a rear impact, and which photos to ask for before you bid.
00:16
01 · Rear bumper cover The first layer is the rear bumper cover. The plastic you see in the photos. Broken mounts and cracks most often mean replacement.
00:27
02 · Energy absorber The second is the energy absorber, foam or plastic honeycomb. It is single use: after an impact it compresses and does not recover.
00:37
03 · Rear bumper reinforcement The third is the rear bumper reinforcement, a metal beam. If it is bent, the impact went into the body, not just the plastic.
00:47
04 · Crash boxes The fourth is the crash boxes between the beam and the chassis rails. They crumple first to protect the body. Crumpled crash boxes are no longer cosmetic.
00:58
05 · Parking sensors · Radar · Camera The fifth is the parking sensors, the reversing camera and the blind spot radars in the corners of the bumper. After an impact they are often replaced and calibrated, and that is a separate cost item.
01:10
06 · Taillights The sixth is the tail lights. On many cars they come in two parts: one on the wing, the other on the boot lid. A cracked housing means replacement, not repair.
01:22
07 · Rear panel The seventh is the rear body panel, under the boot latch. It is welded in. If it is crumpled, the panel is cut out and a new one welded in.
01:31
08 · Trunk floor The eighth is the boot floor and the spare wheel well. Ripples and folds in it mean the impact went deep. You only see this if the boot mat is lifted.
01:43
09 · Rear frame rails The ninth is the rear chassis rails. This is the body's load-bearing structure. Displacement shows only when the geometry is measured, and the repair is done on a jig.
01:53
10 · Exhaust · Muffler The tenth is the rear silencer and the exhaust mounts. An impact crumples and cracks them. It is not expensive, but it is easy to miss.
02:04
11 · Quarter panels The eleventh is the rear wings. They are not bolted on but welded to the body. Replacing a wing means cutting and welding, then painting.
02:16
12 · Rear suspension The twelfth is the rear suspension: subframe, control arms, hubs. If a wheel sits crooked, after purchase you will need an alignment and face uneven tyre wear.
02:27
Before you bid What to ask for before you bid: the boot with the mat lifted, the spare wheel well, the boot lid and wing gaps, and photos from underneath behind the rear wheels. What to check on a specific lot: at vinwind.com.