Here's the problem:

My car has been tagged on both rear quarter panels at one point or another. The sheetmetal damage has been repaired, but unfortunately, the rear bumper, where it clips the the body (for instance, on the passenger side below the antenna) is bowing out.

See picture for the location I'm talking about (not my car):



It appears the clips that hold it flush have likely been broken. Having never taken the entire rear bumper cover off, I'm not really sure what the clips look like.

Can anyone hazard a guess as to how much of a PITA this would be to fix?

 

not hard at all...someone tagged my drivers side before just enough to break the clip...just remove the screw inside the wheel well located to the rear of the wheel....you will then see the clip along the edge where the bumper meets the body panel....very simple to get to

 

Is the clip actually broken though? Or is it just something I can re-attach? (or will this be abundantly obvious when I pop the screw you mentioned?).

 

Here is a picture of the fender damage you're talking about.
You have to remove the screw at the top of the fender at the back of the wheel well and then remove the clip in the middle.
My fender bows out because the plastic tabs are broken just like you're talking about.
Talked to Honda and it can not be repaired. The bumper must be replaced. Time to upgrade to a 2004 bumper...

 

Yup. Figured that out last night. The mounting clips on the bumper for the second and third holes are ridiculously thin... big surprise they broke.

How much is an 04 bumper

 

$299 for MY 04. Plus you'll get 10% off if you buy the bumper from the dealer you bought the car.
Not too bad. It still needs to be painted. I got a price to paint for $200. That's a little high so I'll check around.

 

heffergm, I am not so sure if those broken holes are what's causing the "bowing" out. I had my rear bumper replaced also. On the driver side, it's leaving a slight gap between bumper and body. I agree that those holes on the bumper is razor thin and it's very easy to break them. BUT when the bumper is installed it's a very tight fit and I don't believe those holes do much to hold the bumper in place. Instead I suspect it's those black clips on the body of the car (you can kind of see it in the picture behind the second arrow) is the real problem. Perhaps they are misalign and causing my gaping problem, and perhaps your bowing out. OR maybe the two holes are not properly "clipped" in your case.

 

I disagree. As per the picture, the right bumper is damaged and the clips to not hold it in place and it therefore bows out.
The left side is not damaged and is perfectly aligned. I will be replacing my bumer to fix the broken clips.