I've tried the search, as I know a number of people have done things along these lines, but none of the topics that came up really answer my question. Any help that can be provided would be greatly appreciated:

My MY01 is being repaired at the "other guy's" expense. It needs a new bumper and a new headlight assembly. Here's the question: can I simply direct the bodyshop to order 04 parts? Will they bolt directly on to my 01?

thanks

Dinnyin

 

I believe that the 04 parts will have to be modified or the mounting points in your 01 has to be modified to fit.

for the front, you need new mounting points for the bumper, need modified splash guard, headlights mountings are different.

this goes the same for the back and taillights.

go to hardtopguy.com. he sells "modified" 04 bumpers and headlights so that it fits the previous year models.

 

if ur insurance finds out that the bodyshop installed different parts than ur model year then bodyshop gets real screwed....that is why u need to talk to bodyshop before u decided to take it if they are willin to take that risk..... prise wise they are same price... but remember in order to put 04 bumper u need to get a whole new splash guard to make it fit .!

 

Thanks, both of you, for the help. iwant2by: I thought, when I get the check from this moron's insurance company that I could do whatever I wanted with it...? I didn't think I was even obligated to fix my car with it at all. incorrect?

dinnyin

 

The mount points for the bumpers are the same, check with Dark_Sub_Rosa for specifics, he has an 04 on an 00 car. And yes, you can do with the insurance company's money what you want, but if you do go a really wierd route and find something off down the road, the insurance company can tell you to .... off.

 

You can do whatever you want with the car. The only way the body shop gets screwed is if the check is written from the insurance company to them and they are paid by them. If you are paying them, you can do whatever you want with your car. It's your money. The insurance company is paying you for the car, not for the repairs. Heck, you can pocket that money for all they care.

 

Up here in manitoba, Canada we have public insurance so all costs are paid directly by the insurance company to the body shop. We don't just get the money. If we want to make changes and not put original parts on insurance just tells us how much they will pay for oem parts and we just have to pay the difference on the new aftermarket parts.

 

You don't HAVE to buy the splash guards to make the 04 bumper fit. I would recommend getting them if you deecide to put on a front lip though. You'll need to shave down the corners of the support beam right behind the front bumper or you might get some "nipples" poking through down the road. You also have to modify the 04 headlight housing so you can fit the HID ballast wiring through. And you'll need to come up with a way to hold the 00-03 HID ballast onto the 04 headlight housing since the holes are not the same.

 

I recently went to an 04 rear bumper on my 03 after an accident.

Honda charges the same price for both bumpers, therefore it was transparent to the insurance company.

THe holes are different in the wheel well, so you'd have to drill new ones, and also make spacers for the rear bolts, because the 04 bumper hangs lower than the 03.