How to tell if bumper is genuine GM part?

[AznGA]

I might buy front and rear bumpers from my friend, who bought his 99 GA GT used. Is there any way to tell if those bumpers are real genuine GM parts?

[TheNewLMHDesign]

Not usually. There may be a tagging somewhere on the bumpers, but most likely, there isn't.

[Riley1123d]

If it fits on your car, i'm sure its a GM part? :)

[Rayz]

An aftermarket rear bumber won't have Pontiac embossed on the outside

[JoeyK]

Aftermarkets have "Pontiac" on them. We get em in the shop everyday. Darn ins. companies MAKE us use them unless the owner specifies otherwise & or throw a fit over it. (They usually have to argue thier arse off to get anywhere w/ them) I think it has something to do w/ whether or not the aftermarket co. has paid the liscencing fee to reproduce the logo. Anyways, back to the origional question. There should be a manufacturing decal on the inside of the bumper if it's GM made but they can sometimes come off also. Hard call on a used bumper sometimes. If you can inspect them on the car it helps to insure propper fit. Aftermarkets are notorious for not fitting correctly.

[AznGA]

I am glad I have State Farm insurance. I can tell them whether I want GM part or not.

[H.O. Driver]

There is a VIN# on the front fascia, both fenders, and hood. Not sure about the rear fascia, but are you talking bumpers or bumper covers?

[AznGA]

Covers.

[H.O. Driver]

Originally posted by AznGA
Covers.
The front should have a VIN or a tag that is rivited to it with the GM logo and a number stamped into the tag.

[XAlliedYouthX]

The ones on ebay don't have the depressed place for the pontiac arrow head if I recall

[JoeyK]

Originally posted by H.O. Driver
The front should have a VIN or a tag that is rivited to it with the GM logo and a number stamped into the tag.

... I have yet to see any vin numbers on body parts on ANY cars. Toyota & several others do have a genuine toyota decal that's holographic like computer casing decals that self destruct & leave a nasty silver base behind so you can tell it had one & that you can't use that decal on anythign else. If anyone has found vin #'s on body parts someone went through & had it done. & it can be done. There are companies out there that do it for people who are worried thier car may be stolen for parts. (mostly exotics)

AznGA... I have State Farm also. They are w/out a doubt THE best ins. co. out there. No, not the cheapest but they are the only ones left that will truely work with thier clients to insure thier satisfaction & have the highest customer satisfaction rating in the country.
I get so frustrated w/ ins. co's I could go on for days on the horrors some of these other ins. co's FORCE us to do to unsespecting people's cars daily- just to save THEM money/ nevermind the customer is not getting what they paid for. Most ins. co's philosiphy I swear has got to be "What the customer doesn't know, doesn't hurt them" We run an average of 10 cars out the door a day. (I work at one of the biggest bodyshops in the nation, we are in the top .5% in revenue in the U.S.) So , in other words... anyone out there "shopping" for the cheapest ins. they can. You may find some deals out there but your "deals" will come with a price, a very heavy price if you ever wreck your car & have to use the so called services you have paid for by some of these fly by night ins. co's. Heck, there's even some well known companies that are just as guilty. ie N********e, G***o. etc.
My best suggestion when shopping for ins. ask thier policies on parts. Ask if you have a say in whether they are genuine manufacturer's parts, also ask if they allow propper paint blending time, like from bumper to body. Alot of them will force you to take used, yes, uesd parts & not pay for alot of the propper blending that it takes to make a car look perfect when refinished. It's better to spend a little more on quality ins. then to save alot & then have a misfit, mismatched rusty p.o.s. after a repair has been done.

[AznGA]

I have made enough accident claims. I am just afraid to see my rate go up. I am trying to save money by getting a used bumper.....

[2001GAGT]

My fathers Jimmy has a decal with the VIN on it on all body panels, doors, hood etc. with the GM logo.

[RocketFast321]

My car does not have a real gm front clip on it
http://img165.exs.cx/img165/378/dscf08320vd.jpg
No pontiac dart :( This is one is the easies ways to tell.

[TA^Guy]

Who was it here who had their front bumper replaced and they didn't notice until a few days later that the new cover didnt have the emboss for the arrowhead?
Originally posted by H.O. Driver
The front should have a VIN or a tag that is rivited to it with the GM logo and a number stamped into the tag.
May have a production number but it won't have a "VIN"="Vehicle Identification Number"

[RocketFast321]

Me

[H.O. Driver]

yea, they shoudl have tags with numbers, not VIN numbers, but numbers that tell if its a GM part or not. Sorry for the mix up, I meant to say it should have a tag like a VIN number on it. O'well, people make mistakes. :blackeye:

[2001GAGT]

OK Maybe this is a Qubec thing (Dad's Jimmy was first sold there), and at the risk of being called a jerk for doing this here is a pic of a stickier on his LH front fender. I have "smuged" the first 5 of the last eight number and they are the same as his VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)