Body Work Needed :-(

[coolwater]

I was very stressed out that day and this is the result of my carelessness.

Do I need to replace the whole rear bumper? Or, can they just fix it somehow?

How much do you think it would cost?

:(

[SKperformance]

If you can pop it out the paint may not be damaged much and not need to be repainted.

Pop it before the heat sets it in a weird shape.

[lexusk8]

Unfortunately it looks like you're going to need at least a new bumper. Even if you pop back the dent, the paint will look tarnished and scuffed up, and perhaps even cracked. Not sure about the reinforcement pieces underneath the bumper but you'll have to bring the car to a Lexus body shop to do an extensive check-up.

[Toysrme]

For metal, that would be very hard to pull out b/c the bumper (silver) has been dented in to the point of leaving a perminant ridge. I digress, it's not metal, it's poly. So. Im not sure if someone could fix that. Can they? I know aslong as plastic doesn't take a huge lick you can pop it out sometimes much farther than metal.

You could pully that off & replace it. While it's off, fix the metal bumper itself.

Good as new.

[SW03ES]

I'm sure it can be popped out, but its not going to look right. The urethane will be warped and the paint will be damaged or cracked.

The bumper cover is going to have to be replaced, and the bumpers going to have to be painted obviously. My guess is $700 or so to do it right with a good shop using computerized paint matching, $450 with just a straight paint which may or may not look alright.

I can give you a referral for a shop in Rockville, MD that I use if you'd like.

Don't feel bad, those things happen to everybody. I backed into a cement post in my office's parking garage in December myself. A good shop will fix it up and you'll never know, bumper damage is very easy to fix.

[John Martin]

What do you want the final result to look like?

A) If you want it perfect, a good body shop is the best remedy. They all work with the same parts and the same estimation schedule, but, if this is coming out of your own pocket rather your insurer's, you may be able to negotiate a little. The starting estimates will all be the same.

B) Want cheaper, but clean? Check junk yards for the bumper skin and replace it yourself. It's not rocket science, but will take time to find a good-condition part and attach it.

C) Rock bottom. Take the bumper skin off, pop ou the dent and get an auto paint vendor to match the color. Buy a spray kit from Home Depot -- glass jar with compressed air cartridge -- for $10 and touch it up. Reassemble. This will at least hold you if you don't have the money to pay for the repair now.

B & C do not include fixing the underlying steel bumper, but that is invisible anyway.

JM

[Toysrme]

Yeah man, this is the kind of thing that's no big deal. I had to rebuild & repaint my front 1/4 panel after some dummy in a work parking lot molested the thing. Broke a bumper (I've told that story 2 many times now, yeah yeah we all know lmao!)

No biggie. No worries. Find a used bumper. That's the kinda stuff I wouldn't even call the insurance company on if it was only a couple hundred bucks.

[coolwater]

Thank you all for your advices!

SW03ES, please let me know the contact name and number or email of the shop in Rockville, MD. Would they also fix the bumper itself before painting? Or, should I fix the bumper else where first prior to taking the car to the paint shop? Thank you.

[copy252]

dude... my whole car just got hit in a golf ball hail storm! ty god for drive ins!!! HAHA! 3800 in damage!!!! i almost crapped myself when i saw the estimate but its going in on thursday. ill post pics sometime of the before and after

[SW03ES]

The starting estimates will all be the same.

Thats totally not true. Body shops are all independent businesses and set their own labor rates for R&I, panel work, painting. Different shops use different grades of paint which makes the cost vary, and they have different schedules for marking up parts. They also have different procedures for painting, hand sanding and buffing etc that make the cost vary.

Thats like saying an oil change will cost the same at every shop, its not true. An oil change at Jiffy Lube and one at the Lexus dealer vary greatly in price, even though the same work is done. In fact, prices vary greatly between Lexus dealers even in the same area.

If you get 3 estimates, they'll be very different. Just to paint a bumper I've gotten estimates for $250 and for $600 for the same job at different shops.

Don't always go with the cheapest shop either, but also don't automatically go for the most expensive. Go with one that does good work that you can see for yourself and that guarantees their work forever.

SW03ES, please let me know the contact name and number or email of the shop in Rockville, MD. Would they also fix the bumper itself before painting? Or, should I fix the bumper else where first prior to taking the car to the paint shop? Thank you.

The shop is:

Rockville Auto Body

1221 Taft St

Rockville, MD 20850

(301) 762-4446

Ask for Mike or Bruce and tell them Steve Withrow referred you. They may or may not remember me (how often does one visit a body shop) but tell them it was a red 2003 Lexus ES300 they'll dig me up. If you'd like to PM me with your name I'll call ahead and let them know you'll be calling if you'd like.

I am EXTREMELY picky, and in fact they are the only people who have ever done body work on a car of mine that I was pleased with. These guys will get down on their hands and knees with you and inspect the paint to make sure you're satisfied. They really take pride in what they do, which is a rare thing nowadays.

Stroll around the shop, the entire work area is open to the office/customer waiting area so you can watch them work. Ask them to see some cars they've worked on. When I was there someone had brought in a almost new metallic blue Benz CLS500 that the whole side had been smashed on, and I swear you would never know it had ever been workjed on. The paint work was flawless, the flake matched up perfectly. In fact, they even brought in a custom clear bra installer on that car to custom make the stone chip guard over the wheel well on a Benz CLS to match the one on the other side because Mercedes didn't sell the part yet.

You'll be pleased.

As for the bumper, they'll replace that bumper cover. theres no way to make that smooth again. Just take it over there like that (call for an appt for the estimate)and they'll order the right cover from Lexus so it'll be in for them to paint and install.

Read some of the reviews here:

http://www.insiderpages.com/b/3715834121

[coolwater]

Thank you so much SW03ES!

It will be another couple of weeks until I have time to visit the shop in Rockville. I will definitely PM you my name before I call for an appointment for an estimate--I will greatly appreciate it if you would call them ahead. Again, thank you very much for your help!

[SW03ES]

No problem!