Got In A Little Fender Bender...!

[k weezy]

An older lady slammed on her brakes in the middle of the street for no apparent reason, no stop lights or signs, no traffic, no animals frolicking in the streets, nothin... There was no possible way I could avoid hitting her. When I asked her why she stopped so suddenly she replied "there was a big red sign on my car that said BRAKE...?..."...

there was absolutley no damage to her vehicle but i ended up with a cracked bumper and slightly bended fender... When the cops came she ended up getting the ticket but that didnt help much because she didnt have any insurance :chairshot: so I'm stuck with the bill...

I went to the a local body shop called Mr. Fender and they gave me a print out of all the things needing to be changed

Front Bumper Cover

Front Bumper Cover Molding

Right Headlamp Assy.

Right Side Marker

Front Fender repair and refinishing

Wheel Opening Molding

with parts and labor the total cost is about $2300

Anyone know where I can get some of these parts for cheaper? I'm trying to see how low I can get it so I can pay out of pocket and not have to go through the insurance company.

hope these pics come up

[Lexucan]

Sorry to read about what happened, but usually the driver who was following too closely behind someone who stops suddenly is the one at fault. I believe the term is "tailgating". How is it that she is at fault and you are not?

[k weezy]

i dont know but i wasn't tailgating and by my job theres a one lane street between two buildings and she SLAMMED on her brakes like a kid ran in the street or something for NO reason, it kinda seemed like she did it on purpose, and there was no way I could avoid hitting her. and when I say older I dont mean like 70 something I just say older because im young and to me anyone over 38-40 is "older". The cops asked us both a series of questions and she got the ticket...

[nc211]

i dont know but i wasn't tailgating and by my job theres a one lane street between two buildings and she SLAMMED on her brakes like a kid ran in the street or something for NO reason, it kinda seemed like she did it on purpose, and there was no way I could avoid hitting her. and when I say older I dont mean like 70 something I just say older because im young and to me anyone over 38-40 is "older". The cops asked us both a series of questions and she got the ticket...

Well there you go...SHE got the ticket.

If I weren't and honest man, I'd say you probably need new strut rods, control arms, radiator, motor mounts, timing belt, stereo.......you get the point ;)

[vyhanh]

Hi,

Except for paintwork, you can shop all parts on eBay cheap.

I replaced my son's 91LS400's:

1. Passenger headlight assembly

2. Wheel molding (along wheel well)

For sure, DIY and parts are lot less than $2300 !

[k weezy]

Hi,

Except for paintwork, you can shop all parts on eBay cheap.

I replaced my son's 91LS400's:

1. Passenger headlight assembly

2. Wheel molding (along wheel well)

For sure, DIY and parts are lot less than $2300 !

thanks for the info...

I found everything except for the wheel molding.. is there a part number i can look up for this?

[k weezy]

Good News!!!. I talked to this guy I know that owns a car dealership and he's gonna fix everything for $400-$600 depending on if he has to replace the whole headlight or if he can just fix the existing one... Either way thats a whole lot better than what I was expecting to pay and this way I can just pay out of pocket instead of going thru insurance.

[JAXXXIX]

$2300 sounds right. yeah those lamps alone are range between $200 - $600 jus depending on the site. u have to consider that fender man...even though it looks like someone could jus walk over and pop it out...thats like a 2-3 hour dent. painting shouldnt be too much they jus hav to blend it in and all. but you should be expecting to pay that much even if you buy some of the parts on ur own...if anything tell them to forget about the headlamp assembly and jus let lexus do it. when there is a lot to do it seems that 1 makes a big differnce...you can do the light anytime.

[Canopy]

Why don't you use your own uninsured motorist insurance? If she got the ticket your insurance company shouldn't hold it against you. You may have a deductible to pay, but it still would be cheaper than paying out of pocket. Plus, the insurance company probably would contact her and she might suddenly find some insurance or money.

Otherwise, for new parts you can get a quote from irontoad.com. I've used them before and they seen to sell new Lexus parts for 30 - 50 percent less than for what I can get them for from my local repair shops.

[k weezy]

Why don't you use your own uninsured motorist insurance? If she got the ticket your insurance company shouldn't hold it against you. You may have a deductible to pay, but it still would be cheaper than paying out of pocket. Plus, the insurance company probably would contact her and she might suddenly find some insurance or money.

Otherwise, for new parts you can get a quote from irontoad.com. I've used them before and they seen to sell new Lexus parts for 30 - 50 percent less than for what I can get them for from my local repair shops.

thanks for the info... This is the first wreck I've ever been in that my insurance would have to cover and I wasnt sure if it would make my rate go up or not... but now since I talked to my friend that has the car dealership he's gonna do it for 475 so thats cheaper than going thru insurance because my deductible is 500

[nc211]

wait a minute, i'm at a loss here....why are you worried about your insurance and paying to fix your own car, when she was deemed responsible for the accident to begin with???? She is the one who the law issued the ticket to, right???

[k weezy]

wait a minute, i'm at a loss here....why are you worried about your insurance and paying to fix your own car, when she was deemed responsible for the accident to begin with???? She is the one who the law issued the ticket to, right???

yea she got the ticket but she doesnt have insurance... what can i do other than take her to court? i dont have the time or feel like having to go thru all that and even if i did i would still have to pay my deductible or pay out of pocket to get it fixed in the meantime because i dont want to drive around with a cracked bumper or bent fender.

If anyone knows a better way to go about getting my car fixed I'm open to suggestion