Cosmetic Damage!

[Paisley]

Hey everyone, long time lurker, first time poster. So this morning i leave my house to go to work and find this on my car:

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q244/Xp...rSideDamage.jpg

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q244/Xp...eDamagezoom.jpg

She's a 98 ES300 and this is the FIRST and ONLY damage on her of any kind, it went 9 years without so much as a ding and last night someone backed into it while parked. AHHHH!! So because i'm not yet tired of the "Wow, thats a good looking car for being 9 years old and in Boston" remarks i want to have it repaired. What i'd like to hear from you experts is your best advice - My Lexus dealership quoted me $340 for the fender and $280 for the bumper, plus paint (which they outsource) and labor.

Am i correct in thinking there's a VIN # stamped inside the fender? Should i care if the fender is removed?

I've been thinking of buying the replacement bumper and fender myself (for 1/3rd of the above quote, i checked) and taking them to a painter then installing them myself. Has anyone else tried something like this on their car?

The only thing that concerns me really is the paint - matching 9 year old green won't be easy i'm sure. The broad concensus from people up here is it's a fact of life, but it's not their car...

[amf1932]

I suggest you get OEM replacement parts, then either hang these parts yourself or let a reputable body shop do this, and let them do the color matching and painting.....assuming that they have "State of the Art" color matching equipment. ;)

[Tyler121]

ahhh man that sux, i have a 94 basically in perfect condition, i think i will be even more careful than before to make sure that doesn't happen to me.

[98OysterES300]

Hey everyone, long time lurker, first time poster. So this morning i leave my house to go to work and find this on my car:

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q244/Xp...rSideDamage.jpg

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q244/Xp...eDamagezoom.jpg

She's a 98 ES300 and this is the FIRST and ONLY damage on her of any kind, it went 9 years without so much as a ding and last night someone backed into it while parked. AHHHH!! So because i'm not yet tired of the "Wow, thats a good looking car for being 9 years old and in Boston" remarks i want to have it repaired. What i'd like to hear from you experts is your best advice - My Lexus dealership quoted me $340 for the fender and $280 for the bumper, plus paint (which they outsource) and labor.

Am i correct in thinking there's a VIN # stamped inside the fender? Should i care if the fender is removed?

I've been thinking of buying the replacement bumper and fender myself (for 1/3rd of the above quote, i checked) and taking them to a painter then installing them myself. Has anyone else tried something like this on their car?

The only thing that concerns me really is the paint - matching 9 year old green won't be easy i'm sure. The broad concensus from people up here is it's a fact of life, but it's not their car...

You don't need either of those parts. A good body shop can use some technique that they have for repairing crack like that in plastic on the bumper cover. And why do you need a fender?? Looks like it was scraped up. They will sand out the scuffs, prime, paint and clear & you'll be all set ... I suggest you go to another body shop and get some other quotes, as from the pictures, it seems very minor, and could easily be repaired without all that replacement. At most, the only part I'd buy would be the Front Bumper Cover, as if it was my car, I wouldn't want the cover repaired, thats just me, but just letting you know the option is out there!

[SW03ES]

I absolutely would replace the bumper cover, I've seen those "patch" kits and they always look like hell. Best to do it right.

As for the fender, is it dented? If its not dented then I agree, they'll just sand it down smooth and respray it.

Don't worry too much about the paint match. Find a shop with computerized paint matching. It will cost more, but it will match. Its not as hard as it used to be.

[Lexucan]

I agree. It doesn't look to me like the fender needs to be replaced at all.

My ES was hit by someone backing out of a driveway just a few days before last Christmas :cries:

Same fender but on the other side of the wheel well. Lucky for me, the guy came knocking at my door to tell me he hit my car, so his insurance covered the repairs. I was really concerned about getting the paint color to match but it came out perfect. It's the same color as yours too.

Good luck with your baby's boo-boo !

[homemechanic]

I agree. It doesn't look to me like the fender needs to be replaced at all.

My ES was hit by someone backing out of a driveway just a few days before last Christmas :cries:

Same fender but on the other side of the wheel well. Lucky for me, the guy came knocking at my door to tell me he hit my car, so his insurance covered the repairs. I was really concerned about getting the paint color to match but it came out perfect. It's the same color as yours too.

Good luck with your baby's boo-boo !

You new a new bumper cover. The crack is too big and beyond repair.

Here is something that you might want to consider before doing anything. You have a dark color car. The paint has been faded somewhat over the years. After they painted the bumper cover, the color might not match well between the top tone and the fenders. They can match as close as they can, but always some disrepancy.

I know for fact because my car was in an accident last year. The shop painted twice and can't match perfectly. I went to several different shops and see what they can do. They all said that the original paint has faded a little, which is normal over the years. Plus, the bumper cover is plastic and the fender is metal. There will always a little different in color even with the expert doing the job.

[NeiLtYmE]

i was in a situation like yours. Did some homework and found that most reputable body shops can match the paint to near perfection. Did you claim as hit and run?

looks like you need a front fender/panel repaint and a bumper cover replacement. That crack... when polyurethane cracks, your done. Generally they are made to dent in or bubble in, in which case its pushed back out and repainted.

[homemechanic]

i was in a situation like yours. Did some homework and found that most reputable body shops can match the paint to near perfection. Did you claim as hit and run?

looks like you need a front fender/panel repaint and a bumper cover replacement. That crack... when polyurethane cracks, your done. Generally they are made to dent in or bubble in, in which case its pushed back out and repainted.

rearend collision and then my car got pushed into the front. . some guy (fool) was talking on the phone and forgot to slow down on the freeway interchange.

if u r going to have the fender repainted, make sure they sand the old paint off. some shops will just paint over the old paint. some people said it's still acceptable to have two layers of paint on the metal.. . i don't know.

[Paisley]

Hey Everyone, thanks for the all the tips! The day it happenend i took it to a body shop and had their master mechanic look at it. He recommended we keep the fender, just repair and repaint (to answer your questions, it IS dented as well as scraped) and replace the bumper - GAHH! The plan right now is to replace/repaint the bumper entirely and hammer out/sand and paint the fender. He's going to keep the paint low and away form the hood/side and cover it in a clear coat in order to minimize any color differences.

Though I could handle the assembly etc, i still need him to paint to so i've opted to bring him a replacement bumper and let him handle the fix. Both the part shop near by and my Lexus dealership quoted me around $330.00 for a new bumper (are you kidding me!?) but i tracked down an OEM part for $190.00. Unfortunately with a two tone bumper i had to shell out a lil more, but oh well at least i didnt need to replace sheet metal...

What's worse is that night i went out with a flashlight and tape measure to see if i could find the car that hit it somewhere in the neighborhood - i gave up after 3 cars: I've never seen so many cars with bumper scrapes in my life, like looking for a needle in a needle factory. AHHH!!!!