My Baby Got Rear Ended

[Rich Dip]

Less than 3000 miles and my brand new LS460 AWD was rear ended yesterday. Oh it hurts... hurts real bad.

We were in stop and go traffic... so the guy that rear ended me couldn't of being going more than 5 or 10 mph. His air bag did not deploy.

My rear bumper split in two... trunk is creased a bit... but still opens... there is a small crease under the carriage where the spare wheel is. It doesn't look like anything moved into the wheel wells, etc. Car seems to drive ok as I drove it directly to the repair shop.

The repair shop is a very reputable shop that has been around for ever. It is very large and works exclusively on Lexus cars.

No questions.... Just would like some re-assurance that my baby will be like new....

Thanks

-Rich Dip

[1990LS400]

I've lost track of how many times my LS cars have been rear ended over the past 19 years. The lowest damage bill was about $1,000 (about two years ago) and the highest was over $10,000 (about 9 years ago). All incidents were at fairly low speeds in stop and go traffic and in most I had been stopped for at least several seconds before being hit. The last three who hit my cars were women -- two on cell phones and one fixing her makeup in her inside rear view mirror while she edged along in traffic. I've avoided several fairly high speed rear enders by tapping my brake pedal rapidly and once by flooring the gas pedal and running a red light.

All repairs on my LS cars were performed by body shops specializing in high end cars. The LS cars looked and drove like new after the repairs. After the $10,000+ repair to my first LS, I even joked that I had one third of a new car.

I used to get angry with people who hit my cars but I guess I've mellowed and now look at it as just part of driving.

You do have to keep your eye on what a body shop does in repairing your car even if it has a reputation for being the best one in town. Only last night I was at the Lexus dealer ordering interior trunk trim fasteners to replace the ones the last body shop neglected to put back in. And it was over a year before I realized that the body shop had left the manual fuel door release cable hidden behind a trunk trim panel.

Also, body shops sometimes leave out or poorly install parts you can't see. I was amazed one time that a body shop failed to properly install the sound insulation under and behind the back seat of my first LS -- essentially left it in a pile under the seat cushion and threw away the fasteners that held it in place.

I'm sorry that I'm painting sort of a grim picture of the body shop business. Even the best ones I have found don't meet my standards.

[BillyShaft]

Man that sucks! :(

Just out of curiosity, was the guy talking on his phone? I get so annoyed with people on their phones these days...

Jim, if you are getting rear-ended as often as you do the problem is YOU, man! :D You have got to be doing something to make yourself a crash magnet...

JK...

[Rich Dip]

I've lost track of how many times my LS cars have been rear ended over the past 19 years. The lowest damage bill was about $1,000 (about two years ago) and the highest was over $10,000 (about 9 years ago). All incidents were at fairly low speeds in stop and go traffic and in most I had been stopped for at least several seconds before being hit. The last three who hit my cars were women -- two on cell phones and one fixing her makeup in her inside rear view mirror while she edged along in traffic. I've avoided several fairly high speed rear enders by tapping my brake pedal rapidly and once by flooring the gas pedal and running a red light.

All repairs on my LS cars were performed by body shops specializing in high end cars. The LS cars looked and drove like new after the repairs. After the $10,000+ repair to my first LS, I even joked that I had one third of a new car.

I used to get angry with people who hit my cars but I guess I've mellowed and now look at it as just part of driving.

You do have to keep your eye on what a body shop does in repairing your car even if it has a reputation for being the best one in town. Only last night I was at the Lexus dealer ordering interior trunk trim fasteners to replace the ones the last body shop neglected to put back in. And it was over a year before I realized that the body shop had left the manual fuel door release cable hidden behind a trunk trim panel.

Also, body shops sometimes leave out or poorly install parts you can't see. I was amazed one time that a body shop failed to properly install the sound insulation under and behind the back seat of my first LS -- essentially left it in a pile under the seat cushion and threw away the fasteners that held it in place.

I'm sorry that I'm painting sort of a grim picture of the body shop business. Even the best ones I have found don't meet my standards.

[Rich Dip]

1990LS400:

I appreciate your response and perspective... Believe it or not, when I took one of my first cars to the same collision place I spoke of, they forgot to put back on part of an engine cover. So, I will certainly scrutinize their work.

I guess what gets me more than anything is that it is so new.

Although aesthetics are extremely important... I just want to make sure that there is no compromise in its performance.

I don't know much about the unibody constuction other than it can be difficult to repair.

I guess based upon the type of damage and how lexus builds their cars... I was looking for some re-assurance that it "should" perform like new. I know it's tough for anyone on this forum to assess since they can't see the vehicle...

P.S. the guy was not talking on his phone... but I am sure he was distracted by the COP off to the side of the road writing a traffic ticket (as others were).

[SKperformance]

Sorry to hear, the morbid side of me wanted to see pics.

[SW03ES]

Not to worry, if you choose a well respected shop that prides themselves on their reputation the car will be good as new. Just make sure to look over the car very well before you take delivery, and tell them upfront you are extremely picky and will not take the car back until its perfect. A good shop should welcome that.