jpv7774

I only drive my car on weekends and totally baby it. When I drive it I always park way out in the middle of no where so I dont get door dings. Drives my wife crazy!!! But hey....I dont have any door dings......well now I have worse then a door ding
I parked in the middle of the Home Depot parking lot...easily 6 spaces to the left and to the right of my car...I was only picking up a quick item. When I came back out I was shocked to see my car surrounded by an old van and a school bus. I immediately started inspecting my car on the van side for door dings....I was just sure that he got me....While inspecting for dings the school bus driver approached me...introduced himself very professionally....apologized and told me the story. My heart just sunk. Basically he was just trying to find a spot to park his mega bus and he took the turn in too tight as the tandem wheels ran over the corner of my darn car!!!! Yep ...crunched my completely restored headlight into pieces.....will need a new bumper...headlight assembly....and work on hood and quarter panel. Kind of hard to get mad at an old guy driving the handicap bus so I let him off easy....the county will pay dearly to restore my baby. I will insist on one bad *** rental car on the counties dime.

Tom57

Always the way ... you try to be careful and park away from careless drivers, and they still find you. Sorry for your unfortunate accident, not to mention all of the time and aggravation for which you will not receive compensation.

I wonder what the estimate will be for the damage. There's actually quite a lot that happened - bumper, hood, fender, headlight, etc.

LuxuryGS3

iTrader: (12)

Really sorry to hear about this.. At least he owned up to it and was willing to take care of it (or push it in the right direction). I hope you get it resolved quickly and you get your car back soon. Hopefully there's no suspension issues from that much weight running over the car. Never know what kind of stress it could cause, so you may want to get that checked out as well.

I'm going to say at least 5-7 grand..

yoitskenn

iTrader: (4)

That's the downside to parking all by yourself.... No other cars to protect you from incidents like this. But at least the guy admitted fault and not just leave the scene.

Legender

Sorry for the loss for sure. What a pain to follow up with all the paperwork/phone calls to get this back to right. I park like you do most of the time and have not been unfortunate yet, but know my time's coming. Best of luck on the repairs.

tradosauru

You have got to be joking. Maybe 2 grand if the shop is trying to rip you off. 7 grand would total that Lexus.

airchomper

Oh jeez that sucks. I'm sorry dude. I hope the County doesn't try any of the civil immunity bologna but be prepared to lawyer up (or just submit it through insurance). Whenever something bad happens to one of the 2004-2006 LSs I shake my fist at the sky and cry "why didn't this happen to an 01-03?"



Go price out the job - the headlight alone should be $800ish. The bumpers aren't cheap and a nice hood is going to cost a lot of money.

This car is probably worth way more than 7k. I think jpv7774 has an 05 or 06 UL, those go for ~15k.

jpv7774

Thanks all......my car is an 04 with nav not a UL....I wish it was. But I have poured money into every little detail to make the car near perfect so this is a real kick in the ***. The driver was about late 60's and a super nice guy. As a school bus driver this accident will def look bad on his record. Honestly I feel bad for the guy.

I bought my car over a year a go for as I recall 11k and some change.......it is now worth my guess around 10 to 12 given the up to date timing belt....brand new tires and brakes....all fresh fluids....and she is showroom clean.

I too am concerned about possible damage to suspension..bushings...alignment....I will be diligent with the shop to make sure all of these items are checked and double checked. I wont let them total my car .......Im keepin that car....if they total it...I will buy it back!!!

Marklouis

No way they will total your vehicle out. I think your suspension will be fine also. The LS is most solid in that area, and just by looking at the damage on your car, it seems it may have been pushed down and away slightly. An alignment at the most. Parts replacement and alignment of the panels should replicate factory specs no problem, however in your case the biggest worry should be the paint matching/blending. The LS as a flagship sedan has a particular process when it comes to the paint process in the factories. Make sure whomever repairs your baby knows the details or is experienced with the paint process for the Lexus LS.


keep us posted and good luck!

LuxuryGS3

iTrader: (12)

Not at all.. If insurance will get involved they'll price everything out to more than likely to be replaced.. OEM hood is 1200-1600, headlight alone is 600-700, fender + bumper (if insurance deems it salvageable) paint + hours will easily get close to 1k.. So maybe not 5k-7k, but i'll bet it's close to 4-5k.

TANK47

Ensure all parts are new!!! You can negotiate with the insurance company for they will look out on their behalf only.

Jabberwock

Try to get it fixed at a shop that works on Lexus cars and paint on a regular basis.

jpv7774

Oh ya....I will be sure she gets fixed right. I am surprised the County didnt call me today. I will give them til COB tomorrow ....then I will be calling them.

yoitskenn

iTrader: (4)

Depends on the insurance company. Cheap companies will price aftermarket parts

LS430FL

when some guy wacked the back of my beloved LS I made sure that the guys insurance allowed me to have it repaired directly at the lexus dealer. They have a huge body shop. If you have one buy you I suggest you do the same. Mine has lifetime warranty on all the bodywork.