could my brittle bumper have been original?
 

I am calling on Lexus detectives out there because of a strange thing that happened to my 2002 Lexus ES300 last Tuesday morning (Dec. 31, 2013). The front left corner of the bumper hit a snow pile as I was turning out of my driveway, and that whole part the bumper broke into many pieces. Now I have a gaping hole where it used to be. This is strange because I was not going fast, and I've definitely hit snow piles like this before without similar consequences, though not this winter.

More details:
* It was well below freezing outside, and the car was freezing cold after sitting in the driveway all night.
* When I picked up and examined the pieces of bumper right afterwards, it was clear that they were brittle, and would break before they bent.
* I had my front bumper replaced after an accident last summer.

My question to you Lexus detectives out there is:
is this brittleness at freezing temperatures normal for Lexus bumper? Or does this mean that my bumper was not original, but a cheap replacement?

My guess is it was an aftermarket replacement part.

So the original Lexus plastic does not get as brittle in the cold as those replacements?

If it did, we'd see Lexus vehicles all over the place with these shattered bumpers. Especially with your cars age I'm sure it was an aftermarket part. I'd rather have a used OEM part than an aftermarket part.

Does anyone know if you can pay the difference between what the car insurance covers (i.e., cheaper aftermarket replacement part) and OEM part!
A little feedback please?

Absolutely you can.