Hello all,

I reversed into a concrete pole at about 5 mph and the bumper got a dent in on one side of the car. I have not reported the car with insurance yet as the problem is mainly all cosmetic after getting a few auto body estimates but will require a new bumper according to some.

Some shops are telling me to replace the whole bumper and all. While one of them mentioned they will make it look as close to good as possible.

I'm not sure how Lexus will take that once I take it in for service as it is a lease. Will Lexus throw a fit if they see the bumper a bit off as I managed to prop it back out and the dent no longer shows but the bumper doesn't align properly to the side of the car. I'm thinking to just buy it out because I feel like if Lexus finds out they will have no mercy on me for damaging their car.

Any advice?

 

Buying a car simply out of fear of retribution?
I'd take it to a decent shop that will make it look OEM. Why waste money on substandard work on a Lexus? And certainly not on a lease, a car that you don't technically own.

 

I highly doubt the dealer will care what happens while you're still leasing. As long as you have it repaired by the time you turn it in.

 

I would just pop the plastic bumper dent out for now and see how it looks. Bumpers are subject to normal wear and tear from daily driving and parking, so it will depend on how picky your end of lease inspector is.
If your are talking to the dealer about leasing another Lexus they will likely be much less critical of minor dings.
I would also suggest waiting on any further bumper repairs until just before turning the car in, in case it gets hit again and if somebody rear ends you, they will pay for it : )

 

I recently got hit from the behind in the stop and go traffic. The only visible damage is a long scratch on the rear bumper. Estimated by the appraisal the repair is $983.00 and it is practically painting only.
Just to give you an idea about the cost.

 

One Auto body quoted me $400 where he will not need to replace the bumper as the paint is still intact. He said he will make it look as close to good but no guarantees. He will also glue the back sensor on one side back in. I'm thinking to do it that way than to get my insurance involved for $1200 replacing the whole bumper.

Also to remind you, the side rear light is cracked as well which could go bad due to water leaks etc.

I'm not sure how strict their end of lease inspection is where they might notice the bumper not aligned perfectly.

 

 

I'm curious. As these are nice cars, why wouldn't you just want to take it to a reputable shop and have it properly repaired so it looks good? If it was just an old beater, It probably wouldn't matter, but that isn't the case here.

 

Whatever your conscious tells you to do. If it was me...I'd fix it and erase it from my conscious. Just saying.....if you're always hoping nobody sees it then it's probably not right.

Nice car though...

lar

 

I have found the Lexus end-of-lease inspection to be pretty thorough and they should spot a "almost good enough" quite easy when they check the paint thickness but at the same time Lexus is pretty reasonable at turn-in and I believe they have an allowance that may be as high as $1,500 for each incident - like each corner of the car even though they total $6K. I would either fix it right for about $1K plus maybe the taillight or not at all.

What I would not worry about is what the dealer service department thinks of the car - all that matters is the condition at the time the car is inspected and turned in.

Dave Mac

 

You live in Jersey you must pay a forrtune for car insurance. USE IT. Why pay all that money then avoid using it?

 

Looks like the bumper-cover just slipped off the mount point, with no damage to the bumper cover. Suggest you look up how to remove/replace that bumper, and take a look at the mounting clip. It might be a very easy 15-minute job.

 

Thanks for all the help guys. I decided to do the right thing and am going through insurance. The car will be receiving a new bumper.

 

Glad to hear it. In the long run it's worth it. It looked like a couple of mount points were damaged.

 

I would not be able to sleep until the repairs to like new had been completed. If you do not fix it correctly, then you get a second dent or ding and another and before you know it, you have a junk car.