Hey Guys!

I have crept around here for a small while now but finally decided to join as I could use your help!

My father's ES350 got hit in a parking lot last night. No note from the person who hit it, nor any camera to catch what had happened. It is not a terrible hit (from my opinion), and we will go out seeking estimates to have it fixed, but I thought I would ask what you guys would deem as a reasonable cost for this repair.

Hopefully the image is clear enough, my father took it last night after noticing the hit.

Thank you for your time and responses!

 

Sorry to hear this. You may be able to rub out the scratches as long as they are not down to the primer. Look for a blue car (obvious) . Sine it is just a reflector should not be too much. Sorry I cannot be more specific.

 

Unfortunately stuff like this happens - I have used a local franchisee for Touch-Up Pro on more than one occasion for similar damage. I would expect to pay about $250 including the reflector. I have always been satisfied with their work. www.touchuppro.com to see if they have someone in your area.

Dave Mac

 

Make sure your blind spot and cross traffic sensors are still working (assuming the car has them). They are located behind the bumper near the damaged area.

 

The people that do the mobile bumper repairs can do a decent job, but how satisfied you will be will depend on your level of tolerance for the lack of a perfect repair. It will certainly look better than it looks now, but the job will not be perfect, and that is especially true if the paint color is one that presents challenges with regard to matching it. I'm also not sure if the reflector can be replaced without removing the bumper cover. If the bumper cover does have to be removed to replace the reflector, it is unlikely that a mobile bumper repair guy would be able to do the job.

To get a "perfect" repair, the bumper cover will need to be removed from the car. The damaged area will be sanded smooth. Then, paint will be applied to the damaged area and blended out to a larger area. Finally, the entire bumper will get a new clear coat. This kind of repair will give you a better color match, and it will also insure that you won't see any evidence of where the new clear coat ends. That kind of repair should run anywhere from around $600 to $700, depending on prevalent labor rates in your area, and that includes replacing the broken reflector. That cost estimate assumes that the bumper cover's plastic isn't cracked/cut/pierced, that there is no damage to the shock absorber behind the bumper cover, and that there is no damage to the parking sensors.

Good luck with the repair.

 

I just had the same situation happen to me. Damage in a parking lot in the same spot. I had the bumper replaced. I attached the invoice.

 

There are vendors that can ship you an aftermarket bumper cover painted with your exact color code for something around $300. Check ebay.

 

Thank you all very very much for all of your replies. These all have been extremely helpful!

The sensors are still working thankfully. We would like more of a "perfect" repair to have the car look as new as possible, so we are heading into a couple of good shops in our area on Monday (they are closed over the weekend) to get some estimates and see whether the bumper needs to be repaired, as @lesz outlined, or whether it will need to be replaced as @jkpetre had done. Very good to know the general price range we can expect.

Again, thank you all for your replies, they are very much appreciated!

 

Most likely, the bumper cover will not need to be replaced, but, if it does need to be replaced, if it was my car, I would not consider an aftermarket bumper cover. Typically, aftermarket bumper covers are slightly thinner than original equipment bumper covers, and they can be prone to showing "waviness" on their surfaces. Further, there is a good chance, with an aftermarket bumper cover, that the fit where the bumper cover meets up with the quarter panels will be less than perfect. Finally, and possibly most important, with any colors other than a non-metallic black, it is unlikely that a pre-painted bumper cover will come with anything close to a perfect color match. What color is the car? It appears to be one of the silvers, and, if it is, more care will need to be taken in painting the bumper cover to get a satisfactory color match.

While you might be able to save some money by using an aftermarket bumper cover or by having the damaged cover repaired by a mobile bumper repair service, in the long run, you will be likely to lose what your saved (or more) when it is time to trade in the car. Any used car appraiser with a trained eye will quickly recognize either an aftermarket bumper bumper cover or a bumper cover that has been refinished with a quick repair by one of the mobile services, and that will result in a reduced trade-in offer.

 

Thank you for more very informative feedback.

We are indeed going this route. The bumper cover will either be repaired (not using a mobile repair service) or replaced with an OEM one.

Thank you again for your reply!