Mine is in steps trying to do by self since my deductible is not low. Let me see what it ends up being at the end. Definitely beats another claim for them to count against me.

 

The front bumper has a lot of wind force against it on the highway so all the clips/attachment points are very important to keep it from flexing at speed. As the driver, you would never see it flexing/deforming at speed but it would eventually cause other problems that the shop doesn’t want to get blamed for.This is why most shops say replace the bumper instead of repair when support clips are damaged

 

Yeah. This was my call. The tabs/clips repair on frame is typically a DIY thing as shops do not spend that time on it since its a waste. They do replace just the clips after inspection related to pulling part since they become brittle, and otherwise will not touch. I looked at few bumpers and noticed missing tabs, broken tabs etc in order to get the car back to proper shape. My Avalon, which is very old, I can do such things without having to worry about shade-tree mechanic type fixes. This lexus still have value so body parts maintenance is still in play.

Once thing I noticed is that bumper is super-flex plastic as compared to my older Avalon and Camry. Or even my van. Ignoring van is bigger, I did replace my Avalon bumper which was slightly heavier and more sturdy. It might be due to the shape. This is more long curves and shape, including the flimsy grill area. I can lift this bumper with 2-3 fingers (almost literally speaking) /with one hand comfortably. So I agree with the flex on this car compared to Avalon or Camry.

I brought the bumper back yesterday. Will work on it this week. Will make sure I have everything I need for the fender liner fittings (3 different clips, have 2) before removing a functional rest of old bumper. The car can be driven just trying not to until fender liner is in place to protect main headlight wiring (after seeing how this incident ripped connector and housing right off).

I stored it on top for now, so lite and flex. I will try to remove the grille checking the other thread to see if I need any other type of clips.