Hi

While I was driving home on the freeway at nite, there was debris in the lane and unfortunately, my front right bumper sustained the damage seen in the pic. The other damage was to the debris shields underneath but that is mostly cosmetic. One shield underneath the front center was ripped out from bolt so right now it is taped up with duct tape.

Can this bumper be repaired? Or, does it need to be replaced?

My comprehensive would cover ($500 ded.) but my concern is that the dealer said they (as all dealers do) use a body shop and my experience is that over time, you will note the differences in paint quality, etc.

Car is one month old (F-Sport) so this bugs me. Haven't yet had a chance to send pic to body shop since they are closed on weekends but wanted some other opinions and options.

Thanks.

 

Its going to happen sooner or later but you never want to see it. Fortunately its in a good spot so it shouldn't be noticeable once repaired, and yes they can repair this fairly easily. I would do your homework though and find some very good body shops that work on higher end cars and not just your every day beaters. Like you said you don't want this to come through after a year or two, but if you do, your insurance should stand by you regardless. Of course you may have to go with the shop they recommend to get their guarantee for that also. Again, sorry for your loss so soon and good luck on your fix. It will be good as new before you know it!

 

Thanks. Glad to hear it is repairable. Does anyone know of a reputable shop they would trust in the So Cal area? I'll start asking around too.

 

You could either take it to a Lexus body shop and have it repaired, (if it could be, and if the damage is not substantial) or you could take it to your Lexus dealer and have them order you a new painted bumper and replace it for you. The cost of the bumper painted is right under $1,000 on Sewell's website with the Club Lexus discount. Then you would incur a $200-400 installation charge. Insurance may be your best route if you do not want to pay a lot, but who knows if your policy would be dinged later for it?

 

Update: from foot, dealer's body shop said it can't be repaired but can be replaced for about $1130+tax. Now, should I make a claim on my insurance (comprehensive)? My deductible is $500 so I'd save a lot. Just don't know if it makes rates go up....I suspect not unless I have another incident within the year.

Other question: my mileage in city has been averaging 15 mpg...anyone else get such low mileage on an F-Sport?

 

the bumper does not come prepainted from lexus. Sewell must be painting them somewhere then shipping them.

 

Does that piece of black rubber/plastic at the bottom come attached to the bumper? If not, you may need a new one of those too...looks stretched/ruined as well.

On a 1-month old car, I'd be looking to make sure I get every single piece that was damaged replaced, if you're going to turn that in to insurance.

 

That sucks, sorry it happened on such a new car. You ever thought about custom bumpers? A few people in the 2IS section have successfully made a hybrid 2IS/4GS F-sport bumper and a 2IS/3IS F-sport bumper. It's a lot of work but it will be very unique. I wonder what the 3IS F-sport bumper would look like on a 4GS. If you have no plans to go that route on a custom bumper and going to replace it with a new bumper instead, may I have the old bumper for a future custom bumper I plan on making?