Story from the wife: was raining, rear camera was fogged up, got a call while backing up so was distracted, trying to accept call on the touch display and ... thud !

http://picasaweb.google.com/bellevueantioch/20101212#

Not a single scratch on my prized possession until today

Ask of the forum:
1) How much will it cost to fix this? Pics attached.
2) Will my bumper to bumper warranty cover this damage as it was "self-inflicted" with no 3rd party being involved?
3) does the collision insurance cover this? Am assuming my premium will be hiked if they pay for it...

Appreciate frank advice and help

 

1. If they have to replace the bumper skin (I'm guessing yes) somewhere between 500 and 1000 would be my guess.

2. Why would warranty cover this? It's not a manufacturer defect.

3. Yes, insurance should cover it, less your deductible, and your rates will go up, or you will use up your "one free at fault" if you have that feature.

 

Thanks RCY!

Yeah .. it was a dumb question on the warranty but I've never need to use it on any of my 4 previous cars so am not even sure how the darn'ed thing works.

Really? Just $1000? Would that include the lights and the bulb etc too?? For some reason I thought those things are pretty pricey.

 

I would not report it to a the insurance company. I would find a 3rd party quality shop (NOT the Lexus dealer) and they should be able to fix it for $500-700. Especially this time of year the body shops are desperate for work. It's cheaper to pay out of pocket for these little incidents then file a claim and pay for it over the next 5 years.

 

A friend of mine had similar bumper damage several years ago. The lamp assembly cost approximately $100 and Maaco repainted the bumper for ~$250.

 

Here are 2 price points for you.... both from low impact contact on the rear bumper when people don't stop in time at a traffic light/sign.

Grand Cherokkee Limited needed a new 'skin' but no lights... $1200 for the new skin, paint and install.

911 needed 'skin' and lights... $$2,200 for new skin, paint, 3 different light assemblies and install. 911 skin alone was ~$1,200 vs the Jeep's ~$400.

Hope that helps.

 

Actually for bumper repair like this I had similar thing happened to me on my other car, the cost was $300 out of pocket minus light so add another $100 on top, safe to say $400-$500 out the door. Local bodyshop should be fine

 

I think if my wife did something like that she'd be perma-banned from driving the Lexus.