While driving home, some jackass dropped a big wooden box in the middle of the freeway. It was too late for me to change lanes or brake, so it went under and slashed the left corner of the bumper to an extent I feel the bumper will need to changed.

It's a leased vehicle; which is due in 3 weeks. Any suggestions? Don't really want to pay the hefty dealer repair fees. Any idea how much it might cost to fix? Any suggestions on a good body shop in Torrance, CA

Vehicle Details- 2017 IS250T (Metallic Dark Grey)

 

I would suggest taking it to a body shop and see what the cost of a replacement aftermarket bumper would be.
No point going with OEM if you're paying out of pocket and the aftermarket bumpers fit pretty good.
You will want to get it done sooner than later...the longer you can leave the car in the sun after it's painted the less likely the dealer is to notice the bumper was replaced.

Of course this is dependent on if the body thinks it can't be fixed. If you could post a pic that might give a better idea of how bad it is.

 

I don't think I would do anything with the bumper for several reasons: My experience is that LFS is not nearly as picky as you might think, allowing for some damage to each quarter of the car; the dealer fixes such damage quite cheaply; and with used car sales being as bad as new cars almost all lease returns go straight to the auction line. My son recently turned in a GS with maybe a foot long but minor scratch on the side and a curbed wheel and with no-contact car dealers, they did not even step outside to look at the return before the lot attendant drove it away - once they do that, it is difficult to determine when any damage occurred.

Alternatively, the bumper repaint guy that I use for minor scratches does also do painted-to-match bumper replacements (for the dealers) at far less than the body shops. If you are going this route I agree, sooner rather than later - fresh automotive paint smells for several days.

Good luck.

Dave Mac

 

Front left of an ISF 250T

 

yep, that needs to be replaced.

 

Whoops - that is a lot of damage. And that bumper is a large piece. I would still check with a bumper touch-up guy. Anything but the Lexus shop.

Dave Mac

 

Take it to maaco. Bondo and paint this corner for 50 bucks and let others worry about this later.

 

Yikes!!! That is quite a bit of damage and I agree, not easily repairable and annoying to have to spend the money to return in just a few weeks Too bad you couldn't take the plate number of that A**H**** who dropped his load! I went through a similar experience of my 1st IS350 (2015) and it was a piece of metal that got caught in my tire and spun around at the tire's RPM until I could stop, enough to damage the rear driver door, quarter panel and bumper...2000$ later...

 

I don't know but you might consider this to be a flying (moving) object in the roadway and see if your comprehensive insurance would cover it. There is usually no affect on your premium for a comprehensive claim.

Or you still might try to turn the car in like it is. The problem is your dealer can't make a promise on behalf of Lexus Financial and by the time they ask you for money the car will have already gone to auction and you are kind of at their mercy. I've returned cars with some pretty makeshift bumper attachment repairs (super glue etc.) without a problem but this is quite a bit of damage.

Are you planning on getting another Lexus lease, sometimes that helps but again your dealer and LFS are barley close cousins. I once turned in a lease with just a little excess mileage which the dealer agreed to cover and actually gave me a check to send to LFS but they still sent me a bill for an additional fifty-cents for the two miles the dealer put on the car while on their lot.

Dave Mac

 

You live in LA. you've got a thousand small body shops to choose from. Look on Yelp and read reviews for discount work or ask a few friends for a referral. I know I would make the time to go to some bumper shops and some regular body shops for price comparisons. What's your collision deductible amount? Good luck.

 

Rec ntly moved to LA, so not really sure about good body shops around the area.

 

Read Yelp reviews. I moved to San Diego a few years ago with no friends or family. I'm sure you can do it too. Yelp is a powerful tool to find businesses.

 

this is such a copout answer. you can't morally do that to someone else. another person, perhaps one of the members here, is going to purchase that car and to have him or her notice the large gash in the front bumper after a season of rain is completely immoral.

the car needs to either have the bumper replaced or to have it repaired properly because, again, another individual is going to spend his/her hard-earned cash on that car.

 

either way you're looking at a used or new cover, respray, and labor. or an insurance claim. you're looking at probably an $800 job out of pocket at least. cover $400, labor/paint $400.

 

BTW a long long time ago these guys were the go to for socal bmw guys. cheap and really good work. referred a friend and they were happy. Not sure if they're still good but i assume so. check them out https://www.facebook.com/pg/AbsAutoB...=page_internal