During a stormy night on a dark street I hit a huge pothole at around 40mph. The whole front end of the car bottomed out in a pretty big impact that took me by surprise with the impact.

Fast forward to the morning I noticed some significant damage. Besides front bumper requiring some bodywork, I'd like to get help identifying the damage I saw to the driver side. I took a look at the lexus parts site and couldn't see anything that matches up. Maybe the "engine cradle"?

Here are pics I took. First couple:, the DS damaged side chunk taken out from the impact.

Last two pics—I include the passenger "good" side for comparison.

So the looks of it, the sheared off corner houses the sway bar and could wear away over time —certainly vulnerable to the next impact.

Can anyone tell/direct me to identify the part name or part number? I want to file a claim against the city get it into an estimate. I tried taking it to a auto body place but they were talking lots of smack that I wanted to stay clear of.

I just want compensation.

Thanks in advance

 

Ugh.. Commiserations. Let me try wrapping my head around this.

 

Looks like it's subframe. Heck knows if damage went further...
What year and body type?

 

2009 460L, been a quiet day in the LS forum. hope he has insurance

 

https://www.lexuspartsnow.com/oem-le...ss_member.html

That's an extensive repair many hours labour.

 

Even if Comprehensive or Collision insurance covers the car. The repair may be so costly that insurance would total the car rather than repair it. Approx replacement value $10-12k. Suggest the poster get an estimate from a shop. We can't see all the damages and repairs needed. Sorry to see this happen. Best wishes on the possibility of holding the town accountable for neglected maintenance. Get photos before they fill in the hole.

 

51100-50030

But frame geometry needs to be verified.

 

Would not be surprised if insurance totaled the car.

 

Well if are just looking for compensation take it to Lexus and a couple of independent shops and get estimates. Good luck with getting compensation from the city though that will likely be an uphill battle.

 

Even if the city/town sends their own insurance estimator, you'll want your own and Lexus dealer can do it. Not sure what you meant about smack from the body shop, go to a different one and get it in writing. Suggest that you do a google search, "getting compensation from town or state for pothole damage to vehicle in NY". Hopefully it will give you a better idea of how to go about it. Do keep us posted with progress.

 

OP here.

Thanks everyone. I was inclined to try to save this having put so much effort with the control arms and the air struts/coilover conversion (was never satisfied with the ride height with the conversion. Oil leaks/consumption -- around 2 quarts every 200 miles (was ready to repl. the valve cover gaskets), bad coil pack, spark plug replacement due to oil seepage. Now been battling a roof water leak that I've traced to the C pillar area leaking alongside the rear seats onto the footwell leading to 1/2 inch of water resting there (removed rear seat, cleaned out the roof channels, siliconed the rear window, sat antenna). Reduced water intrusion but got 1 cup of water this morning after medium rain the last 24 hours. Battery issues (replaced the battery 3 times)-- culprit probably us with leaving the power in station 1. Trans has been shuddering at 35-40 mpg speeds intermittently (been meaning to change the ATF and add the Lucas Oil shudder product).

At 200k, all this is probably no more than what anyone should expect at this stage. This pothole damage is making me seriously think about punting. 2009 LS460 L had great rear seating. Still a great car overall, but does need attention with all its weight and heft.

Luckily, I have comprehensive coverage with GEICO and no immediate emergency with 3 other cars to use until things are settled.

Thanks again to everyone so far.

 

It seems that if you can get replacement market value plus tax and fees (mandatory in CA) you'll be best served. In NY the "total" threshold is 75% of value for repair. 75% of 11k = $8250 repairs max. So, I suggest you research what a like kind replacement LS460 (year, miles and options) would cost you. Then you have documentation for insurance negotiations if they total the car. I looked on car gurus, in NC there's a 2009 460L RWD with 161K miles, 4 reported accidents and asking $11,600.

 

I think it's time to pull the plug on the cars life support, you've repaired too much from what I've read and doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon.

 

I was in a similar situation, although the damage was not as bad as yours, but I was able to file a claim with the city due to them not properly maintaining the roads. The process was long and they required a plethora of documentation from multiple quotes, pictures, and even eye witness accounts, but in the end they cut me a reimbursement check for the damages. That was in Las Vegas, NV, not sure if your state will assume responsibility. It may be worth a shot.

 

Hey OneCL, what is the insurance status of the damages? Have you filed a claim with the municipality yet?