I still can't believe it. Driving I-5 north this morning, dry roads, clear conditions. I'm in the #2 lane, cruise set @ about 75, and some 20 year old marine driving a Dodge Ram 1500 passing me in the #1 lane, wanders into my lane and hits me in my rear quarter-panel.

What a freakin' bummer, the new car smell hadn't even worn off yet.

On the bright side, the car handled great. I guess the stability control kept the car from spinning out. This was very close to the bump the cops use in high-speed pursuits to take cars out.

So the bumper and quarter panel will definitely have to be replaced. My main concern is the double wet-sanded paint. Does anyone know if Toyota has upgraded any of their collision centers to do this yet?

 

Sorry to hear about your accident. What color is your LS?

Whichever body shop you pick, make sure you get assurances from the body shop that they can match the color and finish of the factory paint. Even better, get recommendations from CL members in your area (you can go to your local region on CL). Be very picky about the body shop you choose...a sloppy body shop can ruin the fit and finish of your new car.

If you are in Northern CA, I can tell you where not to go...unfortunately from personal experience.

 

It is(was) Starfire Pearl.

I had planned on taking it to the new Toyota collision center in Carlsbad, which is supposed to be state of the art. I'm just not sure if they can handle the paint yet. Also, I understand that the USA Lexus technology center is in Torrance. That may be an option as well.

Thanks for the tips. I plan on being very selective. I'm also considering trading it in on a new one, depending on how big the loss will be.

 

Not sure where you are in CA, but there is a collision/body/paint that is connected and I understand affiliated with Longo Lexus in El Monte right next door. You may want to check them out.

 

Very sorry to hear that it's good that no one gets hurt though. Good luck to the repair .

 

Sorry to hear that. I had that happen to my last LS 430 about two months
after I bought the car. Some idiot was reading a piece of paper from his brief case and rear ended me at a stop light. Glad no one was injured...

Craig

 

POOPERS!

I hope you get things fixed as quickly and easily as possible.

Keep us informed. Good luck!

 

Longo has a Collision Repair Center that is certified by Toyota and Lexus. However, “double wet-sanded paint” is a terminology that doesn't exist in the collision repair industry. Longo's Collision Repair Center does use repair processes and procedures endorsed by Toyota & Lexus, as well as those of our paint manufacturer, PPG. If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact Rudy Romero, Robert DeBarr or John Speckmann, Longo’s Collision Repair Center Managers at 626-580-6166.

 

Perhaps that's not the correct terminology - I got it from a review on the LS460. So the question then is, does any "Toyota/Lexus" collision repair center repaint the LS460 with the same number of coats and sandings as the factory job? I'm concerned that it won't have the same lustre and depth to it. I've also found out that they do not want to replace the quarter panel, but instead repair it, which also concerns me that it won't look right, but I understand not wanting to replace the whole quarter panel because of how invasive that would be to the rest of the car. Attached is a picture of the damage right after it happened. What do you guys think, can the panel be repaired properly (by properly, I mean like new), or should I insist on replacing it?

thanks

 

I know how you feel. A month ago an 18 year old talking on his cell phone didn't notice that all of us in front of him had come to a stop. He plowed into me and then pushed me into a SUV in front of me. The damage in front was actually worse than the damage in the rear where he hit me (he had a little Honda). He told the Police Officer that he "wasn't paying attention", duh!

Now this happened with my 1995 Inifinit Q45a which I intended to keep another year or two. I love that car. It has 142,000 miles and has run flawlessly. The only money I ever spent on it was maintainence. The active suspension made it handle almost as well as my 300ZX handled.

So this prompted me to start looking for a new car. I like the Infinitis, but there is no Q45 this year. I like the M45, but decided on the LS 460 (it won't be in until June/July).

I know your pain is worse. As much as I love my Q45a, I did realize it was getting near the time where I'd have to part company. Had that happened when I first got the car, I would have been really bummed out. Good luck with the body and paint work.

 

Don't worry. Any good shop can repair it and make it look like it never happened. While the Lexus factory paint job is great, it is far from a show quality paint job, so don't worry about it looking good. No need to replace anything. They can fix that easily. A good shop will actually pound it back to shape, and use a minimal amount of bondo just for slight filling.

 

I agree 100%. It does depend on how good the workers skills are, but for that kind of damage I would opt to have it repaired rather than a new 1/4 panel if I could avoid it. Like you said, replacing the 1/4 panel is very invasive. You are hoping the techs can cut out and reweld it perfectly. I'd put my money on the factory welds and them having the skills to make the repair. It is the paint that is the harder part especially pearl paint.

I also agree with the above about the paint. Being around show cars a lot since many of my friends compete and I did as well for a while, the OEM paint is good and even great on the new LS460, but it still is not show quality. With how soft many of today's OEM paints are, you might even find a good aftermarket paint to be better and last longer than the OEM.

Anyway, sorry to hear about the accident. Just do your homework when choosing the best body shop to make the repair. Don't get caught up with using a Toyota or Lexus repair facility. They can be good and right for you, but many mom and pop shops are also good and often better. It really just depends on the skill level of the worker. That is why word of mouth is your best bet when it comes to finding a good body shop.

 

Make sure they cover the rest of the car. You don't want over spray all over your car.

Good luck,

Craig

 

OUCH, its ok thats what insurance is for right

 

Wow, that stinks. I hope it works out for you.