Hi folks,

I bought a 2014 LWB last month, and noticed a couple of dents only a few days ago. I don't know how I missed them. Here they are:

On the right rear bumper. All the sensors work fine (backup, blind spot, cross traffic alert).



On the left bumper next to the headlamp washer. All sensors and the washer work fine.



I would like to get these fixed. Any thoughts on how much this might cost? Can/should any body shop do this? Or should I check with my Lexus dealer first? Thanks for your help.

Best wishes,
AC

 

Any qualified body shop can handle this. Ask around for the best body shop in the neighborhood or even surrounding neighborhoods. If unsure where to get a recommendation look up shops that sell body kits for cars and ask who they use. Then check out the work they do, they should have many pictures in a portfolio.

 

Dent Masters does a great job if there is one in your area.

 

Yeah I would try paintless dent repair before going to a body shop. Google or look in Yelp for highly-rated repair people in your area.

It's pretty amazing what they can do, although I know some methods are better than others and/or people have had issues with the glue they use. Search these forums for pointless dent repair first to see how our soft paint holds up.

 

As mentioned, start with a dent place. They will either be able to fix the dents or recommend a place.

 

Thanks, Rhambler. It's POINTLESS to search for other dent repair threads. You all have given me such good advice here already!

 

Lol, well I use my phone a lot here and that auto correction is sometimes my bane, haha.

 

Not sure if PDR guys work their magic on plastic bumper covers. Call around until you find someone who knows how to use a heat gun to pop the dents out without melting the paint.

 

These denta are on the bumper covers guys, paintless dent repair only works on metal panels.

Unfortunately the only way to fix these bumpers is to replace the entire bumper covers. Cost will be between $1,500-$2000 each end. The urethane cover is deformed, likely because it was heated trying to repair damage done by the previous owner before you bought it.

 

I am afraid Steve is correct. I got estimates from two highly-rated body shops that also do paintless dent repair. They both quoted roughly $1500. They said the bumpers would have to be removed to push out the dents (assuming no other hidden damage that may be apparent from the inside of the bumper), using filler as needed, painting the bumpers, applying clear coat etc.

I am sure the Lexus dealer would recommend replacing both bumpers at a much higher cost. I will live with these dings for the time being. The rear bumper ding is very hard to spot unless the light hits it at a certain angle, so I am not kicking myself about missing it. However, I could have spotted the front ding if I had inspected very slowly.

I bought the car with confidence because it had extremely detailed service records on Carfax and Autocheck (one previous owner), no reported accidents, and passed a detailed inspection at a local Lexus dealer. Clearly the rear fender bender was fixed and either not reported, or, as I was surprised to learn from the dent repair shop, possibly removed from the Carfax records at the request of the insurance company.

The car drives like a dream, so other than these dings, I am hopeful all is OK with the car. I did report a high whining noise on start up on a different thread, and I haven't received much feedback on that. Someone said it could be a loose heat shield that I will get checked out soon. The car is still in the new car warranty period.

Thanks for all your help folks. This is a great forum.

Best wishes,
AC

 

Replacing the bumper covers isn't that much more expensive. The covers themselves are only about $500. I would want then replaced, repairing covers has never looked right to me, and it creates the sort of distortions you're seeing. Unless it was just paint damage.

 

I just checked how much a brand new rear OEM bumper cover costs and it is actually only $380, unpainted from the online Lexus parts from Sacramento Lexus https://lparts247.com.

It might be cheaper to buy that, get it painted and installed, assuming the foam isn't damaged and even if it is, not sure how much it would make a difference leaving the damaged foam under a brand new cover.

 

Hi Rhambler,

Thanks for the link. Both the front and rear bumper covers are priced at less than $400 each. That's very promising. I will ask the body shops for new quotes using these OEM parts.

Best wishes,
AC

 

Most body shops won't change their estimate based on your finding the parts cheaper somewhere else. The make money on the parts too!

 

The quotes I have now are to repair the existing bumper covers. If I purchase the OEM bumper covers, they will have to prepare a new quote for prepping and painting them, plus swapping out the old ones with the new ones.