Hi everyone,

So-- this evening, I went to a restaurant, and when I got back to my car, I found a note on my windshield saying "sorry, I hit your bumper".. And boy did they! The driver side of my front bumper is completely smashed...

I don't have a lot of spare time these days, and so I am trying to figure out what the best option is to get it fixed. I wanted to ask you guys, is it fairly straight forward and simple to replace the front bumper on the 2000 rx300? If so, I'd prefer to just get something like this on ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/99-00-01-02-...-/261318922191

And replace it myself, rather than dealing with dropping it off somewhere and having to rent a car and go through all that nonsense...

Suggestions / advice?

 

If you were to purchase the new bumper cover from eBay, how would you get it painted? I suppose you could have an auto body repair shop paint it for you and then install it yourself. Luckily the RX300 doesn't have nearby body panels that would need to color-match.

 

Replacing a bumper cover is no big deal. There may be hidden damage you can't see until you pull the damaged one off. A novice with a warm, clean workspace can do a pretty good paint job with rattle cans for painting a small piece like this. You will need the rubberized type of paint. A local place should be able to color match and put in the rubber additive then put it into a spray can for you. Ask them about one stage vs base/clear for this part. You may need to trim the replacement part with tin snips depending on how well it is made. You should clean the new part with Dawn+water, rinse completely then clean again with denatured alcohol. Then scuff with fine grit (600+) sand paper and clean with denatured alcohol again. Let that flash off completely before you paint it.

 

Welcome to Club Lexus!

I'd suggest getting one at a salvage yard that is already painted, remember the bumpers and cladding are pretty much the same color on most RX300's. It shouldn't difficult to find one. And should be much cheaper than new.

You can check your local junkyards via www.car-part.com

Are you sure nothing else is damaged?

 

Try the salvage yard or craigslist to see if anyone is selling bumper part in your area. It would be cheaper and easier to find something that matches your paint color.

 

I just had my bumper cover repainted back in November. Very straight forward removal. Just a couple screws/bolts on each side and across the front. I took it to Maaco and they did a (believe it or not) great job in repainting it.

Re installation was just as easy, just be careful when you remove the bolts that hold the lower front of the splash guard. They can be very rusty and will easily break, if you don't use a penetrating oil.

Also, with the bumper cover off, it's a good time to replace all the small lamps that are in the headlight assemblies, even if they're not burned out. It's much easier access without the cover in place. Also, the front side marker bulbs are easier to replace now.

.02