Hey guys.

I got smacked by a guy the other day. He wanted me to take it to a bodyshop that he works with to get an estimate so he can pay out of pocket.

They wanted to repair the hatch which is pretty banged up... My insurance company, as well as the bodyshop that I like to work with, both reccomended that it be replaced and not repaired.

So, I want to help this guy out (he's 84 and afraid he'll lose his license) but I'm not sure the process of repairing a hatch like that?

Should I take it to another place and see what they recommend?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

no question replace.

 

Replace, do not repair.

Do not use his shop, use your shop. Use a Lexus certified shop. Talk to the dealership about where to go. If you are near Sewell in Dallas, they do excellent work as seen in previous posts.

Be sure to get a new step pad on the rear bumper. Do not let them reuse or tape off the existing pad and paint around it.

If you want to let him pay out of pocket based on your quote and repair shop that is your decision.

 

Follow the advice of your insurance company. The hatch I am sure will require replacement.

I feel sorry for the old guy and I am glad you were uninjured, but there comes a time when a person has no business driving. I speak from experience. My father-in-law was 85 and we found out that he had been in several rear end accidents and was paying off the people that he hit, just like this fellow. We couldn't let this continue because he was a danger to himself and others.

 

I would chime in for replace, and have the work done by a certified Lexus shop. I bought a used 2007 with 30.000 miles and the hatch did not close exactly right. The certified shop spent around 12 hours and ended up replacing the entire hatch receiving mechanism to make it right. Get it right the first time. that is why we all have insurance.

 

^ agree with everyone above, replace the hatch.

Had to take my Mom's(passed away a long time ago) keys away for the same reason and it was safer for her too. Too bad he feels that way but it might be best, who knows how many times it's happened before?

 

I'll leave the opinion about repairing or replacing the tailgate to the experts here. I have to ask, how are you doing? Looks like you got hit pretty hard there. Make sure you get checked out. And I wouldn't 'help out' the guy that did the damage. That'll be one less fossil on the road.

 

Just remember you will be a fossil someday. Older folks when they lose their car, they also lose their independence. I wonder how you will feel when you are that age.

 

I'd suggest to him that unless he wants to buy your RX, that it's going to get repaired properly at a shop of your choosing. I'd also be questioning the repair shop as to whether the damage is severe enough that it would be reported to CarFax. If so, there is the loss of value to consider as well.

I'd expect a new hatch, new bumper cover and a close inspection as the pictures are not definitive. It looks like rear bumper took a heavy hit. Behind the bumper cover are some impact absorbers that also might have been damaged. Was there a lot of whitish powder around the rear? Does the hatch open properly? Does the interior plastic trim align properly? Does the rear bumper and the fender align properly? I wouldn't be surprised to see the repair cost to easily go over $2,000. Reporting an accident in the state of California is required by law if anyone was injured, dies or if the property damages are more than $750. I hope you did or will report this as required by CA law.

I can sympathize with the old geezer but you weren't responsible for this accident, he was. That's why we have insurance. I'm not sure I care for the idea of letting him pay for this out of pocket as I wonder what happens once the repair begins and the costs suddenly escalate due to some un-seen problem. What happens if he fails to pay the repair shop? They have your vehicle and you would not get it back with a mechanics lien on it until the bill was paid.

I also wonder about the fact that he has a relationship with a body shop. Not many have a relationship with a body shop unless they are doing a lot of business with them. This guy may be a rolling accident and might want to see if he could star in some of those Allstate "Mayhem" commercials.

 

LOL

 

^^^^ I agree with everyone here especially Rx330inFL and SteveK1.

I had a Honda Accord and it was struck while parked by a truck. Same type of damage except for that this was a sedan not a S.U.V. but it was the bumper and the trunk. The owner called his boss and they said they'll have my car repaired no need to goto the insurance company and they'll take care of it right away. No weeks in the shop they promised to fix it in a few days.

BIGGEST MISTAKE I EVER MADE.

Oh yea, they fixed the car. It looked nice for maybe a month. They put cheap acrylic paint, maybe a coat of clear. Use the same bumper and hood. What ever dent they couldn't pull out the bumper they filled it with clay and painted over it. They tried to straighten the hood but was not lined up correctly. So when ever it rained, water got in the trunk. The bumper started to chip and fade. The paint started to bubble and became rough as sand paper.

Fortunate / Unfortunate for me I was stuck again about a year later in the same exact spot. That body shop told me that there was damages from before that was never fixed. Insurance gave them a hard time about fixing it because of damages from before.

It's your vehicle you decide what's best for your car, not them. Don't sell yourself short by doing someone else a favor. No one is going to treat your car like you do.

I would even go as far to say, if you have full coverage, have your insurance pay for it and then let them bill his insurance company and take it to a dealer. His insurance will nickel and dime you and will probably say that it can be fixed while your insurance company will say to replace it.

 

I would say replace...tell him thats what you want. And either he needs to pay for replacement for the whole thing to your standards or it goes thru insurance....simple as that. At the end of the day its your car.

 

Let me guess....old guy, 84 years old...he hit the gas instead of the brakes right? Look, nothing against senior citizens here. But how many times do we see/read about this stuff with them? Driving in today`s world takes all of your sense`s. And lets face it, some of these older folk`s just dont have that anymore. I know I`ll be at this point some day in my life. I can only hope that I`ll have enough sense to stay out of the driver`s seat when that time arrives.

 

I was rear-ended in my 2008 RX in June, traffic was stopped on the freeway and a yahoo driving a little Kia subcompact didn't brake in time and hit me. His car looked like a tuna can, but the driver was okay.

Be sure your body shop checks your car's frame. The damage to my bumper looked "minor" when I got hit, as my tow hitch took the impact. But the accident buckled my frame, so a section of the frame (side rails) had to be replaced, as well as a bunch of other stuff, including soundproofing underneath the trunk area of the car.

I agree 100% with the other posters...the accident was NOT your fault and your car should be fully repaired at the place of your choosing. Otherwise, it's time to get the insurance companies involved.

 

It is a shame that looks like a thundercloud edition.