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Had an "incident" last week; things to look out for and new bumper options?

2K views 9 replies 9 participants last post by  steved0x 
#1 ·
This past Friday I was driving home and a gentleman ran a red light at speed and went right in front of me. I was able to get on the brakes hard before impact which enabled me to hit him in the rear driver side of the car instead of right in the driver door. It also slowed me enough so that there was no airbag deployment. Everybody is mostly ok, I am a little sore, and the other driver had some minor injuries, and there were no other passengers in our vehicles at the time. It spun his car around pretty good though.



The gentleman that ran the red light accepted full responsibility and his insurance has accepted liability, without giving me any trouble.

The adjuster is coming today and then soon I will take it to a body shop to get it repaired. I want to make sure that it is done right, and am hopeful that I will get a few hot tips from here.

Are there any typical hidden things that can occur from an impact like this that I need to watch out for?

The hood gap seems messed up on both sides, and some of the front panel gaps on both the driver and passenger side.

When I drove it home it seemed like it may have been binding up a tiny little bit and/or making a slight noise.

Would this be a good time to upgrade my front bumper and have the labor picked up by the insurance company?

Would this be something I could do myself or take to a shop with a takeoff bumper/parts and save some $$$?

All tips and advice appreciated, thank you!

Steve
 
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#2 ·
Re: Had an "incident" last week; things to look out for and new bumper options?

I can tell you that Expedition 1 bumpers will take a full on deer impact at 40 mph with no damage other than a driving light and a slight tweak out of adjustment. Super simple install for a DIY project (took 3-4hrs). Had I have had my stock bumper on when it happened I would have been looking at an entire new front clip, hood and most likely radiator ect..

go good aftermarket if his insurance will allow it..
 
#3 ·
Re: Had an "incident" last week; things to look out for and new bumper options?

Take the money from the insurance company. It should have labor in it. Any structural damage, have a body shop fix that. I would then get an aftermarket bumper.
 
#9 ·
Re: Had an "incident" last week; things to look out for and new bumper options?

Take the money from the insurance company. It should have labor in it. Any structural damage, have a body shop fix that. I would then get an aftermarket bumper.
:bigthumb:
 
#5 ·
Re: Had an "incident" last week; things to look out for and new bumper options?

They will definitely need to lok very carefully at all the gaps and panel alignment on the front end. Make sure this is done very deliberately from the get go. You don't want them just popping a new fender on and tweaking it look "straight" if they're just lining it up to other panels that are out of whack. Is the hood tweaked or does it just look that way b/c the fender is pushed back? If the hood isn't sitting right then the radiator support probably got bent. The damage doesn't look that bad but if all the front end body panels are out of whack that would suck. The rubbing may have just been some plastic from the fender or bumper that is now protruding into the wheel well. Should be easy to identify either way. Yes, this would be a great time to try for an aftermarket bumper. The repair shop will include the price of a new OEM bumper unit which isn't cheap and will go a long way towards an aftermarket bumper. Either discuss this with the repair shop or just tell the insurance company to make the check out to you and then put on whatever bumper you'd like.
 
#6 ·
Re: Had an "incident" last week; things to look out for and new bumper options?

I like the idea of taking the money and getting an aftermarket bumper. Look on the 4X4 Off Road thread. There's a sticky of bumper comparisons in there. We're lucky to have many fine options for front bumpers with our FJ's. Expo One, Demello, on and on.
 
#7 ·
Re: Had an "incident" last week; things to look out for and new bumper options?

Have it repaired at the local Toyota body shop unless you "planned" to purchase an aftermarket bumper, then do so.
 
#8 ·
Re: Had an "incident" last week; things to look out for and new bumper options?

Mention to the insurance company that typically, an aftermarket bumper will be less expensive than an OEM replacement. it is a win/win situation.

Any professional I-Car certified body shop should be able to do a good job with the repairs. These days, cars don't get repaired like the used to by pulling a frame semi-straight then adding shims to make the fenders line up properly. The tolerances have to be exact for things to go together properly. If you are really worried about finding a good body shop, call a Porsche or Ferrari Dealership, and ask them where they send their customers. The standards a usually pretty high for those guys.

Just FYI: I went to school to learn body work, before I realized I hated it. I also used to be a detailer for a Rolls Royce/Bentley/Jaguar dealer, and then a Ferrari Dealership.


-C
 
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