Hey Guys,
I wanted to post this because I am so happy about how my first fender bender in my FJ ended up turning out! I know that sounds pretty backwards so let me start from the start...
I purchased my 2012 Trail Teams FJ back in May. I absolutely love it, it's the best vehicle I've owned, but from the start I intended to replace the front bumper with something more heavy duty.
A few weeks ago I was involved in a fender bender. Long story short I pulled into the intersection of what I believed to be a four way stop but the driver to my right had the right of way and although I stopped as quickly as possible it wasn't fast enough and she collided with the passenger side of my front bumper at about 30-35 MPH. It's a testament to the heavy duty nature of the FJ that the damage on my vehicle was all superficial and I drove home while she had to have her car towed. Fortunately no one was injured.
Anyway, I was heartbroken, the front bumper of my FJ was shredded on the passenger side, the passenger front fender was badly tweaked, the grill and headlights were broken and loose, etc. I searched on yelp.com for a body shop here in Austin and stumbled upon Quality Body Shop on North Lamar. They have great reviews so I decided to take my FJ there instead of to a dealership. Best decision I ever made. As soon as I got there Larry told me he is an FJ owner himself and I knew I had come to the right place.
Larry and Rickie put my FJ back together like nothing ever happened! The best part is I told them I wanted a Demello bumper instead of the stock plastic bumper. They said no problem and credited me for all of the stock pieces they didn't need. I ended up paying about $450 over my deductible for a Demello powder coated single hoop bumper installed!
Get this - anyone with a newer FJ who has looked into the Demello bumper has probably read about how the washer fluid bottle hangs down under the Demello bumper and doesn't get any protection in addition to not looking that great. Well the guys at Quality used a piece from my old plastic bumper cover to fashion a custom cover for the washer bottle and painted everything to match (including the body colored panels that show up when you install the Demello bumper)! Thanks to them my FJ seriously looks like it was designed for this bumper from the factory, it's freaking awesome!!!
I'm going to post pictures later today so you can guys check it out, this is by far the best looking solution to the Demello washer fluid bottle problem I've seen. Bottom line is if you are in Austin and EVER need body work done go to Quality Body Shop. This is one of the best experiences I've had with any automotive shop hands down, and my FJ looks brand new. Hell, even if you're just looking for someone to install aftermarket parts on your FJ give them a call. When I'm ready to get my winch, shocks, and rear bumper installed I'm taking my FJ back to Quality.
Sorry for the wall of text, I hope someone finds this useful!
I wanted to post this because I am so happy about how my first fender bender in my FJ ended up turning out! I know that sounds pretty backwards so let me start from the start...
I purchased my 2012 Trail Teams FJ back in May. I absolutely love it, it's the best vehicle I've owned, but from the start I intended to replace the front bumper with something more heavy duty.
A few weeks ago I was involved in a fender bender. Long story short I pulled into the intersection of what I believed to be a four way stop but the driver to my right had the right of way and although I stopped as quickly as possible it wasn't fast enough and she collided with the passenger side of my front bumper at about 30-35 MPH. It's a testament to the heavy duty nature of the FJ that the damage on my vehicle was all superficial and I drove home while she had to have her car towed. Fortunately no one was injured.
Anyway, I was heartbroken, the front bumper of my FJ was shredded on the passenger side, the passenger front fender was badly tweaked, the grill and headlights were broken and loose, etc. I searched on yelp.com for a body shop here in Austin and stumbled upon Quality Body Shop on North Lamar. They have great reviews so I decided to take my FJ there instead of to a dealership. Best decision I ever made. As soon as I got there Larry told me he is an FJ owner himself and I knew I had come to the right place.
Larry and Rickie put my FJ back together like nothing ever happened! The best part is I told them I wanted a Demello bumper instead of the stock plastic bumper. They said no problem and credited me for all of the stock pieces they didn't need. I ended up paying about $450 over my deductible for a Demello powder coated single hoop bumper installed!
Get this - anyone with a newer FJ who has looked into the Demello bumper has probably read about how the washer fluid bottle hangs down under the Demello bumper and doesn't get any protection in addition to not looking that great. Well the guys at Quality used a piece from my old plastic bumper cover to fashion a custom cover for the washer bottle and painted everything to match (including the body colored panels that show up when you install the Demello bumper)! Thanks to them my FJ seriously looks like it was designed for this bumper from the factory, it's freaking awesome!!!
I'm going to post pictures later today so you can guys check it out, this is by far the best looking solution to the Demello washer fluid bottle problem I've seen. Bottom line is if you are in Austin and EVER need body work done go to Quality Body Shop. This is one of the best experiences I've had with any automotive shop hands down, and my FJ looks brand new. Hell, even if you're just looking for someone to install aftermarket parts on your FJ give them a call. When I'm ready to get my winch, shocks, and rear bumper installed I'm taking my FJ back to Quality.
Sorry for the wall of text, I hope someone finds this useful!
