Help, got into an accident, got ?'s from car peeps

[hostage]

I was driving to work in really snowy conditions and some jerk decided for no reason to cut into my lane while i was in it. I hit the breaks and hit some ice at the same time and spun out. I did a 360* into a snow bank and i lost my bumper. The front end looked mangled where the bumper was, the lights were okay, we checked inside and saw nothing unusual. I am thinking about taking it to a car repair place and getting a new bumper put on, though I am also thinking about putting on one my self. Can anyone give me the expert opinion I will take some digital camera pics all around the damaged area. Like could someone tell me how much I should pay someone to do it, or if I could do it myself for a lot cheaper.
Thanks,
Hostage a college student currently working at an internship :{

[hostage]

Addional pics in links, don't want to boug yall down too much.
-Doron

note: i popped the hood before I took these pics, so that is why it looks a little wierd fyi.

p.s. i found this online http://www.car-truck-bumpers.com/toyota-avalon-1996-bumpers---3886.html
http://129.21.144.201/~doron/pics/car/DCP_0757.JPG
http://129.21.144.201/~doron/pics/car/DCP_0759.JPG
http://129.21.144.201/~doron/pics/car/DCP_0760.JPG


http://129.21.144.201/~doron/pics/car/DCP_0754.JPG

http://129.21.144.201/~doron/pics/car/DCP_0755.JPG

http://129.21.144.201/~doron/pics/car/DCP_0756.JPG


http://129.21.144.201/~doron/pics/car/DCP_0758.JPG

[paintballaholick]

the bumper would be no problem...but if any body work needs to be done, i would take it in. Good luck...

[RRfireblade]

??

There's a bit of damage there,bent and/or damaged brackets and whatever you can't see till the bumper and associated parts or off.Since your asking about it,I assume your not completely confident in your mechanical expertice.It's probably not a huge deal if the body's not damaged but I'd take it in over compromising your front end protection.Most shops charge by the hour,anywhere from $35-$75 ballpark.Get a couple estimates and go from there,check around and don't be afraid to ask seemingly stupid questions.;) You may save some cash if you can find the bumper and other parts at a local salvage shop rather than new.

Jay.

[Deep Sixx]

You should take it to a body shop. Looking at the top picture, I'd say you bent the front end a bit... I'm betting the passenger side corner took the impact? It looks twisted. This could mean that the car won't track or steer properly and is a definite safety issue.

Get a few estimates done. See if it's worth claiming on insurance, if not, pay out of your pocket. Definitely get a professional to do it. If you're not going through insurance, you might be able to cut a deal.

Also, it could just be the angle of the photo, but I think you bent the tie rod on the passenger side too. The wheel looks like it's sitting crooked.

sixx

[PissedGodzilla]

deep six if you are talking about the first photo, I think that what you are seeing is part of the bumber... if you look at the second picture, the tire looks okay to me.

Unfortunately, if that much damgae happened to the bumber itself, you are probably looking at bent connection points. Overall, I would take it in... you are probably looking at about 3-400 dollars worth of work there.


Just think it could have been worse, so take it all in stride... good luck

[cphilip]

More than that... that bumper cover alone is like 800 bucks... and more than likely does not come painted. Thats close to 2 grands damage there. Body work is not cheap at all anymore. Doesn't take much.

[hostage]

the pictures aren't the greatest since the sadows make it look dent in some areas as well as the angeling. The bumper looks like the only thing that is gone, it broke of clean in most places and in others the shards of it hang off.
-Doron

[RRfireblade]

Originally posted by hostage
the pictures aren't the greatest since the sadows make it look dent in some areas as well as the angeling. The bumper looks like the only thing that is gone, it broke of clean in most places and in others the shards of it hang off.
-Doron

I must be looking at different pics.:D

[Deep Sixx]

Originally posted by PissedGodzilla
deep six if you are talking about the first photo, I think that what you are seeing is part of the bumber... if you look at the second picture, the tire looks okay to me.

You might be right about the tire... it could just be an optical illusion. But, the actual bumper (the white part... the missing part is only a plastic cover) is definitely bent. It's pushed over over a couple of inches. The fender is crumpled too. The front end and the alignment are way out of whack now. cphilip's right... it's gonna be a couple grand to straighten, fix, and repaint that.

sixx

[hostage]

Well after this experence I really dislike NY, the jerk drove off with out even stopping, everyone just rubber necked, and worst of all the freaking sheriff drives by and doesn't even stop to offer assitence. What a group of people we have up here. Makes me want to barf!

BTW the I drove the car 20 miles back to my apartment it drove and felt just as good as it did before the accident. It didn't feel at all out of align. The only thing different was the noise of the wind blowing past the damaged part.

BTW I looked up prices online and i listed the link above for a new bumper it quoted it at $140 and a front bumper absorber at $23. So I don't think it will be that expensive
-Doron
-Doron

[Deep Sixx]

Originally posted by hostage
BTW the I drove the car 20 miles back to my apartment it drove and felt just as good as it did before the accident. It didn't feel at all out of align. The only thing different was the noise of the wind blowing past the damaged part.

BTW I looked up prices online and i listed the link above for a new bumper it quoted it at $140 and a front bumper absorber at $23. So I don't think it will be that expensive
-Doron
-Doron

Wait till you try and put stuff back on and nothing lines up. Then it pulls and wanders all over the road, and in 6 months your front tires are badly worn at strange angles, and your suspension wears out.

The thing you keep referring to as a "bumper" is simply a pretty plastic cover. It does nothing to absorb an impact... it just covers up the less-attractive things that do the work. The actual bumper is the white steel thing behind it. It's what absorbed the impact. That's what is damaged. It needs to be repaired.

The prices you see are for raw, unpainted parts. Expect to pay a couple hundred to have it painted to match. Your fender will also need to be repaired or replaced and painted, another few hundred. The signal/marker light housings are broken, the air dam/chin spoiler is gone, the bumper is damaged, uni-body frame possibly suffered damaged and you may have a bent tie rod or A-arm depending on what was under the snow and how hard you hit it. I'm guessing there was a curb or median under it as I see an impact mark on the tire... which could also mean a bent rim or a broken belt in the tire. It doesn't take much of an impact to do a fair amount of damage. Cars today are built to absorb the impacts (even minor ones) by taking damage in order to protect the occupant(s).

Just because you can't see something, doesn't mean it's not damaged. Trust me. I grew up around garages and auto-body shops.

Take it to a professional.

sixx

[hostage]

I decided to take it in, i went to 3 places and the cheapest is 1200. I think I am going to go with that. Thank you everyone for yalls help, yall make AO a wonderful community to socialize in.
-Doron

[PyRo]

That looks like nothing. Just a bumper cover, and a couple lenses. How close to this body shop are you? If you arn't that far pull the bumper cover off so you can see what your getting into. At worst, just bring it to the shop with no bumper cover if you don't think you can handle it. Considering you drove it home and it was fine you probably didn't do much damage other than cosmetic stuff and lights. If you let go of the wheel when your driving it should pull slightly to the right because the road is slanted a bit if it pulls to the left or hard to the right you have a problem and should have a shop check it.
How much do you know about this kind of thing? Ive never looked at a toyota bumper cover, but I know the one on my camaro is easy save a couple bolts that are a PITA to get to. Ive actually got a spare bumper cover for my car, paid $60 for the skin, grill, foglights, bumper support, light bar, headlights, and marker lights. :).

If I were you I would call up some junk yards looking for a bumper cover, see if you can even find a matching color like I did with my jeep door because paint isn't cheap, the shop is probably going to try and sell you a brand new cover, I don't know why but they always try and push new parts on you when junkyard ones are fine, I guess its less effort for them, or more money. When I got my jeep door the body shop guy told me he called every junkyard in the area and noone had a door so I needed to buy a new one, I called the closest junkyard and they had a matching door.

If you try this yourself you will need atleast a decent socket set and some combination wrenchs. Tools are an investment, don't buy lousy ones.

Whats the worst that happens, you screw up, and take it into the shop to have them finish. If you don't have any experiance at all with this stuff try to find someone to help you, although you could probably figure it out yourself. Don't get frustrated, when you get down to it all it is is nuts and bolts, you just have to figure out how they come apart and how they go back together. If you do it yourself after your done take it in and have them check it out to make sure nothing is scrwed up. Oh, and watch for airbag sensors, you don't want to set those off, resetting air bags big $.

Don't forget my #1 rule for any work on a car, a hammer must be used for every job :)

[PyRo]

Looks like your passenger fender is screwed too actually, and why is the hood off, is it because the bumper cover is crooken, the hoods bent, wherever the hoods mounted is scrwed up?

Did I mention i'm a hick wanna be? I have a thirdgen camaro that hasn't seen a shop yet :)

[Deep Sixx]

One more peice of advice: get some decent snow tires.

sixx

[jdev]

take pictures (which you have already done)

call insurance company, explain to them that you were cut off, driver took off.

fight for insurance company to get appraiser to come look at the car.

get appraisal

fight with insurance company to pay you what the appraisal is worth. (otherwise, you are paying upwards of at LEAST 1500 out of pocket. for bumper, light assemblies (turn signals and such) and labor)

take money from appraisal, go to junkyard. find your car there, take bumper. if you are mechanically inclined, or have the patience to read a manual on it, put it on yourself, pocket the rest of the money. otherwise, go to a body shop with the bumper you are likely save a few hundred bucks on, and ask them to put it on, pocked the rest of the money.

[PyRo]

Its the damn paint thats a killer. If you cannot get a color match its atleast $150 a panel to have it painted, plus about $45 a panel for any type of painted on pin striping.
Why must a good paintjob be upwards of $3000 :(