Nate08

Well, I personally don't think it's "fixable". I'll post a picture later, but they backed into me just to the inside of my driver side turn signal up front. It put a nice sized dent in the bumper, probably 10" wide, and about 2" deep. The bumper also, when it got bent in, bent that driver side half up towards the grille (about a 1/8" space between to bumper and the grille now verses 5/8"). My stock driver side fog light got bent up and pinned behind the bumper, and now one of my Hella's is angled down. Their damage was unbelieveable!!! A scratch that will buff out . They were in a Chevy TrailBlazer. I knew bumper bashes on 4Runners sucked, but this is terrible. That being said, they said they'd buy me a new bumper, so I'm thinking I might be able to play this to my advantage. Maybe a TJM or ARB. How much is a stock bumper or part number? (chrome)

Thanks!

UPDATE PICS:

Damage


Fender Passenger side


Fender Driver side


Pinned Driver Side stock fog lamp


Gap: Bumper to Grille Driver Side


Gap: Bumper to Grille Passenger Side


Cooked Hella, Bent Bumper

nc994run

Well at least you'll get a new bumper. You may want to take it to a shop to make sure that there weren't any hidden problems caused by the collision

ozziesironmanoffroad

go for the most expensive one you can find. make em pay for screwin up ur baby

Nate08

That's just mean. They go to my church, really nice people. They felt terrible.

ozziesironmanoffroad

oh, in that case, sorry. lol. if i didnt know em, thats what i would do. if they were people that went to my church and felt terrible about it, i personally would just tell em to forget it, depending on how much damage.

paxil4x4

I wouldn't care who they were, take it to the most expensive body shop in town for an estimate. Don't forget the rental car either.

ozziesironmanoffroad

though paxil4x4 does have a good point

Nate08

It's still driveable. Maybe I can price a new one from the factory so its true OEM versus these...

paxil4x4

I still would not care, as my grandma use to say GET ALL YOU CAN when people screw up. Next time they will be more careful

isaac338

holy hell, why even bother going to church? just cause you don't know someone and they don't go to your church you'll be a jerk and take 'em to the cleaners for a dent on your bumper?

all the while if you rammed a tree offroad you'd be bragging about it!

i don't get it.

Nate08

Gah. You don't have a heart do you?

rdlsz24

Accidents happen. Put yourself in their shoes. Just have them pay to get it back to how it was before.

Rob

MillerPKA

haha reminds me of my little incident last year.

my damage


their damage

pkt1213

iTrader: (1)

Holy balls Miller. I see the passenger wasn't wearing their seatbelt?

Nate, put yourself in their shoes. You don't want someone taking you to the cleaners when it's not nessicary. If you like them then do what's right. If not take them to the cleaners.

If you have the chrome bumpers there's no way, at least every shop I've ever been to about the golfball size dent in mine, to fix it. I'm sure with that kind of damage even on the body colored ones it won't be.

Look and get an estimate for a bumper and installation and stuff and let them know. Get a check from them and then you can decide whether to get an aftermarket bumper or a factory, new or used, and either put it on yourself or pay someone. Kinda depends on what you're able to do and what you can find. Also remember there's brackets underneath there and you might have to replace those too.

BajaRunner

Yeah, I agree. I think whats wrong with the US is the constant "I'll sue you for all your worth attitude".... and "ME ME ME ME and screw the rest of you".

You don't need to take them to the cleaners. It was a mistake. I am sure they are absolutely bummed about what they did, and that is enough. Have them pay for the damages but no more than that.

Tacoclimber

While I sense that Isaac and I might have some differences theologically speaking, he makes a very valid point. While I doubt that Nate would "take them to the cleaners" if they didn't go to his church, the point is still valid. It has been said that "integrity is doing what is right even when no one is watching". That concept applies here, I think.

My advice to you Nate, for what it's worth, is to treat them fairly and honestly. Treat them the way you would hope to be treated if the situation was reversed. There are far greater things at stake than just some damage to a material object.

Nate08

I'm not going to take em to the cleaners. They are great friends of my family and it was an accident. When I said in my first post, "Take this to my advantage..." I meant talking to my Dad about me getting a TJM. I priced a new bumper and mounting accessories from Toyota, $300. $125 short of a TJM. So, I think I'll just herculine the new one.

Tacoclimber

You could ask for $125 for Christmas, take the money you would spend on a new OEM bumper, combine the two and viola! A TJM. But that's up to you. I don't know whether getting $125 for Christmas is realistic in your case or not. I know for me, it wouldn't have been, but hey, you never know.

You'll be blessed one way or another for doing the right thing. You know that.

isaac338

the church thing really has naught to do with it. what gets me is the idea that if your best friend backs into your rig it's no big deal, but if some stranger backs into your rig you're going to do everything in your power to get a freaking ARB out of them.

one time i was delivering some pizza to a local university dorm. it was snowing and dark out, and i was in a rush. after i sold the food i got in my car and backed out of my parking space without really looking around, and heard a crunch - i get out and this obese woman in a chevy just starts WAILING at me, about how i almost killed her and her baby who was strapped into the car seat. then she gets out and starts yelling at her similarly obese boyfriend who comes over and starts losing it on me. i'm being all apologetic this whole time, feeling terrible for backing into this guy's car. meanwhile, his girlfriend gets into the car and lights up a smoke, right next to the baby, still yelling at me about how i endangered the baby's life. buddy gets into his car and pulls it right up to my car so i can't leave, as if i was ready to run or something.

then as he's yelling at me to get my insurance info and telling me i better have good insurance, i snap. i tell him next time he parks in a parking lot, he should park his goddamned crapbox chevy in a real parking space, and not just in the middle of the road (no wonder i backed into him - he was parked behind me, not in a space, with no lights on). i told him there was no damage and it was his own damned fault. i wrote my phone number (no name) on a napkin and i told him to call me if there were any questions, and if he didn't move his chevy i'd ram it out of the way. he let me go and i never heard from him again.

the point is, being a jerk after a collision is no way to deal with anyone - they probably already feel pretty bad..

Sloan

why dont you just get your insurance to pay for it? or the other peoples insurance?