turtle54

Hello everyone. This isn't a fun post. I just hit a deer at about 60 mph on the left front. No radiator damage. It drives fine.
Its a 2003 es300 with 185000 miles. Its really I mean it used to be in really good condition. Airbags didn't deploy.
Major damage to hood and drivers side headlight. Those two needs to be replaced. I only have liability because the car is
not worth comprehensive. The bumper looks fine. The grille is pushed into the radiator but didn't damage it. I think the fan
might be hitting something. It makes noise every time it comes on. My big question is, is it worth repairing? How much
should it cost to repair it. Should I just buy another Lexus? Pics coming soon

LeX2K

You want us to give you an opinion without seeing the damage? Sorry about the accident.

speedkar9

If the radiator cradle is pushed in (as you said the fan is touching something) then it's a bit more extensive. You'll likely have a shop pull it out, or worse case, replace it which requires grinding and re-welding.

If the rad cradle can be adjusted so the hood closes properly, then all you need are the cosmetic parts, hood, headlight, grille, bumper and you should be back on the road.

Are you handy with tools? If you could pull off the front bumper, you can get a closer look to the hidden damage...sometimes there's a lot more hiding under that you won't see.

diddly

Yeah man; sorry about the accident: Sorry for the deer too! But what can you do...it happens sometimes

It's always difficult to tell with front ends: there are so many parts that rely on a straight core support, to attach correctly. Sometimes it looks like an easy fix and next thing you know, the hood doesn't latch right, the fan is 'ticking' (like you mentioned), the headlight is pointing toward the moon, etc.

Like speedkar9 asked: Are you handy enough with tools to get things 'close enough' to function well? Or do you want the car to look great again? That would most likely require a body shop and will NOT be inexpensive. If you can live with the thing not looking perfect (maybe wrong colored hood for a while...or forever), and maybe the new headlight isn't perfectly aimed, but isn't blinding oncoming driver's either; then perhaps you have a chance of milking the thing along a little while, until you can have it 'fixed right', or you can take your time finding a replacement.

I would inspect the radiator very closely to make sure that's not the cause of the fan noise (the fan actually 'nicking' the radiator). Also look closely for stress cracks. Thirdly; when the engine is COLD (so you know the fan won't turn on suddenly), spin the fans by hand until you find out which one and where, it is making contact. Hopefully; it's just something that can be pulled out of contact. If not; a fan (or two) might have to be replaced. Again; if you can live with 'imperfection'; you might get away with simply bending things back to/(close to) where they belong and hopefully you can snag a hood and a headlight at a salvage yard. Good luck!

turtle54

LeX2K

If it was my car I'd keep it as long as the unibody was not damaged, things like radiator support and frame rails. Otherwise I'd consider getting another car.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Looks repairable from that picture, but it's hard to tell from the outside. You gotta pull off the bumper and raise the hood to inspect the internals.

diddly

Hmm; the damage is a little more 'centered' on the vehicle, than I had imagined. That front lip of the hood curled pretty hard. I could easily imagine the core support being tweaked a bit, which might be the cause of the 'ticking' fan. But regardless of any and all conjecture; like MrBooby and Lexus2000 said; you gotta have a good hard look under that hood and see just how many pieces and how critical they are, to be put back to precisely where they belong. Hanging a hood and replacing a grille and headlight, will be a cinch, as long as the places they bolt up to are where they should be! Good luck, in whichever path you choose!

turtle54

NikS

Get a new hood from a junkyard: $200
Get brand new headlights from amazon: $200

You can do both of these projects yourself

speedkar9

I say you should take a step back and assess the damage. Pop open the hood, remove the grille, and possibly the bumper. Take some photos and lets have a closer look.

Would you mind posting up the estimates? Curious to see if rad cradle repair is cited on there, potentially driving the costs so high.

If you don't mind a half decent job, you might be of good to pull the old rad cradle out far enough so a new hood can latch. It won't be perfect, but it will get you around until you can afford that nice 2010 ES350.

ArmyofOne

with a chain, a post or a tree and reverse gear you can probably straighten the core support enough to make it driveable.

turtle54

ArmyofOne

The HID ballasts are attached to the headlight housing. The wiring is different between HID/non HID cars, so unless you ordered OE housings, you will need to rewire in order to use an aftermarket headlight and HID kit. Not a huge deal if you know what you are doing.

turtle54