Davidc21a

Hi guys, I found a gap under my headlight where my bumper became un-clipped. Took it to a few body shops and they all wanted to replace my front bumper even though it has no damages on it. Does anyone have any experience or has taken off the front bumper on the currents ES model? I want to attempt to see if I can fix it myself. All I could find was tutorials for previous models. I posted a picture has this happened to anyone else also?

DavidZ

Why not take it to a Lexus dealer and have them fix it under warranty?

mikemu30

Unless he caused the damage.

Davidc21a

Yes exactly, my wife accidentally hit a trash can no damage to the bumper only this issue with the headlight

artbuc

Shouldn’t that still be a warranty item? A collision so minor it does not leave a mark on the bumper but a cheesy clip breaks. Come on Lexus!

mikemu30

Ha good luck with that one.

Davidc21a

I was honest with the service guy and told him about bumping into a plastic trash can in the street. He stated that this was not covered under warranty....my mistake lol. I just can’t believe all these body shops are recommending a whole new bumper instead of trying to take it off and readjust. I guess I can live with the gap but wanted to see if anyone has tackled the job of taking off the bumper.

PeterA

Bumpers are supposed to take a small direct collision without damage, about 5 mph. There's regulation about that. It's surprising that it would get damaged from hitting a plastic garbage can.

acotugno

I would try to squeeze under the bumper somehow and see if there are any plastic clips or plastic fastener(s) or push pins that might have snapped. Compare to the exact other side behind the bumper by the headlight and see if there are fasteners there that are missing on the side that have the gap. When the garbage can incident first occurred and if you noticed the gap immediately, that would have been a good time to look in the driveway or street or where ever it happened for a fastener on the ground. Just for reference purposes.

I cannot see how the weight of a garbage can will damage a bumper or the supporting structure behind it to the point it needs to be replaced. Don't even see a cosmetic damage to the paint. Has to be a fastener or push pin of some kind.

TechNut

I applaud your honesty. I like to live by the golden rule and treat others the way I would be treated - with honesty and respect. Anyway, I agree with what others have said, it is likely just a dislodged clip and the entire bumper cover shouldn't need to be replaced. I would try to appeal to a body shop and ask them to remove it and reinstall it - unless they find damage underneath in which case you can have a candid discussion about the right corrective action. I am too OCD and would never be able to simply live with the loose cover. It might also flap/vibrate at highway speeds and eventually come loose from adjacent clips or cause further damage.

lesz

Depending on what is broken/dislodged, the repair could be either minor or more expensive.

If there is just a broken bumper clip, the cost of the replacement clip should be around $30. If you have a shop do the replacement, uninstalling and re-installing the bumper could add between 1 and 2 hours of labor charges.

On the other hand, the bumper cover is connected to a bumper clip, which, in turn, is connected to a bumper bracket that is attached to the unibody/frame. If the break/damage occurred at the point where the bumper clip attaches to the bumper cover and if the damage is to the bumper cover, itself, and not just a broken bumper clip, doing a proper repair could require replacing the entire bumper cover because the attachment point for the bumper clip is actually molded into the bumper cover, and, if it breaks off, the only proper repair option is to replace the bumper cover. The only way to know for sure what is broken is to uninstall the bumper.

Modern bumpers are designed to minimize the damage caused by a low speed impact, not to eliminate all damage. In the case of the OP's car, the best case would be just a broken bumper clip. The bumper clip is designed to break easily with minimal impact, and, if that happens, it prevents more severe damage to the bumper, bumper shock absorber, and the sheet metal beyond the bumper. The design doesn't eliminate damage, but it makes it more likely that the repair will cost hundreds of dollars and not several thousand dollars.

TBarrow

Take it to a regular bodyshop and get their quote. The dealer is always going to be more. I had a similar issue on my Avalon and it was fixed for under $200. no paint.

rov12280

You should be able to just push it in unless there is damage inside the bumper support.

Removing the bumper is pretty straight forward. If you need help, you can PM me.

grp52

If you haven't done so yet, take a look at the FSPORT conversion thread. In that thread rov12280 has pctures showing removing and installing the front bumper in the F Sport conversion process. rov12280 also states:

so it might be pretty productive to directly contact rov12280 for advice and/or instructions on a possible solution for dealing with your issue.