Hello, fellow ClubLexus members. I have been a member here since the late 2000s when I was very involved in the JDM scene. I had an Infiniti G35 as my first car and had many friends with Lexus throughout the years. Fast forward a couple of years, I just had an opportunity to pick up a 1998 GS300 with one owner only. The engine has been serviced only at the Lexus dealership and all maintenance seems to be up to date. The body; however, is a bit far from the normal wear and tear of a typical 20-year-old car.

My plan is to wrap the car with a vinyl wrap and before I begin I need to straighten out the body. Aside from a couple dents which I am sure a PDR person can handle, here's what I am hoping the experience forum members can shed some light on.

Here's a quick photo of the car when I bought it -




This is the damage that I am hoping you guys can give me an idea of how much I am looking to spend -



How much would a body shop charge to get this sorted? I do need painting as I mentioned before that I plan on wrapping the car. I'd like to get an idea of what cost might be with something like this. Thanks for your help, guys.

 

I can't comment on the cost but it be probably be cheaper to just buy a new trunk for like $1-200 since color doesn't matter if you wrap it

 

You can find a deck lid for relatively cheap on eBay (see photo) but it's what you can't see that may be more $$$. I would have a professional body shop take off the bumper cover and do an inspection to see just what is required to straighten everything out. It appears the muffler tip is missing on the passenger side? So be sure and look underneath as well.

 

Thanks for the input guys! I've actually scored a trunk at a local junkyard and am just waiting for a little help from someone to put it on.

I am mainly referring to the quarter panel damage. I am certain that I will take it to a body shop for an estimate but wanted to check with the forum fellows first so I am not naively agreeing to whatever price that is "sounding".

Thanks, everyone!

 

When I went through my insurance when someone hit my front bumper/quarter while I was parked, the total cost was ~$1150. I'm sure shops jack up the cost a lot when insurance is paying though and I also live in a very expensive area

 

I'm not a collision expert but I'm going to guess about $1,000 as well. Again, a professional body shop will know more when they pull the bumper cover off. Keep in mind there could be more damage that you don't see. At a minimum they will have to straighten out the dents and repaint. The tail light will have to sit flush as not to let water into your housing.

Not sure what is going on with the passenger side muffler? There could be damage to the muffler supports. Anyway, a pro will give you a better idea of everything you need.

 

 

Just go get estimates dude. Unless someone here is a qualified estimator with x-ray vision, numbers here are mostly irrelevant. It depends on whether the shop/you will choose to use new OEM, used OEM, or aftermarket parts; it depends whether they/you want to install an all new quarter panel or just bang this one out.

I had a similar rear end collision with less extensive damage to the quarter panel. It ended up costing my insurer $3,700, of which nearly $1,000 was spent on a new OEM bumper support and bumper cover, which you don't need. But you do need a trunk, and IIRC that's about $600 from Lexus (if you go the new OEM route). I did replace my trunk because it was rusty, which cost me the price of a Serial Nine trunk lid, and about $300 to have it painted to match the car.