william489

The rear bumper of 2015 GX 460 was hit by a dude in the parking lot. His insurance will pick up all cost for the repair. The impact area is right above exhaust pipe and spared both parking and BSM sensors as far as I can tell. My wife reported no issue whatsoever in terms for driving so far.

The largest dealer in tri-state area (Lexus at Route 10) said they can do this replacement in house if this is just rear bumper replacement.

I am curious about the overall cost (even though the other at-fault party insurance is paying) and quality of Lexus dealership work vs independent body shop. Would you guy recommend any particular dealership or body shop in tri-state area (NY/NJ/CT)?

Thanks!

ASE

The bumper cover comes unpainted ... so painting is required no matter the shop. Lexus dealerships do not have painting facilities ... so will sub-contract the work to an auto body shop. IMHO ... best to go direct with a reputable auto body shop versus using Lexus as an intermediary ... both from a customer service and overall cost standpoint.

Insurance will pay their estimated cost for repair and not more ... so if you take to a more expensive shop, you will pay the difference. For me, if I have a vehicle that I want to keep pristine ... I take to an auto body shop that caters to high-end exotics ... a shop that is not focused on churning out repairs. Yes, this will typically cost 10-20% over a mainstream shop ... but sometimes worth the cost to know the end result is as close to original as possible.

The bumper cover costs $500-odd ... and is easily removed and installed ... so assuming no damage occurred behind the bumper cover, the majority of the repair cost will be painting.

william489

Thanks.

Lexus dealer just quoted me $1850 for bumper and plastic step on top of it. They told me they can do all of this work in-house which I am not 100% sure for the paint part.

ASE

WOW ... the bumper cover can be purchased from discount Lexus dealerships for $350 (reduced from $500) with the plastic step being $155 (reduced from $218) ... so even at the full retail price, how could they possibly get to $1,850 ???

https://www.lexusoeparts.com/v-2015-...omponents-rear

william489

buddy, it is called relentless pursuit of dealer markup,. not sure how much the paint job would cost by itself at a good body shop, i will find out and keep folks posted.

ASE

Understand ... but marking up their retail price (not wholesale) from $718 to $1,850 ... a 257% markup ??? Now that's highway robbery ... unless @ $120 per Labor Hour it takes the mechanic 9.4 hours to walk to and from the parts counter

ballistice

Just took my moms 2017 Highlander in for a bumper replace/paint repair. The quotes ranged from 1500.00 - 2000.00. I had it done for just shy of 1700.00. Dealers are typically a bit more in cost. 1850.00 is not unreasonable at all considering labor, hard parts, paint and shop/equipment use. You can shop around and maybe save a few hundred bucks but not much more. Unless you do it yourself, the price is the price.

Bodywork is very expensive unless it's done by a fly by night outfit. All the EPA and ACMD required paint is costly. Paint booths and facilities are also very expensive to operate. Also add in the annual permits and code requirements for paint and mechanic repair facilities. It has to be passed on somewhere.

ASE

The OP said the $1,850 was for parts ... not including paint ... unless that needs to be better clarified.

JermaineGX

I believe he said $1,850, that was with paint, which is a good price.

ASE

OP said ... "Lexus dealer just quoted me $1850 for bumper and plastic step on top of it. They told me they can do all of this work in-house which I am not 100% sure for the paint part."

... so not clear on total cost with paint. Agree ... $1,850 including paint (total cost out-the-door) is a fair price.

william489

Sorry folks it is my bad that I didn't make it clear in my original post. $1850 is what Lexus dealer quoted full price for rear bumper and plastic step with labor and painting included, without any other damage like sensors. It is a verbal one. Once I have an official one, I can share here. I appreciate all the advices.

By the way, there is a Lexus certified collision center program. What do you guys think?

Thompson Collision

Lexus Certified Collision Center
Distance: 136 miles
6175 Easton Rd.
Plumsteadville, PA 18949

Manager: Ken Ellis
Phone: (215) 766-1900
Email: kenE@1800thompson.com
Url: https://www.1800thompson.com/bodyshop/index.htm

ballistice

I understood you from the get go. No sweat. You were very clear and concise. My opinion is you are on the right path and the price is fair.

ellocovg

iTrader: (1)

I’d go with the dealer especially since they have an actual body shop. I rather have a Lexus loaner than a enterprise loaner any day. That price is reasonable for a quality job.

william489

As far as I can tell, none of lexus dealership I called has its own paint shop , it is a revolving door.

​​​​​As promised, please see insurance settlement letter regarding repair cost breakdown, insurance agrees to pay about $1200, about $300 short of what lexus dealer quoted for me. If there is additional damage, repair shop will deal with insurance for supplemental items which is often the case.

Let me know what you guys think.

william489

There is transport cost/time wasted from dealer to subcontracted boby/paint shop. And I doubt there would be any Techstream process needed for dealership for disconnect and reconnect of parking/BSM sensors. But I could be wrong.

I have been told by various reps that actual steel rear bumper frame could be damaged and Techstream is required post reconnection of sensors. I am not sure I agree with these worst case situation.