If it was mine, I would turn it into insureance and take the check and fix everything myself. Put the leftover cash in your pocket. It would be a great time to upgrade to a steel front bumper!


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There are a lot of factors to this decision.. but for the most part, how mechanically inclined are you? If this was my rig, that would be a weekend fix at best.. Props for the shop to suggest replacing the radiator support (and some will argue that is the only way to go) there is absolutely nothing that I see there that can't be beaten straight with a hammer and pulled out with a chain around a tree..

Here are some things to consider..

1. Mechanical ability to tear it down and do it yourself
2. how perfect are you looking for this to be fixed? Crack in the bumper, so what? can you live with it? Are you looking for a flawless/perfect color match ?
3. how much are you willing to spend ?


Without seeing it in person and from reading what happened if this was mine to fix I can't imagine having to replace anything other than the headlights (and bumper if you can't live with it being cracked). Everything else is metal, and looks only partially damaged. I have fixed significantly more damage without replacing stuff.


Either way there's no chance I would have a shop fix this. I would either pay my 1000 deductible and take the cash to fix yourself (which at your estimate now would probably impact you down the road with rates) or just fix out of pocket and keep the insurance out of it. If I were to do this I can't imagine having to spend more than $500 out of pocket to get it close to good.

**Edit** Just realize the one picture was from the hood showing the bent damage, that would need to be replaced. car-part.com is your friend here. Look up local junk yards for a black hood and swap over directly. I bought a hood, bumper, grille, fender and door for less than $1600 in the same color as my car and it was all OEM.

I just took a quick look at car-part.com and looks like there is a black 06 hood in MA for like $175..

how attached are you to your rig? with that mileage and age perhaps your insurance company will total it given a repair cost of over $5K. What are comparable prices going for in your area? In my area that repair estimate is almost the cost of a similar mileage and year when you convert to canadian $

I'd be calling the insurance company first and asking how this will affect your future rates. Personally I would try and beat most of it back to where it looks fine and replace what is too far bent and broken with used parts. I'd probably skip the claim as I like my auto insurance low. Good thing it was low speed so no airbags popped.

"I just took a quick look at car-part.com and looks like there is a black 06 hood in MA for like $175"

c'mon, its shadow mica! are you blind?

not sure about sale value, and really can't compare a 15 yr old car with another in an ad, though i could see what max asking prices might be. as we all know, there is very limited availability, and the used car market is super heated, so also hard to know what i could get for it.

gonna get another estimate next week, then speak to the agent (different than the company) about that concern. i personally don't see a total. you can get this vehicle in very good shape for $5k in canada?

yes, could have been much worse if anyone was in the way, or another vehicle was involved. and no airbag is very good. my insurance is pretty low (no claims except rare glass), a little more than $500/yr. it is a good question to ask. my policy also renews in April, so i could switch carriers if i want.

initially, i was thinking i can fix this. need to spend time taking in what the collision shops tell me. i might clear over $4k after deductible. the vehicle is probably worth $8-10k (not sure with this crazy market).

at this point i don't think the radiator support/ac/battery type stuff needs doing. the bumper looks good except for the crack, which i can live with/patch/paint. the hood and fender is my big question. neither is available OE. i'd like to keep them. the paint is fine. the hood has a small crease, possible to budge it back(?). not sure why there is a gap between fender and hood. doesn't look like the fender moved. other side of hood/fender gap looks the same. gonna have to examine that. doesn't look like there is really any paint damage to speak of anywhere.

another thing, i don't have rental insurance. shop thought two weeks, so add another $300-$400/week, which is another reason not to do it.

matching painted used parts are an option. thankfully the vehicle is fully drivable, this may take a while to sort out.

$5K US would be about $7K canadian. I've seen many listings for similar year and mileage for under $10K canadian $. Hard to tell the exact condition because I haven't actually seen them in person, only pictures. the market is heated here too.

I'd get a second quote. If the rest of the rig is in good shape. Fix 'er and keep rolling!

Time for a makeover?

I was quoted $2400... spent $1200 and a few weekends doing this:


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its in very good condition. one way or another it will "keep on rollin'"!

The damage doesn't look too bad. It is definitely do-able. I bought my first 4runner with a damaged front end in high school. I had zero experience working on cars and didn't know anyone who could help. I just watched a few youtube videos and did some research.

I took the bumper off, found what was damaged, and made a list. I called all the junkyards near me and looked on eBay, and ordered the parts. Then put the "new" parts in. People really underestimate what they can fix, theres so many videos and forums to help you.

Please let me know what you do. Ive learned a lot about these cars working on them, I may be able to help.

thx for your reply. i'm actually not too concerned about my ability to delve into it.

too early to know what exactly has been affected and what can be done by me.
easiest thing to do is to turn it into the shop, pick it up two weeks later finished.