another important consideration is that, as long as i on this vehicle, if i do not get is professionally repaired, if i am responsible for another accident that impacts the same area, my insurance will most likely not pay again for those parts to be replaced. if do get it done professionally, then they would.

It's hard to say without visually inspecting it, but from the pics, it doesn't look this bad to where you need a battery/AC recharge and possibly "misc" items. Since the car "drove" off 10-15 feet into a container, I couldn't imagine the the truck going more than 10mph by itself, which means the amount of damage you caused should be very.. very.. minimal. Maybe a dented bumper, broken bumper tabs, broken headlight tabs... but that's about it.

While you are also worried about getting into another accident later and insurance most likely not paying for the parts to be replaced if you had an accident in the same area, I would just let insurance handle it if you are very worried.

That said, I would recommend you go to a few more shops and get a few different quotes. It sounds like the first shop is just trying to make some more money from you, or there is legitimately more damage than what the pictures show.

If you are mechanically inclined:
Take the time to remove the front bumper and inspect the area yourself. If at the end of the day, all you need is a new headlight, maybe a new hood and brackets, I would just go to a junk yard or buy used parts online and repair it myself. Hell, the crack on your headlight tab could be fixed with some JB weld too. I personally would go this route mainly because it's already a 15 year old truck, and putting $5k just to put it back to stock doesn't make sense to me. If it were $5k in mods, it'd be a totally different story. However, I am quite mechanically inclined, so my answer may be a little skewed.

when can you be here! i'm pretty good at doing mechanical things. i don't weld/paint/body work.

i stopped by a second shop today. they do a lot of work with the local toyota dealer. pdf'ed a visual estimate (neither shop dismantled anything. not actually sure the procedure for getting a full evaluation without feeling like i need to commit to that shop, or else pay them something for the dismantling/re-assembly). they differed from the first shop. did not think the radiator support was involved. might be able to re-use the fender (to keep VIN and best fit), said could not re-use hood due to crease which is a safety concern. was concerned about the front hood/fender gap, felt things were pushed in that direction. their estimate was $4200.

i washed the front down a little. saw the green container paint on the light lens. it was not a straight on impact, it was a offset impact.

as for impact on safety, what little has happened should not have an impact on front end ability to endure a more significant accident. i think about helmuts, where it is recommended to replace it they hit the ground, even if little visual damage has occurred.

Haha For context, i'm not a body guy, but i'd be happy to check it out if you're local.

In my experience, shops won't take in your car and take it apart for an estimate. So your initial quote/final OTD price could be significantly different the more they take apart your car.

I'm a bit confused why they care to reuse the fender for the VIN/best fit? Parts are pretty universal and I'm fairly certain there's no VIN stamped on the fender. The only concern here would be that if they needed to paint it or got a used part, the color could be a bit off due to fade or needing to paint match and blend(costly).

Yea, looking at the pics some more after you said it might be an offset impact, your gap might just be due to the headlight/fender being pushed back and outwards, causing it to look it it has a gap, making it seem worse than it is. I say with some level of confidence since the headlight is pushed down under the tab and back a bit in the 6th photo and the third photo you posted has the quarter panel being popped off from the front portion of the fender, along with the top corner of the headlight breaking off which means that the fender had quite some pressure on that bit, enough to break the plastic.

If you have the time, I'd try carefully trying to push the headlight forward from the back by removing the battery and see how the fender moves with it with it. once you get that out, compare the pass/driver side fender looking straight at it from the front and see if the driver side is kicked out a bit. If this is the case, you might just be able to heat up the fender and push it back in towards the hood to reduce the gap.

I highly doubt it's a significant enough impact to even care about your safety (but what do I know... I'm just a rando on the internet). In terms of the helmet metaphor, I'd say it's as if you dropped the helmet out of your trunk while getting your bike out and it hitting the ground. It's not a hard impact to need to replace the helmet, but a minor enough incident to leave a scratch.

"I'm a bit confused why they care to reuse the fender for the VIN/best fit? Parts are pretty universal and I'm fairly certain there's no VIN stamped on the fender. The only concern here would be that if they needed to paint it or got a used part, the color could be a bit off due to fade or needing to paint match and blend(costly)."

the thinking is the original is best (material, fit, paint). they would have to blend.

the fender does have a VIN tag. so, its possible to reuse the original fender. fender and hood are NLA from toyota, so "CAPA" type parts would be sourced. estimator said that they dry fit them, and if they don't fit acceptably, they are sent back. actually, anything over 2 years old gets CAPA first, unless it is not available through that system; then OE steps in. that possibility would delay repair, and add possible rental expense to me.

possibly would have faired better with a dead on hit. parking id offset at that location.

next trip to the transfer station, i'm gong to re-enact the incident and take a
measurement.

still mulling this over. haven't yet asked my agency about my options. did come across this possibility:

Could I Lose Insurance if I Don't Repair the Car?
The insurance company will require repairs if you want to continue your vehicle's comprehensive or collision coverages. The insurance company does not want to keep insuring a vehicle for future physical damage if the vehicle was already damaged and not repaired.

A second accident would compound any existing damage. If the insurance company paid you once for the pre-existing damage, it would not want to pay you more for any compounded damage.

It's standard procedure for the insurance company to require you to drop physical damage coverage from a vehicle that was not repaired. Proof of the repair is usually handled by making a claim check out to both you and the body shop doing the repairs.


wouldn't want to lose the ability to carry collision.

even posting from my laptop i seem to only be able to post one picture per post, so i have to keep posting one pic at a time.

long overdue update. the insurance adjuster came up with a figure of about $3k. i received $2k after deductible. they said i can get it repaired whenever. if i don't repair it according to there estimate (or more stuff once a shop gets going), if i get into another accident, the total value of my vehicle in their eyes will be reduced (maybe esp. important if it is totaled).

so, here we are in August. reminder, the vehicle is 15 years old with 230k on it.

mechanically, looking at the following needs (assume outsourcing labor):

-front cv axle (3-400)
-front pads/rotors (3-400)
-used master cylinder (due to ABS module issues)(about 800)
-tires at some point, maybe before winter (at least 600)

like to replace the heavily clouded headlamps (one was damaged in the incident).

might have a body shop reattach the bumper cover and adjust the fender/hood as necessary to make it look and function well. fender and hood and number skin are original.

thoughts?

Hey there again big cheif! More issues dang! You got the insurance check, at least they covered you somewhat. I had to scam my company several years ago when I ****ed up into a tree with only liability coverage. Dang deer! I had similar damage as you. Bumper cover, dent on hood, fender/headlight misalignment, busted condenser and radiator. The repair quote was over 8 grand on the edge of being totaled. Lol f_ck yeah send the check! Radiator, condenser, radiator support about $300 in new parts. **** the OEM bumper right?!, Not to mention the $1000 worth of little plastic shit associated with it. Built my own sicko mode bumper for $75 in plate. Took my extra $7500 and invested in biotechnology which turned into nearly 100 grand to date.. but anyways your misalignment of the fender and hood is because you in fact damaged the radiator support and possibly pushed in the structure under the fender. I did the same damage. Before removing the old support i attached a come along to it to pull the structure under the fender out to straight. The radiator support spot welds on if you're into that kind of work it's really easy to replace it you have a welder. Head down to Arkansas I'll help you out and show you some beast off-roading out in the forest 🤠

From your update, I can see the insurance company covered only part of the expenses. A few years ago, I accidentally hit a pole when I was backing up in a parking spot. I was very young and naive and when the insurance offered less than half I needed to fix my car, I wanted to accept, as I felt guilty for not being careful enough. However, my uncle who’s a car accident lawyer at Top Houston Car Accident Lawyer-Pusch & Nguyen PN Law Firm looked at the contract with my insurance company and found I had something called a collision insurance, which meant that my insurance should cover the entire costs of the damage done to my car. Thank God my uncle helped me solve the problem quickly and without much stress.

Since the damage seems to be mainly cosmetic, you might consider getting a few repair estimates to see what the cost would be to fix it.
Since the accident was caused by a mistake and not another driver, insurance might not cover it. However, it's still a good idea to contact your insurance company and explain what happened. They can advise you on the best course of action and let you know if they can help with the repairs.
If you're concerned about the legal aspects, especially if the accident happened in a public area like the transfer station, it might be a good idea to consult with a Longmont drunk driving accident lawyer. They can provide you with guidance on how to proceed and protect your interests.

update: several long term family crises has made me backburner any accident repair. vehicle drives fine. passes inspection. no accidents since. i don't if at this time investing in making it look better to the eye is worth the effort for a 2007 model with nearly 250k on it; meaning resale value. i am keeping an eye open for donor OE headlamps. i may find the time to investigate DIY front end adjustments.