5th Gen 4Runner - bumper damages - similar experiences?

[KyleB4279]

Hey all!

Just wanted to reach out and see if anyone has had similar results when their bumper was struck from the side.

Not to go to far into detail here but I was sitting in my brand new 'Runner and I was hit by a guy trying to park next to me. It caused good scuff/scratch/dent on the left rear of the bumper cover.

When I brought it to the Toyota Body shop we found that the center of the bumper had also been cracked at the narrow portion where the liftgate latch is.

Has this happened to anyone?

 

[mrblah]

Hey all!

Just wanted to reach out and see if anyone has had similar results when their bumper was struck from the side.

Not to go to far into detail here but I was sitting in my brand new 'Runner and I was hit by a guy trying to park next to me. It caused good scuff/scratch/dent on the left rear of the bumper cover.

When I brought it to the Toyota Body shop we found that the center of the bumper had also been cracked at the narrow portion where the liftgate latch is.

Has this happened to anyone?

yes people get into accidents in parking lots all the time...not really a 4runner specific event.

 

[KyleB4279]

Of course I know parking lot accidents are a common occurrence. I should have been a bit more specific.

Specifically - has the bumper split on the narrow bit that is highlighted in the second to the last photograph.

 

[oljedi11950]

Rear bumper

When I bought my used 14' had similar crack right there & negotiated new one in price ! Having pulled it off to install a bumper cover , I had let it get to loose & mine split right there ! A little resin & back on no worries . If you know how to work with resin or know good surf shop ? Fix it & fingers x-d doesn't bug you to much ! New covers are frickin expensive plus paint match :flame:

 

[LandCruiser]

Had a stoned ***** run into my rear bumper and hitch and there’s barely a scratch on it.

 

[KyleB4279]

New covers are frickin expensive plus paint match :flame:

Yeah - the Toyota body shop wants to replace it - and insurance does not think it is necessary to replace it.

Plus they are telling me they have to do 5+ hours of diagnostic scans to reset crash computers and seat sensors, etc. Insurance does not want to cover that either.

 

[1000MPH]

Replacing vs. repair is normal. The split is the obvious part, but all of the mounting locations may have been stressed/damaged as well, and as such, the bumper might not fit correctly. Iirc the bumper is actually pretty cheap (less than $250) compared to the labor to prep and paint, and of course you need new clips etc. The body shop doesn’t want to waste the time repairing if it doesn’t fit well after.
No idea about the alleged diagnostics. Do you have parking radar? I paid about $1200 all in on my rear bumper replacement. I had a $1000 deductible, so I did not go through ins.

 

[oljedi11950]

Rear bumper

Hell I didn't realize all THAT ! But mine was split worse than yours , could actually see daylight . If it was me fix as best can yourself & move on cause you know soon as hell fire new will get same treatment from some A-hole ! :sorry:

 

[patkelly4370]

Whose insurance doesn't want to pay?
As per your narrative you were stationary, they damaged your property. Their insurance makes you whole.
Me personally, I'd get a cash settlement and buy an offroad bumper.
I was once sitting at a red light in my 68 F100. I was rear-ended by a Chevy Cavalier. The older box-shape, not the new bubble-shape. The car was towed away. I had/have a ¾" mark of red paint under my tail light.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[KyleB4279]

Whose insurance doesn't want to pay?
As per your narrative you were stationary, they damaged your property. Their insurance makes you whole.

Their insurance - who claim to be like a good neighbor - do not want to pay the full charges that the shop is charging.

Yes - it's at a Toyota dealer body shop, yes - the labor rates are shocking, but my 4Runner is 6 months old and as I see it, needs to be repaired as a new vehicle.

Anyway - I gotta pick it up tomorrow or else I'm going to be charged storage fees while it's sitting there. So, I'm getting screwed from the insurance side and from the shop.

Not asking for pity - I just need to prove to insurance that a collision such as this can cause damage to the bumper cover in the way that it did - and hoping that another member here may have had the same result and share some insight. They (insurance) are trying to say that I did something to cause the narrow bit to split in the middle, but if I did - there would be other damages to the bumper - and there is none.

 

[LandCruiser]

Yeah - the Toyota body shop wants to replace it - and insurance does not think it is necessary to replace it.

Plus they are telling me they have to do 5+ hours of diagnostic scans to reset crash computers and seat sensors, etc. Insurance does not want to cover that either.

I don’t buy any of that about “resetting crash computers.”

Sounds like they want to fleece the insurance company.

 

[oljedi11950]

Rear bumper

Ya that sounds real iffy to me :flipoff:! Nobody said that to me on mine & they're people i trust ! Unless the the real bumper (one underneath aluminum bar) is bent or tweaked ?

 

[KyleB4279]

I don’t buy any of that about “resetting crash computers.”

Sounds like they want to fleece the insurance company.

Yeah, I'm not 100% on that either. I don't know for sure at what point any sensor that is on the vehicle would have been set off for crash detection. As far as I know too, my 'Runner only has the Pre-collision/Safety Sense on the front. I don't even have park sensors on the back.

 

[Mark4runnar]

I have a limited.....we have had the bumper replace 2x. City rash and some minor misjudgements buy my wife - she is the primary driver. Part of the rational to have a 4runner is that its bullet proof, and to not worry about city rash etc.
I have not heard the "reset computer / crash sensor story", but what I wanted to share is that the Insurance company is motivated to say no .........
What I have learned is that its a function of how much your time is worth to drive this to a better outcome.
We had a similar incident in the alley behind the building.....a contractor "grazed" the back bumper and tail light....he was a really nice guy but his insurance company was not. Their first reply was we will only pay if you take it to one of our recommended body shops.......which in Mass is not a condition that can be applied to a repair.
Yes - I spent 90 mins- calm and direct to explain that I would not end the call until this was resolved and went from the call center to a call center mgr, to a dir, to a VP until I got the answer I wanted. These calls are recorded, so at one point I asked them if I could get a transcript to fwd to the Insurance Co CEO and Mass attorney generals office.
I know this sounds ridiculous---- and it is, but here is the deal, my insurance company told me it was my right to have it fixed at the shop of my choice, and because the 4runner was less than 5 years old the work had to be done with "new parts", so they gave me the play book and offered to help???
I am sharing this because I know you want your 4runner repaired right and it should cost you nothing. Hope this helps.

 

[KyleB4279]

I have a limited.....we have had the bumper replace 2x. City rash and some minor misjudgements buy my wife - she is the primary driver. Part of the rational to have a 4runner is that its bullet proof, and to not worry about city rash etc.
I have not heard the "reset computer / crash sensor story", but what I wanted to share is that the Insurance company is motivated to say no .........
What I have learned is that its a function of how much your time is worth to drive this to a better outcome.
We had a similar incident in the alley behind the building.....a contractor "grazed" the back bumper and tail light....he was a really nice guy but his insurance company was not. Their first reply was we will only pay if you take it to one of our recommended body shops.......which in Mass is not a condition that can be applied to a repair.
Yes - I spent 90 mins- calm and direct to explain that I would not end the call until this was resolved and went from the call center to a call center mgr, to a dir, to a VP until I got the answer I wanted. These calls are recorded, so at one point I asked them if I could get a transcript to fwd to the Insurance Co CEO and Mass attorney generals office.
I know this sounds ridiculous---- and it is, but here is the deal, my insurance company told me it was my right to have it fixed at the shop of my choice, and because the 4runner was less than 5 years old the work had to be done with "new parts", so they gave me the play book and offered to help???
I am sharing this because I know you want your 4runner repaired right and it should cost you nothing. Hope this helps.

Yep - here in FL as well we have the right to take the vehicle to whatever shop we feel is appropriate. In my case - it's going to the dealer since its 6 months old - and of course - their insurance only wanted to pay for the damages that they believed that their insured caused.

Long story short-ish, and to update everyone: I actually got this resolved after about three weeks of back and forth - getting my personal insurance involved, being nice and pleasant at first - and then becoming and absolute a** towards the end.

My final conversation was with a manager at the estimatics department (who was really concerned at how I got his number). After explaining everything to him, and providing all of the pictures, dash cam video, and documentation that shows that in no way could I have broken the bumper in the middle (no other damage to it, other than the damage on the corner), and that the pre-scan that Toyota does when a vehicle comes in for a service showed DTC's related to crash sensors - they finally coughed up the dough for the remaining amount due.

My advice to anyone that may have to go through this:
-Take LOTS of pictures at the accident site - your car, their car, and the area.
-Document everything - names of reps that you speak to, managers, etc.
-Get both insurance companies involved. Even though the "at fault" party's insurance should be responsible for repairs - let your insurance know what is going on. In my case - that helped tremendously.

 

[rightyouareken]

Yeah, I'm not 100% on that either. I don't know for sure at what point any sensor that is on the vehicle would have been set off for crash detection. As far as I know too, my 'Runner only has the Pre-collision/Safety Sense on the front. I don't even have park sensors on the back.

Vehicles with airbags have a variety of sensors, usually measuring g-forces and such. But this seems like such a low speed/impact incident I can't imagine there being any issue. I'm positive people get more severe impacts hitting big potholes or going offroad than the sensors detected in your little parking lot bump.

 

[KyleB4279]

Vehicles with airbags have a variety of sensors, usually measuring g-forces and such. But this seems like such a low speed/impact incident I can't imagine there being any issue. I'm positive people get more severe impacts hitting big potholes or going offroad than the sensors detected in your little parking lot bump.

Yeah - I was a little skeptical about the whole need for a pre/post scan for just this bump. It didn't even trigger the crash sensor on my dash cam - and had I not been sitting in the driver's seat with the engine running that would not have been on. But it's standard procedure for any Toyota certified collision center to do the pre/post scan per this CRIB statement from back in 2016 now:
https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/TS-CRIB-191-D.pdf

 

[NYRunner]

I wish I had pictures to share with you but years ago my sister-in-law tapped my rear bumper at an angle into the corner like yours, barely touched it and it barely left a mark. Turns out it cracked the part of the bumper cover on the inside, hidden by the rear hatch and split it where the bolts hold it in place. Pricey to replace and repaint but I had it done at a smaller shop I knew and it was definitely worth replacing vs fixing.

Remind their adjuster that cheaping out now will just lead to you looking for a loss of value payout (I forget the legal term) if it isn’t made completely like new, especially for as still-new as yours is