Write off?

[OldTrout]

My 2007 SEL with 140k miles hit a lamppost yesterday. Only pride (not mine) was hurt but what to do?

The lights all still work - it is the housing and plastic front that is damaged. The car has bumps and scrapes at all corners but everything woks and it wafts along a treat. I have yet to ask my friendly garage guy for advice. A body work place would want to do a proper job with new light unit but I guess this would be uneconomic. I need it patched up- I don't care what it looks like if it is road legal.

Suggestions?

[scudney]

Try and see if you can get a replacement wing and possibly a bumper in the same colour from a breaker or the bay and take it from there 🤔 

[royoftherovers]

44 minutes ago, OldTrout said:

My 2007 SEL with 140k miles hit a lamppost yesterday. Only pride (not mine) was hurt but what to do?

The lights all still work - it is the housing and plastic front that is damaged. The car has bumps and scrapes at all corners but everything woks and it wafts along a treat. I have yet to ask my friendly garage guy for advice. A body work place would want to do a proper job with new light unit but I guess this would be uneconomic. I need it patched up- I don't care what it looks like if it is road legal.

Suggestions?

Sorry to read that John.

Was someone else driving ?  You can plead the 5th Amendment if you wish.😊

It would cost £9k to replace it, so you have an awful lot of cash to play with.

Just get it repaired by a decent bodyshop.but don`t get any new parts-just use what you have.

Then send us all a piccie of it looking nice and dandy again.

Then have a good measure of your favourite tipple and think how fortunate you are.

[rayaans]

Cant imagine that being a write off unless you go to insurer

I think a second hand light unit and wing could sort that out fairly easily.

[Malc]

1 hour ago, OldTrout said:

I need it patched up- I don't care what it looks like if it is road legal.

shame it's had that knock BUT as above, a little tidying will make it look better .  if all works fine, lights and all and there's no wheel touching the arch ? ....... then just a little wet-n-dry to rub it down and a touch-up of primer and a quick blast with the right colour spray - can ........  maybe £25 for a DIY  OR to a local bodyshop and spend  lots £££££ more with hopefully a " professional'ish " finish 

14 years young with 140k miles ......... insurers won't worry about writing it off as it will be your EXCESS that's going to be deducted .  so maybe just think that's how much you might wish to spend on her without going thru' the insurance 

I'm supposing the lampost is unharmed ?

Malc

[OldTrout]

Thanks guys. Just back from seeing my garage. "Find another wing and light unit and we will do it" so he agrees with you. Wings seem to be about £80 but the only light unit I have found so far is £430 and brand new.

Wafting to garage I noticed the steering wheel is now slightly anti-clockwise when going straight so the wheel must have had a clout. The front wheels are very slightly cross-eyed. Alignment will fix that I think. More concerning perhaps is the AFS light flashing on the dash. It doesn't stop if I turn off AFS. I have never been able to spot AFS working so I don't really care about it. Is the mechanism inside the light unit?

I need to check if levelling is still ok.

The car was my pride and joy when I first bought it. It was by far the best car I had owned and despite 100k miles was like new.  Various battle scars only one of which was mine have removed the pride in how it looks. But it is still a joy to drive when you can't see the scars.

It seems it will be with me a while longer.

I will keep you posted.

John

[steve2006]

Obviously you would need to confirm if the same types but if the price is reasonable a quick trip up the M40 may prove fruitful here 😀

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403311644881?hash=item5de73f50d1:g:4BoAAOSw~w9h6YyZ

[royoftherovers]

38 minutes ago, OldTrout said:

Thanks guys. Just back from seeing my garage. "Find another wing and light unit and we will do it" so he agrees with you. Wings seem to be about £80 but the only light unit I have found so far is £430 and brand new.

Wafting to garage I noticed the steering wheel is now slightly anti-clockwise when going straight so the wheel must have had a clout. The front wheels are very slightly cross-eyed. Alignment will fix that I think. More concerning perhaps is the AFS light flashing on the dash. It doesn't stop if I turn off AFS. I have never been able to spot AFS working so I don't really care about it. Is the mechanism inside the light unit?

I need to check if levelling is still ok.

The car was my pride and joy when I first bought it. It was by far the best car I had owned and despite 100k miles was like new.  Various battle scars only one of which was mine have removed the pride in how it looks. But it is still a joy to drive when you can't see the scars.

It seems it will be with me a while longer.

I will keep you posted.

John

onward and upward, John.

[OldTrout]

Thanks Steve,

I had been searching on wing and headlight. Searching on breaking gives a whole lot more. And this one is red which as is well known is the proper colour for a Lexus.

John

[steve2006]

58 minutes ago, OldTrout said:

Thanks Steve,

I had been searching on wing and headlight. Searching on breaking gives a whole lot more. And this one is red which as is well known is the proper colour for a Lexus.

John

According to my other half “Fire engine red” should only be seen on a ........Fire Engine 😀

[Barry14UK]

Insurers are quick to write cars off nowadays.  The 2012 Audi that hit me looked like it needed a new bumper, offside wing and headlight as far as I could see from visual inspection.  There was no dripping fluids and the car drove.  Yet insurers have written it off.  If it had been mine I would have got second hand replacements.

Meanwhile,  my car is being repaired with new parts and back to as new for just under 6K. (Accident down to other Audi driver AGAIN.  The previous Audi that ran into the rear of my car was also written off!)

[steve2006]

Vorsprung Durch Scrapenyard 😀😀😀

[Initial P]

2 hours ago, steve2006 said:

According to my other half “Fire engine red” should only be seen on a ........Fire Engine 😀

Or if you see a red police car it usually means "Full of guns"

[Malc]

On 5/23/2022 at 11:32 AM, OldTrout said:

I need it patched up- I don't care what it looks like if it is road legal.

...  not sure why you're wanting to pop maybe £1000 into the repair and the time-out whilst it's being quite professionally sorted ......  if all you're really really wanting is the above 

Malc

[OldTrout]

I have located some wings and headlights. I have found a wing in red but it is for a 2011 car.

My question is, apart from turn indicator light, is the wing the same as 2007 car?

John

[OldTrout]

Nudge, Nudge

[Barry14UK]

You could ask Lexus.  I would have thought reference numbers might show.

[steve2006]

Unfortunately 2007 looks like the changeover year which is probably the indicator unit difference.

[OldTrout]

Thanks Steve.

If the only change were the indicator that would be ok as I can easily drill couple of holes for an indicator. What is possibly more important is the tabs where it bolts on.

I found a nice red wing with indicator but seller doesn't post and he is up in the far north.

John

[Werewolf1976]

On 5/23/2022 at 11:32 AM, OldTrout said:

My 2007 SEL with 140k miles hit a lamppost yesterday. Only pride (not mine) was hurt but what to do?

The lights all still work - it is the housing and plastic front that is damaged. The car has bumps and scrapes at all corners but everything woks and it wafts along a treat. I have yet to ask my friendly garage guy for advice. A body work place would want to do a proper job with new light unit but I guess this would be uneconomic. I need it patched up- I don't care what it looks like if it is road legal.

Suggestions?

Linking you to a breaker on eBay - bit of a ***** but good Lexus selection

https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/carparts4u.online?_trksid=p2047675.m3561.l2559

[OldTrout]

Thanks John,

He does indeed have a good selection although not the bits I need. His address is a private house so I suspect he handles the on-line stuff for another breaker in Doncaster called Perfect Car Body.

I have found a blue wing but am still looking for a red one.

John

[OldTrout]

On 6/13/2022 at 10:37 AM, OldTrout said:

Thanks John,

He does indeed have a good selection although not the bits I need. His address is a private house so I suspect he handles the on-line stuff for another breaker in Doncaster called Perfect Car Body.

I have found a blue wing but am still looking for a red one.

John

I bought the blue wing which in normal light looks black. I now have two-tone car. You have to pay real money for that with an RCF.

I also had to buy a headlight as the damaged one was not working properly. I got a s/h unit from a 2006 car. This turned out to be much better than mine and more light gets out.

Thus I have an old GS Mk3 headlight unit if anyone would like bits or all of it for cost of carriage. It's a very interesting and complex bit of kit.

John

[OldTrout]

And here are the requested photos. I have washed the car since but I have still to get the last of the tape adhesive off. Very hard to remove.

[Malc]

brilliant colour combo too ......... 

Malc

[200h]

a couple more panels and it will look like this 😀