Toyota RAV4 Forums banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

Big Dent, Small Wallet ***HELP***

Jump to Latest
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
K

Kristin.88

· Registered
Joined
·
2 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
So last night I was trying to turn around in a really small driveway and backed into a wall of dirt, that was apparently hiding some rocks. Lovely.
I'm trying to figure out any way to fix this and avoid having to pay a lot of money to do so. I talked to SameDay dent repair and they said it's possible that I damaged the structure under the plastic bumper, in which case I'm probably going to have to buy a whole new structure.
By looking at these pictures, does anyone have any ideas?
 

Attachments

#2 ·
Ha! Ha! Most of us have small wallets! Even though the "visa" is small...it can be big!!
I doubt you damaged any "structure" because you were going slow and there is a steel bumper under there. Bring it a local auto body shop and see what they say. I'm guessing it's not a cheap fix. You might want to ask your insurance about it also.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kristin.88
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#5 ·
I went online and bought a new bumper cover for 280.00. It's very easy to replace, but you have to have it painted. I got a can of spray paint mixed from my paint code # on the car, not cheap for a can of spray paint, 23.00 bucks. I painted it before installation. It really is easy to replace, it's fiber glass, so I dont know how you could ever pop the dents out.
 
#6 ·
I had a softball-sized dent in the very back corner on my driver side. body shop was able to heat it up and pull it out, then buff. You can see the cracked paint and slight deformation if you look but not from 8' away. It would weem possible to pull that out if you heated with heat gun and used suction sups or could push from the back. Maybe there's a way you could use a bit of spray foam (sparingly) underneath to make up for the crushed styrofoam.
 
#7 ·
Unfortunately RAV rear bumpers are notorious for requiring pricey fixes resulting from even minor encounters. The only way to determine how extensive is the damage is disassembly. As RF notes the foam under the bumper cover is one-time crushable and will need to be replaced. The replacement should have the OEM-equivalent crush factor. There also may be damage to the underlying metal "bumper" and its support system. It may be possible to salvage the bumper cover by using a heat gun and pressing out the dent, as has been suggested.

A number of years ago when bumpers were supposed to be able to abosrb a 5 MPH impact without damage, the RAV rear bumper failed badly. If I recall, a Consumer Reports test resulted in damage in the neighborhood of $1500, and that was when repairs were less expensive than now. Since the automakers successfully lobbied to have that standard reduced (supposedly to improve fuel mileage) it's likely that current bumpers are even more susceptible to damage.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#8 ·
My dent was 10 times worse than yours. backed into a Nissan Xterra!

Get a heat gun and thick working cloth/leather gloves and within 15 min you're done.
Mine still shows scratches if you look from a foot away. i don't think the foam is damaged.

to hide the scrathes, buy colour-matched paint. Put a small blob on the scratch and smear into a thin layer. Then wax a week later.
 
#9 ·
If recall correctly, the bumper is a light steel (more like heavy sheet metal) channel stock in addition to some sheet metal brackets that could have been deformed and will need to be replaced to allow the bumper cover to lay flat again...... Unfortunately toyota bumper systems are more on the fragile side and costly to repair.
 
#12 ·
Just happened to me, also - got a corner of a concrete lamp post. --- Ouch. Can not even open the rear door now.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
About this Discussion
11 Replies
10 Participants
Last post:
RoLleRKoaSTeR
Toyota RAV4 Forums
posts
1.1M
members
174K
Since
2004
Rav 4 World is the internet's largest Toyota Rav4 SUV and EV online forum community. Discuss towing, modifications, and more.
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
4.3 General 4.3 Mechanical 4.5 RAV4 Hybrid (except Prime) 4.5 RAV4 Prime 4.3 Exterior