Rav4 2003 parts advice please?

[Surfgirl]

Hi all,

Have owned my 2003 RAV4 GX for over 10 years now and absolutely love it. Sadly, 10 days ago, some idiot bumped me on the nearside corner whilst I was at traffic lights. Not major damage, only cosmetic. So far, I’ve tried my local breaker yards, eBay, Gumtree, etc, but only found the rear bumper parts I want in Northern Ireland (I am in Cheshire). Ideally would like to see parts before I buy. They need to be a certain colour as I can’t afford a respray. Also looking for chrome tail light trims and genuine Rav4 boot liner. Any advice on where I should look would be gratefully received.

Thanks

[JayT]

Why not just let his insurance cover it?

[FROSTYBALLS]

20 minutes ago, JayT said:

Why not just let his insurance cover it?

With the age of the vehicle, the insurer will probably write the car off.

[Surfgirl]

Hi JayT and Frostyballs,

My insurance company did a total loss (category N) and will claim back off the other driver’s insurance, but because I love the car so much, I bought it back from them and need to repair it. I may have found some parts now off the same model as mine, but still after recommendations for where to look other than eBay or Amazon for a boot liner and the light trims. It seems to be difficult to find accessories for a car that age. Are there any specialist Toyota places for second hand stuff?

thanks 😊

[Rosgoe]

If it’s only cosmetic can you not rub down with wet & dry then use a rattle can and hand spray the whole bumper, if the body work is dented above the bumper you could drill a small hole in the centre of the dent then screw in a self tapper and try to pull the dent out with a pair of mole grips then fill with body filler and rub down.

I think it’s ridiculous that insurance company’s are to quick to write off vehicles that are uneconomic to repair when it’s the owners pride and joy, the trouble is that body shops would rather fit new parts rather than repair the damage.

I once had a Vauxhall cavalier and a bus went into the back of me some years ago no visible damage only the boot lid was catching slightly on the catch the body shop put a new bumper on! All that was required was adjustment of the boot lid body catch. My personal opinion is a lot of these body shops are ripping of the insurance companies for profit.

 

 

[Surfgirl]

Hi Rosgoe,

Thanks for the advice and I agree with you. Unfortunately, corner and rear bumpers damaged beyond repair, but no damage to external paintwork. Insurance company got a price from Toyota main dealer for the parts and they wanted nearly £900. Painting and fitting extra, so they deemed it ‘uneconomical to repair’. I guess the bill would have been around £1500 and clearly mine is not worth £3000+. As far as I understand it, if the repair cost comes to more than 55% of the market value of the vehicle, the insurance companies automatically write the car off. I have really looked after her and low mileage too at 73K. Plenty of life left in the old girl yet! 😉 She just needs a bit of cosmetic surgery and TLC! 😂

[Paulus17]

That corner panel is plastic and will push out with some heat applied like a kettle of hot water poured onto it or an hairdryer.

[doorknobs]

3 hours ago, Paulus17 said:

That corner panel is plastic and will push out with some heat applied like a kettle of hot water poured onto it or an hairdryer.

I recently pushed same part on mine back into shape from a deep dent using a hot air gun. Gun is similar to hair dryer but much hotter. This one looks like it may be cracked as well though so may need fill and paint.

[Rosgoe]

11 hours ago, Surfgirl said:

Hi Rosgoe,

Thanks for the advice and I agree with you. Unfortunately, corner and rear bumpers damaged beyond repair, but no damage to external paintwork. Insurance company got a price from Toyota main dealer for the parts and they wanted nearly £900. Painting and fitting extra, so they deemed it ‘uneconomical to repair’. I guess the bill would have been around £1500 and clearly mine is not worth £3000+. As far as I understand it, if the repair cost comes to more than 55% of the market value of the vehicle, the insurance companies automatically write the car off. I have really looked after her and low mileage too at 73K. Plenty of life left in the old girl yet! 😉 She just needs a bit of cosmetic surgery and TLC! 😂

I agree with paulus 17 and door knobs you could try their advice I am sure you will find the parts somewhere although there is hardly any of those  model rav 4’s about now, I used to have one and found it much better in the snow than the modern ones good luck🙂

[scotsstag]

If all damage is purely cosmetic I'd be inclined to just use/leave as it is and keep your money in your pocket.

You have in essence still got the same car, just with a few extra battle scars. 🙂👍

[flash22]

 you can get a new unpainted trim for £50 and they are easily available

[bonjo]

look for businesses that can repair the damage with heat treatment and massaging the dent unless the part is broken.

I think breakers can provide you with a return option; in your case you'd probably have to pay for P&P in both directions.

If you bumper is pre color matched bumper finish, then it will be the grey color which was the finish on all of them

[JayT]

Have you tried the local scrap places? 

I used to live in Sheffield and there were numerous large scrap car places around the area, including some specialized ones for my then car. If you have a phone round you might get lucky finding one in the same colour.

Cheers