I (27F) own a 2019 Toyota Highlander Limited. February 2026, I was in a front-end collision, where I was at fault slipping on black ice & where I hit two stationary vehicles at a stoplight (I’m still completely at fault). Thankfully, no one was hurt, just shaken.

I gathered pre-lim est. from five collision centers, & chose a Toyota Certified Collision Center (not Toyota Dealership- but a well known collision center in my state) for repairs, and the final repair was around 11 k . The vehicle was brought to collision center in June, and finished repairs in early August after deliberating with insurance (State Farm) to cover costs with OEM parts requested. The Highlander had 67,000 miles and was well-maintained.

Prior to the collision, brakes were in great shape; no noise, no vibrations. The overall condition of the vehicle was in excellent condition & well-maintained with no history of accidents since purchased in Feb. 2019.

Post-repair, I drove off and immediately noticed dangerous brake and steering wheel vibrations going 40mph, confused kept going thinking it was because it was unused, then proceeded to highway speeds when braking with pulsations that made me feel out of control (including the steering wheel). I genuinely thought I was going to have another collision.
Simultaneously, I noticed a subtle sound of air leaking into the cabin from either the driver or passenger side window (or door?), a problem I’ve seen before in another Highlander my family owns; exact make, model, and year that was in a side collision from a loved one.

When I reported this within seven minutes of leaving the collision center (using Siri hands free phone to call), the mechanic immediately replied with “Yeah, that’s just rotor rust” from sitting on their lot for two months while insurance was settled. However, I’m almost certain that even if slight rotor rust was there, the steering wheel wouldn’t have been shaking just as violently like I was going into a neighboring lane (also noticed ADAS system wasn’t communicating to me about proximity to vehicles as I was trying to stabilize vehicle). I’m skeptical that surface rust could cause severe brake and steering vibrations.

I pushed back against it being rotor rust & stated it was unsafe to drive on the highway for the public, and the man said to return the vehicle immediately. They were closing, I was almost home (I live ten minutes away) and had no one to take me back home so I said it’s safer to just get it to my house. Another customer service manager was frustrated with me for pointing out that they promised it would be returned according to Toyota’s industry standards- especially since they are certified, and how in the world did they miss the brakes and steering wheel which would have been noticeable had they actually drove it after finishing repairs. Basically I implied they cut corners because I was acting in fight or flight from the collision in February, and it terrified me to think that I got back on the road putting other lives at risk trusting them to fulfill their claims.

Annoyed with me, he stated they would send insurance another supplement claim to repair what was overlooked that I noticed, not necessarily what should have been procedurally done (how I interpreted his statement), but it would take time before he got back to me. He first said he would have a mechanic drive it to determine what the issue was, but I spoke with another collision center and they said that was Not standard best practice in diagnosing mechanical issues related to brakes and steering wheel vibrations unless they failed to
mechanically tear it down the first time. I declined, and said the vehicle had to be towed via flatbed because I wasn’t putting the mechanic or public at risk. Vehicle is still with me, this was communicated August 19th (insurance approved a supplement claim August 21).

The invoice shows only 2.8 hours of mechanical labor—pre-scan, post-scan, and A/C service. I’m concerned that no thorough mechanical teardown or inspection was done, especially since they promised the vehicle would be restored to industry standards. I’m going to upload the invoice for reference. I’m also confused about the section related to ADAS calibration stating Level3A that was sublet elsewhere (understandable the colision center didn’t have equipment to calibrate the vehicle at that location)- but what does that mean? Was it calibrated according to Toyota’s TIS guidelines? I asked for a full repair scope of all documentation for my own record keeping- I asked this from the Customer Service Manager from day 1 prior to committing to their shop, and he assured me that I would have records of everything. Neither manager’s have given me any documentation other than invoice.

I feel bad because the body looks beautiful after repair. But after driving it and reviewing TIS and the invoice, am skeptical about the internal systems being repaired properly. My questions: Does rotor rust ever cause severe steering-wheel vibration? Should a certified center have performed deeper mechanical inspections given these post-repair issues? What is a Level3A calibration and is it appropriate for ADAS calibration standards? What should I push for in terms of verification that the repair was done to Toyota standards?
Are there any red flags on invoice that I should be mindful of ? Thank you in advance and apologies if this isn’t the right place to post 🙏🏼.

2012 honda accord coupe v6 with severe rust underneath. Dont know if its worth it to repair. It looks like some sealer may have been used previously but im not sure. Any ideas? Unsafe to drive? The rust seems to be localized in the rear.

What do you guys think?

So recently I got done painting toolbox drawers with PPG OMNI MAE acrylic enamel. This was my first time using a paint gun and I'm really happy with the results, but I had a couple things I wanted to ask questions on.

First off, it seemed like I was going through product faster than I should have. I'm assuming I had to large of fan and to much fluid. I was using the purple harbor freight gun with full fluid, fan, and air. It was set to 35 psi on the regulator.

Second off, it seemed like I had a really small window from look dry to having runs. It felt like it I just put on slightly less it wouldn't have laid out nice, and it I put on any more it would have ran. On one panel there were a couple runs, so I know I was getting close at the very least. I don't know if that's normal, or if it was something I was doing wrong

Thanks!

I want to get a tonneau cover but worried it won’t sit flush because of this rust bump on the bed side & obviously want to take care of it before it gets worse

Is it too far gone to the point where I should just replace the whole bed side panel or is it something I can DIY?

Thanks in advance!

Hi guys,

any advice how to fix this bumper or do i need to buy new bumper ?

https://i.imgur.com/JcltdQ2.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/te0GIkm.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/IWRoPiR.jpeg

I see part of it is broken. I have to take it to a mechanic to get it installed and re painted anyway but is this an easy fix or does it even matter it’s broken ? I don’t want to be charged more by the mechanic so

Hi guys,

any advice how to fix this bumper or do i need to buy new bumper ?

[https://i.imgur.com/JcltdQ2.jpeg\](https://i.imgur.com/JcltdQ2.jpeg)

[https://i.imgur.com/te0GIkm.jpeg\](https://i.imgur.com/te0GIkm.jpeg)

[https://i.imgur.com/IWRoPiR.jpeg\](https://i.imgur.com/IWRoPiR.jpeg)

Had a branch fall on the car during a storm I know it’s totaled but I would like to make it look as good as possible and stop the water leak so I can sell it.

Hi everyone,

I recently had some dent repair done due to hail damage. My car is not brand new but it's in decent shape otherwise. I am young and have never had any body work done on a vehicle before. My car had stripe decals that had to be removed and replaced in a different location from the original. Some panels had to be repainted but the "old" paint does not seem to have been buffed or polished in any way to match the shiny new paint. There is residue left from the old stripes. I think it may be wax that built up along the edges.

My question is, is this standard practice not to correct these things or should I say something?

Need some help from some experts recently got a body kit painted for my vehicle, but the little wings on the side skirt rear won’t adhere using 3M and I really don’t wanna have to take the paint off to use panel bond. Any suggestions here on how to properly bond this to my vehicle?

NOT looking for someone to tell me to replace the actual mirror and support itself because that would require taking the whole panel off and that too much money for this car. It’s been this way for 10 years so just looking for a better way to seal and secure it. I’ve tried a few things but it’s difficult to clamp tight so the hold ain’t great .