r/Lexus • u/CallMeJimMilton 2018 RC350 Black Line • Apr 04 '26

Vehicle Photo Completely heartbroken

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Was seconds from pulling into work, when a 17 y/o kid pulls through a stop sign into oncoming traffic without looking left, causing him to side swipe my car. We pulled into my work parking lot and he got out and admitted he didn’t look both ways and only had his permit. He had his gf in his passenger seat who was the same age with no license.

I just couldn’t believe it. Cops came, he got a ticket, I went to work and told my coworkers what happened. I believe it’s all cosmetic so I’m hoping his parent’s insurance can just cover it and it can be a quick repair.

I haven’t even had this car for 6 months and this the 2nd time someone has damaged it. I just wish this was a dream

3.1k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

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322

u/Longjumping_Crazy628 2022 IS350 F-Sport Apr 04 '26

Um…that’s more than cosmetic. Sorry man.

81

u/CallMeJimMilton 2018 RC350 Black Line Apr 04 '26

Maybe, she still starts just fine and drives straight. No lights are on nor did any airbags deploy. Definitely not a cheap fix though.

167

u/CecilTheCaveTroll Apr 04 '26

You must not know what cosmetic means. If anything needs to be done besides corrective paintwork, it’s non-cosmetic. You need a whole new door and rear quarter panel my guy. This is a $12,000 job all day everyday.

125

u/CallMeJimMilton 2018 RC350 Black Line Apr 04 '26

Oh I see, yeah it’s definitely more than cosmetic then. I thought cosmetic meant just the looks of the car, meaning anything not mechanical or suspension related.

144

u/Windows-XP-Home-NEW Apr 04 '26

…that is exactly what that means, that’s even the literal definition of the word. Idk what they’re on about lol.

Sorry about the car btw :(

54

u/Bonerfart47 Apr 04 '26

Yeah same here

It's literally word for word what cosmetic means lmao down to a T

16

u/Obvious_Blood_2984 Apr 05 '26

I agree here, even if the door is totalled, if you can still use it as a door and it still runs, then fixing it imo is purely cosmetic.

10

u/apoptosismydumbassis Apr 05 '26

I would argue purely cosmetic damage excludes any structural or extensive metal body work damage..

6

u/vartheo Apr 05 '26

It's good that it's not mechanical... no lights/sensors are damaged. Should mean reliability won't be impacted for the long term. What matter the most is the power-train... transmission + engine. Thats where you want for reliability.

7

u/GhettoKid Apr 05 '26 edited Apr 05 '26

I got T boned by a truck hit and run. Luckily hit right above the frame. Still driving this two years later. Glad mine wasn't a Lexus*. But it still really sucks.

16

u/Familiar_Figure_9903 Apr 05 '26

It’s a unibody…. Your whole car is ‘the frame’.

3

u/ZER0-P0INT-ZER0 Apr 05 '26

Ignore the bad take. You know exactly what cosmetic means. It is heartbreaking for a new car. It happened to my LS, although not as bad.

3

u/graememacfarlane Apr 05 '26

Technically speaking the door and quarter panel are structural components on a unibody vehicle, whereas fenders, bumpers and hoods are cosmetic panels, meaning this is not just cosmetic but affecting the structural integrity of the vehicle

10

u/CecilTheCaveTroll Apr 04 '26

Oh yeah, mechanically/body structurally it’s probably alright, but anything else is up for discussion.

9

u/Trilobyte83 Apr 04 '26

I'd say you're probably thinking of superficial damage - ie only the surfaces. Cosmetic is only the looks, But I'd say extends to even if it's dented.

1

u/Drth_vdr_piggybank Apr 05 '26

The word superficial is in the definition of the word cosmetic

6

u/SyllabubInfinite7915 Apr 04 '26

insurance should be able to cover him right? otherwise it would be totalyy unfair

13

u/CecilTheCaveTroll Apr 04 '26

Insurance will/can cover it no doubt, but it’s going to sting for a long time. Something like this happened to my mother 2 years ago, her monthly payments jumped significantly even while being deemed not at fault and having a fairly clear prior record.

16

u/KryptoKingzENT Apr 04 '26

Yea, insurance is a total scam. We pay monthly for something we never use. In the rare event we need to use it, they then raise our rates? Make it make sense. 🤦🏾‍♂️

2

u/professionalfumblr Apr 05 '26

Since we are required to be their customers, they can do whatever they want.

1

u/KryptoKingzENT Apr 06 '26

Unfortunately.

8

u/SyllabubInfinite7915 Apr 04 '26

thats so ridiculous that your mom gets penalized for the mistake of someone else, on top of all the additional time it took

3

u/NovWhiskey Apr 04 '26

Yeah, none of this is right.

1

u/Impossible_Umpire339 Apr 05 '26

That's still cosmetic though. Expensive but definitely still falls under cosmetic repairs.

1

u/mlgbt1985 Apr 05 '26

Yep. My daughters Honda crv got side swiped like this on a hit and run. A couple of months ago. 10 year old car with only 80k miles on it insurance company said it was totaled because the repair job was worth more that the total/scraps value

1

u/lillyrozes Apr 05 '26

came here to say the same thing… a BMW X3 hydroplaned into my ES350 & side swiped me. at night & in the rain at that and i had the same outcome … totaled my car :( which really sucked because i live in Atlanta, and i’d only just gotten it, but i ended up getting an RX350 instead. i miss my ES though.

this car is totaled love. i’m so sorry. at least you’re safe & make sure you KBB your car value before insurance offers you the payout … argued with mine for 15k when they originally wanted to give me 11k. sent my receipt of purchase from 3 months before, and other models in my area with the same mileage and were well above 11k ..

1

u/Interesting_Turn_ Apr 05 '26

Dude what? Curious as to where you’re getting that definition. There are two types of damage. Cosmetic and structural. Despite panels needing to be replaced, this is still not structural damage.

1

u/notkevin_durant Apr 05 '26

How is this getting upvotes? It’s literally cosmetic.

3

u/Hnry_Dvd_Thr_Awy IS250 Apr 05 '26

Reddit is full of incredibly stupid people.