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HighlanderGeneral discussion forum for the Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid.
This is a discussion thread titled "DIY Fender Flares", within the Highlander forum, part of the SUV Forums category.
Has anyone installed fender flares on an 01 HL? It comes with a manual, which I havn't really looked at yet, as I don't know when I'll be getting around to putting them on. I'm looking forward to having time off around the school season to do the installs myself, but if worse comes to worse, I'll simply have them installed for me. These flares are from the dealership.
These are my first step to customization of my baby, so I want to know the tips and tricks to get it done properly. Things to figure out first? Things to make sure of?
WELL - I was hoping to bring this thread back to life to let everyone know I put the flares on and how great they look, but quite the opposite...
In a stroke of good bad-luck, I was in an accident yesterday with a Subaru Outbak AWD 2003 yesterday. We were both making a right on a designated turn lane, and slowly rolling, as we were about to be completely stopped via oncoming traffic.
I'm in front of her (no one infront of me), and stop for the new light. What do I get for being safe? A subaru with an unyielding accelerator!!! All of a sudden my car lurches forwards, and instead of whipping back like spring usually tell the car to do, I keep progressing through the turn!
A terrified, panicing, stupified older woman is behind me and she looks dumbfounded. She pushes our cars through the turn, spinning my HL on the tightest 180 i ever thought I'd see that baby do. She wound up taking off the top passenger corner of the bumper, put plenty of scratches and dents all over the passenger side, scuffing up the front PS door, denting in the rear PS door with god aweful paint trading, and tilted the rear PS wheel and tire in towards the car on the top of the wheel!!!
Oh my god - all I had to do is laugh and say "Well ****! Atleast I didn't put the flares on, or buy new rims yet!" She was great about the whole thing. Pretty day, relaxed part of town, and no injuries or MAJOR damage, so we were pretty calm and relaxed. But WOW. Just my luck on that side of the car.
But the FLARES ARE OKAY as they're sitting in my garage right now
UGH - thought yall might enjoy reading the pain. Her nose got caught under my rear PS wheel well, and thats why her car ceased forward motion. Hers sounded like it caught in 1st gear's high RPMs.
Both of us in the same insurance company, so that's good. It's about 4k (give or take 250) to repair. All out of her pocket, thank god. I can't afford rims, much less 1 fixed door, 1 new door, and a new bumper. AND a new rim+axle (if THAT"S messed up too - doesnt feel like it)
It rides fine, the tire being very slightly inward, but none-the-less.
sorry to hear about your misfortune, glad no one was hurt.
On a side note, now that it has to be in the shop, can't you haggle with the shop and have them install them fo you? Maybe you can me make lemonade out of the lemons you were given
Make sure you get an alignment out of this deal, and if not spring for one yourself. Ask the repair shop. Often they do a pretty good, but not perfect, alignment measuring by hand. Many times they don't have the equipment, but do have a relationship with a nearby shop.
We use the same shop for all our problems. When i had my first accident (again, another woman - this time it was her fault, not the car's, though insurance says it was mutual at-fault ((BS)) ), i got a new door and new PS front fender from them. They matched the Pearl Red PERFECTLY, and the car looked wonderful.
I expect the same of them every time - they did my sister's paint match perfectly on her mazda - a rarer sparkle-specked blue color.
I am planning on asking them what it would run for them to just do it for me, so i know I dont mess it up, and i have someone to blame if they mess up. He looked at me weird at first, but I'm sure he was just confused at the request to put new flares on a boogered vehicle. haha.
He did mark it down AS alignment in his evaluation (the rep at the shop), so HOPEFULLY they deal with it enough to take care of it. They do great work, and have several before-and-after photos for you to look at while you wait. Take trash and make it look brand new, and run that way I'm sure. never had too much mechanical trouble yet tested through them, but w/e.
I had thought about the adds while in the shop already, but it's good to see i'm not the only one who would try and swing that
thanks all. it's an upsetting thing, but **** happens - atleast it's for sure her fault, and no one's going to tell me "it was a mutual thing" and make me pay the 4k for myself.
Sorry about the bad news. This got me upset. Truly.
Try to make it work for yu. Get your add ons installed. I know any shop honest shop would work with yu. Because they want the whole collision job in the end.
Most importantly, Make absolutely positively sure yu do not have a damaged transmission. I have seen several HL collisions described just as yu said, and all had trannsmission damage due to being hit into the front end wheels and axles.
I know two people that had to fight the Ins. co because the damage was not apparent till several days of after picking up HL from the repair shop.
I remember an 05 HL that was hit similarly. It had side air curtains that deployed. The estimate for repair was a BorderlineTotal Loss as a result.
The Body shop started the teardown after the Ins. co. Looked at it. Then a week later, The Ins. Co. called up my friend and said the car was Junk.
It turns out that there was also damage to the transmission which made the value of the repairs EXCEED the value of the whole HL. He ended up being paid for the whole car and accepted the Loss. Bye Bye HL. The combination of the Very expesnsive Side air curtains and the $4500 transmission totaled it out!
The transmission will very well DOUBLE the price of your whole repair!!!!
Please keep this in mind.
It even turns out that the warranty would not address the Transmission because the collision is documented.
That's interesting that you say that, because if that's the case, couldn't i possibly tell them i'm having some weird problems with how it's been driving?
it was all rear-end collision, and the front fender didn't even get touched, nor the front wheel. all damage done to the front was the bottom left panel and molding, most of her car caught the back door, which is where most of the damage happened as far as crumpling and all. the molding's detached some from the metal bracket, but that bracket's on nice! good adhesive! XD
I at the very least get a new bumper out of it, which fixes the hideous scar i got from backing in to that chicken wire. good deal
and it sounds much much worse than it actually is. Keep in mind, the speed was very low, a little faster than a typical rolling stop (unless you're just gunning those runners XD). The biggest thing im worried about is the back wheel. the angle looks pretty gnarley once you stand back a good ten fifteen feet or more and get a good comparison to the other 3 and the body as a whole.
example:: Say at high sun the shadow falls to the top of the tread on the other three tires, the shadow falls to the bottom of the tread against the smooth outter wall. It's pretty janky, but it drives fine. It's gonna be a new tire i'm thinking from the funky wear (Keep in mind i have Mich. LTX (M/S?) )
so i dont know about the tranny bein a worry. Their insurance rep told me it could very well be a factory issue, in which case Subaru is going to be held responsible for paying. if so, then sweet balls, cuz then i dont worry about this poor woman's payment (altho i'm sure it's over her deductible ANYWAYS)
If the rear wheel took most of the impact and yu have 4WD ...then yu must make sure that the rear differential is ok. They can leak or worse just crap out with a good impact. Just a thought. If yu don't have 4wd but just FWD then you are probably just fine. Remember if the wheel is bent inward , the force of impact must go to the Differential if yu have one. The force just travels if there is an AXLE involved in the impact.
Just giving yu ideas to extent of damage.
SOOOOOOOOO today the claims people came out from her side.
He said (according to my dad - i was working) that that tire/wheel may have bent the strut, and so i'll be getting a new one. Also, a new wheel. I wish i could just get the money FOR the wheel IN HAND so i can just go buy my new rims w/ it, but w/e. I'll have a full set of stock rims i suppose. never too shabby a thing.
But yeah - so i guess the strut is messed up. I have no idea about car chassis or bodies, so if that doesn't make sense, let me know :P But i think that's what he said. Just incase yall care
they quoted me a little under the first price i got from the shop, but we'll see about all that once i get a new door or two, a new wheel, a new bumper, and a new strut.
Do yu have any pix to show? Also good to have for posterity. The ins. Co always takes pix.
That number sounds low. Maybe the Ins. co. is trying to lower their burden. Then the shop must use mostly used parts. The wheel will probably be a used one. But that's no big deal unless it is not in good condition. It is common to replace with used wheels in good condition.
The strut better be new, as yu never replace this item with a used one!
Yu have OE steel wheels? If so, the steel wheels from the dealer brand new are not too expensive anyway! But the OE alloys are expensive new.
I think they're steel. they're nothing special (granted, they're much nicer than other OEs, but as far as bling factor :P). there's pics of them on my cardomain - i think you've seen them, LT.
as far as pics of the injuries, i havn't taken any of my own. the insurance company did. besides, they quoted me an estimate. My guys said they would say it would be lower, but Greensfield (the shop) is good about working with us. They find quality parts used, and if no quality used, they insist on a new. No problem with that! Especially on someone else's tab.
I figure with the damage that's there, they won't want to take the time of fixing it and repainting and reinstalling. it seems more worth their time and money to just get a new part. I'm hopin for a new bumper for sure tho.
I'll get some pics for yall when i've got some more time. i've just been delaying that. It's never fun to immortalize the tragedies of your babies. :P
THe shop said it wouldn't be more than 40-45 dollars to put my flares on. 50 bucks out of my pocket, i'm sure they go on right, and if they dont, someone else pays for the mess up, not me!
I would love to do the job, but i'd rather not mess something up, you feel?
So those are going on once i get them over to the shop. I'm about to go do that and find out about my spoiler addition. He wasn't sure the work involved, so i'm bringing him the instructions to quote me for.
They always like to give me a deal. The guy i'm talking with played phone tag for about a week or two LAST time my car was in the shop. He cut us a good price on things, then he charged price of the part ONLY when i waited around the shop for five or six hours on my window motor. Good time.
So in go the mods, and now i need help with rim decisions! EEK
--i've got a couple that i'm looking at now, and i dont know which i like more....
16x7.5 ICW 16x8 GEAR16x8 GEAR
I'm partial to the 2nd, the 1st being cheapest and the last two the same price more or less. Going on a sundown red pearl with black fender flares and black spoiler, and eventually some black pearl emblems. Let me know what yall think
DIY Fender Flares
(Keep in mind i have Mich. LTX (M/S?) )
16x7.5 ICW
16x8 GEAR.jpg)
16x8 GEAR
Linear Mode
