2006 Camry in minor collision. Bumper and front panel damage?

[steveyoo97]

I am not car-savvy. My dad has some car knowledge but doesn't know much about exterior panels and trim and whatnot.

My dad got into a minor collision in which he hit a car in front of him at low speed.

There is now a gap between the hood and the front end.

My father and his car-savvy friend assert that the hood isn't bowed or bent and that it's the bumper and the front side panels that have been shifted downwards.

Looking from the front:

closeup on front:

bumper looks to be bowed in the middle:

view from the right:

view from the left:

closeup on left:

How can we assess if this is fixable ourselves?

And if it is indeed fixable, how can we go about it?

Thanks very much.

[gdanaher]

Here's my educated guess. The collision occurred straight on. The bumper and body work behind it were pushed backward. The cross member in front of the radiatior, latching the hood pushed backwards and may have bent the hood. For starters, remove the latch assembly from the hood itself and see if it fall properly without the latch. I think it no longer aligns. Remove the front bumper cover and you will find bent metal behind it.

[steveyoo97]

Originally Posted by gdanaher

Here's my educated guess. The collision occurred straight on. The bumper and body work behind it were pushed backward. The cross member in front of the radiatior, latching the hood pushed backwards and may have bent the hood. For starters, remove the latch assembly from the hood itself and see if it fall properly without the latch. I think it no longer aligns. Remove the front bumper cover and you will find bent metal behind it.

thanks for the info.

google and forum searches aren't bringing up much info on how to remove the front bumper cover.

Do you know of a guide to help me out?

thanks

[tengiday]

You can also examine the radiator and anything around it. My friend got into the same accident (~10 mph), and his radiator was bent. He had to replace it as well!

[DftMachine]

Originally Posted by steveyoo97

thanks for the info.

google and forum searches aren't bringing up much info on how to remove the front bumper cover.

Do you know of a guide to help me out?

thanks

DIY: taking apart headlights (56k: 20 low resolution pictures. you decide)

It's on how to take the headlights out but it also shows how to partially remove the bumper. Do everything it says, excluding the removal of the headlights. There are bolts beneath the bumper, 5 or 7 of them i think, that also need removing.

My friend rear ended my car in his Accord and had damage similar to your pictures. We fixed the hood by putting a wooden block on the latch and pushing the bent part down until it was... almost fixed. His radiator was a little bent but not leaking and the metal pieces in front of the radiator, we just pulled out with a crow bar lol.

[steveyoo97]

Originally Posted by DftMachine

DIY: taking apart headlights (56k: 20 low resolution pictures. you decide)

It's on how to take the headlights out but it also shows how to partially remove the bumper. Do everything it says, excluding the removal of the headlights. There are bolts beneath the bumper, 5 or 7 of them i think, that also need removing.

My friend rear ended my car in his Accord and had damage similar to your pictures. We fixed the hood by putting a wooden block on the latch and pushing the bent part down until it was... almost fixed. His radiator was a little bent but not leaking and the metal pieces in front of the radiator, we just pulled out with a crow bar lol.

thanks very much for the info