Camry HybridDiscussion area for the Toyota Camry Hybrid. Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving Americas favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
It's been a rough weekend for my barely month-old Camry Hybrid. A couple of deer ran out in front of me on Lakeshore Drive about a mile south of the house on my way to work Friday. I managed to hit the second deer square in the grille. The impact didn't look too bad, but the radiator was punctured by the broken grille pieces, and it made the car undriveable. I limped it back home, and got a ride to work from my wife. It was later towed to the body shop for repairs, and I got the initial estimate this morning - $4000! Ouch - I guess this is the reason for car insurance.
They rattled off a list of things in need of repair:
Hood
Blending both fenders
Front bumper cover
Right bracket
Horn
Emblem
Left headlamp assembly (I didn't notice any damage to this, but maybe it is hidden)
Radiator
AC condenser
I am hoping that the insurance company approves the estimate quickly, and I get my baby back soon!
Here are a couple of pictures, and click the links after the pics for the original full resolution photos (large files - broadband recommended):
Just looking at your pictures here and at GH makes me cringe. We have a lot of deer at my workplace, and they jump out in front of you all the time. Let us know how it all turns out, especially since all body-shops must be new to TCH's.
Just looking at your pictures here and at GH makes me cringe. We have a lot of deer at my workplace, and they jump out in front of you all the time. Let us know how it all turns out, especially since all body-shops must be new to TCH's.
Well, I am still waiting...
They got the parts that allowed them to get it into the paint departement, but they are still waiting for the headlamp assembly, the emblem, and the inverter radiator. The inverter radiator and the headlamp (because of its blue tint) are hybrid-specific, so I am not that surprised that they are taking a while. The bumper cover, though, is hybrid-specific too - perhaps this is a more common repair part and is more readily available.
I am very anxious to get my baby back! My rental car is costing me about $8 per day, so this is adding up (along with the reduction in my gas mileage)!
No idea! Everyone keeps asking that, but it was nowhere in sight after I came to a stop on the shoulder. I think he must have gotten up and ran off. I can't imagine it could survive, but who knows? My guess is it wandered off and died. Sorry Bambi!
No idea! Everyone keeps asking that, but it was nowhere in sight after I came to a stop on the shoulder. I think he must have gotten up and ran off. I can't imagine it could survive, but who knows? My guess is it wandered off and died. Sorry Bambi!
Actually, it is probably not too bad off. A deer is almost pure muscle. I've had too many friends in deer collisions, and in every single case the deer popped up and ran off into the woods.
I would have had my dealer order me the SE front bumper and foglights as replacements, then I would be halfway home with my "body kit"!
I am actually not a big fan of the SE grille. I like my Hybrid grille, and I will not be happy if they try to put the LE or XLE grille on my car!
Oh, I agree with you on the grill, the hybrid grill is much better which is why all the tuners are buying hybrid grills for their LE's and XLE's. I was only talking about the front air dam, I can't wait until someone comes out with a lip kit that mimics the SE styling. (I just received the rear lip spoiler yesterday and will install it this weekend).
Not trying to make fun of the situation here, just trying to break the ice, I can image how upset you are..... I hope the car get back the way it was...
Good luck.
My car went to the dealer's body shop on Friday afternoon, Aug 18th. They called me up on Thursday Aug 31 to say it was ready to pick up, but it was still missing one of the Hybrid fender badges because it was still backordered (they managed to get one for the passenger side).
I took it home (after about 50 miles of driving) and looked under the hood to see how it looked. To my surprise, it appeared that the inverter coolant reservoir was nearly empty. I also noticed that the plastic plug in the bumper (that is exclusive to Japanese-made models) was missing, and that there was a piece of black styrofoam that was immediately behind where this cover should be. It appeared that they just pushed the plug into the styrofoam, and as a result, the snaps didn't engage properly and it fell out somewhere on the way home. This seems odd - I am certain that the foam wasn't there on my old bumper cover, because this plug had popped out when I hit the deer, and I looked inside to see what the tie-down looked like. I then snapped it back in. (It was retained by a plastic "strap" that I assume is supposed to keep it from getting lost). Obviously the new one didn't have the strap, or didn't get hooked up right.
I called them the next morning, and came in to have them fill up the inverter reservoir, and to look at the missing plug.
My only concern now is that I am hearing a "gurgling" sound when I accelerate from a stop. The sound seems to be coming from the deep in the dash some where on the drivers side. I pointed this out to the body shop person, and they had me set up an appointment with the service department. It is going in on Thursday morning.
I suspect that there is air in the heating or cooling system (or the inverter cooling system) that was introduced when the radiator, inverter radiator, or the A/C condenser were replaced.
It is frustrating, but I am glad to have my car back - even with the noises. Hopefully there isn't any damage as a result of the reduced amount of coolant in the inverter. They suspect that the reservoir was filled, but driving it around purged some of the air and reduced the amount in the tank...
From what I can tell, the paint looks fine, but I cant wax it for 90 days, so the front of my car will be unprotected until winter (maybe through the winter). I wonder if the Macguiar's NXT Tech Wax counts as real wax? It doesn't seem abrasive - it is just a polymer coating...
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