idrift

As my aurion was rear ended about a month ago now, I had the smash repairer price up the TRD bodykit. By the front & rear bar is sprayed you will be looking at well over $2K for the front & rear. The bars themselves are about $700-800 each plus different mounting brackets, exahust modifications & the like. I think I will be leaving it standard for the moment.

My issue is not that the car is being repaired. The issue is that it is not being repaired in accordance with the Toyota Guidelines. The assesser himself asked me "what do you want me to do replace the rails?" I said to him if Toyota states that that is the correct method of repair then thats what needs to happen. His arguement is that the guidelines mean nothing and that they operate to industry standards. I do not mind if the car is repaired so long as it is repaired in the correct manner.

Seems like I will have to take this matter further. In accordance with Toyota's repair guidelines is the structure of the car is bent then those items affected will be required to be replaced. My insurer has notified me that they repair cars to industry standards, however under the NSW Fair Trading Motor Vehicle Insurance & Repair Industry Code of conduct which is put in place by NSW legislation must comply with the following: "Having regard to the age and condition of the motor vehicle, repairers will carry out repairs (and insurers must not require them to do otherwise) that: *are in accordance with the manufacturers' documented technical specifications, including those supplied by other industry recognised agencies or authorities, or any lawful mandatory specifications and/or standards, or *use methods that are consistent with vehicle warranty conditions, or *in the absence of the points above, are in accordance with accepted industry standards and practice." So basically there is a manufacturers technical specification which states "Structural parts are designed to perform in their original shape. If parts are deformed in an accident, or if the deformed parts are repaired and reused, the parts may be unable to perform as intended. It is necessary to replace the part where the kink has occured." There are a number of compenents that are high tensile steel in the vehicle and the manufacturer states that they should be replaced if damaged. I think I have cought the insurer off-guard as they have notified the smash repairer not to commence repairs and they are going to be in contact with me to discuss the matter further. They did mention that they were going to consult their technical staff (who to my knowledge do not exist anymore) and they were going to consult Toyota on the matter.

I have had some feedback from someone I know that assesses cars, and they told me that they thought it was heavy structural. All the door alignments have been thrown out of wack (can fit the width of a pencil on one side and closed on the other, between the front and back doors). The entire boot floor is damaged, it seems to have bent the rail down. It is being looked at tommorrow. I will let you all know how it goes and upload a few pics. By the way I wasn't that bad in terms of being injured by my wife had to get herself checked out for neck injuries. The VK commodore that hit us was a total write-off, he hit very hard.

No air bags have gone off just heavy rear end damage. Apparently it is going to be towed to Riverwood (NSW) assessment centre. Where is that?

No pics. I will go check it out tommorrow. I want to go over it with my mechanic so I can try flush out any items that other might overlook. I would not like it repaired if there is heavy structural damage underneath. It is less then one year old and I don't want a crab crawling car. I guess I will have to let the insurance company know what i think about it. If it was a straight forward replace panels I would not have any issue back stretching back a new car is not what I want.

Sadly :( Our ZR6 Aurion was hit from behind tonight at the traffic lights. An old VK commodore hit us from behind and it was a write-off (could not be driven at all bonnet buckled, side gaurds crumpled, radiator half way through the engine bay etc....). Our car however didn't look too bad however it was dark and I didn't get a full inspection at the time. The bonnet was jammed shut and the rear end seems to be sent somewhere under the car...However from a distance it doesn't look that bad. Wondering if anyone has been in an accident and what sort of damage they could come accross. the entire rear boot floor would need replacing exhaust is bent etc...Does a simple rear ender mean it could be a total loss, it is coming up to its 1st birthday? Cheers, Steve.

I might have to wait a while for aftermarket manufacturers, however they are never the same fit etc.

Is the TRD Aurion Bodykit available from anywhere? The rear bar would be nice to have. If anyone has any sources & price lists to go with i would be very interested.

I ordered a black ZR6 with tints & mats on a Thursday one week & had it Wednesday the following week. It may be a high demand for the gold colour that has caused issues, being locally manufactured i can't understand 2 - 3 month waiting periods for an order.

I picked up my Zr6 last Wednesday, I am very pleased with it so far. Although running it in, it seems to be consuming a decent amount of fuel. Colour is Ink it looks great so long as its kept clean. The only regret i have now is that i didn't option it with the navigation system however there is a guy selling an aftermarket system for $2K on ebay. Has anyone got any feedback on these aftermarket systems which look like the genuine article?