The front piece on my Camry - with Toyota logo on it - is broken. It's a 2000 Camry CE. How much does it coast to replace the piece? And is it important to fix it right away? I'm thinking with this piece broken, people can gain access to everything under the hood if I park my car outside.
The piece that is broken is commonly referred to as a grille. The piece is probably expensive, on the order of $350 to $400.
It is not so important to fix it right away because its purpose is mostly cosmetic. People will not be able to access everything under the hood any easier with a broken grill since the hood release is inside the passenger compartment.
How about this one for $44.95:
Yup.
What you could try to do (here I go plugging products again...) is go to a hardware store and look for Velcro brand glue. It's purpose is to adhere the velcro strips to surfaces they would not ordinarily stick to, but I have found it bonds most materials, esp plastic, better than any other adhesive i have ever used.
Put a thin bead on each side of the parts to be binded and hold them together for at least a minute, and then let them sit for about 1/2 hour, or, considering the size of the pieces you have to bond, and hour or more.
I repaired a stressed plastic piece on my Supra lawst year, and it is still holding...
Wow, that's a great tip. Thanks. I'll own some by lunchtime.
BTW, the grill has an important mechanical function too. It is the debris-barrier that keeps stones & such from piercing the radiator. For that reason I'd counsel fixing the grill ASAP.
Brent
Yes.
A different issue. The piece on the photo and the bumper were replaced by an autobody shop months ago after an accident. My insurance paid for it. Now I believe the grill that the shop put on is also a *decorative* piece. That's why it went broken so easily when bumped. The shop gave me something like life-time warranty for their repair. But I think they'll say they don't warrant for "being damaged". My arguments is they should not put some low quality stuff on my car when I told them I expected something as good as the originals. Can I make a case here?
Take the issue up with your insurance company. My insurer provides a "long as you own the car" warranty on repairs done by one of the shops they recommend. Yours might also.
Brent
Life time For their repair -- not for the part being in yet another accident. For $50 I woudn't mention it to your insurance company. You could replace it with the new armor used on the HUMMV and not worry again about it.
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