Victim of a hit and run—again

The parking sensors need to be calibrated if they are removed/reinstalled or replaced. The instructions don't say anything other than that; so, we'll see. Again, if they are not removed/reinstalled or replaced, nothing (like the angle or precise sensor specifics) changes, and the calibration should be good. The windshield is a different issue.

 

I got the combination turn signal/backup lamp and found out that it doesn't come with the backup lamp socket and 921 miniature bulb. Then, I looked and saw that my old bulb was smashed. I was able to remove what was remaining with needle-nose pliers and the socket seemed OK. I was surprised that the fuse didn't below because the smashed bulb's internal contact wires could have touched together. Imagine removing the bumper cover and realizing that you can't complete the job because you don't have a 921 miniature bulb. I wonder if you can replace the bulb without removing the bumper cover. Those 921 miniature bulbs certainly don't last forever (12.8 V, 1.4 A, 21 candlepower (260 lumens), 500 hours rated).

 

I haven't started it yet. I noticed the missing socket and bulb when I looked at the new combination lamp.

It is a standard 921 bulb. It looks like Toyota uses both Koito Japan and Sylvania. It is fine as long as you don't use the blue-tinted silver-star bulbs, orange-colored natural amber bulbs, or LED-equivalent bulbs, none of which will have the correct color or color temperature. Otherwise, any regular, standard 921 clear-glass tungsten-filament incandescent bulb will do. I'll pick one from the dealer, but you can get them everywhere.

 

I have replaced the left rear turn signal/back-up lamp and black bumper guard. No issues with the parking sensors—they work the same as before—but note that none were removed from the bumper cover. The lamp is working fine. The 921 bulb Toyota sold me was a Sylvania bulb made in Slovakia. You can get Sylvania bulbs at auto stores and Walmart; so, no need to go to Toyota for them. The smashed factory bulb was a Toshiba.

The instructions I downloaded from Toyota Tech Info were incomplete and wrong. They don't do a good job in writing these repair manuals.

Note that there are more bumper clips than the manual says. Make sure to remove them all. The hardest part was peeling of the side of the bumper from the retainer—it is very tight and I cut my finger. Also, the bottom part of the retainer breaks if you don't separate the mudguard carefully. The second hardest part is aligning the bottom of the bumper when reinstalling it. Take pictures before you remove it to see where every tab goes. Last but not least, the bumper scratches very easily, especially the black piece, and you would need to use some bed sheet or other very soft material to put it on. There were two foam spacers on the black bumper, which I reused by removing them with a razor blade and then using glue. Original ones come with double-sided tape.

 

OK, that means it is definitely installed incorrectly. There shouldn't be any issues with alignment if all tabs go into where they are supposed to go. Some of your tabs are in the wrong places.

That said, I broke the bottom part of both retainers, probably because I didn't fully detach the mudguards when I was peeling off the bumper cover. Losing the bottommost claw isn't causing any problems, as there are four more claws, and I won't bother replacing these little pieces of plastic strips they sell for $75 each, plus another two hours of my time. It is unbelievable how much money auto OEMs make from parts.

 

I finished the job. It cost less than $500 (for parts and supplies—lamp, 921 bulb, bumper guard, touch-up paint, clearcoat, and some supplies), which saved me $1,100 over if I had it repaired over a shop (what I pocketed from the insurance company after the $500 deductible), plus the cost of rental car for three weeks, which would be another $1,000 or so. It's not perfect of course, because touch-up paints don't perfectly match and there is a little crack, but it looks alright, I think.

Before and after pics:

 

From a distance, it's hard to tell. The crack is the most notable part. One sales manager told me that they don't care about bumpers for trade-in valuation because they're "plastic" and routinely touched up before resale.

 

Today, I was on the inner one of two left-turn lanes—not the same ones in my original post—and some angry woman in a van who was in road rage against some other driver almost destroyed my blue jewel. She got mad at the other driver and suddenly and violently swerved into my lane. I was lucky because I was able to instantly brake and/or wasn't any closer to her. It was a close call. Despite almost crashing into me, she kept shouting at and fighting with the other driver.

I don't know what is wrong with these people with anger issues. Did they have a bad childhood or what? Perhaps I should invest in a dashcam.