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What the Actual F@*! (Mystery bumper damage)

Discussion in '3rd Gen. Tacomas (2016-2023)' started by Neal Gamby, Jun 28, 2021.

  1. Jun 29, 2021 at 5:03 AM
    #61
    mrCanoehead

    mrCanoehead Well-Known Member

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    You would be surprised how many cars are damaged in transit from the factory, or being unloaded off the car carrier, or being jockeyed by 16 year olds around the dealer's lot.

    An awful lot of silent repairs are made by the dealer before the vehicle is given to the customer, who is never aware.
     
    MGMDesertTaco[QUOTED] likes this.
  2. Jun 29, 2021 at 5:04 AM
    #62
    auskip07

    auskip07 Well-Known Member

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    i can tell you what i dont do... i dont go around making post about someone hitting my bumper when there are no signs of impact or paint damage.
     
    davidstacoma[QUOTED] likes this.
  3. Jun 29, 2021 at 5:10 AM
    #63
    GarlicFarts

    GarlicFarts Bertolli Roberto

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    You're concerned on the gap on the left. There's also a misalignment on the right here.

    upload_2021-6-29_8-8-36.jpg

    Would be a surprise if it wasn't that way from the factory, mine looks about the same. Depending on the angle you're parked at, that's also just kinda how the bumped sits. Welcome to the third gen - still pretty damn reliable, but definitely a down-grade in some of the workmanship quality Toyota has been known for all these years.
     
  4. Jun 29, 2021 at 6:23 AM
    #64
    Newwt

    Newwt Well-Known Member

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    Just misaligned. My bed sits about a 1/2" over on the driver side. Meh, as long as I don't stare at it, it doesn't bother me.
     
  5. Jun 29, 2021 at 6:46 AM
    #65
    Westsideott

    Westsideott Well-Known Member

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    Push the dealer for the hood fix. Mine was shaky as a result of glue failure, dealership sent to their bodyshop and fixed it under warranty.
     
  6. Jun 29, 2021 at 7:02 AM
    #66
    TacoWI

    TacoWI Well-Known Member

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    I had a similar issue with my 2020 OR. Noticed it about 2 months after purchasing while walking towards the back of the truck. One of those things that once you notice it your (nobody else’s) eyes keep going to it. Plus you pay your hard earned money and want things right. Took it to the dealer and they simply adjusted the bumper. No hassles or questions asked as it was obvious it was not hit. They said it was just misaligned from the factory.
     
  7. Jun 29, 2021 at 7:18 AM
    #67
    Tacowin1013

    Tacowin1013 Well-Known Member

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    Dealer won't notice a damn thing when you go to trade it in...
     
  8. Jun 29, 2021 at 7:53 AM
    #68
    ilyace

    ilyace Well-Known Member

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    I’d rather do this option, I’ll give it a go today. Thanks.
     
  9. Jun 29, 2021 at 8:15 AM
    #69
    Mastiffsrule

    Mastiffsrule Well-known member, but no one cares.

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    Please remember these are full frame vehicles. They are put together with nuts and bolts. They are going to have different gap tolerances than the average car. A unibody Camry may have a tolerance of +/- 3mm on a frame rail. The bumper on the truck may be +/- 3 inches when they bolt up a bumper. Temper your expectations accordingly.
     
    ndoldman59 likes this.
  10. Jun 29, 2021 at 9:00 AM
    #70
    SpeySquatch

    SpeySquatch Function over Form

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    some of the tacomas come this way. It’s just a small issue with the frame tabs not being bent exactly the same. My 2016 came with it. A couple washers and it’s cherry
     
  11. Jun 29, 2021 at 9:12 AM
    #71
    714reyesj

    714reyesj Well-Known Member

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    I just replaced my bumper with an aftermarket one this past weekend. I agree with a majority of folks and suggest you loosen the 5 bolts on the left side, have someone hold the bumper up, and then retighten. I cant remember if the stock bumper had some play you could use but the aftermarket one for sure did. You can probably do it in less than 5 minutes.

    Heres a pic of the bolts I'm talking about. You don't have to touch the two located where his extension is going. Those are for a bracket that the bottom two of the five bolt on to. I believe the torque specs are 70lbs pounds for retightening.
    Screen Shot 2021-06-29 at 9.09.45 AM.jpg
     
    davidstacoma likes this.
  12. Jun 29, 2021 at 9:25 AM
    #72
    batacoma

    batacoma Truck Wars

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    Looks like UFO damage. Get a metal bumper if you are going to take the time to realign it.
     
  13. Jun 29, 2021 at 10:07 AM
    #73
    pltommyo

    pltommyo Well-Known Member

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    SSO hybrid bumper, Warn winch, RCI skid trilogy, RRW sliders, everything in the cheap/free mods thread, and of course the frame recall work.
    That thin little plastic "bumper" is beauty trim and under it is a really really thin piece of metal to support it. Fart on it and it will bend. You can disassemble the covers and then tug on the thin-assed piece of metal to level it out, then put the beauty covers back on. Your actual collision absorbing bumper is under all of that and is just fine.
     
    jsinnard likes this.
  14. Jun 29, 2021 at 10:43 AM
    #74
    outdoorgb

    outdoorgb (.)(.)

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    They are at fault and know this. My issue is the damage was so minor (completely buffed out) and the gap is only 1/4". I don't want a carfax filed as it will caused diminished value later on. I am talking to a bodyshop now about the fix for the minor 1/4" gap.
     
  15. Jun 29, 2021 at 10:50 AM
    #75
    jsinnard

    jsinnard Well-Known Member

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    100% correct, I clipped the side of my garage and broke one of the 'beauty covers off so I disassembled the "bumper" to fix. I was amazed at how flimsy the construction is.

    https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/damn-that-plastic-bumper-is-expensive.613281/
     
  16. Jun 29, 2021 at 12:39 PM
    #76
    MGMDesertTaco

    MGMDesertTaco Come on, live a little...

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    It was always a very small percentage of cars that I saw when working as a lot attendant in my younger days and when I worked in management/sales, but it does happen unfortunately. Most of the stuff I saw was related to used cars that were reconditioned and repaired before being sold on the lot. Most people would be shocked to see how well a used turd polishes up on the used car lot. :rolleyes:

    Out of the thousands of cars that were sold when I was there only a handful had issues related to paint and body and of those only a few were really bad. Most were superficial like small scratches or dents that were able to be buffed out or fixed with pointless dent repair.

    Every dealer is different though.

    However, I don't get the impression that this applies to this situation. I think this is something that happened on the assembly line at the factory. Especially, given the amount of trucks on this forum that have had very similar issues. This one appears to have a lot more fit and finish issues than the others I've seen, but that doesn't mean the truck is ruined. Toyota really ramped up production on Tacoma's after 2017 to meet consumer demand.

    https://www.autoblog.com/2016/09/15/toyota-tacoma-production-increasing/
    https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/toyota-tacoma-sales-figures/
     
    mrCanoehead[QUOTED] likes this.

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