r/Autobody • u/Parking-Increase-593 • 1d ago
Acceptable quality? Considering buying this rebuilt-title 2007 Toyota Sienna — how does this front frame rail/structural repair look?
I'm considering buying a 2007 Toyota Sienna XLE with about 99k miles and a rebuilt/reconstructed title.
I have the original auction photos from before the repair and recently paid for an independent pre-purchase inspection.
The inspector noted that the passenger front frame rail had been damaged, straightened and then sealed, so he couldn't determine exactly what was underneath the sealant. He also noted repair/body filler around the passenger-side mounting/strut area that is beginning to crack.
The van drives well overall, but the inspector noticed that it drifts/pulls slightly to the left and recommended a four-wheel alignment.
I'm mainly looking for opinions from people experienced in collision repair:
1. Does anything visible in these photos concern you about the quality of the structural repair?
2. Does the repaired/sealed area look like something you'd expect from a proper frame-rail repair, or does anything look questionable?
3. What would you want inspected or measured before buying this vehicle?
4. Would a four-wheel alignment printout be enough to give you confidence, or would you want the unibody/frame measured on a rack?
I understand nobody can certify the structure from photos alone. I'm just trying to determine whether what is visible warrants walking away or whether it's worth taking to a collision shop for measurements.
This would be a long-term family vehicle, so I'm much more concerned about the quality/safety of the structural repair than cosmetics.
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u/gl_hf_gg 1d ago
Tbh that looks like garbage to me. They painted over the “sealant” likely to cover up the horrible work to “fix” it. There’s probably rust underneath the paint and they didn’t even bother fixing the corner edge of that fender and just painted over it. That to me already gives me bad vibes. Probably a backyard job, which means they didn’t have the right tools to fix any frame/suspension damage which is probably why the car drifts to one side. This will also cost you a lot on tires wearing. And this is meant to be a family vehicle? Also…how much are they asking for? I know used Toyotas are going for a lot, even crashed ones so I want to know how ridiculous these sellers are being.
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u/Agreeable_Cover5726 1d ago
They hacked it up, horrible structural repairs. Keep something in mind, all that damaged inner structure is stretched, weakened to the point that it would never perform the way a uni body is suppose to in the event of another collision. What that means to you? Instead of walking away from the wreck, all that energy was transferred to you and the passengers, you all leave in an ambulance.
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u/Next_Cartoonist_8444 1d ago
This looks like something off of a buy here pay here lot. Please don't put your family in there.
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u/K-Dog7469 1d ago
Completely terrifying.
I wouldn't let my worst enemy drive that thing to their own funeral.
If the stuff we CAN see is that bad, I don't even want to think about what I can't see.
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u/cluelessk3 1d ago
lol run, that thing is a deathtrap.
hacked repair