Front Sidemember

Does anyone have experience with replacing the front sidemember of an 04-09 Prius? I was involved in an accident where the front bumper was damaged, mostly on the passenger side. The rebar was bent and the tip of the right front (passenger side) sidemember was bent at about 45 degrees to the to the drivers side. The actual frame was inspected and ok but I was told the side-member had to be replaced. They were trying to charge retail for the part at about $479, but I was able to find a part from an oem dealer for $320. The labor didn’t seem out of this world at about $540 for 7.5 hours of labor, but then again I am not familiar with this fix. Total cost would be just under $900.

Is this a fair price? And is anyone familiar with how they will repair the sidemember? I have done a number of repairs on my car (wheel hubs/bearings, valve cover gasket, break pads, combo meter/cluster, etc) but I am in no way familiar or comfortable with any type of welding. Is this something that can be done at home and is welding required? It hasn’t been easy finding information about how the side member gets repaired. Hoping there are some fellow priuschat users that have experienced the same damage and are more familiar with the repair.

Any feedback would be very helpful! Would love to get this back kn the road within the next few months.

 

Thank you both! It appeared to be a squeeze type welding after removing the rebar. But in a nutshell you both confirmed I’ll need a professional to do the work. Thanks again!