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It finally happened - the LA traffic bit me in the ***... or, uh, nose. Rear-ended a delivery truck on Hwy 101 in Universal City. Only about 10mph, not very fast or very hard - the airbags didn't even deploy - but enough to push the radiator, A/C condenser and fan back. Juuuuuuust missed the bumper cover, too, but got the aluminum bumper mounting flanges behind it. You can see where the vertical part of the truck's lower rear guard creased into my hood! Luckily, the hood went up and over the cowl and fenders, so not even a scratch on them. Looks like the crash tubes will need replaced along with the condenser, radiator, fan and hood. With any luck they'll add a new bumper cover and paint it all to match. I'll have an estimate tomorrow, but I'm figuring less than $4K all-in. I'm fully insured; nobody was hurt, just my pride (and joy).
On the plus side, it doesnt look structural at all: the radiator is mounted in a housing that is completely replaceable. Hope your body shop treats you right, and does a good job on the repair. Good luck.
I think you're dreaming if you think the final bill will be $4K or less.
I don't think so. But if it does get up near 6, that's total-territory and Geico and I are gonna have a problem with that. I've spent well over $2K in the last three months on her. But if push comes to shove, I'll just buy it back from them and fix it myself. As long as the frame's not bent (and I see no way that it is) all of the parts are bolt-on (with some adjusting needed on the hood hinges, I'm sure). I'll know the outcome tomorrow afternoon. Trying to stay optimistic.
I think you're dreaming if you think the final bill will be $4K or less.
I agree. Back in 2008 I was backed into at a stoplight. Very light damage, but the hood needed to be replaced, the front bumper cover refinished and the radiator supports replaced. Added up to $4,461.81.
Last edited by bee1000n; Sep 8, 2016 at 11:37 AM.
Reason: added scan
I agree. Back in 2008 I was backed into at a stoplight. Very light damage, but the hood needed to be replaced, the front bumper cover refinished and the radiator supports replaced. Added up to $4,461.81.
Wow... If that were me, I would have demanded to see a price breakdown on all parts (OEM hood is *now* just ~$500), and what is that "paint supplies" but they charged labor rates? WTH?
Wow... If that were me, I would have demanded to see a price breakdown on all parts (OEM hood is *now* just ~$500), and what is that "paint supplies" but they charged labor rates? WTH?
I have the full itemized invoice, don't worry! It's 4 pages long because every single piece that needs to be removed and then reattached is assigned a set amount of time - and the minimum amount of time is 1/10 of an hour. Here's an example: Remove and install the plastic cap over the windshield washer nozzle: 12 minutes each! No way did it actually take that long, but that's what the book says they need to charge. It's crazy!
Legitimately, though, when they replace the hood they have to blend the new paint all the way into the doors. Even though just the hood is replaced, the work goes well beyond it.
I was blown away by how much it all cost. Fortunately I didn't have to pay for any of it since the other driver was 100% at fault.
FYI. Paint supply charges are a direct relationship based on paint labor. As you can see both use the 12.8 to make the calculation. This is an industry standard in the way it's done as it's IMPOSSIBLE. to tabulate ever ounce of reducer and thinner and prep solvent and sanding disc and ounce of filler and rag and paint stick etc.
Parts theses days are wild. I saw an estimate on a brand new 7 series that had its headlight broken. $3,200. !!!!!!!!!!! For the part.
Hadn't received a reply from insurance yet, so I stopped by the body shop this morning (Caliber, in LA). Literally nothing had been taken apart to do a correct estimation yet. Body shop guy said "in his opinion" it would be $4-5K at the most. The reason he gave that nothing had been estimated yet was that insurance was thinking about totaling it and wants to get a fair market value price before considering repair. I have also sent insurance a tally of my recent thousands of dollars spent on repairs and improvements since May, which they'll have to take into consideration.
If worse comes to worst I'll let them total it and pay it off, then I'll just buy it back and fix it myself. I have a list of about $1500 (max) in parts. There will be some paint costs of course, but no metal repairs - everything is bolt-on. I can also straighten the tops of the aluminum bumper flanges and reuse it. Hell, the bumper cover is even good.
Needs:
hood & 2 hinges
upper grille
radiator support
pair of upper core support mounts
radiator, A/C condenser & fan housing
1 hood lock (driver's side)
new aluminum bumper is $300 - can probably be fixed for free
ECS Tuning shows excellent prices for most of these parts - with free shipping.
It's totaled. Insurance gave me a very fair value on the undamaged version of the car, but repair costs (which are outrageous, btw) were just a little more than 80% of that value. Ergo, a write-off.
I'm buying it back, though, to sell locally (as a whole, no parts). I'd fix it myself if I had a garage. Anyone local to SoCal (Valley area) interested in it for $2,500? I have a list of repairs and improvements since May that come to over $4,000.
Buying it back merely to sell it, and probably net more than insurance is willing to give me to walk away. And I would rebuild it if I had the space for it. After investing over $4K in it since May, I'm too deep to just let it go but I really have no choice. For some other future owner who wants to fix it, it's fixable (with a salvage title). Repairs needed: other than around $1200 in parts, the question is if the upper frame rails need straightening.
But the 108K-mile engine, S/C & 6-speed are perfect: recent 15% pulley, belt, tensioner, OEM crank pulley; Rota RB wheels are 5 months old, tires are great; $1,000 on new suspension & steering less than a month ago... The list goes on. I did a full accounting of everything here in post #14: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ing-renew.html
It was definitely a labor (and cost) of love, but I'll probably go a different direction for my next vehicle. Looking at BMW 330CIs, so staying in the family from whence I came.
I feel terrible seeing the damage and knowing the verdict. I know how it feels to have to give up a project you have a lot into and I'm sorry it happened to you this way. I hope you find a new one soon (if that's what you want to do)
