My beloved '05 had a tree fall on it. At first, it didn't look too bad from afar but I guess the tree initially hit the roof first and the both a-pillars took a lot of damage. Incredible that no glass was broken. The tree ended up settling on my hood and fender. Still waiting to hear from the insurance but i'm sure they will total it. Only 137k on the car, so I hope they take that into consideration. A few people said to just keep it considering it's still running but it's tough considering the age. It is due for inspection next month. It does have some issues. I spent $600 last year doing a lot of exhaust work.

Def needs suspension work.
Engine does burn oil
rust
SH-AWD/VSA light recently came on. Seems to come on after 15 mins of driving.
I have a strange intermittent buzzing sound coming from the gear lever area so something is up with the transmission but it shifts fine.

Current/Common issues known with 2005: AFS light & driveshaft whine
Gone through a lot of batteries owning the car since 2010.

 

That's very unfortunate. I guess wait and see what the adjuster says but it is a 20 year old car. Nothing better than a paid off car but it it's gotten to the point where it is regularly costing you for repairs - it's time to let it go. My $0.02

 

Honestly at the rate the market is going, i'd just drive the car as is and just fix all of the mechanical issues. Way cheaper than a new car payment

 

I agree, keep that on the road! Doesn't look too bad.

 

Agree with others that the tree damage itself doesn’t look too bad, but the tipping point may be what you have already called out as maintenance / repair work. Depending on the costs associated with suspension work, how pervasive the rust is, why the SH-AWD light is coming on,etc will likely weigh in on your decision. Alternatively before tree fell on your car were you thinking of replacing or repairing??

 

I appreciate the replies. The mechanic who installed a new power steering cooler about 2 years ago told me to start thinking about getting a new car but the other shop I took it to passed it for inspection. We’ll see what this new guy I’m seeing says on Wednesday when he gets it on the lift. Still playing phone tag with the insurance company.

Aside from the rust, I am concerned over that strange buzzing sound coming from the transmission. Perhaps the torque converter? It doesn’t happen all the time but I just notice it last month. The SH-AWD/VSA light could be a sensor.

For reference, the dealer did the timing belt about 3 years ago. There is no CEL.

I do agree that the damage isn’t terrible. It still sucks and could have been so much worse. Thankfully I can still open both doors. The roof area definitely took the most damage. I could always source a used fender at a salvage yard.
Before the tree incident, I had no plans of trading it in or selling. With winter coming, it is my only AWD car.

A few more photos.






Both doors are rusting and it’s slowly spreading to the rocker panels. The driver’s door is beginning to bulge. I also have rust in the rear wheel wells. So yeah…plenty of rust and then just as bad underneath. Tree also got my deck lid spoiler.

I appreciate the input and advice. It’s a tough call.

 

The dents on the roof panel and top edge would be way cheaper to repair with filler and paint - a decent body guy could make those dents invisible, it's a fairly minor cosmetic repair just to sand then fill and skim over.

If the insurance is quoting repair costs based on cutting and welding new metal then it will be a write-off for sure.

 

Got lowballed by the insurance and tried to negotiate but they are not budging. I sent them a comparable car in Texas going for $4200 but they did not care. Trade-in avg is $1500.

Total payout after the $500 deductible and taxes: $2600

Sigh...

 

Next steps / thoughts?

 

Like you said ..probably time to say goodbye. Still thinking it over.

 

The wheelwell rust is a common spot on various Honda products. The deck lid spoiler is a meaningless cosmetic part and easily replaceable. But the door rust, while not structural like the rear quarter panel is, actually looks more concerning to me because it suggests more advanced rust overall. You mentioned it's "bad" underneath. Have a mechanic offer an opinion on whether it's structurally sound.

As others said here, the dings are easy to fix cosmetically. The question is whether there's enough left of the car to make that fix worth the money.

And, sorry about the insurance shafting. That happened to a family member, and it's maddening. You pay premiums so this doesn't happen. That whole industry is a racket.

 

IMHO time to move on.

 

Yeah…it wasn’t easy but probably for the best. I do miss it. I hope to get another one at some point but I’ll probably go the RLX route.


I am selling my set of 18s if anyone is interested.

https://acurazine.com/forums/market/...8#post17009788

 

Be aware that the RLX, even the SH-AWD version, doesn't have the same AWD system and doesn't drive or feel anything like the RL.

While it's a good car, you might find a more RL-like experience in an SH-AWD Acura TLX or even a Lexus GS. Obviously, test drive before you buy.