friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

it's the thing that the foam is sitting on, not the actual foam


anyways pictures would do wounders for how much damage we are talking here exactly (if you don't want to post them you can also pm me them) (btw did it leak coolant afterwards from a cracked radiater?)

AcuraKidd

iTrader: (1)

nothing was leaking, but the funny thing was that once i took off the bumper, the window washer bottle that sits in the corner on the passenger side was all banged up, but still wasn't leaking anything.

I didn't take pics thou cause i was soo upset about the whole thing, but my cousin took a few good pics of it, i'll have to stop by his place to get the pics, i'll try to post them tomorrow

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

you need a washer bottle , but yeah it be best to get another one though, cause the plastic will all be stretched and such, so it may not seal at some later date (and you lose capacity too)

but no cracked radiator is good though, sounds like it did not go too far in, but i would still get it on a frame rack though to see if the front has shifted to the side or anything (also look very closey at the framerails to see if there are any creases or such on it [or chipped/flaking paint) which would mean the framerail also needs replacement
then also look at the mounting bolts for the subframe to make sure they do not look like they have shifted any, just trying to fully assess the car before you dump money into the car, then find out you have a bent frame

AcuraKidd

iTrader: (1)

thanks for the advice on the frame, but i wouldn't know where to look to find all that stuff, my mechanic did say though that he's gonna put it on some machine to figure out if the frame was damaged or not

and i guess i'll start looking for a washer bottle now

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

it's will probably be called a frame rack, think of when they align your wheels on an alignment rack, same basic thing, but with huge arms coming off the side (that are able to pull a car frame striaght and such if needed)

but as far as you looking, it would just be looking for scratched/flaking/peeling paint (since paint does not flex too well normally)
but fair enough if you don't know too much though, kinda why we are here, and helping you

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

something like this http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/star...k-p-12735.aspx and these ones are some of the cheapers ones btw

Mr. Maker

iTrader: (4)

the foam thing is the absorber...it sits on the reinforcement beam..

AcuraKidd

iTrader: (1)

right, i was at my garage this morning taking a look to see if i could salvage any parts from the bumper, got my drivers side fog light housing, a few screws and clips, and the bumper absorber haha

out of all the things i could salvage, i got a bumper absorber, lol

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

you don't need now sticking absorber , when i had my front bumper off, i accidently broke mine in two , so now it is just duct taped on to the beam to stay in place whenever i pull the bumper cover off again



btw a fog light is good too, those suckers are like $200 new , little overpriced if you ask me, but one of mine had holes punched in it though from stones, so i needed a another one

jdjohn84

Hey guys, check out www.ahparts.com for salvage parts. They specialize in dismantling Hondas and Acuras. Dave is really helpful and very fair. Fast shipping, too.

AcuraKidd

iTrader: (1)

Here's some pics:

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

those wheels ,

but are you sure the hood is damaged???, almost seems like the radiater support is just holding it over, so it is twisted, but if indeed it is holding the hood like that, that is not a very good sign


edit: actually i do see the damage in the front right on the hood, but if you can live with that, it almost looks likt the hood might not need to be replaced to get it back driveable

edit again: i see the crease on the driver side, so never mind about the hood

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

or you might be able to just jump on it, and call it good

fsttyms1

Where the bumper beam is looks like the unibody is damaged. Are you going to have a shop put it on the rack and pull any thing that is bent?

AcuraKidd

iTrader: (1)

yea, my mechanic is gonna put it on a rack to see if the frame is bent or not. If it is, he says he's got a machine to straighten it out, but do you think the car will feel like normal after that?

Also when i started it up after the accident, the engine was making a knocking sound, so i take a look at it, and it looks like one of the pullies towards the bottom is shaking while its spinning, he says its cause of the hard impact something must've dis-aligned it, but once everything is straightened out it will work normal again.

about the hood, i thought it was repairable and told my mechanic and then he showed me the crease in the drivers side and said that the hood was already "compromised"

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

did the frame rail shift enough, to hit the alternator or AC pully , almost sounds like the frame might have really shifted
open the hood, and take a picture striaght down of the clearence from the framerail to the pullies please


but yeah if the hood had not creased, you could have gotten away with just bending/bowing it back striaght, but once you get a crease (right where it is on yours, and btw it is designed to bend right there in an accident), you just kinda toss them out

AcuraKidd

iTrader: (1)

I'm going back to the shop tomorrow so I'll take a few pics under the hood. I'm kinda starting to think that the damage done is very serious and not fully fixable. I might just sell the car once it's fixed up...

Gfaze

If you've got a wobbly pulley it's most likely broken. You can't mis-align a pulley without physically damaging it. It's also possible that the shaft it's mounted to is bent. You'll have to get the pulley replaced and hope that the shaft it's mounted to isn't bent too.

As for the unibody damage, if the guy knows how to use the machine properly he should be able to straighten it out. It will drive fine if done right. I had my Thunderbird straightened and it drove perfectly fine for the next couple years after the accident.

Don't lose hope yet, if the guy's good, your car will be fine.

jdjohn84

That is not a lot of damage. There is no reason the car can't be fixed and driven for many more years. Based on your description of where the pulley is located, it's probably the a/c compressor, so you'll have to change the a/c pulley and clutch, or just get another compressor. Better check the a/c hoses and lines, too.

AcuraKidd

iTrader: (1)

Do you guys know if seat belts from the 01 TL will fit my 02 TL-S

the part #'s are slightly different, but I called the dealer and he says that sometimes the parts are actually the same but they just change the part # for every model year.

Part # for 02 TL-S - 04818 - S0K - A20ZA

Part # for 01 TL - 04818 - S0K - A01ZA

I currently have a deal pending with a guy for 01 TL seat belts and wanna make sure that they'll fit, anybody know?

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

iirc curroectly NO, they do not have the pretensioners in the seatbelts

and, normally there is a reason for a partnumber change even if it is a slight design change


btw the first 3 digits of a part number for honda, are the part's group, such as 04818, for the front seatbelts, then the next 3 are what car it came off of, such as the TL (universial parts have there own special catagory, or they are assigned the first car they came out on) then the last 5 are the revision state and such, or any differences

then the 1 and 2 in the last 5 are probably the generation of seatbelt, such as pretensioners or not, then one of the A's means it is still the first design of that generation

AcuraKidd

iTrader: (1)

So I went to check on the car again and took a few more pics under the hood







The thing thats making the noise and vibrating is the silver pulley in the first 2 pictures. Does it look like it could be fixed, or will it need to be replaced?

Also when putting the car in drive, it makes a loud clunk sound, the mechanic says it might be a bad front motor mount, any ideas from the pictures above?

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

the silver pulley, that is the tensioner, and quite easy to fix, hell you gotta pull it off when you do a t/belt anyways, so not that hard to replace

the clunk when in drive could very well be a bad front motor mount (especially if it torn now, from the accident)

but i am still worried about how the tensioner all of a sudden started to make noise after the accident though, but there is another issue i see though, which is even worse

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

is in this picture:



is that the motor seems very cock-eyed in that picture, with the "front" (drive-belt side) being pulled down quite a bit, cause the frame rail possibly got pushed down in the accident, so it is now pulling the motor down itself (picture seems to be directly in the front, but look at the ignition coils compared to the radiator, normally they look parallel when you look at them together from the front) (you might say it is misaligned covers causeing that visual effect, but look at the edge of the valve cover itself)


also look at how those top mounts for the radiator are both shifted towards the driver side, another indication that the passenger frame rail got pulled down

tri2tun

iTrader: (5)

^x2 - it was the first thing I noticed - something was off about the picture, but I thought that it was just because the camera was slightly off - seeing how the car isn't positioned exactly horizontal to the camera's position.

But yea, once you pointed out the front coils being off, I definitely see it. Can't you just push up the frame with a jack and a block of wood?

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

ummmmm....... a jack and block of wood LMFAO, good luck trying with that, you also gotta hold down the rest of the car, so it could actually do something instead of lifting the car, but you are still probably talkink more tonnage here to pull it out, then what a normal jack is even capable of

AcuraKidd

iTrader: (1)

The car is actually drivable in this condition, and I actually need to bring it to another mechanic, do you guys think it would be safe to drive it at a slow speed?

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

i think it is fine as far as driving, especially slow, but it will probably pull severely to the side though (and tires will wear severely, so minamize the driving if you like your tires)

then the bearing, if it lets go, you would lose powersteering, and your alternator, so no charging, but it's not anyware near life threatining though, just pull over to the side of the road (if it will even let go anytime soon...)

motor mount wise, people drive on bad ones all the time lol, so no really worries other then some severe clunking, but going easy though will minamize that though

airbags and seatbelts, :kinda up to you, and the cops around you and how anal they want to be (but techinally the belt is still working though (if not locked still), and not stretched out at all, and it should still lock up anyways, it just won't pull you back into the seat if you did happen to wreck it again (but should keep you from going foward though)

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

and in the end, i think it might just be worth it to just get another TL, and swap all your parts over to it, and basically be done with this one (don't forget the lip kit, that can easily be sold to others btw)

jdjohn84

I would only get rid of that car for financial reasons (i.e., you can't afford to fix it). It is not hit that bad. Based on those pics, the car should not drive crooked or cause excessive tire wear. Unless the suspension is damaged (can't see in pics), I see no reason to worry about alignment issues. The main crossmember is not bent, and the frame behind the wheel is not bent. The bumper absorbed most of the impact.

I have had 7 rebuilt/salvage cars over my 27 years of driving, all with front-end hits, and none of them have driven crooked or had tire wear issues. Mind you, not all wrecked cars are the same. Side hits or severe front-end hits can cause alignment issues, but hits like yours are perfect candidates to be rebuilt. I wouldn't hesitate to fix and drive that car again. Rebuilt cars are not for everyone, as there are sometimes little things that pop-up after-the-fact (see my posts about headlight ballasts, a/c components, SRS components, belts, pulleys, bolts), but if the sub-frame is straightened by a reputable shop, there should be no structural or alignment issues.

Hard to tell about the engine being tilted like that. Once the frame is pulled and new motor mounts are installed, it may be fine. Heck, if I were in the market, I might buy it from you...for the right price

That gets us back to financial reasons. You will have to compare the cost of getting it repaired against the cost of buying another vehicle. Of course if you owe money on that car, the loan will need to be paid-off with proceeds from the sale, which may or may not leave you with funds for a downpayment on something else. You will either have to pay to get it fixed, or pay additional beyond selling price to buy something else. A buyer for your car in that condition (and being that old) is going to drastically inflate repair costs and deduct from its normal fair market value, and not offer you a lot of money. If you are willing/able to fix a lot of it yourself as time/money permit, you will be better off. If not, I guess you take your lumps and buy something else. Only carrying liability insurance has it risks.

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

old fuck

but anyways, for the alignment issues, in it current state it will have issues for crooked and tire wear, cause the suspension is attached to the frame and subframe afterall, so if the frame/subframe gets bent/moved, the alignment gets changed also

but anyways, don't get me wrong for it being able to be rebuilt, it can be, but where i see the issue is in order for it to be repaired CORRECTLY, not a butcher job, it may just be cheaper to get another car, and swap his parts over to the new one
it's the reason for car's getting totaled/salvage by insurance's, cheaper to just buy/payout for another car, then it is to repair the current one (hell any thing can be fixed, what it comes down to is it worth the labour and parts to fix it, or just get another one)

AcuraKidd

iTrader: (1)

I own the car and its actually my very first car. I'm on a real tight budget to get it fixed as I live with mom and she doesn't work, so I basically pay for everything.

I've definitly thought about selling it as is and would take 7-8k for it, but since those damm airbags deployed, im not getting anything near that.

So far, my mechanic quoted me $2,500 - $3,000 to fix it, NOT including the cost of airbags and seat belts.

However he named a bunch of parts, trying to get me to replace stuff I dont need, PLUS he's using all aftermarket parts instead of oem.

I told him to hold off on ordering or fixing anything for now. I'm trying to order most of the parts needed myself, so far here's a list of parts I came up with:

Front radiator support
Bumper beam
*pass headlight
pass fog light
left/right fenders
hood
bumper
left/right fender liner
something called a top cover (long black piece that clips on top of the grille)
*driver/pass airbags
seatbelts
front motor mount
*hid kit for fog lights

So far the stuff marked with * is what i bought, plus the mechanic says there might be more stuff needing to be fixed once he starts taking off the bad parts and looking at the engine.

I'm just confused and cannot decide what to do, dont want to sell it, but cant spend so much to fix it...

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

fog light, you can hold off for now, not mandatory, just don't put in the driver side one, so it looks even

then the top cover, kinda needed but also not in a way, anyways it keeps the airflow going through the radiator, instead of going up and over it (above the radiator support), and should not really be that expensive anyways it just plastic anyways lol, and quite easy to put on once everything else is fixed
but yeah that is an issue of having only liability, great when the car is in good shape, but sucks ass once you get in a wreck though

anyways, if this car is your first one and holds sentimental value (my old 94 accord was also my first car, so understandable), it might be worth it to get another car that is kinda a beater (like 2-3k should be able to get you a resonable car, not great by anymeans, but fairly reliable though), then fix this car, when you are in better financial standings

then as far as more parts once torn apart, happens quite often, hard to tell if there is any other hidden damaged without tearing it apart (but should be able get a pretty good idea though just by looking at it though but the parts that are possible hidden, you are talking BIG $$$ for those, not so easy to replace)

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

btw as far as that driver side fender, you never actually hit it, so i don't see why it would need to be replace, but in this picture you posted:


you look at the how the fender lines up with the door now, it shows that frame has moved quite substantially, cause if the frame had not moved/shifted that fender should still be lined up correctly (btw when you see your car again, sight down the driver side and tell me if the fender is still pointing straight forward and not pointed to the driver side more now

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

and to add another thing, before you buy more parts, i would get the car put on the frame rack, to see if the car is truely worth fixing, so you are not stuck with parts and such (might require some disassembly though)

jdjohn84

punk ass

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

, but a bit slow though, showing your age aren't you

jdjohn84

It really wasn't worth the effort, but then I got bored after my bran cereal, Geritol, and prune juice this morning. Luckily I don't need Viagra, though.

AcuraKidd

iTrader: (1)

so I got the car back a couple weeks ago, and it looks as good as new, but just the other day got CEL P0740...has something to do with the tranny...its just one thing after another with this car

Anyways, have a question for you guys, I haven't had the chance to reset or swap out the SRS Module yet, but the new airbags and seat belts have already been installed, the SRS light is on. If for any reason (lets hope not) there's another accident, will the airbags deploy? or do I have to get the SRS reset first?

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

probably not (and best to assume the worst case scenario, especially with safety systems)