Guest

Hi all,

I just got into a collision with a stationary car. I ended up hitting the rear of the vehicle in front of me. Speed seemed to be about 10mph. The front bumper is damaged, the hood is slightly pushed back, the drivers side headlight lens is cracked.

Everything else appears OK. The hood still opens and the radiator, engine, etc appear OK. The underside of the bumpers is intact. The airbags did go off! The car runs and steers fine.

I will be needing to get this fixed. My question is, is there anything special I should be looking for in terms of hidden damage? Any hints on what to expect?


Thanks,

PS Everyone was OK

NighthawkBlack

I would check for oil leaks and especialy coolant leaks. Just leave white paper under the car when parked and let it cool over night. Leave the paper and park in the same spot over it for a few days. PINK-red is tranny fluid, light - dark brown is engine oil. Neon green is coolant. Dont run the AC so you don't get throne off by the water discharge. Make sure winshield washer tank didn't crack since it is right behind the bumper on passenger side. If you can run a clean white rag over the brake lines especially where the the ends to see if perhaps they were loose and are leaking now just to be safe. That should be a good indication of whether or not there is damage besides cosmetic things.

ShadyUpInSmoke

maybe take it somewhere trusted and get an appraisal (spelling?) sorry about the car man.

NighthawkBlack

Do you live far from NYC. I have several front end parts like Stock bumper and absorber boxes and styrofoam cross pad. I want to get rid of them. What color is your TL?

VTEC Animal

Actually I think our coolant is purple....

AcuraTL

If there are no leaks, then you other only concern is to check for any frame damage. If you have never done it before, there is an easy way. Look at the gaps between the fender and the door. Are they consistent from top to bottom? Are they the same on the left side and the right? If the gaps are a little off, you probably have some minor frame damage. If there are no gaps at all, you know you have some frame damage. Good luck.

Guest

Thanks for all the input!

No evidence of any fluid leaking. No change in the gaps of either front door or where the front quarter panels meet the "A" pillar so I'm hoping no frame damage. Maybe when they replace the driver side airbag they can use a newer on with the emblem.

I will be getting an estimate from a shop in Manchester CT that I trust. They do superb body work. They are known for their restoration work of older Corvettes and have restored many 100 point cars. They have fixed several friends vehicles.

Guest

The car is in the shop. Front Bumper, hood with grill, airbags, one headlight assembly, one wheel and a bit of paint. No frame damage apparent, but will be put on a machine which very accurately determines alignment. Total 5K!

I'll let you know how it comes out.

wiggingboy

5K!! Damn that way to much for a minor accident... ballxnxparly accident was much worst then that and it didnt cost 5k.. is ur insurance paying for it??

thephantom

I got into a minor accident 6/30/01 and my air bags did not go off, total damage... $9K+. Our cars are not cheap to fix.

Miles

5k seems alright considereing my damaged cost came out to be $4800 when my headlights got stolen! They had to fix the bumper, both side fenders and inside wiring, hopefully I can pick up my baby this weekend

songoku

$9k damage w/o airbag??? You call that minor???

thephantom

I was a 15 MPH impact and no one got hurt, that's why I called it minor. They replaced EVERYTHING, my whole frontend is new. The hood was around $500, the HIDs were like $1200, also, there was frame work done and they did a wonderful job.

songoku

You had a damage that they have to replace everything, but airbag didn't deployed? and frame work, too
Is it because it wasn't too fast??

Guest

I finally got my car back!

The shop (Restoration Shop, Manchester, CT) did a great job. The diamond white pearl matches perfectly and is of better quality than the original paint. They had to use a 2000 airbag rather than a 2002 model because they need the VIN # to get a replacement. (so no logo or improved horn action...oh well). I keep my car quite clean, but they also detailed it before returning it.

It is nice to have it back!