Long story short, got my 3G TL in December 2017: 52k miles 6spd literally perfect condition. Got rear ended ("fender bender" on Rt 7 - Yay NOVA), damage is primarly in the front as i was pushed into the SUV in front, insurance deemed it a total loss estimate 8k dmg, willing to pay me $7950 or $6600 with the buy back of the car.

I am inclined to buy back and repair, any suggestions, comments or opinions? I really cannot afford a car payment right now, and I do not want to drive a typical 8,000 car. Bodyshop in Leesburg, VA quoted $3900 for repair.

Another point, anything that I should swap to while it is being repaired (newer gen TL stuff, etc..)?

This whole process has been so disheartening, I get it (not my fault) and I am COMPLETELY screwed.

 

probably all comes down to your finances...
you dont want an $8k car but cant afford to finance.....
which would mean probably cant buy back the TL and fix...$6k + a few grand...maybe $3-5k?

 

Buy back option: I get $6600 and the car, repairs quoted at $3900, so some flex room there (keep in mind will now have a rebuilt title instead of clean).

Looks stupid I agree, but my wife is about to need a new car and we can do 1 decent car payment, but 2 is just too much, and I have driven beater cars for my entire life, just was enjoying a nicer ride for once and did not want to go back.

 

gotcha, the buy back amount makes sense. fix the car for the $4000 that it needs and dont worry about the title...because you'll own the car forever and ever and ever and ever

 

Any suggestions on upgrades while they are fixing? (newer gen TL lights, etc..)

 

all up to you....when I had a front end accident; I had insurance paint the type-s front end for me and install it on my base TL.
since you're the one buying the parts, it's totally up to you on which parts you buy and if you want the type-s parts or not

 

Buy back makes complete sense; at this point if you're running the original engine and transmission mounts I highly recommend you have them changed.

 

If you can't afford a car payment, I suggest you fix it also. By the end of the day, even if the car wasn't hit, it's still an 8k car now anyway, simply due to age. Now it might be a bit less... but... you get your car back and $6600... spend ~4k to fix.. you're still getting 2500 in your pocket... which would cover any actual loss in value when you go to sell, due to the VIN status.

To me, it's kind of a no-brainer... you don't get hit with a monthly car payment or additional debt, and you get your baby fixed... yeah, she's not flawless anymore, but, besides you who sees the VIN, who else is going to know, assuming the car gets fixed properly? The guy buying the car from you in 4 years? Who cares!

 

The engine/trans mounts have not been replaced, I'll go ahead and do that while its being repaired. I like the idea of the TL-S bumper as well, shouldnt be much more than the regular bumper so that is worth it me thinks.

I have been looking at junkyards locally, man is it me or have junkyard prices gone insanely high? I remember fixing junker cars in the 90s for nothing with junkyard parts!

 

Keep in mind, the mounts aren't cheap if you buy OEM; I think I spent something like $650 on the set of six (3-engine, 3-transmission). Rock Auto has the full set of aftermarket mounts (mis-matched brands) for, if I remember correctly, under $300.

 

$3900, really? I had similar front-end damage from the deer and it cost at least 5k.

Got any pics of the back?

 

Not sure how but the back is virtually free of damage, adjuster, me and auto body guy all logged it as just some paint damage. But with my auto-life/karma/history there is something major wrong (lol), hoping to get by without any work done on the back or just some paint stuff. The only picture of the back I have shows just a little paint damage. I'll see if I can dig up a pic that shows anything

 

I think I am going to go with the XLR8 Engine mounts, they are less than half the cost of the OEM and I can deal with the added vib. Does anyone know about the transmission mounts? I cannot find the OEM parts or very much info in the forum.

 

Have a look at DelrayAcuraOEMParts.com,, your OEM mounts are illustrated there.

 

Difficult to tell extent of damage, on driver's side. Assuming, the most expensive part, to be the hood panel, you should be able to locate an OEM, color match, nice condition, used hood panel, for between $250 and $300. If ordered, through your body shop, the shipping, is many times, included, with the added bonus, that the hood may not have to be painted. Check out car-part.com.

 

The only reason why one would replace the engine mounts now is if the car is vibrating at idle. You have not suggested that so I don't know why Horseshoez would suggest that? Especially, when you're tight on funds and your car has relatively low mileage.

Your car is an ideal rebuilder for a lot of reasons most notably there is no frame damage or structural damage of any kind.

Yes, used oem parts is the way to go if you want a top notch repair in terms of parts fitment. However, since the car color is black, fitment is less of an issue because black hides a lot of flaws so you can use cheaper price after market parts. You might want to try CAPA after market parts. CAPA is a type of certification for aftermarket parts for fit, performance, and lasts like OEM.

 

I had the sub frame of my car down a month ago or so for a clutch replacement, and while in there I had them replace the motor mounts; the new mounts yielded a definite improvement in driving smoothness during clutch engagement and when going off and on the power in a low gear. If one would wait until the car is idling at idle then the odds are good the mounts are way beyond cooked.

 

Gac stated "52k miles 6spd literally perfect condition".

The sub frame is not coming out for this particular repair. Gac do yourself a favor and just check for vibrations with the car idling? If the car is not smooth and you're not sure then have the bodyshop check the motor mounts before randomly replacing them.


Motor mounts are a pretty expensive repair. One would not randomly replace motor mounts without some kind of diagnosis. Especially, if the vehicle is in "perfect condition at 52k miles".

 

I hope there was no additional damage for the sunroof and rear window being open during the rain.

 

If you're trying to bait me into another argument, give it up.

 

I am simply trying to point out to Gac that your random recommendation is wrong and baseless. Additional, it is a waste of Gac's time and money.

I am simply looking out for Gas best interests. Gac nor anyone else wouldn't appreciate spend an additional $500.00 for no reason.

 

In your opinion, which may or may not resonate with Gac.

 

Regardless, your random recommendation of changing motor mounts is wrong. Taking $500+/- dollars from another individual makes it a crime... a Misdermeaner.

 

Regardless, you're ignoring the fact the car is 14 years old and may well have tired motor mounts with dried out rubber components. Either way, you can agree to disagree, but you have my permission to stop being a prick about it.

 

FYI

For the record, you're ignoring the fact that motor mounts do not come with an expiration date or a best use by date.

 

yeah thats kinda lame! you know those oem mounts are toast

 

What is lame and how do you know those OEM mounts are toast?

 

 

I tend to agree with you. Especially since they rarely, if ever, see sunlight.

I would save money on the mounts.... Most of them can be done yourself with basic tools when they do need changing.

 

Lol take it easy guys! also comment about window/sunroof in the rain had me laughing! There are tons of Salvage Acura TLs locally, lots even in black.. the body shop where it is at does not want to use salvage so I went ahead and requested quotes from 4 places with black TL's. I'll let yall know how it goes.

Thanks again to everyone for the advise.