Source
r/Autobody•
datsteve

Requesting Opinions | Crash damage evaluation

Hi guys,

A family member recently got into a collision. I just wanted to ask for your opinions - can this kind of damage be easily repaired, or should my family should push to have the car totaled and replace it with a new one?

All things considered, I feel that the car can be repaired and brought back to good condition. The car is only a few months old so I doubt the damage and repair estimates will exceed the wholesale valuation, which is likely between 15k to 18k by my judgement, as the car has 3,500 miles on it (please correct me if this seems out of whack.) I'm also not sure what sort of say my family has in the repair vs. replace decision.

So if you all wouldn't mind, please review this album of the photos I've taken and let me know what you think.

I really appreciate it!

Posted Jul 3, 2018, 7:56 PM UTC · edited

26
Skipp3rBuds•

Not a bad repair, got lucky! Looks bad but it really isn't to bad

5
dublifeh2o•

Repairable... not a major repair either.

2
ZippyTheChicken•

only thing is ... can that front left frame rail be saved or does it need replacing.. replacing them is not an easy thing on brand new cars that use ultra high strength steel.. they would have to strip that car down quite a bit to be able to get the welder in there to put a new one on.. you can't just yank out the mig welder anymore.. fender door hood, brackets are not an issue in my mind and I can't tell are you walking the car and taking pics of the door gaps? are you doing that because they look pretty far off? ..

i tell you the new new frames today you can't do crap to them.. its because of the mpg standards they are trying to save ounces or a few pounds to get to the 54mpg standards obama put in and it basically means you can't fix much anymore

I think a dealer shop would be best to estimate it base on its age.

1
datsteveOP•

I took photos of the door gaps really just for recordkeeping, they all looked fine to me. The frame rail seems straight to me, but the car's getting a closer look from the appraiser at the moment.

New frames in modern cars are probably designed the way they are to maximize crash safety and efficiency, and my brother-in-law walked away from this accident without any major injuries. Can't say I'd rather have old cars back ;)

1
ZippyTheChicken•

yeah new cars do have better safety but its a whole new thing trying to weld any of the ultra high strength steel.. basically you are suppose to spot weld it the same way that robots do in the factory because any normal welder will introduce too much heat and then the metal loses its hardness .. from what I am seeing some shops are investing in some very expensive welding equipment.. the future seems that small shops won't be able to do this work so dealers will be doing it or maybe a really high volume shop. it also means you can't straighten the frame by pulling it.. parts just have to be replaced

1
datsteveOP•

Yeah they definitely get trickier to work on, but people find a way

1