I was in an auto accident today. 
It was my fault. I rear-ended a SUV with my Ford Focus Sedan. It was raining, fire truck was coming from behind, the woman in front stopped suddenly in the intersection, I was following too close and BANG! Her SUV didn
Are you even in Taiwan now?
noâŚ
just asking for advice from other people who have been in similar circumstances or know anything about repairing cars in the US.
Perhaps not the best forum on the net, but I frequent here and a lot of you are very knowledgeable about a lot of thingsâŚ
I am still in shell shock from the accidentâŚ
So stupidâŚ
Put some spotlights on the roof and a strong metal bar and use it for roo shooting. Sorry, wrong country.
HG
[quote]Front Bumper = Dented bad, cracked, and
Jeez, in the thread where youâre selling the car, you say the damage will cost 2K to repair, yet here, itâs somewhere BETWEEN 2 and 3K.
WTF???
Wow, that stuffâs expensive in the States. I would expect:
Bumper
[quote]GT =
I donât know much about fixing cars up in the states, but when I was a younger lad back in canucktyuktukland, I would sometimes go to the auction with a couple of mates and go in on a few vehicles, in order to fix them up a bit and resell them for a profit. I sometimes made good money doing it.
Iâve been out of the loop, but those prices sound like the premium quotes for one guy with a damaged car. if the carâs a good runner, and you donât WANT to sell it, then I would do this.
Scour the junkyards and third party parts makers for the parts that you need. You might be able to find aftermarket parts that might even look cool. Never mind the colors.
Since the car is allready 6 years old, you might be able to find a decent second rate bodyman that can put your new used and aftermarket parts on cheaply, and spray the whole car another color. Perhaps there are some scratches and other damage that you might want to fix anyway?
If the car is a good one and you donât mind keeping it, you can save a lot of money by being patient, looking around, and even changing your personal esthetic on your wheels. Contract the jobs you want done out to the lowest bidder (with some reputation, of course), and enjoy your ride.
If you just take it to a body shop and let them do what they want with it, itâs going to cost you.
This kind of think will probably not raise the value of the car, but a good cheap paint job, a stylin fascia and aftermarket lights, and maybe a set of nice rims that you find scuffed up and get polished can really make your ride look good. I would estimate 1500 us. or less. Takes some time.
The cars getting on in years and not exactly an instant classic, but they are supposed to be good cars. Why not?
Maybe you know somebody who knows somebodyâŚ
Hope this helps.
d
If you are at all handy, then you can take care of everything yourself using secondhand parts for a fraction of the cost. ANY business in the US even vaguely related to automobiles is fraudulent.
If the Kelley Blue is 5 grandâŚThen itâs worth 3 or less to a dealer without the damage. Youâd be very lucky to get 1k for it and thats if you trade it in on something.
Start scouring the Junkyards for a Focus that got rear-ended by another SUV, salvage the parts and then find the nearest Community College that offers Automotive training/bodywork. Either farm it out to them with your junkyard parts, or get contacts for some weekend warriors that will do the job on the cheap.
Portland is full of people (private party) that do top-notch bodywork on the side.
Lastly, donât be in a hurry. Good luck.
Once upon a time when a mate of my dadâs reversed into his nearly new car and dented the front wing, the dealer wanted over
Lots of good info in this thread. I do most things myself. Not a true mechanic, but have learned what I needed to know due to quote above.
Some things to offer:
In that type of collision, it is possible, if not likely, that the frame of your car could be bent. You canât likely determine that yourself. You might want to take your car to a Ford dealership (not for repairs) in order to get a detailed estimate. That will answer the âframeâ question and give you an idea where to start on fixing it yourself. Also, many dealership mechanics do private work on the side.
Junkyard parts can really save a lot, even with the scalping that some junkyard operators try to give you. If you remove the parts from the junker car yourself, the cost should be lower.
Often, the same part can be used on more than one model year or more than one model of car. Good to know when youâre calling up junkyards or out snooping around for parts. Any Ford parts department can tell you that info.
You likely know about sites like www.partsamerica.com where you can do some searching for parts and prices online. There are many other places like this on the net. Havenât found one for large parts like bumpers and hoods, etc., but I havenât looked very hard. Those parts are easier and cheaper to get from junkyards anyway.
Your original post mentions âcollisionâ insurance. You likely made a typo and meant to say âliabilityâ insurance, which covers the other guyâs car. If not, and you really do have âcollisionâ insurance, they your car is covered for damages as well, regardless of whoâs at fault.
[quote=âseeker4â][quote=âophionâ]
2. Junkyard parts can really save a lot, even with the scalping that some junkyard operators try to give you. If you remove the parts from the junker car yourself, the cost should be lower.[/quote][/quote]
No argument with any of the above, just a minor note of caution. On two occaisions in the UK I have had scrappies put the price up on me once Iâd removed a part. Of course you can walk away, but then the bastards got a part thats worth more due to your labours, which for a gearbox in a Triumph 1300 balanced on top of two SAABâs, are considerable. The bits you are after wonât be so difficult to remove so its less likely to arise.
This was in the bad old days, anyway, and maybe US scrappies are more scrupulous. No magic fix to offer, but taking a âteamâ and having a witness or two might help.