Car accident!!!

[Myrithel]

no DL yet and I already got in an accident...but at least it's the other driver's obvious fault so insurance should cover it. The police officer said that a report would come in like 5 days, but do you guys have any input if the car is reasonably repairable?

It runs and drives after the crash (I drove home) but it rattles like crazy under 2k~ rpm. Half of the leftmost accessory belt is sheared off (power steering & water pump?) and I THINK the left engine mount is crooked. Obviously the hood and bumper are done for, as well as the radiator/hood brace. The car slowly leaks coolant when it's driving, so the rad is probably done for as well (a slight bend maybe?). Also, there is oil on the side of the valve cover, with some splashes on the left engine mount area (power steering & windshield fluid reservoirs) which is very very strange as the car didn't really lose oil prior to the accident. The right headlight is cracked on its edge so it's no longer waterproof and the left headlight has scuffs.

It doesn't look like anything is pushed into the front of the engine though.

I know it's pretty hard to determine damage without taking anything off, but I'd just like some predictions so I know what to expect when the insurance inspector guy comes. Currently covered the front of the car with a tarp to preserve everything...

Key pictures:

At the accident:

Inspecting the damage at home, hood open:

The hood/rad brace really bent, rad obviously pushed in:

oil in that area?? from the timing belt cover edge??? Also, look at the belts!! The leftmost one is sheared off halfway:

A couple extra pics in this album:
http://imgur.com/a/1ae74#0

And if they do deem it totaled, what do I get back in return? I got an AWESOME deal on the car, $2400 because the guy wanted it off his hands and he was always busy, but the KBB value is like $4200 (good condition). I would get the market value for the car, right? And what happens to the totaled car? My insurance would pay me, and then take the car, or just the title? Because I'm likely to buy another P5 and it wouldn't be that bad to have a carful of spare parts.

 

[915_P5]

When they total a car the insurance takes it from you, you are able to buy it back from them just need to tell them u may be interested in buying it back

 

[esnave09]

I am 90% sure that insurance is gonna total the car. Replacing the hood and front grill off an 09 Jetta I backed into (literally bent about 5 square inches of hood) cost upwards of $3k, and I believe when the repairs cost 66% of the car's value it's totaled. So your car is sadly done for if you plan on the insurance covering it. It looks like it'll be a lot of work to get it fixed properly if you do it yourself, so unless you have a shop that you can bend/reweld the radiator brace back in shape I'd try and find another P5.

Where exactly did you get hit? Was it in the center front or left front?

And why does it seem that black P5s always get hit in the front?!?! I'm trying to find a good front bumper to replace mine, and all the salvaged P5s that are black have bashed up front bumpers. At least in my area.....

 

[Myrithel]

the car that I hit was making a reckless left turn from some tiny 1 way street and we didn't see eachother. I was driving straight on the main road and he had a slight angle at me, so when I hit him, the impact was in front of the driver's side central area but it evened out as I pushed him a bit. Right headlight has no damage besides for a fair scuff and you can really see the hood deformation on the drivers side.

I'm just worried about frame damage...
the rad brace; it seems like a simple bolt on. $266 from onlinemazdaparts with all the crap with it (#1). The plastic bumper is a little over $200 and the actuator bumper reinforcement is also around $200. The hood is $320. And I probably will be buying junkyard parts. The hood and reinforcement should be the same for the standard Protege, right? Plastic bumper might be needed to be bought direct from Mazda because most totaled cars are front ended and P5s aren't too rare here. Add on all the other small broken things + maybe some painting + a rad (if it cant be sealed/if its noticeably bent) should make all the parts under $1250~ I think... tbh the damage seems pretty simple from my eyes and I don't see it worthy to pay some body shop to do a superb job w/ new parts to fix up a 10yr old car.

It's just the risk about any frame damage.. or even engine damage because that oil is really weird. And is that engine mount suppose to look a bit bent like that in my pic?
Even if it's not worth fixing, maybe it's more worth it to buy it back from insurance and then sell it piece by piece on the marketplace..?

*note* and this is all under the impression that insurance says its totaled

 

[RyanJayG]

It will be totaled. Almost positive about that.

 

[NinjaJack247]

No worries mine survived a front end accident from the previous owner it actually now has salvation tittle now at 117K it still running like a champ. Good luck!

 

[tweety2300]

+1 on totaled. Just from what I can see after parts labor and paint it will be 2-4k to fix depending on labor rates. And that's just what's visible, once you pull the fender and bumper off its hard to tell what else is damaged. Not to mention looks like coolant near the motor mount. Could be damaged radiator as well so add that and coolant plus the brackets are prolly damaged. It will add up faster than our national debt

A headlight, fender,bumper, hood, paint, and labor was 3,300 on my moms car

 

[hotcracker69]

seem like there is some damage to the frame, totaled

 

[BOOSTR]

Agree it will be totaled. Insurance companies do not pay market value. You have a collision deductible which will be accounted for if your company pays the claim. Whatever the adjuster comes up with will be less the deductible. Ask him what the salvage price is so you can consider whether its worth your efforts to buy it back for parts.

 

[rit14623]

The insurance adjuster will determine whether it is totalled or not. It doesn't look too bad and is repairable, but the costs to repair and replace will be more than the value of the car.

 

[lowlevel]

Sad to see another one go... glad you're ok though.

 

[BOOSTR]

but the costs to repair and replace will be more than the value of the car.

which is exactly why it will be a total loss.

 

[kms1990]

sorry man that car looks totaled the picture of that bar above and in front of the radiator is part of the frame once thats bent its gotta b totaled, you can buy it back but it will have a salvage title if it is indeed totaled but the car is fixable and indeed may run and drive just fine after repairs are made

 

[mp5build2013]

On these protege5 the Radiator support is pretty much the entire front end. I got mine for $200 new lights and a new bumper.. and straightened everything else i could as much as possible. Runs great, you can only tell when i pop the hood open and remove the intake, then you can see the ripples.
This is how i bought my p5:

[/URL][/IMG]
This is a recent picture: cost me $1400 plus the $200 radiator braket, a bumper which i found at a junkyard with the grille, and a light. About 1700 all together. It probably will be totaled, but you can buy it back... say it has sentimental vlue to you. theyll let you get it for about half of what they will pay off to you for it.

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[mp5build2013]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Replacement-Radiator-Support-MA1225126V-/181153542338?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3AProtege5&hash=item2a2d97b0c2&vxp=mtr

sorry man that car looks totaled the picture of that bar above and in front of the radiator is part of the frame once thats bent its gotta b totaled, you can buy it back but it will have a salvage title if it is indeed totaled but the car is fixable and indeed may run and drive just fine after repairs are made

That's not part of the frame bro, thats the radiator bracket.

 

[tweety2300]

You don't even have to fix it, just beat it straight enough for the radiator to sit securely

 

[mp5build2013]

You don't even have to fix it, just beat it straight enough for the radiator to sit securely

Now that's DIY thinking! lol mine was REAL ****** up so i did get one but you should be able to bend it back into place easily as tweety mentioned... its real flimsy metal

Now you know your options... Id try to get it totaled if the deductible isint hefty, then buy it back and fix it. it really isint bad from the pics..

 

[Flav]

Sadly, I'm also on the same page as everyone else as to whether or not it will be "totaled"
However.. It doesn't seem like it should be too difficult to fix. Good thing though is that whenever I go to a wreckers around here there's never a shortage on P5's or Proteges. So getting parts shouldn't be too difficult. Hopefully you are good at haggling prices! Good luck!

 

[Myrithel]

Alright, I'm pretty certain that it's going to be written off... but I'm planning to buy the car back because I think the damage isn't too bad to fix.

My plan of action:
> Remove everything broken, access damage.
> Head on to an local alignment shop to get a 4 wheel alignment to check the frame (what I understand the rad support is pretty soft so it absorbed the impact, so everything might be fine?).
> Buy a radiator support from ebay, remove the old one. I live .5mi away from a welding shop that my dad sometimes goes for misc repairs so hopefully they'll be able to do a satisfactory job.
> Go to a junkyard, hope that at least 1 of the 3 P5s at two junkyards I contacted have been rear ended. Wish that they are Black Mica 16w. Take the bumper & reinforcement if possible.
> If the P5 quest fails, look for regular 99-03 Protege hoods and 01-03 Protege bumpers/reinforcements/headlights
> If the Protege quest fails, ebay body parts aren't too expensive
> Drive a rainbow car, or for a few hundred I can probably get a nearby body shop to paint the hood+bumper factory black mica

and if it all goes downhill, I guess I could just part the car out on the marketplace? It's got 121k miles on the motor, paint is for the most part pretty good, and the interior is really clean and has obviously been maintained by prior owner. Probably worth more than the couple hundred the insurance co. will offer for the salvage car?

Thoughts?
Also, any suggestions for possible mods to go for? I'm pretty sure I can find a hood from a 99-03 protege anywhere for a decent price, but if I can't, buying a carbon fiber one wouldn't be too bad especially since I wouldn't have to paint it. And if I resort to buying new OEM/ebay parts, I could go for an AutoExe grille or body kit or something?

edit: and I'd probably live without the AC

 

[P-Funk!]

Me? I would do the research first to make the best decision. Until you accept the ins co check - the 'case is still open' and you can change your mind...

1. Understand why it totalled out (get complete list of what it needs). You can ask the ins co for this info. Have another body shop give you a detailed estimate. The ins adjuster 'stops looking' once it is over the totalled car amount. There may be way more damage you are not aware of.
2. Find a donor car (factor in paint if not black) first! Parts may cost way more than you budget or be really hard to find. No junkyard donors? Stop looking. Anaylsis is complete. Search the FS section here too.
3. Do you have the time/tools to do the work (vs 'need a car now')? Factor this in.
4. Using the FS section estimate how much you could reasonably expect to recieve for the 'big ticket stuff' (eng/tranny/ panels/glass) if you parted it out.
5. How much does it cost to get the original car back from insurance co?
6. How much (total) to repair it? Factor in it is a salvage title and you won't ever get much selling it later.
7. Search for another car you like priced at the amount the ins co is giving you. It is an option with no huge labor on your part =)

Add it all up and then decide. Worst thing you could do is 'buy it back' and THEN go see if it is 'worth it'...

My $.02 worth.