Front end replacement? Mainly body work [pics]

[huskyjackal]

I haven't lurked on here for months and I apologize if there is a simpler answer I overlooked.
I rear-ended somebody the other day [long, sad story too] and totally crunched my front end. The car runs fine (no leaking or any issues seen on the 4+ mile ride home or from moving it about the driveway) but has a lot of cosmetic issues and I was recommended not to drive it until at least body work is done. I'll need a new hood, bumper, headlight, maybe 1 quarter panel, and a few up-front internal things since it pushed everything back a few inches..

Called about 10-15 salvage/junk/auto yards within 50 miles of me and none have any Proteges (or P5s) to get parts from. Local Craigslist yielded no results. My estimate came back (the guy took photos and went from there so it is likely inaccurate and way overdone, plus I don't care about paint) and it was somewhere around $3700 for parts, labor, and paint. I hate the color of the car so give me any color part, I'll paint it myself if I have to.

As with most people who don't intend to wreck, I'm broke, so this $3700 estimate is almost 75% of the cars worth and I only paid $6190 total for it. Tonight I will receive a newer estimate with non-factory parts since I was told they were super expensive (hood $350?). I can drive to other shops for more estimates if I have to but each estimate I pay for bites into my repair funds. What is the best way to do this? Am I doing it right by letting this place give me an estimate then looking for my own parts (including ordering online, swallowing the shipping cost, and paying for labor)? Where do I even find parts for this car, every place I've called said they don't have one or don't even know of a place that's got one. Is there a place on these forums where somebody might have a P5 they're parting out? (the forums are huge, I get lost).

I can post an updated estimate when I get it but does it sound reasonable for now and am I doing the right thing - my insurance won't cover this, it's liability only. I can also scan/photograph the estimates I receive.

 

[turbo_slug]

i have some headlights i can sell...

i also have a set of OEM Canadian black MP5 headlights I might be willing to let go of...

 

[pasadena_commut]

I'll need a new hood, bumper, headlight, maybe 1 quarter panel, and a few up-front internal things since it pushed everything back a few inches..

What sorts of "internal things" are you talking about? Structural or mechanical? Is your radiator actually intact, that would be close to a miracle with the front cross bar (or whatever it is called) mangled like that. The bumper looks OK to me, why do you think you need a new one? The upper grill is shot, but it can be replaced separately. Check the hood hinges - they are not the sturdiest things in the world, and may have deformed when the hood was bashed like that.

From the pictures it looks like you ran under something, mushing the hood and the cross bar and one light. If that's really all that was damaged, and you don't have a lot of money, have somebody fix that cross bar, and replace the headlight and hood yourself.

What does the driver's side quarter panel look like? The passenger side one seems to be unscathed.

 

[huskyjackal]

Sorry, I'm self-admittedly mechanically disinclined. There is o leaking fluids and the radiator itself looks fine, but there is a grille-like cover in front of it that is bent inwards - maybe it's part o the radiator, but the front of what appears to be the radiator is fine. Internal I mean structural I guess, I assumed I needed a new headlight, hood (we had to break the lock to pry it open, it obviously won't shut right), and I was wrong about quarter panels - driver side looks just like passenger there, I meant the bumper. It's cracked to hell and bent, but if that yellow part under the hood that is so bent isn't part of the bumper then I'm Ok replacing the grille if I can.

What happened is during rush hour I was on a ramp (both an on- and off- type ramp, had to merge to get off) going maybe 45mph when the van in front of me (a good distance at first) slammed his brakes so hard his tires were "smoking" and I slammed my brakes but slid right into/under the back bumper. Since the P5 is a bit of a low car I imagine the downward angle from being on the brakes as well as the height of the van I slid under it.

Thanks a ton for the help, again am still waiting for this second appraisal - the first estimate quoted such:
Replace Hood $348.63
Replace Lock 47.42
Replace Release Cable 33.68

RADIATOR SUPPORT
Replace Upper tie bar 116.36
Repair RT side panel
Overlap minor panel
Repair LT side panel
Overlap minor panel

FRONT BUMPER
Replace bumper cover 246.66

GRILLE
Replace grille 112.05

FRONT LAMPS
Replace RT headlamp assembly w/roof rail 267.21
Aim headlights
Replace RT side marker lamp 57.39

AIR CONDITIONER & HEATER
Replace condenser hatchback 274.82
evacuate & recharge

COOLING
Replace radiator manual trans w/AC 355.60

INFORMATION LABELS
Replace information labels
Caution label fan $4.20
AC label 1.6 liter $2.5
ANTIFREEZE $12

Subtotal parts came to $1878.52, 16.6 hours for labor, 11.4 hours for paint
Body labor 16.6hrs $769.80
Paint labor 11/4hrs $547.20
Paint supplies 11.4hrs $319.20

Essentially a grand is paint alone which I can do without and will let them know, but unless I get to talk to them face to face soon I'm not sure if that radiator really needs replacing. I just don't know. Again thanks for the comments, and I may need that headlamp if it's cheaper than $267...

 

[pasadena_commut]

Thanks a ton for the help, again am still waiting for this second appraisal - the first estimate quoted such:
Replace Hood $348.63
Replace Lock 47.42
Replace Release Cable 33.68

OK, the hood and lock need to be replaced, but the release cable? Was that really damaged??? Pretty hard to damage that cable as it is flexible and doesn't get "bent" like the hood did. Inspect it yourself.

RADIATOR SUPPORT
Replace Upper tie bar 116.36
Repair RT side panel
Overlap minor panel
Repair LT side panel
Overlap minor panel

The Radiator support is definitely toast. I can't tell from the pictures what else is bent inside the engine compartment, but it doesn't look like the sides are at all damaged, so why are they repairing them?

FRONT BUMPER
Replace bumper cover 246.66

In the picture I don't see anything wrong with your bumper cover except maybe some scratches. Since you are trying to save money I assume you would live with that. You do want to check the actual bumper under the cover, which is styrofoam over a metal bumper, to see if it is ok. My guess is that it is fine, since it looks like all the impact was into the edge of the hood.

GRILLE
Replace grille 112.05

You can do this

FRONT LAMPS
Replace RT headlamp assembly w/roof rail 267.21
Aim headlights
Replace RT side marker lamp 57.39

It isn't hard to replace the headlamp or the right side marker. (Is the latter broken, it is hard to see in the picture.)

AIR CONDITIONER & HEATER
Replace condenser hatchback 274.82
evacuate & recharge

COOLING
Replace radiator manual trans w/AC 355.60

If nothing is leaking, why are these being replaced?

Again thanks for the comments, and I may need that headlamp if it's cheaper than $267...

You can price many replacement parts here:

http://www.rockauto.com/

There is a very hefty markup on most of the parts. A replacement radiator should only be $120 or so. The condenser would be $140. The grill is only $21. Oddly, the radiator support price is very good.

 

[huskyjackal]

Thanks so much. I have new photos and another quote - I actually called the place and the man preparing to do the work agreed that some items didn't need to be replaced and he also gave me a new estimate with aftermarket parts which brought the price down $500 or so. I told him I didn't want any paint so my new estimate is somewhere around $2300 and more manageable. Sad part is both headlights work but I guess they just don't sell the housing.

I still do want a bumper cover because it's badly cracked at the grille and the passenger side (that was when I bought it and it bothered me then too). He agreed that since all he had was photos so he may be wrong about needing to replace certain parts (the side panels, for example, and radiator). When I finish buying a few parts of my own (headlamp, anything I can find cheaper or used) he's coming to pick the car up and get me a real quote for the work. I'm actually usually very picky about the appearance of my car, dents and paint chips and such bother me a lot (same with dirty interiors or scratches on the dash) but since this car isn't some luxury car I don't even care if the bumper cover or hood comes painted. The paint won't match anyway if he did paint it - I have faded panels and spots, plus the clearcoat is visibly peeling on the trunk lid and spoiler, and I have outright paint coming off the back bumper. If I do paint it, I'll save up and have a really nice job done for a few thousand than just spray-painting the parts and hoping they match.

Again thank you for the link and help, I feel much better after having spoken to the mechanic and he was very understanding that I am poor so as I said we eliminated all the paint labor and parts as well as discussed what I absolutely needed and could do without until I had the money for it.

 

[pasadena_commut]

still do want a bumper cover because it's badly cracked at the grille and the passenger side (that was when I bought it and it bothered me then too).

I can't see it in the pictures, but if it bothers you get it fixed. The thing is, an unpainted bumper cover is going to look a lot worse than a few small cracks.

Clearly you need:

1. hood (maybe also new hinges, definitely a new latch)
2. radiator support
3. passenger side headlight
4. upper grill

Possibly the radiator or AC condenser is damaged, but no way to tell from the pics. It isn't obvious to me from any of these pictures that anything else is required.

If it were me, and money was tight, I would probably just spray paint the radiator support myself , since it isn't visible most of the time anyway. However I would have the shop repaint the bumper cover if it is replaced. Unpainted bumper covers stand out like a sore thumb, and painting them is apparently best left to the pros, since they have to use a slightly "stretchy" paint, or it peels off. The replacement hood should be painted to protect it since it is exposed to the elements.

 

[huskyjackal]

If it were me, and money was tight, I would probably just spray paint the radiator support myself , since it isn't visible most of the time anyway. However I would have the shop repaint the bumper cover if it is replaced. Unpainted bumper covers stand out like a sore thumb, and painting them is apparently best left to the pros, since they have to use a slightly "stretchy" paint, or it peels off. The replacement hood should be painted to protect it since it is exposed to the elements.

I considered it, but even paint for just the hood and the bumper cover comes to over $395 which I just don't have to spend. At this point the car's paint itself is in such disrepair (hard to tell from photos but parts of then entire car have no clearcoat left and other areas have large chips of paint coming off) that I don't mind waiting a few months to have a full body job done and change the entire car's color rather than try and match a paint I hate. I do understand without any type of protection though the unpainted parts will be at risk to the elements so I am working on a way to coat them or temporarily spraypaint them until I can afford a real paint job. Sounds silly and counterproductive I guess, I just hate the color of the car and can deal with a ricer-looking bondo-job of a vehicle for a short stint - it's a daily driver and I go to work and back, I'm not showing the car or using its' appearance to generate any income so the paint can wait. Would hate to waste $400 painting a car a color I can't stand. :/

Also I hate how hard it is to do damage estimates from photos, I have not tried to run the A/C so I'm not sure if I need that AC condenser). If it doesn't work then the repair on it can wait until it's too hot for me to bear without AC (I'm in Birmingham, told the humidity and heat are killer down here).

 

[denice25]

try to look on ebay... Good Luck....

 

[turbo_slug]

You can price many replacement parts here:

http://www.rockauto.com/

There is a very hefty markup on most of the parts. A replacement radiator should only be $120 or so. The condenser would be $140. The grill is only $21. Oddly, the radiator support price is very good.

i checked that site out. if you look up the Protege5 headlight, they're actually selling you the Protege sedan headlight which won't work because the Protege 5 has different bulbs and more bulbs than the sedan.

 

[turbo_slug]

I considered it, but even paint for just the hood and the bumper cover comes to over $395 which I just don't have to spend. At this point the car's paint itself is in such disrepair (hard to tell from photos but parts of then entire car have no clearcoat left and other areas have large chips of paint coming off) that I don't mind waiting a few months to have a full body job done and change the entire car's color rather than try and match a paint I hate. I do understand without any type of protection though the unpainted parts will be at risk to the elements so I am working on a way to coat them or temporarily spraypaint them until I can afford a real paint job. Sounds silly and counterproductive I guess, I just hate the color of the car and can deal with a ricer-looking bondo-job of a vehicle for a short stint - it's a daily driver and I go to work and back, I'm not showing the car or using its' appearance to generate any income so the paint can wait. Would hate to waste $400 painting a car a color I can't stand. :/

Also I hate how hard it is to do damage estimates from photos, I have not tried to run the A/C so I'm not sure if I need that AC condenser). If it doesn't work then the repair on it can wait until it's too hot for me to bear without AC (I'm in Birmingham, told the humidity and heat are killer down here).

the yellow p5 paint is single stage so it's actually very easy to make the faded paint look good again. i've polished a faded p5 before and it ended up looking near new in the end.

 

[NickM]

Certifit the best place to get your parts for cheap no lie....check out their online catalog