Your thoughts on frame rail damage

[Ryk]

Hello,

Recently in an accident. Have some frame damage to the driver side frame rail. Buckled/crunched a bit.

Wondering if:

1. Is this fixable?
2. Does it NEED to be fixed?(Is it small enough to leave as is?)

Thanks in advance!

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[Phil V]

Hello,

Recently in an accident. Have some frame damage to the driver side frame rail. Buckled/crunched a bit.

Wondering if:

1. Is this fixable?
2. Does it NEED to be fixed?(Is it small enough to leave as is?)

Thanks in advance!

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20181115_122910.jpg

You're going to have a hard time lining up the core support/Radiator support (which everything else in the front bolts up to.

What is the year, make and model of the vehicle we're talking about here ?

[Ryk]

2010 Mazda 3 Sedan

More pictures from outside. I don't believe there is any other frame damage. Car still drives normally. Wheels still are same distance from wheel well on both sides. Radiator isn't smashed, impact was on the corner only.
Will probably have to replace:
Hood
Hood Hinges
Bumper
Bumper Steel Support Beam(Might be a problem because of damage)
Grill
Fog Lamp Covers
Headlamp Assembly
Possibly both fenders

Still wondering if this is safe to drive? Do i need to try and get it pulled out?(I guess this will kind of depend if hood and bumper support line up?

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[Len]

Anything can be repaired properly, it's just a matter of having the right tools and skills to do the job properly. On that job I'd recommend having a professional shop do the work. Get an estimate from a couple of auto body shops in your area in order to see what they say about how they would go about fixing it.

Do you have experience in doing auto body repairs?

[Ryk]

Negative, just regular car mechanical work. Part of me was hoping i could leave the damage as is and go about my day replacing the parts. But I assume what will end up happening if i just try replacing the parts, is the hood isn't going to align correctly because of the buckled frame rail.

[Len]

Negative, just regular car mechanical work. Part of me was hoping i could leave the damage as is and go about my day replacing the parts. But I assume what will end up happening if i just try replacing the parts, is the hood isn't going to align correctly because of the buckled frame rail.

Another option is to remove all of the bolt-on parts to expose the underlying damage then tow it to a shop to get an estimate on the straightening then tow it home and replace the parts.

[Phil V]

X 2 what Len said. I guess it's safe to assume you had no collision insurance or you do have insurance and you don't want to turn it in for a claim. The only way that small section of frame damage would affect the hood alignment is if the radiator support is pushed back or if it's kicked over a little (bent to one side. That would affect where the hood latch is at in reference to the radiator support.

If you turned that in to the insurance company I would say the estimate would be close to $4,000

That car is still worth around $8K so it's worth putting back together right.

I really doubt if you will have to replace the hood hinges. Most of the time they get pulled back pretty easy.

If you have to replace both fenders then you have a lot more damage than what appears in the pictures (that said is by a professional experienced bodyman. ) "your mileage may vary".

Here is a low mileage basically the same car for $5500. ---- https://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/c...744740275.html

[baubau]

insurance estimate....that car is easily gone, total loss..

it is impossible for us to give you an approximate estimate...

like said beforez either tow it to a shop for an estimate or pay a pro to come inspect it..it is mazda 3, 2010, is it worth all the trouble?

[tommie.b]

insurance estimate....that car is easily gone, total loss..

it is impossible for us to give you an approximate estimate...

like said beforez either tow it to a shop for an estimate or pay a pro to come inspect it..it is mazda 3, 2010, is it worth all the trouble?

Like the rest of the pros say on here. I see you are in the DC area? Local shops there have a high labor rate compared to our area Pa/Md line. Just a idea have it towed a shop let them pull and align parts and you put it back together? I just did a 2014 Nissan for a man in Fairfax Va. Good luck

[Ryk]

Thanks guys i appreciate the info. Yeah didn't have any collision insurance on it, and still owe about $2000 on it. Yeah as baubau said, that's what i have been debating whether or not i should really take the time on this or not.

Yeah as Phil stated, the radiator support on that side is pushed back preventing the hood from closing properly, on the second latch.

I do appreciate the info here, helping me decide if i wanted to get this fixed, or do it myself or just write it off.

Taking this to an auto body shop in falls church,va tomorrow to see what they say.

Will most auto body shops allow only fixing the frame damage? One part of me was thinking some places won't fix it unless you let them fix everything.


**Also off subject, i actually work in IT. Just fyi for some reason this forum pushes my CPU to 100% usage. Something weird going on with this forum. Just the forum, not the rest of your site.**

[Len]

Thanks guys i appreciate the info. Yeah didn't have any collision insurance on it, and still owe about $2000 on it. Yeah as baubau said, that's what i have been debating whether or not i should really take the time on this or not.

Yeah as Phil stated, the radiator support on that side is pushed back preventing the hood from closing properly, on the second latch.

I do appreciate the info here, helping me decide if i wanted to get this fixed, or do it myself or just write it off.

Taking this to an auto body shop in falls church,va tomorrow to see what they say.

Will most auto body shops allow only fixing the frame damage? One part of me was thinking some places won't fix it unless you let them fix everything.


**Also off subject, i actually work in IT. Just fyi for some reason this forum pushes my CPU to 100% usage. Something weird going on with this forum. Just the forum, not the rest of your site.**

Different shops will decide and charge differently. Some shops will allow you to remove the parts and have them do the repairs and some shops will want to do the entire repair. Check with several shops before you make a decision because if a shop needs the work you might get a good deal.

I have no idea why the forum maxes out your CPU but I'll check with my host.

[Ryk]

Yeah i just took it to one across the street from my work. They estimated $4000 and wouldn't do a partial, way above what i want to spend on this.

Here is a couple more pictures with the bumper off.

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**Side note im on my computer at work and it's not taking my CPU to 100%, must just be something with my computer at home.*

[Phil V]

Yeah i just took it to one across the street from my work. They estimated $4000 and wouldn't do a partial, way above what i want to spend on this.

Here is a couple more pictures with the bumper off.


**Side note im on my computer at work and it's not taking my CPU to 100%, must just be something with my computer at home.*

Ryk, that looks like a really easy job to do after a shop pulls the fame back in place (and don't let them tell you it can't be done). I'm guessing a frame shop will charge you around $400 to pull the fame back to where it belongs. You should at least "cut in" the new fender and hood before you bolt them in place permanently. (cutting in means paint the parts of the hood that can't be seen when the fender is mounted and the hood is closed). You should be able to do that job for less than half of what what the shop wants to charge you, (frame labor included for less than two grand). That price does not include air bags if they deployed in the accident.

How many miles on the car ?

Did the airbags deploy ? (that could get expensive real quick).

[Bob K]

That frame rail extension is $50 on eBay. It may be the same price or sometimes even cheaper from a dealership parts department. Headlights not so likely, get them after market. Don't be afraid to ask for a discount, you will often get one from a dealership. Do you have a drill and spot weld cutter, die grinder with cutoff wheel and MIG welder? You can cut out that wrinkled frame rail extension and weld in a new one. After that it just buying replacements for the broken parts and tweaking damage to bent sheet metal. Just tack the frame rail extension in and then assemble all the parts to be sure everything will fit as needed. I would look at after market parts and maybe a scrap yard from car-part.com. Sometimes I have found complete bumpers with bar and grills for the same price as an after market bumper cover. The last Nissan I did I got the complete bumper and the frame horns cheaper than a cover alone. You can buy the tools you need for that repair and be money ahead. Your new pictures make it look like something that can be done at home. If you can afford to have the car out of service for a while go for it. It's a fun hobby and yours is good project to start learning on. I had to buy my first car 20 years ago to start this hobby out. You are already ahead of the game from that stand point you already own the car.

Bob K

[bmarler]

That frame rail extension is $50 on eBay. It may be the same price or sometimes even cheaper from a dealership parts department. Headlights not so likely, get them after market. Don't be afraid to ask for a discount, you will often get one from a dealership. Do you have a drill and spot weld cutter, die grinder with cutoff wheel and MIG welder? You can cut out that wrinkled frame rail extension and weld in a new one. After that it just buying replacements for the broken parts and tweaking damage to bent sheet metal. Just tack the frame rail extension in and then assemble all the parts to be sure everything will fit as needed. I would look at after market parts and maybe a scrap yard from car-part.com. Sometimes I have found complete bumpers with bar and grills for the same price as an after market bumper cover. The last Nissan I did I got the complete bumper and the frame horns cheaper than a cover alone. You can buy the tools you need for that repair and be money ahead. Your new pictures make it look like something that can be done at home. If you can afford to have the car out of service for a while go for it. It's a fun hobby and yours is good project to start learning on. I had to buy my first car 20 years ago to start this hobby out. You are already ahead of the game from that stand point you already own the car.

Bob K

that's great advice bob. that extension looks like it's designed to crumple and absorb impact so trying to straighten it might not result in a part that performs as designed if there's another impact. when all the bent stuff is gone, it doesn't look that tough to fix. i get my used stuff from the local pick and pull. the prices are really great.