Accident and a question. Ugh.

[Burrcold]

So I was rear ended today while stopped by a new Acura RDX. The bumper absorbed most of the damage like a champ, but as you can see the guy hit me so hard that it buckled the rear quarter panel in a few spots (even as far as next to the quarter window if you look closely).


Question, does anyone know how they go about fixing this section of the body? I would presume since the area behind the tail lights is one piece with the quarter panel, there would be some strange stuff going on when they go to install new tail lights and line everything up (?..maybe). It's not like it's just a dent on the side of the car that can be popped out, it's been pushed and crumpled from the rear impact.


Anyhow, any help would be appreciated. I just want to make sure the repair is done properly.

IMG_1827 by Burrcold, on Flickr


IMG_1824 by Burrcold, on Flickr

UPDATE: Got the car back after 6 weeks and I couldn't be happier (given the circumstances). Just as I thought they would, the shop I brought it to did a fantastic job with the repairs. Almost dead on perfect paint match, in fact the rear bumper and spoiler are probably better matched to the rest of the body than from the factory.

No filler was used at all which is great, and the only welding they had to do was a tiny spot weld on the wheel arch where there was a split in the sheet metal. The rest was pulled and brought back to spec. My rear quarter actually lines up better with the rear bumper than it did before, and my exhaust is PERFECTLY even on both sides now (passenger side tip was 1/4 inch further out before but I never bothered trying to fix it). Rear quarter windows were also leak tested 4-5 times during it's stay to ensure a tight seal.

I know it's lost value but maybe it'll just force me to keep it a bit longer than I have my previous 17-18 other cars lol


Rear after by Burrcold, on Flickr


Quarter after by Burrcold, on Flickr

[jayhoang]

Depending on the skill of the bodyshop - that quarter panel looks to be able to be banged out and straightened and that whole quarter piece can be refinished. Some shops can blend, some shops will just repaint the whole thing.

Trunk and hinges look like they can be re-aligned. Bumper will be replaced.

The only small issue is that it looks like the seal between the rear side window and the quarter has been damaged.

[Turbo95eg6]

Nooooo!!! Sucks to see, you always took really good care of it.

[Defuser]

My condolences.

[NOHOME]

Pray for a total from the insurance company.

Think of the hit that your head and neck absorbed, then realize that much worse went down the drivetrain to every thrust surface in the rear end, gearbox and engine that was not designed to take that hit. Nothing had to move far, and probably bounced back, but you can be sure there was a lot of stress sent down the pipeline.

At a minimum, I would be working on the diminished value claim that I would file. If it goes on a carfax report, you lose when you sell and the insurance company has to make that up to you. Mention your sore neck while disusing the option of diminished value.

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by Turbo95eg6

Nooooo!!! Sucks to see, you always took really good care of it.

I know! I was always so careful with the car and kept it looking very OEM and brand new even after 2+ years of driving. Hopefully my OCD doesn't get the best of me after the repair

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by NOHOME

Pray for a total from the insurance company.

Think of the hit that your head and neck absorbed, then realize that much worse went down the drivetrain to every thrust surface in the rear end, gearbox and engine that was not designed to take that hit. Nothing had to move far, and probably bounced back, but you can be sure there was a lot of stress sent down the pipeline.

At a minimum, I would be working on the diminished value claim that I would file. If it goes on a carfax report, you lose when you sell and the insurance company has to make that up to you. Mention your sore neck while disusing the option of diminished value.

I doubt it'll be a total loss. I'd say maybe $6k in damages? Total guess though. My neck and shoulders are hurting and very stiff already but I sort of expected that. Tomorrow will probably be worse.

I didn't think we had deminished value in Ontario. I know a lot of states in the US do but I've never heard of it here. It really does suck from a resale perspective because to be perfectly honest I probably would be looking to trade in the next two years (love the car I just have car ADD).

[aznatama]

First, hire an attorney and go see a doctor, unless you want to give up a large chunk of change and possibly be hurting for a while with no recourse if it gets worse later on.

Second, that does not look like just 6k of damage. The bumper beam looks like it was impacted, and from what I remember, there's nothing absorbing bumper beam impact other than a crumple zone. The rear qtr panel can't simply be banged out, and they'll likely need to order a new rear qtr for you. Also, your color is notoriously hard to blend... you'll end up w/ a car that's a different shade of white in that corner if it's re-sprayed.

Even if it is just 6k, how much is your BRZ worth now? Provided it really is only 6k of damage, add on the diminished value, and you could be looking at insurance payout of over 10k... most likely they will total it. Trust me, you want it totaled since they should pay you what it costs to replace it (generally highest dealer asking price for similar car in your area).

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by aznatama

Second, that does not look like just 6k of damage. The bumper beam looks like it was impacted, and from what I remember, there's nothing absorbing bumper beam impact other than a crumple zone. The rear qtr panel can't simply be banged out, and they'll likely need to order a new rear qtr for you. Also, your color is notoriously hard to blend... you'll end up w/ a car that's a different shade of white in that corner if it's re-sprayed.

Also, if it was hit hard enough to buckle those quarters, the trunk floor is toast and may have to come out and have a replacement welded back in. The plastic bumpers on these things like to pop back out and make the damage look a lot better than it is. I would be very surprised if that's a $6K repair.

[Burrcold]

Oh believe me I would love if it was totalled. I definitely know it's going to be a lot of work, but again I'm pretty sure we don't have deminished value in Canada (in the province of Ontario at least) so I would have to rely on the repair costs only to deem it a total loss. That's where I doubt it will happen.

I hate it because it's not like my bumper had been previously scratched or something like that where I could find a silver lining in getting repairs done.

[Tgionet]

I'm no expert but the buckling of the C (B?, D?) pillar would suggest unibody damage. Crash structure definitely did its job though. It'll be a lot of cutting and welding to get it back in shape.

[chanomatik]

Noooooo!!!! I hate your life. I've been in similar, hit from behind and my car was totaled. Definitely good to have a doctor check up on you to have it documented that you did see a doctor. Then see if you can have your auto insurance cover the TOM'S taillights and other things back there.

That white color will be a PITA to match. It's the most expensive Subaru color to deal with and pretty much NEVER looks right.

I'm sorry that happened to you. It's one of my biggest fears to be hit like that again.

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by Tgionet

I'm no expert but the buckling of the C (B?, D?) pillar would suggest unibody damage. Crash structure definitely did its job though. It'll be a lot of cutting and welding to get it back in shape.

That's my concern. It's one big welded piece. I hate the idea of any "reconstruction".

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by chanomatik

Noooooo!!!! I hate your life. I've been in similar, hit from behind and my car was totaled. Definitely good to have a doctor check up on you to have it documented that you did see a doctor. Then see if you can have your auto insurance cover the TOM'S taillights and other things back there.

That white color will be a PITA to match. It's the most expensive Subaru color to deal with and pretty much NEVER looks right.

I'm sorry that happened to you. It's one of my biggest fears to be hit like that again.

I've been hit from behind before as well but not from someone that was doing that high of speed and no attempt to brake. In fact, I bought a G35 Coupe new back in 2004 when they first came out and someone rear ended me on my first drive to work! And it happened 3 times in the 1st year of owning that car! Most were fairly minor though (broken bumper with the notorious plate screw indents on my bumper lol).