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  1. Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Posts
    30
    #1
    Mga Sirs,

    I was driving an old honda city exi at 2 am last week when i hit a big concrete boulder that had no warning device along a dimly lit highway in cavite. i wrecked the left front side of my car and damaged the ff:

    > transmision assembly
    > radiator and aircon
    > ATF reservoir
    > power steering pulley shop
    > upper engine support
    > bumper
    > head lights
    > left side chassis

    I was planning to file a complaint becoz there was no warning device and the boulder was there sitting almost at the middle of the road but realizing that it's a hopeless case, i decided to just have it repaired on my own. the mechanic who assessed the damages assured me that the engine was ok. I was all set to have the car repaired but another mechanic advised me that one the chassis is already damaged, there is no way you can bring back the car to its old form. Even if repaired/fixed, this old chassis will only cause more trouble as you will end up spending for reallignment that will never be remedied anyway

    I need opinions about this one - would it still be wise to have my car repaired given all the "injuries" mentioned above particularly the one pertaining to the chassis? help naman po...

  2. Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Posts
    1,973
    #2
    if the chassis is really damaged/ misaligned... it would really be just a big head ache for you in the long run, might as well sell the car as is, or sell it as parts car.

    had a 89 lancer singkit before, it's weakness was the chassis near where the lower suspension arm was bolted.. it cracks when you hit a bump or pothole at high speeds. and mine got cracked. i had it fixed by a shop along edsa.. but after a week the weld gave way... they re-welded it but after a week it cracked again. so i just sold the car and told the buyer of the defect.

  3. Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    110
    #3
    how about finding a half cut? civic sana yan where surplus parts are everywhere. find a half cut na lang. hth

  4. Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    21,667
    #4
    Quote Originally Posted by D15B View Post
    how about finding a half cut? civic sana yan where surplus parts are everywhere. find a half cut na lang. hth
    Unlikely. Its parts are not as widely spread unlike its bigger brother, the Civic wherein you can find halfcuts almost everywhere. But it's not impossible tho'.

    *TS : If the car has a sentimental value, then, I guess it will be worth repairing although the extent of the damage will REALLY cause you a lot of money and time. However, if it does not have any value for you, at all, then sell it AS IS or, sell the " good " parts ( i.e. tail lights, grille, SW, trunk etc. etc. ) then bring whats left in some junkshop.

  5. Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Posts
    30
    #5
    Thank you very much for the options...i'm studying them all seriously.

    Anyway, regarding the damaged chassis, is repair really a bad idea? What are the chances that a good mechanic could bring it back..at least..relatively close to its old form in terms of original measurements and allignment? I've heard a lot of "horror" stories regarding chassis repair similar to that of Sir Impulzz and his 89 lancer.

    Another question po, what does it take for a mechanic to really determine if the chassis is badly damaged or not? In my case, the mechanic simply went under the car to see the damaged parts. That's how he diagnosed that the left side chassis was damaged. He also went inside and sat at the driver's seat to assess the other damages. He was unable to open the hood and examine the other parts (including the engine) as it would'nt open because of the accident. Basically, the other damages such as radiator/aircon, upper engine support, power steering and transmission system were also diagnosed that way.

    Most of the repair shops i've consulted refused to make assessments based only on the list i presented to them (done by the first mechanic). They required that the car be towed first to them so their own mechanic can determine the extent daw of the damages. Kailangan daw, nakataas ng husto yung sasakyan para mapag-aralang mabuti. Do i really need to have the car towed to these repair shops just for damage and price assessment? Madugo po kasi tow services dito sa cavite (ranging from 2-2500 thou) one way even at short distances.

    Pasensya na po sa dami ng tanong...I'm really getting agitated as it's been more than a week after the accident and i still could not figure out what do do with my ride. Thanks..

  6. Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    325
    #6
    *TS - good thing that you're safe from the mishap. can you post pics?

    Medyo mahirap talaga pag ang chassis na ang na-damage. It's not impossible but it would really be hard to bring it back to it's old shape. Re: shops refusing to provide an estimate without the car being brought to their shop, I guess it's only fair. One cannot assess the real extent of the damage without scrutinizing all the damaged parts.

    For me, mas maganda sigurong gawing parts car na lang yan. Mahirap talagang magdala ng oto na na-restore lang from a big accident. Gagastusan mo lang yan and you don't even have a guarantee that repairs will turn out well.

  7. Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Posts
    30
    #7
    Mga Sirs,

    Salamat po sa mga insights.

    I went to an auto care shop in cavite yesterday that specializes in honda cars (according to their billboard). The quotation they gave me was 68k (including painting and denting job of the damaged portion) but subject to increase or decrease depende daw po sa makikita nila once the car repair is started. They did not comment much about the chassis as they wanted to really see it first. As to the price, by experience daw kasi, the initial assessment is always much much lower than the actual cost later on kasi madami pa daw damages na hindi mo makikita sa labas so they advised me to raise at least 80k para di daw mabitin ung repair. The time frame they gave me was 2 to 3 weeks.

    I will be having my car towed to their shop on Monday. I am still having second thoughts, though. Wish i had more time to think it over. Kaya lang, nagrereklamo na mga neighbors namin kasi the car is just parked outside our house along a busy street and nag ca-cause na minsan ng heavy traffic. The driver of the towing vehicle was unable to maneuver it towards the garage because it could not be steered and the wheels wo'nt even turn anymore. Sana nga, i'm doing the right thing.

  8. Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    21,667
    #8
    No, you're not.

    Lets say that the repair itself will cost you around 90k with labor. You are not sure if the repairs will stop there. You will have no assurance if the car will be back to its old shape. There's still some risk.

    EXi units nowadays can go as low as 160k. If you're gonna spend 90k on it, I'd say shell out just a little bit more
    and get yourself a different car. With this you're much safer since its chassis is still well intact, assuming it has not gone with the same fate as yours. Though there might still be a little bit of repairing to do, most of them would be just on the exterior and interior of the car. Scratches, dents, which I guess is pretty normal.

    Bottomline is, get the usable parts from your car then sell the shell. Then get the money from it, add it to the 90k you have. Shell out a bit more then get a new old car, preferably the same unit you have right now. Inspect if there's something needed to be replaced and look at what parts do you have on hand. Replace them using what you have as of the moment. If there's some things that are left unused make money from them by selling them online ( READ : sulit.com.ph )

  9. Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Posts
    24,726
    #9
    ^ look at ads of cars with problems with the engine, baka pwedeng yung engine mo na lang ilipat. Baka mas mura kalabasan. Maybe worth a try if you really want to salvage your car.
    Fasten your seatbelt! Or else... Driven To Thrill!

  10. Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Posts
    4,390
    #10
    Quote Originally Posted by renzo_d10 View Post
    No, you're not.

    Lets say that the repair itself will cost you around 90k with labor. You are not sure if the repairs will stop there. You will have no assurance if the car will be back to its old shape. There's still some risk.

    EXi units nowadays can go as low as 160k. If you're gonna spend 90k on it, I'd say shell out just a little bit more and get yourself a different car. With this you're much safer since its chassis is still well intact, assuming it has not gone with the same fate as yours. Though there might still be a little bit of repairing to do, most of them would be just on the exterior and interior of the car. Scratches, dents, which I guess is pretty normal.

    Bottomline is, get the usable parts from your car then sell the shell. Then get the money from it, add it to the 90k you have. Shell out a bit more then get a new old car, preferably the same unit you have right now. Inspect if there's something needed to be replaced and look at what parts do you have on hand. Replace them using what you have as of the moment. If there's some things that are left unused make money from them by selling them online ( READ : sulit.com.ph )

    broTS, sundin mo ito...

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accident resulting in damaged chassis - worth repairing or not?