[astro]

I was merging onto the I-5 SB last night. The traffic around me was going 70. After I made the turn onto the 5, the traffic in just my lane was suddenly stopped. It looked like it was just slowed. But by the time I realized I couldn't stop in time, it was too late. I ran into an SUV in front of me at about 20mph.

My 99' seems like it took mostly body damage. The car still drives, but the radiator leaked out. My car seemed to mostly go under the SUV, being so low. The hood took most of the damage, but the driver side fender is crumpled. The door seems to creak when I open it. The airbags didn't deploy. I'm not sure if it's because the impact wasn't hard enough(the hood really dampened the impact), or if the previous owner didn't reinstall the airbags properly. The SUV, surprisingly, didn't seem to have taken any damage at all.
I haven't got an estimate from the body shop, but I'm guessing it's probably totalled, especially considering I bought it salvaged. What do you think?



The beat up bumper in the pic was already messed up before the accident.

 

[xvolcomx19]

this sucks man, it looks fixable,new koyo radiator,used hood or CF hood, used"good shape" fenders, used head lights, some paint and it should be like good again. it does suck looking at a messed up miata though, wish i could help but i live in vegas

I love doing body work. I love detail.

best of luck, keep us posted.

 

[black roadster]

That sucks but at least no one was hurt.

It appears the car is parked in a tow away zone though. :shock:

 

[astro]

this sucks man, it looks fixable,new koyo radiator,used hood or CF hood, used"good shape" fenders, used head lights, some paint and it should be like good again. it does suck looking at a messed up miata though, wish i could help but i live in vegas

I love doing body work. I love detail.

best of luck, keep us posted.

Would you think it would be hard as a DIY or would I need expensive tools/equipment? I have some painting skill, so I think I can manage that. I'm thinking I may be able to get the fender from a junkyard. Only thing I would be worried about is frame damage.

 

[astro]

That sucks but at least no one was hurt.

It appears the car is parked in a tow away zone though. :shock:

Heh the freeway tow truck just appeared 10 minutes after the accident, while I was trying to call AAA to get a tow truck over. The freeway tow truck took me to the nearest gas station while I waited for AAA to come take my car to the bodyshop.

 

[xvolcomx19]

this sucks man, it looks fixable,new koyo radiator,used hood or CF hood, used"good shape" fenders, used head lights, some paint and it should be like good again. it does suck looking at a messed up miata though, wish i could help but i live in vegas

I love doing body work. I love detail.

best of luck, keep us posted.

Would you think it would be hard as a DIY or would I need expensive tools/equipment? I have some painting skill, so I think I can manage that. I'm thinking I may be able to get the fender from a junkyard. Only thing I would be worried about is frame damage.

I would start by taking off the hood ,fenders,headlights,and front bumper and take a look at the frame to check for any bad bends or maybe even cracks, and if it seems fine i say you just do it yourself, it shouldnt be to hard.

 

[RusMan]

That sucks man.

The damage doesn't look too bad, you should be able to fix it yourself if you're somewhat mechanically inclined. I have a spare stock radiator if you want it.

 

[astro]

this sucks man, it looks fixable,new koyo radiator,used hood or CF hood, used"good shape" fenders, used head lights, some paint and it should be like good again. it does suck looking at a messed up miata though, wish i could help but i live in vegas

I love doing body work. I love detail.

best of luck, keep us posted.

Would you think it would be hard as a DIY or would I need expensive tools/equipment? I have some painting skill, so I think I can manage that. I'm thinking I may be able to get the fender from a junkyard. Only thing I would be worried about is frame damage.

I would start by taking off the hood ,fenders,headlights,and front bumper and take a look at the frame to check for any bad bends or maybe even cracks, and if it seems fine i say you just do it yourself, it shouldnt be to hard.

Hey, I got the estimate today. It looks like the AC Condensor broke too. It was new too . I guess I have to get that replaced at the shop. The bodyshop says they can't repair the frame without replacing the radiator supports. They also say they need to align fenders so it seems like it's not really a job I could do.
What do you think?
They're also charging $451 per headlight unit.. so over $900 for a pair! Does that seem a bit much? I remember I could get the 2001 projector lights swapped for around $450 for the pair.

 

[cliqwe]

maybe they're talking about the nice blacked out super sheik MSM headlights???

 

[xvolcomx19]

this sucks man, it looks fixable,new koyo radiator,used hood or CF hood, used"good shape" fenders, used head lights, some paint and it should be like good again. it does suck looking at a messed up miata though, wish i could help but i live in vegas

I love doing body work. I love detail.

best of luck, keep us posted.

Would you think it would be hard as a DIY or would I need expensive tools/equipment? I have some painting skill, so I think I can manage that. I'm thinking I may be able to get the fender from a junkyard. Only thing I would be worried about is frame damage.

I would start by taking off the hood ,fenders,headlights,and front bumper and take a look at the frame to check for any bad bends or maybe even cracks, and if it seems fine i say you just do it yourself, it shouldnt be to hard.

Hey, I got the estimate today. It looks like the AC Condensor broke too. It was new too . I guess I have to get that replaced at the shop. The bodyshop says they can't repair the frame without replacing the radiator supports. They also say they need to align fenders so it seems like it's not really a job I could do.
What do you think?
They're also charging $451 per headlight unit.. so over $900 for a pair! Does that seem a bit much? I remember I could get the 2001 projector lights swapped for around $450 for the pair.

DAMN MAN, seems like there ripping you off sick.



so your frames bent? as far as the headlights go that's WAY TO MUCH!.. SICK RIP!

 

[astro]

Yeah it definitely looks like they're overcharging. I just found the koyo radiator for $199.. and they're charging $544 for a radiator.
But I talked to the guy and he said I can buy the parts and have them fix it. They're charging roughly $1200 for labor. I'm just worried about the frame and alignment stuff now. It feels like I'm going to have to get it towed back and forth from the shop to my house.

Do you know where I can find a CF hood, or any hood, the fender, and some used 2001+ headlights?

 

[Matt [exz3owner]]

they aren't over charging. They are simply charging retail for factory parts. thats one of the biggest places body shops make thier money.

Sorry to hear about this. If the rad was damaged, there is likely frame damage...

 

[astro]

Thanks for all the advice so far..
I just took it to another shop today, this time one of those torn up mexican places. they quoted me for $627 labor not including paint. The paint job is $600.
The last shop got the hood open so I was able to take a good look at the inside. The frame is damaged. I just bought the left core support arm from the dealer. But the shop is telling me they need to do the alignment while they're putting the body panels on, so it seems like there's no way for them to align it for me, and I fix it myself. It looks like if I get the fender apron, it'll pretty much fix the frame.
So is the shop bs'ing me about the alignment so they can get more business? I really want to save as much money as possible getting this fixed.