I recently rear ended a woman in an SUV. (don’t go scrambling for your purse rounding a corner in rush hour traffic) I have an 1997 Acura CL. There is damage to the bumper paint, and a dent in the hood above the left front headlamp. The hood has buckled up about 4-5 inches on that side. I’m afraid to open it, but I’ll have to, eventually! The insurance adjuster comes tomorrow; I suspect they’ll total it. I’d like to keep the car, and have the hood straightened out. I really don’t care what it looks like; I just want to be able to close the gap to the elements, and have access to the engine, etc.
Any thoughts about straightening the hood out, etc.? There is what looks like a strut/hinge that is totally exposed on that side.
Any ideas about costs?
Do you have collision insurance? If so, take the money and have it fixed…No insurance? Take it to a Body Shop and get a repair estimate. Tell them you are a cash customer, no insurance involved…
With unibody cars, with the hood buckled up 4-5 inches, there is likely to be much more extensive damage than just the hood…Let a pro take a look at it… If the body structure is deformed, it’s time to move on…
I had the same damage on an 09 Camry. It caught the upper core support. I could not believe what the bill was, $6000. If the core support not bent and the radiator is not hitting the engine and no leaks. You can have it just made drivable and not pretty. This will be cheaper. Just have them get a used hood and align the headlights and go.
You have to be real careful with the fit of hoods to make sure they stay latched properly. Going down the highway and having a hood pop open is no fun. First thing is you want a body shop to look at it and evaluate it. Sounds like you have some hood damage that they could maybe just pound out a little but also sounds like the hinges are sprung and need to be replaced. You can get a used hood with hinges for a couple hundred, and maybe even in the right color, but you want to make sure it will be latched properly.
Thanks for the input. Anyone bought after market body parts, such as a hood?!
After-market sorta fit hoods are not a good thing because of the possibility of latching problems. You’re better off to get a used one from a salvage yard and it can include the hinges.
Good advice! Still waiting on insurance; my son doesn’t think they’ll total it, who knows, right?