2002 mustang
Rear ended by a dude going about 50 while i was stopped. he only messed up the passenger side of the rear. the car runs and actually still drives, but the trunk pan was pushed inwards, which tore the top shock mount and made it kinda sideways.
How much would this cost to replace? the part that’s torn isn’t metal. it’s a seam with some kind of glue?
Is insurance going to total my car?
Without visual aids, nobody can say.
Tester
If the person who hit you has insurance then just let the insurance adjuster handle this . They are the only ones who can give a real answer to these questions.
The car is 20 years old.
The insurance company will probably total it.
Tester
Be extra cautious until repair effected. Shock/strut or other rear suspension problem could make the vehicle unstable in certain driving situations, like over bumps or turning, esp at higher speeds. The only way to resolve what to do next is to consult w/insurance company. If they total it, and you want to keep the car anyway, do the repairs yourself, they may be willing to sell it to you for a small-ish fee. No harm to ask. Once paperwork is filed for totaled, there may be some hurdles w/DMV to get it retitled for road use.
Yeah, total. Major sheet metal work.
Agree. it is a 2002 it is totaled as far as insurance company is concerned.
sorry this happened to you.
I had a 2001 ford Windstar that was hit in the rear while my son was sitting at a red light. It had way less damages than your car and they said it was totaled. they cut us a check and let us keep the car. I just put in a new taillight, an exhaust pipe and left the bumper the way it was.it had a dent in right rear quarter panel too, and it was driven like that for about 8 more years.
Wondering @weekend-warrior, did you have any DMV hurdles to cross to get it from 'totaled" to “ok to drive” status?
no. no problems. If I remember correctly, they sent us a salvage title. but it was a long time ago.
Yes, this car is totaled.
Yes, insurance is going to total your car. I didn’t need the video… 50 mph truck is all I needed to read.
More than your car is worth. The seam IS metal and the “glue” is sealer the repair is cutting away the bent metal, pulling the bent part out and welding in new… LOTS of labor.
Yes they’ll consider it a total loss. If it was a late model vehicle worth >$15,000 they may cut out the rear section and weld in a salvaged piece from a doner vehicle. The repairs would cost over half of the value of the vehicle.
Metal fab shops usually charge what I would think of as outrageous money. $400 in materials, one guy doing 3 hours of welding and using a hydraulic shear machine and the bill is $1600 to the customer. And we’re getting paid $15 an hour to do the work. Imagine what the bill would be on 30 hours of laber if 3 hours was $1200.
If you wanted to fix it you would be spending weeks cutting out a section from a doner vehicle, then cutting out your rear end to the exact same shape. Then it all has to be TIG welded back together. Then sand blasted and painted. You could be sloppy and cut your time in half. Maybe the car wouldn’t be quite the same shape that it was before though, and the welds in the exterior wouldn’t be ground down smooth.
You would have have a few weeks of experience doing good quality tig welds, measuring properly, grinding, and all that metal fabrication shop knowledge. The equipment would be worth more than the car was worth before it was hit. It would be unrealistic to pay someone else to do this when they can easily make $100 an hour doing welding for other people’s projects.
Like I said, I talked to a shop about some help welding rocker panels. He wouldn’t touch it but said he sent a friend to another shop for rockers on his pick up… $5500 time it was done. They don’t work cheap.
Im practicing welding sheet metal but it’s not going real good. Buying a car is a lot easier.
With all that damage you are concerned about the trunk floor?
The quarter panel is beyond repair, other parts; trunk floor, wheel well, trunk lid, bumper cover, reinforcement bar, lamps, fuel fill tube, gas tank etc. Is there a kink in the roof panel?
If that’s the case, then you’re getting taken for a ride. Back in 1998 when I was working at a body shop. Body shop labor was billed at around ~$60/hr. Most of the body guys were making around ~$20/hr. At the same shop today, labor runs ~$90/hr, not sure what they make, but I would guess around $30/hr.
That car is damaged beyond repair. Book value for a 20 year old car won’t be very much either.
Make sure you know the replacement value for the 2002 Mustang. You should aim to get retail sale value for one with the same trim level, options, mileage and condition before the accident. Used car values are high today and you must make sure that you can replace it. Don’t accept trade-in value, often offered in a first attempt to settle. They should also provide a rental until you settle on a replacement car. I hope your insurer will help with this. If they do, they will (should) get you a fair shake with the other guy’s insurer.
Even with visual aids it’s going to be almost impossible. That’s what insurance adjustors are for.
Not for most of us.
Tester
