Well, with a subject heading like that you know this can't be good. I've been away from these forums for awhile. And, I hate to say it's unfortunate circumstances that prompts me to re-visit.
The wife spun out our 97 Intrepid on a patch of ice and put her into a guardrail. :sad: We are fortunate that my wife was not injured and no one else or other vehicles were involved in the accident. However, the matter of our car is something else.
I didn't see the accident scene. However, from the damage it appears the passenger side rear quarter caught the guardrail end on. There is damage to the rear "fender" mostly above the bumper line. The "fender" was pushed into the trunk lid which shifted a bit toward the driver's side. The rear "bumper" is pretty chewed up. The passenger side rear tail light is completely gone and the reverse light across the trunk lid is partially destroyed. As you'll recall the gas cap is on that side and it is also damaged. Also, it looks like there has been damage to the inner fender well.
Most of the above is cosmetic and doesn't affect safety or driveability. I have not yet ascertained if there is anything more serious. The car is driveable but I haven't taken it out because of additional bad weather in our area (and the broken tail light). I'm concerned about things such as damage to the gas tank filler neck, rear suspension components, or (gasp) a bent "frame".
You may have noticed some of the words I placed in quotes: fender and frame. I believe these LH models are unibodies if I'm not mistaken? So, they wouldn't have a frame, per say. Also, I'm not sure if the rear "fenders" or "quarters" are separate components or are part of the unitized body/frame. Anybody know that answer?
So, I'm really not sure what questions to ask just yet. Obviously, I need to get the car into a body shop or two to get some quotes and have them look it over for more serious damage. Can anyone offer suggestions as to what to look out for? Has anyone needed similar repairs? If the "frame" is bent, is there any hope of having it straightened or is it a lost cause?
Oh, and one other wrinkle... my wife's birthday was December 30 and her driver's license expired (yeah, about 4 weeks ago). She forgot to get it renewed and consequently our insurance company is refusing to cover the accident because her license was expired. So, all repairs are coming out of our pocket! I guess the fact that we've been with this insurance company for six years and never filed a previous claim means nothing!
Any suggestions or advice is appreciated.
Thanks, Robin.
The wife spun out our 97 Intrepid on a patch of ice and put her into a guardrail. :sad: We are fortunate that my wife was not injured and no one else or other vehicles were involved in the accident. However, the matter of our car is something else.
I didn't see the accident scene. However, from the damage it appears the passenger side rear quarter caught the guardrail end on. There is damage to the rear "fender" mostly above the bumper line. The "fender" was pushed into the trunk lid which shifted a bit toward the driver's side. The rear "bumper" is pretty chewed up. The passenger side rear tail light is completely gone and the reverse light across the trunk lid is partially destroyed. As you'll recall the gas cap is on that side and it is also damaged. Also, it looks like there has been damage to the inner fender well.
Most of the above is cosmetic and doesn't affect safety or driveability. I have not yet ascertained if there is anything more serious. The car is driveable but I haven't taken it out because of additional bad weather in our area (and the broken tail light). I'm concerned about things such as damage to the gas tank filler neck, rear suspension components, or (gasp) a bent "frame".
You may have noticed some of the words I placed in quotes: fender and frame. I believe these LH models are unibodies if I'm not mistaken? So, they wouldn't have a frame, per say. Also, I'm not sure if the rear "fenders" or "quarters" are separate components or are part of the unitized body/frame. Anybody know that answer?
So, I'm really not sure what questions to ask just yet. Obviously, I need to get the car into a body shop or two to get some quotes and have them look it over for more serious damage. Can anyone offer suggestions as to what to look out for? Has anyone needed similar repairs? If the "frame" is bent, is there any hope of having it straightened or is it a lost cause?
Oh, and one other wrinkle... my wife's birthday was December 30 and her driver's license expired (yeah, about 4 weeks ago). She forgot to get it renewed and consequently our insurance company is refusing to cover the accident because her license was expired. So, all repairs are coming out of our pocket! I guess the fact that we've been with this insurance company for six years and never filed a previous claim means nothing!
Any suggestions or advice is appreciated.
Thanks, Robin.