Front End Damage - Honda Prelude Forum

mrniceguy · 07-21-2011, 09:31 AM

Hi guys. I had gotten into an accident yesterday and hit the car in front of me. After the accident my car was still able to drive. But when i put it in reverse it dies. Also the frame is broken. Need new headlights. new hood. how much am i looking at to repair? and what are my best options? My first auto accident.

Shimee · 07-21-2011, 04:26 PM

Your car is totaled. If you want to fix it a body shop would quote you atleast around $7-8 thousand.

You need a new:
hood
fender
headlights
bumper
turn signals
bumper reinforcement bar
bumper upper mounting bracket
radiator
condenser
a/c drier
a/c lines
bulkhead
front crossmember
grill
intake resonator chamber

You probably also need a new transmission because either a gear snapped or something is wedged that prevents the reverse gear from engaging. Or it just might be a bad solenoid. There might be suspension components that were damaged.

Nighthawk01 · 07-21-2011, 04:27 PM

It looks like you may need a hole front clip installed.... expect possibly a good bit over $4k by the time painting etc is done.

Unless it's just the radiator support and parts in front of that - maybe they can re-weld just that section on.

mrniceguy · 07-22-2011, 09:22 AM

Thanks guys for the replies. This is my first accident so i really dont know what to expect. The car I hit barely had any damages, a few scratches here and there on their back bumper and maybe a touch up on minor dents.

I had a guy came by and give an estimate.
He said im going to need a new hood. The right side fender he can straighten out, just a little curve at the very front. But the left side im going to have to replace. The front bumper he took a look and said he can restore along with the mounting bracket. he said it just pop out but he is able to fix that, doesnt have to replace. He did something with the AC and said im going to have to replace the AC. Radiator also.
I also told him wen i put the car in reverse it dies. He said thats normal because the parts in the hood is pushed back and its interfering with the transmission. he told me not to worry itll be ok. He also asssured me that the engine is not damage.

He got on the phone with his people and ask for the parts that need replaced. Came out to be about 900 something dollars and labor is 900 because hes going to have to do alot of welding.. So it cost about 2000$ to fix. Does this sound right or is he up to no good? again this is my first accident and i dont know what to expect. I need your guys advice!

Prelude1897 · 07-22-2011, 10:04 AM

Sounds pretty reasonable to me for all that damage. Usually when you go to the smaller shops, they're not going to quote you nearly as much as big name shops. If anything, you could try locating some of the parts yourself to help lower the cost of things if you manage to find some good deals.

TypeT · 07-22-2011, 11:08 AM

check the front suspension also; that have been powerful blow

edit.
oh, Shimee already said that

Nighthawk01 · 07-22-2011, 11:17 AM

The only thing i'd be ire of is if he tries to shortcut it...

I had a friend to got his with similar front end damage - the guy didn't replace the front end like he was supposed to and just straightened out what he could - then welded (horribly) a piece of the radiator support in as well as the rest of the front driver side. His headlights sit in too far and down too low now because he needs the whole thing cut off and a new one welded on.

Shimee · 07-22-2011, 03:17 PM

You're going to have a lot of alignment issues if he's planning on pulling out the radiator support. Sounds like he's going to replace the stuff that is too far gone and then just "hammer" out the rest. There's also no reason for the transmission to die when in reverse due to front end damage.

The most important part is a new bulkhead, otherwise it's going to be a halfassed job.

mrniceguy · 07-23-2011, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shimee

You're going to have a lot of alignment issues if he's planning on pulling out the radiator support. Sounds like he's going to replace the stuff that is too far gone and then just "hammer" out the rest. There's also no reason for the transmission to die when in reverse due to front end damage.

The most important part is a new bulkhead, otherwise it's going to be a halfassed job.

what is a bulkhead and what does it do?how much does it usually cost?

also what is the front suspension use for? sorry im a noob when it comes to cars. but i wanna sound like i have some car knowlege when i speak with this guy again. thanks for all your guys support!

TypeT · 07-23-2011, 05:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrniceguy

also what is the front suspension use for?

Suspension (vehicle) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shimee · 07-23-2011, 01:13 PM

The bulkhead is everything defined as #11 on the image above. Individual pieces can be purchased or the entirety as a whole already welded together. There may also be damage to #10 and #15 but those can be straightened out if it isn't too severe.

Prelude1897 · 07-24-2011, 02:37 PM

once you pull all the panels, you'll really be able to see what needs to be replaced and what can be fixed

mrniceguy · 07-25-2011, 09:27 AM

thanks everyone for your feedback!!!. So i finally towed my car to the shop. I mention about the bulkhead (suspension) to the guy and he tells me it doesnt look too bad and hes willing to straigten it out for me. Anyways ill update u guys with the after-repair fix. I have to buy a total of 9 parts for the car. The rest he can weld or do something to it. I told him i may be needing the car to drive out of state and would it be able to after he fixes it. He says no worries again. But im kinda of skeptical. So my question is........
Can an auto body repair guy tell u what needs fix and what he can fix without having to actually open it up?

Shimee · 07-25-2011, 03:58 PM

The majority yes, if he's experienced enough. But there will always be hidden damage that you will never expect. I had a much more minor accident than yours and only hit the drivers-side corner (headlight area), in my first Prelude. My cousin and I replaced only that portion of the bulk head and straightened out the rest and I still had alignment issues for months afterwards.

The actual corner was pushed in about 5/8" even after replacing the severely damaged panel. I took apart the front end 3 or 4 times in addition to readjust things so I wouldn't have any sagging of the bumper, or so the headlight wasn't pushed in so much, or so the fender would line up right, and so on.

It'll be fixed but I will be very surprised if you have no alignment issues. It's also going to look awful when you pop the hood and be a constant reminder.

mrniceguy · 07-26-2011, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shimee

The majority yes, if he's experienced enough. But there will always be hidden damage that you will never expect. I had a much more minor accident than yours and only hit the drivers-side corner (headlight area), in my first Prelude. My cousin and I replaced only that portion of the bulk head and straightened out the rest and I still had alignment issues for months afterwards.

The actual corner was pushed in about 5/8" even after replacing the severely damaged panel. I took apart the front end 3 or 4 times in addition to readjust things so I wouldn't have any sagging of the bumper, or so the headlight wasn't pushed in so much, or so the fender would line up right, and so on.

It'll be fixed but I will be very surprised if you have no alignment issues. It's also going to look awful when you pop the hood and be a constant reminder.

Your cousin and u must fix cars... because how come you didnt just take it to the shop and let them align it for you? and yea...dont remind me. ..after i got in my accident..i had to park my car for couple days before i took it to the shop and man...it hurtssssssssss looking at it every morning before i went to work. that car was my baby. never let me down. always there for me. people always talk bout us.. but i stuck up to it. and it prove them wrong. now its injured but its ok, ill fix u up my honda prelude

Shimee · 07-26-2011, 06:47 PM

We know how to fix cars but we aren't paid to do it (well, my cousin works on large-frame vehicles that were in collisions, like semi-trucks and stuff) but the job wasn't without skill. Care was taken into trying to make things align properly but straightening stuff out never has the desired effects. I simply wanted a cheap solution and got a cheap solution.

mrniceguy · 08-04-2011, 03:40 PM

i was caught by suprised by how it all worked out. all for 2gs. anything i should pay attention to?

usmcmarc · 08-04-2011, 04:27 PM

Congrats! I just got mine back from the body shop too. Just see how it drives..any rattles, shimmys, shakes, vibrations, leaks...did you have the alignment checked?

And thats pretty amazing..considering you could barely see my damage and mine came out to $3800.

mrniceguy · 08-05-2011, 11:12 AM

i do notice that my is depleting faster than how it orginally was. maybe i need a oil change. but the guy said he threw in a oil change and a transmission fluid change also. so i have no idea. any suggestions? also when i park i hear this vibration noise/rattle around my dash area for like couple seconds then it goes away then come bk. not sure what it is? alignment seems fine.

what is shimmy?

Jinrang · 08-05-2011, 07:15 PM

dude i got in a accident last monday and my hood, bumper, left headlight was all damaged.... the radiator support is pushed back but no mechanically damage was done. but now that its at a body shop it wont start it did when i first got in the accident..