Help with uninsured accident

[spaikmos]

Hi all,

My son and I purchased a 2005 V8 4R last fall and spent a lot of time refreshing it and getting it into tip-top shape. It's his first car and he enjoyed rebuilding the brake calipers, replacing all the fluids, renewing the front suspension, and fixing all the little things that needed fixing.

Last month, he t-boned someone that darted into his lane of traffic without looking. They were at fault, but they have no insurance and we don't have collision coverage either. So, no insurance to help with repairs.

The 4R got hit on the front driver corner, so there's extensive damage to the following:

- front driver side fender. Fender apron / body has been crumpled.
- front bumper
- hood
- radiator supports, and likely radiator needs to be replacd. Not sure about AC evaporator. Transmission fluid cooler looks ok.
- front left headlight
- lots of other bits and pieces.

The car runs and drives, but the coolant puked out so I can't drive it far to get proper repair quotes. I got a couple of online quotes, and conservatively it's 8k+, probably closer to 10-12k to repair. The 4R currently has 250k miles so it's probably cheaper to buy another used one than to repair this one, but sometimes we don't make rational decisions.

This is where I need help! My son is attached to the car and would like to fix it himself if possible. Any suggestions on how to go about DIY collision repair, possibly with a little help from pros for the stuff we can't DIY? I was hoping to find a front clip that I can transfer to his vehicle, or possibly find another 4R with a good donor body that we can transfer our engine + transmission into.

Or any other advice on how to recover from this?

The one thing that gives me some pause is that the front driverside wheel now has a fair amount of toe out, so I suspect there's some more damage to either the suspension or the mounting points that will be much harder to fix....

Some pics of the 4R:

pic 1
pic 2

 

[Buckaroo]

I would start by pricing out used parts to replace the components you have identified using car-part.com. Price the radiator new from Rockauto.com including a thermostat, radiator cap and any required hoses. I also would plan on buying the Toyota OEM FSM on CD or USB available there under Literature. Include $$ to have it painted and add 20% to the total for contingency. See if that amount of money makes sense for you.

 

[ArthurKotb]

I would have it towed to at least 2 body shops for a proper estimate. For what you are considering getting yourself into, the towing is minuscule. That will tell you what needs to be repaired and what the shop will charge. You can also assume that there will be hidden damages and costs to deal with.

With a good engine and transmission I would look to sell those and use that as the initial cost of another T4R. At $10-12K at an online estimator you're never going to get your money out of it again. Even if you had collision insurance they would most likely total the car and give you KBB value for it.

It is sad, I totally agree. Throwing a ton of money at it is just going to make it worse. That's my 2¢ YMMV. I wish you the best of luck.

 

[SocalSam]

First off, glad everyone is fine. Father/son project car could have off the charts sentimental value but you have had it only a few months so maybe time for a reality check. Find value of an uncrashed example. Get estimate from repair shop. See if it is worth it. The answer is going to be no from an objective standpoint.

This being said, repairing a car and making things right again is a worthy pursuit. Another father/son DIY project is priceless, IMO. Suspension damage could mean bent frame. It's critical to figure that our first. Sheet metal can be sourced from self serve junkyards so not super expensive. If the damage is limited to the frame rail and did not get into the cabin plus the frame is straight, this is doable, IMO.

 

[spaikmos]

I agree, objectively it will probably be better to buy another used one and forget about this one. As for parting it out, that's probably more work that returns less ROI...

My current idea is to fix the cooling system enough so I can drive it 15 miles to get estimates. I don't have an easy way to tow, so I'd have to borrow truck + transporter and arrange appointments etc - too much time and logistics. If I had just one place to tow it, I could use AAA but then I don't get a variety of estimates.

The real punch to the gut happened when I got home after picking up my son from the impound lot where they towed the vehicle. I had sent an oil sample to Blackstone for analysis, and received the e-mail that told me it was one of the cleanest samples they had seen from a 4R that old! The car had clearly been well maintained by the previous owners.

Are there any build threads on here where folks have done some DIY collision damage? My guess is I need to pull the frame and/or cut out part of the driver side apron and weld someting else in place. Son has been learning welding (I know nothing about it) and we don't need the car anytime soon so we could afford to spend a year or two working on this.

I agree, frame damage would be really bad. My buddy says I should turn it into an offroad only rig, but I don't do much wheeling and not that interested. I was thinking maybe I can find a weird aftermarket bumper, but none of them replace the fender too.

I'm thinking - if I can ask a pro to get the frame straight and fix the fender apron, I'd be up for buying aftermarket fender / hood / bumper and making it fit. I guess the first step is to get those quotes and work from there.

Rest of the paint isn't in great shape, maybe 6 or 7 out of 10. Some clearcoat peeling from roof and flaking paint on the rear, possibly from a previous repair. So I'm not looking to make it showroom quality. "not suck" would be my bar for success w.r.t. body work and appearnce.

 

[SocalSam]

Our trucks are body on frame. Hopefully, your truck has sheet metal damage only which would simplify job greatly.