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From: Jeff on 22 Sep 2009 18:44
My car was hit in a crash. The front quarter panel and wheel were hit
(another car backed into it). When the wheel was hit, both tie rod
ends were bent (actually, I think one was broke, the one wheel didn't
turn at all). The wheel was balanced and will be refinished. The tie
rod ends replaced and the wheels realigned. They're replacing the
quarter panel and fixing where the door is rubbing the front quarter
panel. They also checked to make sure the body was straight. the car
is a '08 Ford Focus. Is there anything you can think of that should
either be fixed or replaced? The local shop foreman for the Ford
dealer recommended the body shop.

Thanks.

Jeff
From: Fatter Than Ever Moe on 22 Sep 2009 19:00
Jeff wrote:
> My car was hit in a crash. The front quarter panel and wheel were hit
> (another car backed into it). When the wheel was hit, both tie rod
> ends were bent (actually, I think one was broke, the one wheel didn't
> turn at all). The wheel was balanced and will be refinished. The tie
> rod ends replaced and the wheels realigned. They're replacing the
> quarter panel and fixing where the door is rubbing the front quarter
> panel. They also checked to make sure the body was straight. the car
> is a '08 Ford Focus. Is there anything you can think of that should
> either be fixed or replaced? The local shop foreman for the Ford
> dealer recommended the body shop.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Jeff

If it were my car I'd want to know the extent of all structural damage
and the repairs made. I'd think the tie rods bending or breaking must
indicate there was some major damage. And there is the diminished value
question.
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/auto/two-costly-car-insurance-questions-1.aspx

From: Jeffutz on 22 Sep 2009 20:02
On Sep 22, 7:00 pm, Fatter Than Ever Moe <HardTimes(a)TheFarm> wrote:
> Jeff wrote:
> > My car was hit in a crash. The front quarter panel and wheel were hit
> > (another car backed into it). When the wheel was hit, both tie rod
> > ends were bent (actually, I think one was broke, the one wheel didn't
> > turn at all). The wheel was balanced and will be refinished. The tie
> > rod ends replaced and the wheels realigned. They're replacing the
> > quarter panel and fixing where the door is rubbing the front quarter
> > panel. They also checked to make sure the body was straight. the car
> > is a '08 Ford Focus. Is there anything you can think of that should
> > either be fixed or replaced? The local shop foreman for the Ford
> > dealer recommended the body shop.
>
> > Thanks.
>
> > Jeff
>
>   If it were my car I'd want to know the extent of all structural damage
> and the repairs made.  I'd think the tie rods bending or breaking must
> indicate there was some major damage.  And there is the diminished value
> question.http://www.bankrate.com/finance/auto/two-costly-car-insurance-questio...

While your advice to know the extent of the structural damage would be
good, I am not an expert on body repairs. Nor is the car in my hands
at the moment. Rather, it is in the hands of the experts.

Obviously, the steering mechanism might have been damaged (like the
rack and pinion). I would assume that the body shop (which got a look
at the car before the adjuster) would have checked that.

So any advice on what to look for would be appreaciated. Stuff about
diminished value isn't useful to me. I can't do anything about it.

From: Hachiroku ハチロク on 22 Sep 2009 20:47
On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:44:41 -0700, Jeff wrote:

> the car is a '08 Ford Focus.
> Is there anything you can think of that should either be fixed or
> replaced?

Yeah. Get a Toyota.

Seriously, Jeff, when the repair is finished, make sure it is aligned
properly. As far as the wheel, was it bent? Since you were hit and it were
on someone else's dime, I'd press for a NEW wheel.

Also, if it took a hit hard enough to break the tie rod end, a good look
at the rack and pinion is in order too. If you lived where you were this
summer, I could recommend a good shop, otherwise, take it (or have it
taken) to the MOST expensive tire shop in town; they're almost certain to
ahve a good alignment/suspension guy.



From: Ray O on 23 Sep 2009 00:46

"Jeff" <jeff.utz(a)gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1bebbec0-1317-4295-8be0-e136afa4e39d(a)s6g2000vbp.googlegroups.com...
> My car was hit in a crash. The front quarter panel and wheel were hit
> (another car backed into it). When the wheel was hit, both tie rod
> ends were bent (actually, I think one was broke, the one wheel didn't
> turn at all). The wheel was balanced and will be refinished. The tie
> rod ends replaced and the wheels realigned. They're replacing the
> quarter panel and fixing where the door is rubbing the front quarter
> panel. They also checked to make sure the body was straight. the car
> is a '08 Ford Focus. Is there anything you can think of that should
> either be fixed or replaced? The local shop foreman for the Ford
> dealer recommended the body shop.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Jeff

Fatter Than Ever and Hachiroku have good advice. Check the ends of the
steering rack for signs of PS fluid leakage as the seals may have been
damaged.

BTW, the term "quarter panel" refers to the behind the rear doors that are
welded in place. The outer body panels forward of the front doors are
called "fenders."

Check the quality of the paint match by looking at the car on a bright sunny
day. The paint will probably be blended midway back on the front door and
halfway across the hood. The smoothness of the paint should be the same as
the factory finish without more or less orange peel appearance in the paint.

Standing in front of the car and looking at the closed hood, the gap between
the fender and hood should be equal on the left and right fenders, and the
gap's width should be uniform for the length of the gap.

Standing to the side of the fender that was damaged, the gap between the
fender and front door should be uniform for the length of the gap and the
same width as the other fender and door.

If the fender has to be replaced, insist on genuine Ford parts instead of
aftermarket parts to maintain the original quality and crash worthiness
because the fender is part of the front crumple zone.


--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)


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