Carsupra

Hey all,
I'd just gotten into an accident last night. I was making a left turn and I had lost control, and hit a speed limit sign. I was going at about 20, or 25 mph, or so. It makes me sad to think about what happened last night.




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Anyways, I wanted to know an estimate on how much the repairs are going to be. Everything else is fine but the driver side fenders, front bumper, et cetera.

Now, the wheels are a bit... Out of place. If I was to straighten out the steering, the left wheel would be turned, and the passenger side fronts would be straight. Left front wheel is also rubbing against tire wall.
One tire is flat. Headlamp is busted, but the lights are still working.Engine still works, no leaking.

Would I be able to take this to the dealers (Walter's MB, in Riverside) to get it fixed?
What should I do?

LILBENZ230

You lost control at 20mph?

That looks like 4,000-5,000 in damage. Depending on suspension damage, insurance may not fix it at all. I had a crack in my bumper that required $1800 to repair.

Carsupra

Oh no, I meant the speed I hit the sign.
Do you think the panels can be DIY fixed?

AdidasC230

Thats an easy 4-6 grand plus repair job.

How do you "loose control" your driving a car with a 1 Million plus dollar a day ESP program in it. Where you drunk?

MBs do not like to CFIT

e24kgold

Believe me no one likes CFIT. Epecially me being a pilot. Thats got to be an easy 5k repair job.

Carsupra

A ESP warning light had come on recently, I was going to take it into the dealers soon. Of course, I didn't take it out much after it had popped up.
Not sure if the weather had any effect, but it was cold.

nobli

5-6 is generous. its going to run around 7-8k.

basically new lamps (1.2k)
fenders (600)
the front lip (500)
hood realigned
and probably a bunch of other stuff.
throw in labor and a bunch of mechanic bull**** and you will look at around a months time of work and 7-8k

Midnight Koop

sorry to hear that... best of luck with the repairs.

PharmD

So, exactly how fast were you traveling and what objects did you collide with?

Me thinks something doesn't add up...?

e24kgold

+1

londonbenzkid

It's up to you... but it will definitely be a hefty repair price.. and 7-8k does sound right...especially since parts for MBs are not cheap whatsoever

pawe

Why not just go through your insurance? 500-1k deduc instead of 7-8k in damages and it will save you a lot of trouble. alignments are very tricky and body shop guys can run up the bill quite fast because of that.

MW_ATL

I think the 5-7K sounds about right for the damage, depending on what is messed up that can't be seen. If you shoved a radiator core support over, well....ouch.

I would think if you wanted to do it as a DIY it could be done, but not quickly, and probably not that cheaply either. If you have a place to work on it....and another means of transportation, you could do it. I doubt you will save money, it probably will just spread the cost out over time.

If you are going to try DIY, I think your best bet would be to get it to a good bodyshop and get an estimate. Then you have a parts list and an idea of what you'll need. I would probably start by stripping the hood, bumper and fender, etc. Then take a close look at the suspension. If there is obvious damage, replace parts there then tow it to a good alignment shop. Let them get everything straight for you under there. Then you are down to hunting for body parts, and hoping you don't run into unexpected damage. Bodywork is more an art than a science, and can go really slow for the DIY.

Personally, I would take it to a bodyshop used to dealing with MB's and the like and let them get it done, even if you were paying cash for the job.

I would not be surprised if your insurance didn't want to total it, considering the cost of repair vs the value of the car. You might be better off taking the total and shopping for a replacement Coupe.

XsuperbeeX

Whats up with coupe crashing these days... sigh...

PharmD

Don't drink the water

LILBENZ230

5-7k in repairs will most likely total out a 2003 C230K. I'm not sure that 7-8k wouldn't total my 2005 C230K sedan. LOL

nrg_mike

I was in an accident that resulted in similar damage to my coupe (if not more). It's hard to see exactly how bad the damage was in your photos but at the least you're looking at quite a bit in repairs. Insurance may even total it because the parts are hard to find as well. List price on your hood is 590+ and the fenders are 300+. Coupe headlights are also more expensive than the sedan and are again, harder to find new. Also, Assuming that the bumper is ok, you've also got to worry about the front bumper reinforcement, radiator support and energy absorber.
Like I mentioned earlier, my accident resulted in similar (if not more) damage and I lost my coupe all together. I really wish the best for you and the coupe. I hope damage is minimal and you have insurance as a cushion to fall back on. At 5-6k for repair, you may as well use that as a down payment towards a new pre-owned car.

Here are the photos from my accident... got hit by a Nissan Armada while in a passing lane coming back from snow summit/big bear.

Carsupra

Ouch, sorry to hear that about your Coupe Mike.

The insurance company needs to get my car towed to another location to get the cost of damages estimated, and if I could pay out of pocket, or let my insurance handle it. From the replies, looks like i'll try to let the insurance handle it. Hopefully all goes well..

nrg_mike

I'll cross my fingers for you man. Best of luck.

TemjinX2

Honestly, those coupes aren't worth much on the used car market. I think its gonna be totaled. Just total it and put a nice down on a c32 or c55.

AdidasC230

You 2? I just got my private license about a year ago, what you fly? Im partial to a 172S

bdgdl08

My CLK was in a similar accident. An old (old) woman pulled out 100ft in front of my dad on US-1 (he was going 60). He swerved right and only hit her behind her rear wheel. Similar amount of damage - crunched the hood, ruined the front bumper, took the fender clean off. Amazingly, he was able to drive the car home. The estimate at the scene was $8,000, which turned into closer to 10. The car was NOT totaled by the insurance company. I got to drive it for 2 years after that.

zerocover

On an 03 coupe. Its best to go through insurance and just get it totaled.

If they actually fix it the car wont be worth anything. No one wants to buy a car that was in an accident. Best case scenario is totaled. I did the same thing to my volvo but went under the fence, the paint was scratch all across the top, the car was totaled and I got a check for 20k, which I used to buy the benz.

SeaCoupe

Sorry to hear about your crash. If they do offer you a buy out, I'd take it. I'm looking at at least 7k in repairs. More if you have bent control arms or suspension damage.

If you are sure the suspension and engine are fine, then you could likely do the repairs with used parts for some $2,500 including a paint job.

Ed

SunnyRayToronto

It didn't appears you were going fast enough to trigger your airbags,... but you did mount a curb so you should also check if any of your wheels are bent, especially the front ones. Your front driver side wheel got whacked and looks like some major suspension damage requiring new control arms.

If you DIY for some bodywork,.... HKirov was selling numerous parts from his Blue coupe,.. trust me, this guy is a modding machine! I think yours is the same shade of blue,.. so it'll save you the paint job.

http://www.mbfanatics.org/forum/inde...showtopic=8843