Hey everyone, so I was in a wreck about a month ago, had my car towed to Fields Collision center in Orlando. The car was supposed to be fixed today but evidently NOW the AC is not blowing cold air.

The receptionist called me to inform me the car will need to go to the dealer to be diagnosed to prove if it was caused by the wreck.

It's a 2012 C300 Sport. I have had zero issues with this car. They said they tried to "charge" the AC system but that it was already "overcharged." And she asked if I had ever had any AC issues, to which I responded NO.

So my question is - The collision occurred to the front of the car from the middle of the bumper to the passenger side of the front. COULD this have affected the AC system? The collision center said they are not mechanics, so it had to go to the dealer, again to determine if the wreck caused it.

Thanks for any insight or ideas in advance.

 

@floridaorange Yes it’s possible. The condenser in front near the radiator could have been damaged. Also I would not use that collision shop again because they claim not to be mechanics.

 

I called them back because that made no sense to me either and they said sometimes they need to use the dealers to diagnose - it’s a bmw based collision center with a fantastic reputation - used them in past - and thanks for info I figured the compressor could easily have been damaged - upon further research.

They told me they usually are able to have the Ins co fix these things... we’ll see. Anxious to see the repairs of course.

 

Update - Mercedes dealer confirmed the AC issue was wreck related, so they will be covering the cost, evidently some wiring got messed up.

Happy to be getting a new front bumper and hood, there wasn't any damage behind he bumper bar that protects the engine, so really just getting new exterior parts. Had it tuned as well, but haven't gotten to drive it much since the tune.
Haven't driven my car in over a month, will feel new to me again .

 

Got the car back - $7,500 later, they did a really good job - with one exception. The headlight they ordered did not match the OEM headlight.

Apparently they come in a light silver and a "black" which is more like dark grey (I hope). So they have ordered the other headlight.

Can anyone confirm that the correct name of this OEM headlight is in fact "Black"






Bright silver - replacement

Dark grey - OEM

 

$7500.00 later the headlights should match up.

 

$500 deductible - but ya no kidding.

 

Ugh, another issue, now the back passenger side door makes 2 loud clicks upon opening and then again while closing... so back to the collision center on Tuesday for the correct headlight to be installed and door to be fixed.

I am confused as to why the rear passenger side door would be affected however.

 

@floridaorange The entire body structure got tweaked on the passenger side in the collision.

 

Could the body have gotten tweaked without frame being bent?

 

Yes, the entire body is one integral unit. The "body in white". There is no frame on a C-Class, with the exception of the front and rear subframes that hold suspension, steering and axle (rear) or engine (front).

The body in white has sheet metal spot welded longitudinal members that carry load from the front through the rest of the vehicle. It doesn't surprise me that a front offset collision slightly tweaked the door apertures or hinge pillars.

 

Repairs look good, the replaced the headlight with the correct "black" headlight housing, now there is just a new AC humming sound that was not present before the wreck, so taking it back. This is exactly how it sounds, especially on humid days.

Rear passenger door needed to be reinstalled, apparently it wasn't put on 100% correctly after they removed it the first time. Oddly enough, I swear the front driver side door has less sound proofing now (not literally), as I can hear traffic louder than I remember before the wreck but that could be my imagination. But the wreck was to the front passenger side.