850 Wrecked By 18yr Son Worth Fixing
My son hit a center divider we think at about 45. Flattened the 2 passenger side tires and messed up the front end. The passenger side wheel looks to be an inch or two pushed in and pushed up some. I took the car over to a good local mechanic. He said that he could not fix as the brackets were bent and it would need to be put on a frame machine straighten it out before staring replacing parts. I know the control arm is messed up the bushing is loose I don’t know what else is wrong. Wife took it to a body shop and all they quoted for was replacing parts. Knuckle $224 and the Control arm $169 but no mention of straightening and brackets. I think he will get started and his $696.97 estimate will make a sharp increases with “ additional damage found” I just don’t know if it’s worth getting started when I can get a good grip on what it will end up costing me.
Has anyone had to repair this type of damage? I am getting ready to jack it up again and pull the wheel and see what I can see.
I will take some more photos when I get the wheel off.
Thanks Scott

 

If the wheels are not bent(1 doesn't look it in the pic) then The body shop looks like a good option. My father is in the biz and I worked for him for awhile and they know when a frame machine is needed and when it isn't. like they are they guys who spent thousands on them so they like to use them whenever they can. So I trust what he's telling you.

You could always get a second body shop opinion but what they say seems reasonable to me.

oh yeah,I'd ask if they will do a front end alignment as part of the job. It definitely needs one, but most good body shops have alignment machine and they could have included it in the quote.

 

What brackets are messed up - the control arm brackets? They're pretty snug and I had to use a pry bar to get them out, which is normal.

It's possible that the incident just caused your old parts to show their wear & tear but didn't really do much damage. Did you feel any problems when you took it for a test drive?

If you're handy with a wrench, you should be able to change the parts yourself - excuse me; I meant your son

I'm in the middle of doing the control arms, tie rods, sway bar links and struts, all for the first time. This site has really helped me to get under the hood and take control of my repair bills!

I know a control arm can be picked up at FCP Groton for $40; genuine Volvo will run you $150. The steering knuckle is one heavy-duty 'sum bitch' - is it really shot?

I didn't notice what year the car is. Have you replaced the steering & suspension parts before?

 

Doesn't look bad to me. Fix it.

 

Thanks for the info on online parts huge savings if I decided to fix it. I am mechanical and do have hand and air tools. So removing and replacing parts is no big deal just dint want to spend money on parts that will not fix the problem. After getting over the shock of what my dumb azz son had done I reamed the wheel to get a good look at the damage.

The rear bracket to the wishbone is badly bent, it also bent the frame where it attaches. Also the top of the strut Mount is bulged out from the impact.

Here are some more photos and one have any ideas on how to fix with out putting in the body shop.

Thanks Scott

 

OK, I may be naïve about what I’m looking at, but it doesn’t seem so bad where you’d need a frame machine. Looks like you’ll need a new strut and control arm at a minimum. Maybe a tie rod and sway bar link, too.

Check the hub. They’re sealed, so you’ll have to replace it if it’s goofed.

The bulge at the strut tower, being on the side and not at the front or back, tells me that the spring made the bulge upon impact but shouldn’t be a huge concern.

 

You will need to bend the rear control arm attachment or you won't be able to put the new one on. But my money is that the frame is okay, or so close it's okay - you could check for cracks along the fire wall. Fix it and tell your son if he wrecks it again - you're done supplying cars.

 

The sub-frame looks completely fine. All it looks like you need to do is replace everything on that side of the car.

Was your son able to drive it at all after he banged it up?

 

Is the car his to drive? If so, let him drive it messed up if it's not dangerous. When he gets $$$ to pay for parts let him purchase them and help him change them. Why do we take on the responsibility of their mistakes? Did our parents do that for us?

Probably the worse thing would be the car pulling some and eating tires. He can deal with that.

 

Personally I would work with my son and we would fix it together. Then when he gets as old as my son is now, you can start asking him how to fix things. He is better than I am now at doing this kind of stuff. We now talk about working on our cars all the time. We are father and son, but real good friends at the same time.

 

1+ (good example).

 

Hey Scott, just wondering what you wound up doing with the ride? Were the repairs extensive?

 

Id fix it. if you decide its not worth fixing, im sure someone here would buy it from you as is.