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  #1  
Old 01-12-2005, 03:05 PM
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Angry 84 300TD got whacked

Hi All-

My 84 300TD recently got rear-ended during snowy weather in Little Rock. My partner was home visiting the fam over the holidays, a Grand Cherokee-driving suburbanite apparently didn't realize that 4-wheel drive isn't that useful when it comes to stopping on ice, so ..... whacked into the rear.

Mainly it is the liftgate that is damaged, bumper, and taillight, too. There is a little tension on the fuel filler door now when it is locked. Wasn't like that before. I'll post a picture when I get a chance. All things considered, it looks like a reasonably light hit, but it apparently made quite a racket when it happened. I credit the solidity of the car, and if the 'lady' hadn't been driving a stupid SUV with a high front bumper, the TD's bumper would have taken all the energy.

After the police and etc, the 'lady' had the nerve to leave incorrect insurance information. Unbelievable. But, little did she know that my gf's childhood friend is on the LR police force... so she has a claim coming, for sure.

Anyway, I'm looking for suggestions for body shops in the central VA area, and possibly a source for parts. I have been so disappointed with every car-related 'professional' in this area of the country, that I truly have no idea who to turn to for a good fix. (The dealer's body shop is awful here, too).

Thanks for reading my rant about SUV-driving women who can't drive (and no offense to the SUV-driving women out there who can drive, as you didn't crash into my TD).

Cheers,

JAS

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  #2  
Old 01-12-2005, 03:15 PM
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If your gate is beyond repair, I have a decent one to sell. The minor rust that was on it was treated with POR-15 and bondo'd to a nice finish. Just needs paint and the interior trim from your old hatch. It's just sitting in my garage. Hopefully you'll be able to re-use your existing hatch, though.

Sorry to hear of your accident!

Chris
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  #3  
Old 01-12-2005, 04:15 PM
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Rear hatches are pretty scarce wherever I look, I saw one on eBay that went pretty cheap but the auto wrecking yards know their value, the rear glass is worth a bunch, so they usually don't sell them cheap. They are difficult to ship.
I need an inside latch cover and maybe some linkage I don't know but its missing on my '85 300TD. BTW, if you find a replacement hatch and want to part out the old one keep me in mind.
While you are at it, you might want to install new hydro lift assys, its been my experience that they don't last more than 3 years or so and the hatch won't stay up, esp in cold weather.
PS Yes, SUV drivers in general can be a PITA. I think some men are worse, they use the Bully tactic of pulling in front of others, then camp in the fast lane thinking they are driving the best vehicle on the road, until the road begins to be anything but straight, for example they can't hold their lanes on freeway onramps. And in the mountains at the speeds they have to maintain to keep from losing control, I can pass them easily in my 300TD if they would just PULL OVER and let me by! I love to see them leaning in turns as I surge past them in my '87 300D - Yoweee!
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Last edited by dieseldiehard; 01-12-2005 at 04:21 PM.
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  #4  
Old 01-12-2005, 04:26 PM
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I have a spare rear glass, too, if anyone needs one. It was from a FL car, so has some rather ugly tint on it that could be removed. I don't want to pimp anyone for these parts... that's what Ebay is for! Any offers considered from the mercedesshop folks. You guys have offered me so much invaluable advice over the last couple of years. I'm way ahead thanks to this forum!

Anyway, again, good luck with the repair!

Chris
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  #5  
Old 01-12-2005, 04:55 PM
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Thanks guys- I'll keep you posted on the hatch. I replaced the struts about a year and a half ago, it's one of the only TD's I've seen that will hold up its own tailgate...!

JAS
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  #6  
Old 01-19-2005, 11:50 AM
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estimate

Turns out the liftgate is repairable, need new bumper, bumper strip, taillight. First quote I've gotten is about $2100 bucks. Getting another quote, will let you know which way I go.
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  #7  
Old 01-19-2005, 12:11 PM
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Yow! I guess $2100 with paint work and all isn't WAY out of line (I'm sure others will chime in)... how bad is the bumper? It's wagon-specific, and they can be tough to come up with, too. You can use a sedan rear bumper (a dime a dozen at the junkyards) but there is no prvision for a backup light. You can just buy a basic white 12V light and mount it under the bumper, though... not a big deal if you car isn't a 100-point show car anyway, and it'll save you some serious $ probably. A junkyard bumper would likely come with the rubber trim strip, too... more savings.

Good luck!

Chris
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  #8  
Old 01-19-2005, 12:38 PM
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While I like the sedan bumper replacement idea be aware that the wagon bumper is pretty low so if you install a light under it there's a good chance it won't last long. Here where we have major hills and driveways that are anything but flat it's not unusual to crunch the backup lens even with the stock setup. I think MBZ realized this was a problem which is why the lights were incorporated in the brake light cluster on the later 124s.
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  #9  
Old 01-19-2005, 02:45 PM
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$2,100 isn't bad at all, good body work isn't cheap. My old Camry had a little nick in it and it would have cost $1,300 to fix.

Hopefully they don't try to total the car on you, what is the book value? $3,500? $2k in damage, it will be close hopefully they don't try anything.
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  #10  
Old 01-28-2005, 10:07 AM
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pics, finally

I know it, I am worried about the 'totaling' issue- still dealing with the lady's insurance company. I have no problem with the $2100 cost- she's paying for it, not me (or so we hope, if all works out as it should)- in that case, new parts for my TD, no junkyard stuff or fitting a sedan bumper to the wagon!

I finally got a picture or two of the damage- check it out, doesn't look too bad, most of the 2100 is parts- 900 for the new bumper alone.

-JAS
Attached Thumbnails
84 300TD got whacked-tdcrashweb.jpg   84 300TD got whacked-tdcrash2web.jpg  
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  #11  
Old 01-28-2005, 10:16 AM
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Is the bumper just pushed in? The pics are small, but I don't see any damage to the chrome. Can it be re-used, and you pocket the $? Or maybe just get a new rubber trim strip if that's all that's damaged? Then you just pay to have the gate straightened and buy a new taillight lens. You should be able to pocket the $2100, and buy a junkyard lens & pay a shop to straighten the gate. Save a wad of $!

Chris
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  #12  
Old 01-28-2005, 10:26 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cscmc1
Is the bumper just pushed in? The pics are small, but I don't see any damage to the chrome. Can it be re-used, and you pocket the $? Or maybe just get a new rubber trim strip if that's all that's damaged? Then you just pay to have the gate straightened and buy a new taillight lens. You should be able to pocket the $2100, and buy a junkyard lens & pay a shop to straighten the gate. Save a wad of $!

Chris
He's right. If the bumper itself is not bent, just "pushed in", then all you need is new bumper shocks. Someone bumped the back of my SD a couple of years ago, and after a $23 trip to the salvage yard for a used pair of bumper shocks, I installed them in less than an hour, and pocketed the rest of the insurance $$.

Mike
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  #13  
Old 01-28-2005, 10:29 AM
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If sedan bumper shocks are compatible, I am 99% sure I have a pair I could send you for cost of shipping. I was just about to haul an entire bumper off to the recycler!

Chris
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  #14  
Old 01-28-2005, 11:56 AM
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Here's a detail, maybe you can see this better- the chrome is bent, seems like the bumper shocks are pretty much okay, strangely enough.

You all have me thinking now of how to go about this repair...

JAS
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84 300TD got whacked-tddetail.jpg  
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  #15  
Old 01-28-2005, 12:02 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jas2wa
Here's a detail, maybe you can see this better- the chrome is bent, seems like the bumper shocks are pretty much okay, strangely enough.

You all have me thinking now of how to go about this repair...

JAS
I see it now... your car looks nice. I guess I'd fix it right, too, if I had such a nice TD! If the cars has its flaws, though, I'd try to live with the ripple in the bumper for $900. Of course, it's your call!

Good luck,

Chris

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