Well, another one bites the dust... I was turning onto my street and a guy was flying along and cut the corner (he had a Yield sign, though it wouldn't have mattered if he had been in his own lane). Hit pretty square in the middle.



The radiator is pushed back, oil line is broken at the top. The engine was still running, which I turned off immediately. I can't imagine the insurance company is going to pay to repair it, so I guess my question is how likely it is that I'll be able to fix it easily enough to make it worth it. Do these fare well in front crashes or is it likely borked between the front and the firewall?

Keep in mind that it's not my favorite car, and I have others to drive and work on (not Mercedes). I'm more mad that I had been going through repairing stuff and working on the body. I was just going to do the front suspension and flex discs, glad I didn't. But anyway, I'm not emotionally attached to it is the point. What would you do?

-Rog

only way to tell is pull the bumper, radiator and see.
it looks superficial to me, but damage could have been done to the engine or the mounts...

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My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
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It does look like the engine moved relative to the mounts. Eh, I don't think I'm interested in fixing it. If the insurance decides they'll pay for it all then I'm happy to have it fixed. But there are none of these around me. The junkyards are almost all newer vehicles.

-Rog

Just make sure the other driver's insurance does not screw you on the payout. It is always negotiable, especially if you see a doctor and they have potential injury/a lawsuit hanging over their heads...

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RenaissanceMan Labs: where the future is being made today.

Garage:

2017 Chevy Colorado Diesel (nanny state emissions)
2005 Volvo S40 T5 AWD, 77k
1987 Mercedes-Benz 300D turbodiesel, 4 sp auto, 156k - 28.7 mpg
1996 Tracker 4x4, 2 door, 16v, 3 sp auto. 113k - 28.6 mpg

WARNING: this post may contain dangerous free thinking.

Oh yeah, for sure. It's obnoxious is all...you can't just drive on your own side of the road?

I also wondered about the seat belts. When they retract, is it a one-time thing like an airbag or are they good to go again? If not, is there an easy way to tell if they've been retracted or not?

Well, now we wait I guess.

-Rog

pretensioners are a one time deal (they use explosives) IIRC.

I think you take the trim off the b-pillar and have a look at them to see if they fired. If you're not going to keep the car, why bother with it?

If it becomes a nasty lawsuit, any attorney you hire that is worth his salt will have an expert witness examine both the vehicles.

__________________
RenaissanceMan Labs: where the future is being made today.

Garage:

2017 Chevy Colorado Diesel (nanny state emissions)
2005 Volvo S40 T5 AWD, 77k
1987 Mercedes-Benz 300D turbodiesel, 4 sp auto, 156k - 28.7 mpg
1996 Tracker 4x4, 2 door, 16v, 3 sp auto. 113k - 28.6 mpg

WARNING: this post may contain dangerous free thinking.

these cars dont have explosive pretensioners last I checked.......

This is a pretty light hit on a soft part of the car, I'd measure before deciding the motor is pushed back. If the rad hard into the fan?

How did the other driver react to all of this?

I'd collect the money and then decide what to do. My SD got tapped in the back. I talked to the adjuster and pointed out that I "was getting ready for paint and had most of the mechanical work done. He looked at a nice interior. I bounced the corner and explained about new Bilsteins and all new brake parts. Bottom line, ~$3,000 and I kept the car - with a salvaged title because they "totaled it". It would have probably sold for $2,000 to $2,500 if I was fortunate. The real negative is that it has been in the family since new and I was hoping to finish the mechanicals & paint it.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

Why bother? I'm just gathering data points as far as how easy it would be to fix. If it's not just the engine parts and body panels but also this and that then it's less compelling as a project, especially with zero local sources for parts like that.

Just glad I hadn't moved on to the harder mechanicals, although the car didn't need much, it's always been good. I'll see if I can get some good pics of the damage between the grille and engine.

Here's the scene, if anyone's curious:



Although the roads were a bit wet, I really think he was just cutting the corner like everyone. I've lived around here for awhile and it's a scary intersection. It used to be a stop sign, but now it's a yield sign. I guess they figured nobody ever stops there anyway...

The other driver seemed more worried about his kids, which is fine. I was yelling and decided I better get back in my car and just wait for the police.

-Rog

If I was in your place, I would do what it takes to keep the car. Get the maximum amount of $ and either fix the car, or sell parts. I always opt for fixing, as these cars are getting scarce, and as many as possible need to be saved. Worst case, sell the car to someone that will fix it and get it back on the road. I am now dealing with a collision that happened last Friday, and I am finding out that the other party was not insured. http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/366085-i-cot-crash-my-350sdl-today.html
In your case, I hope the other party was insured. Otherwise, a court battle is in your future.

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All Diesel Fleet
1985 R107 300SLD TURBODIESEL
2005 E320 CDI (daily)

LOTS of parts for sale!


EGR block kit
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/355250-sale-egr-delete-block-off-plate-kit.html

1985 CA emissions 617 owners- You Need This!
Sanden style A/C Compressor Mounting Kit for your 616/ 617 For Sale + Install Inst.

Sanden Instalation Guide (post 11):
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/367883-sanden-retrofit-installation-guide.html

If he was really worried about his kids he:

Would stay in his lane, clear the snow from the back window.

The dented rear door is a slight red flag, window tint in the snow belt seems to be a huge one. Massive extra points if he has dark license place covers.

Yeah, pretty much when I looked up and saw the car, saw him as he got out, I was preparing for no insurance. I thought the police said he had it, but we'll see. They didn't want me interacting with the guy, although by that time I wasn't going to do anything if I did. These steering wheels are awesome punching bags.

Some good advice in this thread, I appreciate it.

I got a good shot across the front:



And how things got crunched together, mostly on the one side:



Tough to get a shot straight down the front of the engine, but basically the fan is diagonal and I can't imagine it was turning when the engine was still running.

As far as the engine, I don't think it's pushed back so much as the motor mount has a big split in it. But it's not like there's a gap between the edges where it cracked. So it definitely moved, though it may be resting back mostly where it was.

-Rog

Also, a weird thing is that almost this same exact thing happened to my Audi Fox last year. The difference was that it was while turning into a parking lot. Same deal though, guy in the wrong lane. Luckily all it did was break the grille and one headlight and put a slight dent in the front of the hood. His brand new Subaru was crunched all the way up the A-pillar. His insurance gave me $600 and said have a nice day. And I did. Wish this time was that easy.

-Rog

I think I read that uninsured motorist coverage will fix your car even when you don't have comprehensive coverage. If you're at fault and no comp, you repair at your expense. Check your state's laws.

__________________
85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.