My pristine 1988 300E was recently hit in the rear driver's side quarter panel by an uninsured driver from New Hampshire! I'm going after the guy, but it doesn't look like I'm going to get my money any time soon. Instead of paying the estimated $7200 for repairs, I've elected to repair the car myself. It was hit on the driver's side at the very rear of the fender, right where the taillight wraps around. I can post pictures later if necessary.

Here's where I am now: I have the fender back in its original shape, I have a new taillight, and I'm on my way to getting a bumper. My problem is that the back of the car is not straight. The car drives straight, and the frame is straight all the way past the rear axle. Only the very rear portion towards the back of the trunk is out of line. Measuring from the garage floor to the bumper mounts, the left side is 1/2" higher then the right. As a result, the trunk will not close properly. How can I get the left side pushed down? Any ideas? Keep in mind that I'm a "shadetree mechanic" with limited tools available.

I'd appreciate any ideas -- I'm so close to getting it back on the road, but I need to get the back straight enough to close the trunk and get a good seal. The trunk actually does latch, but the gap is too big on the passenger side and it doesn't make a water-tight seal. Thanks for your help!

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John
1988 Mercedes-Benz 300E
2008 Honda Pilot

I would forget trying it yourself, even if you think you can do the bodywork competently. Find a frame shop. A specialized shop like this charges a nominal fee when bodywork is not done - they will have the required frame rack and specs. I paid $150 to have the frame straightened on my Integra after a conversation with a steel post. That included making my rear doorframe realign properly again with the door.

Steve

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'91 MB 190E 2.3
'08 RAV4 Ltd 3.5
'83 Lazy Daze m'home 5.7

Thanks -- you suggestion got me calling some more local body shops. Unfortunately, no one is interested in straightening the frame without doing additional body work. They all say that it could turn into a huge job and that they couldn't guarantee the work -- every shop I've called has given me the same exact answer. What a frustrating situation! It's actually pretty close to being straight as-is. Like I said earlier, the trunk will close and latch, but the gaps are off. I just need to tweak it a little to get everything buttoned up.

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John
1988 Mercedes-Benz 300E
2008 Honda Pilot

If you're calling body shops, you're barking under the wrong trees. Frame shops do ONLY frame work, usually work farmed out by smaller body shops. If you can't find them listed, ask around - they're in PA too.

Steve

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'91 MB 190E 2.3
'08 RAV4 Ltd 3.5
'83 Lazy Daze m'home 5.7

John, take Steve's advice and don't waste your time attempting to straighten the trunk area yourself. All you'll end up doing is making the situation worse and more difficult/expensive for a professional to sort out on a frame machine.

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Fred Hoelzle

Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage usually only applies to give you coverage to pay for bodily injury to a person - not property damage. Check the declarations page of your policy to see if you purchased collision coverage.

shindig

We have at least two really good body guys in this forum.
Sorry, I don't remember their names.
I believe both of them are located in PA.
You could start a new post with the heading: " Need Help for my Body" !!!!

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2007 C 230 Sport.

Keep looking, there is someone out there who will do the frame work for you.

It's a bit specialized, but a good frame guy will have you back in shape in no time. All that's bent, I would guess, is the rear frame extension, possibly only on the one side.

Don't attempt to do this yourself, the chance that you will get it right are pretty small.

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

Thanks to everyone for your help! I'm sure you can imagine how upsetting this has been for me -- I walked out of my apartment one morning and found that someone had driven over a curb and hit my beautiful Benz in the parking lot, pushing the rear some 7 feet. Luckily the space next to it was empty! As I mentioned, the New Hampshire driver was not insured, and I only found him because his Ford Probe (with front damage and two flat tires from hitting the curb) was parked a few spaces away. As for my insurance, I do not carry comprehensive or collision coverage on the 300E, so I'm left to fix the damages myself. This is actually a good thing because the car was not "totalled."

I'll call frame shops in the area and see what I can find. Again, I appreciate everyone's advice. I'll try to post some photos tomorrow -- check back for a link if you're interested.

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John
1988 Mercedes-Benz 300E
2008 Honda Pilot

Use the link below to view photos of my damaged 300E. It's a makeshift homepage -- nothing pretty. And the photos are huge, so I'd avoid looking at anything besides the thumbnails if you have a dialup connection.

http://home.comcast.net/~jdkendig/wsb/html/view.cgi-photos.html-.html

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John
1988 Mercedes-Benz 300E
2008 Honda Pilot

John, call Bobby Barber at the Paintworks, Inc. in Stowe, PA (near Pottstown, off the Stowe Exit of RT 422) 610-970-2192. Bobby may be willing to do the straightening work only, but without paint work the metal will start to rust. There is no way that you'll be able to do that repair yourself, at least to have it look decent when you're finished.

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Fred Hoelzle

I just called Paintworks, and Bob is willing to take a look at the car. Thanks for the recommendation. I'll keep you posted on the progress...

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John
1988 Mercedes-Benz 300E
2008 Honda Pilot