Front-end damage to Vectra C Life - Dec 05 pre-facelift.

[mointainwalker]

Hi

Need some help with my little problem. I slid off the road and damaged the front-end and now need to go to the garage and have a look at the damage and estimate what pieces I need/ if it's worthwhile to repair myself: the problem is that the garage is 20+ miles away and I have to rely on getting a lift and therefore need to be as accurate as possible with my parts estimation, so that I don't have to make a second journey.

I did ask for an estimate, but the garage is snowed under with work ( 60 + cars in the yard ) and the owner has apparently just glanced at it and told me that it's " probably 5 K and not worth doing " but also saying there is no mechanical damage, so I have to guess he is just thinking about using o.e. GM parts at top prices.

The damage that I was able to see when it was recovered was following.

Bumper and grille dented ( 100 mm +/- ) and broken
Left wing badly bent
Left wheel-liner torn
Screen-washer bottled exploded
Air-con rad destroyed
Bonnet indented at front, couldn't open but it did have lot of frozen snow on it.


What I really need to know and have little experience of, is , if these bits are damaged, what other anonymous black-plastic mouldings are that that are likely shattered and need replacement so that bumper, grille etc can hang off them ? I will take lots of photos on site to help my memory and research.

Those things apart I will obviously check the cooling-rad and fan for impact damage and look for any bent members at the front. Should have put in title that it is 1.8 petrol hatchback.

Anything else you think I ought to look for ? To help you assess the shock of impact, it was not hard - no airbags and my specs didn't even slide off my nose, but unfortunately I tobogganed on snow about 30 ' down a 45 ° slope and this gave it some impetus !

I only got news from garage today and am visiting tomorrow, so if you have any comments, I would be grateful to see them tonight.

I will also post on a Vectra site, but grateful for all input.

Thanks in advance !

 

[Burnerman]

A bit of a difficult one, but here goes.....
Bumper and grille available from UK breakers, likewise the front wing, bonnet and arch liner. Screen wash bottle not a problem either.
Can you do without the air con radiator? Easy enough to remove everything apart from the compressor....even that could go if you use an alternator belt from a non aircon model.
Now the fun starts! We don't know about any inner wing damage which would have to be seen to - likewise we don't know if there are any tracking / drive shaft issues either. Hopefully the front end that holds the bumper in place (the crumple zone) hasn't distorted and the suspension is still in line.
If breaker parts are used, they will need spraying.
So -the choice is yours, obviously and it largely depends on what you are prepared to do yourself......I'd doubt if the spray work comes into that category! If the price is around £5k then its a no goer, I'm afraid......many motors are written off with less damage than yours would seem to have. Do check the body panel gaps where you can, such as the front door forward and back and also the bonnet where it meets the scuttle under the screen.
I've seen massive damage to vehicles with intact air bags - they only deploy if the passenger space is compromised so unfortunately that isn't much of a guide.
John

 

[mointainwalker]

Thanks for your reply, John, but if I can establish that the obvious body-parts are the only damage, then I can pay for checks to the steering-gear and suspension to check the viability. A quick glance at breakers lists seem to indicate parts for several hundred pounds or so. I know it's very detailed but would you have any knowledge of the "anonymous black plastic mouldings " I mention. I think these shatter fairly easily and as I indicate are not easily identified: either when trying to describe them or knowing whether you need to renew them.

Would I be able to see damage to the crumple-zone and inner-wings by eye i.e. crumpling in the metal ?

In truth I wouldn't be willing to pay much more than £ 1, 400 to save it and that only on the basis that is has only done 90, 000 miles and I had the cam-belt /water-pump done four months ago.

The recovery already cost me £ 600 because of the distance covered and the difficulty of the work ( slope, snow, also behind a safety-barrier ! ) but that had to be paid in any case, so I won't toss that into the equation.

I was surprised to see your remark on the air-bags: I thought it was G-force that set them off.

 

[Burnerman]

Unfortunately I think £1400 is a bit on the light side to save this car.....paint alone is going to be £600 at least and that would be a cash deal.
Regarding the plastic bits at the front, they are usually to either prevent water splash or to channel air into the radiator or whatever......sometimes they survive more than you'd expect and the only way to check is to look at what comes off the damaged front end.
If the inner wings have been damaged you'll see crazing of the metal around the wing bolts and cracks in the paint - another thing you'll have to check is the headlamp beam alignment. If this is ok then the inner wings may well have escaped!
I'd also be surprised if the bonnet slam panel has escaped - this holds the bonnet down and tends to crease pretty easily.
If the air con radiator has copped it, the cooling radiator will likely be damaged too.
At the end of the day the repair costs can escalate, and it's not good to get carried away - I've been down that road!
John

 

[mointainwalker]

Well, after looking at used prices for petrol Vectra C's in the UK ( I do find them reliable and economical , had Opel A , Vauxhall B and C ) I think I might be booking a flight out of Geneva and doing a bit of mileage in the UK, assuming my visit tomorrow doesn't show that my eyesight was cock-eyed when I last saw the car.

Thanks for your help, as always, John.

 

[Burnerman]

Best of luck!
Comparing car buying to navigating into Geneva airport from the French side, the car buying is simplicity itself
John

 

[DaveHerns]

If the front end has gone in 100mm you'll be looking at jigging/pulling to get it all straightened up. Sounds like a write off to me, there's always more damage than first apparent

 

[Peter.N.]

If you can find a matching bonnet and wing at the breakers it will save you the cost of painting.

Peter

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_...t+wing.TRS0&_nkw=vectra+c+front+wing&_sacat=0

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_...a+c+bonnet.TRS0&_nkw=vectra+c+bonnet&_sacat=0

 

[cdbe]

Without experience don't even attempt to repair a badly accident damaged car yourself, or pay someone to repair one of this value. Buy a new one and sell the car on eBay for what you can get for it - there are many experienced people who can fix it up with S/H parts to a saleable standard and make a few quid (and lots more who think they can and make a right old mess - but that won't be your problem). If you haven't already then don't report the accident to your insurers - they will record it and could load future premiums, cancel your policy and keep the premiums etc. When you sell it point out that there are no accidents recorded against the car.

 

[mointainwalker]

Thanks for all the replies. I have now bought another Vectra C about two years younger and will be recovering some components from the damaged vehicle before scrapping it.