Crash Repair Help

[Guest Boon]

Hi All

 

this is my first post so be gentle

 

I had a prang on Monday morn in my 05 Plate C5 1.6 HDI, went straight into the back of another driver (approx 25mph) - gutted.

 

After swapping details and the like, i drove her home and proceeded to remove the front bumper to asses the damage. So far all i can see that is wrong is that i need a new slam panel / bumper bracket (ordered), a new headlight and a new bonnet (the bumper, suprisingly, appears salvageable) and im away again.

 

Are there any issues i should be wary of whilst removing the slam panel, is it a straight case of cutting off & unbolting, fix the weld brackets, then bolt & weld the new panel into place???

 

There are a couple of other items i need to buy also like side panel indicator, (another) turbo seal pipe, a new air con unit ( i have decided i need to look after her a bit more as it is a good car and is worth puttng some money into her now) & Galletto lead to remove dpf / dpf files on ecu (yes ive read all those posts)

 

Any help, advice on looking for spare parts (like looking for rocking horse droppings), advice on that 1.6 hdi engine & on the c5 in general will be read, investigated, reported back on and greatly appreciated

 

Thanks

 

Paul

[paul.h]

Before you start doing anything I would wait and see what your insurance company say, a similar bump at a barrier to our Picasso cost about £3000 to repair at their approved repairer. Even a minor dent is about £300 to repair/paint. If yours is similar, you may have the car written off which could allow you to buy another but with a 2.0 hdi engine and no need for all the other repairs you are thinking of doing.

 

When you reported it to your insurance company, you may have said you do not want to claim for your repairs, but the other person you hit will still claim against you so any no claims discounts will probably have been lost anyway. So there is nothing to gain by paying for your own repairs.

[DaveHerns]

He may only have third party cover in which case he needs to fix it at minimum cost

[Guest Boon]

TPFT - Hence the cheapskate DIY job - plus i drove away from the bump - the car didnt even stall/stop during the bump - all that needs fixing is the slam panel, bonnet and headlight - awaiting for parts to land and i will take a few days off work to patch up to get back on the road

 

thanks for replies

[paul.h]

I can sympathise with you, having done similar repairs - a Fiat 127 which needed front panel, wings, bonnet and bumper and a Maxi which needed rear quarter, rear bumper and hatch door and other body repairs. Before you start take lots of photos and measurements to help with positioning of new parts. Bonnet to wing, etc gaps are important so it looks ok and closes so final fastening/welding may need to be done with all panels in place. If you are no goood at welding then maybe use somebody to do this bit. The hardest part is getting a reasonable paint job (unless you have parts in the same colour) plus you will not be able to use 2 pack stuff since it is toxic - but getting this done by a paint shop will be expensive. Also this time of year it is too cold for painting outside and if done inside without good ventilation beware of using flammable materials - the vapours can easily be ignited causing a fire/explosion.

[Guest Boon]

Does anybody know where the electric socket is for the foglights to hookup to, i removed the bumper and fitted new bumper dampers, slam panel, headlights, bonnet, at the weekend and when putting the bumper back on i couldnt for the life of me find the foglight connector. i have connected the wire into the foglights themselves, but i cant remember (or see) where the foglight connects to. Haynes isnt much help either

 

Thanks