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Hey guys,
the worst has happened to my Corvette too.
this morning a fool crossed a red light and drove into my front passenger side.
the front bumper is ruined and also both fenders.
the thing is that I’m afraid of is there is a large damage to the car body which will cause a total loss.
please take a look at the green circle in the picture and let me know what do you think and how serious is this.
the first picture is too tight to get a good mental image of where that is. Can you pull back a bit and repost another pic?
sorry about the accident, that sucks.
The car isnt nearby, this pic is the driver side from left to right: in the left that’s the front of the car and in the right is where the steering wheel is.
thanks buddy
If im seeing that correct, it looks like the frame is ripped in half?!? That shouldn't be that weak of an area but nevertheless its likely going to be totalled as a result. So sorry man
If im seeing that correct, it looks like the frame is ripped in half?!? That shouldn't be that weak of an area but nevertheless its likely going to be totalled as a result. So sorry man
youre seeing it correctly. That’s what I was afraid of. Don’t you think it’s worth fixing it?
BTW, it’s absolutely weird it happened so easily really disappointed
That's the front crush can segment of the frame. It's slid into and welded to the cast segment the front suspension is bolted to. The welds clearly broke and it is pulled out some. The other side is either bent also or the front impact bar broke off from it because the whole front nose appears to be swung over.
I believe the frame segments are available as parts, and a Corvette dealer should be able to repair it, but there would have to be some sort of diminished value allowance if I were to accept a frame repair if it were my own car.
That's the front crush can segment of the frame. It's slid into and welded to the cast segment the front suspension is bolted to. The welds clearly broke and it is pulled out some. The other side is either bent also or the front impact bar broke off from it because the whole front nose appears to be swung over.
I believe the frame segments are available as parts, and a Corvette dealer should be able to repair it, but there would have to be some sort of diminished value allowance if I were to accept a frame repair if it were my own car.
That's the front crush can segment of the frame. It's slid into and welded to the cast segment the front suspension is bolted to. The welds clearly broke and it is pulled out some. The other side is either bent also or the front impact bar broke off from it because the whole front nose appears to be swung over.
I believe the frame segments are available as parts, and a Corvette dealer should be able to repair it, but there would have to be some sort of diminished value allowance if I were to accept a frame repair if it were my own car.
Absolutely repairable IMO! As you say the C7 frame is made of many parts. There are crushable sections front and rear to absorb energy. They are replaceable by welding a new piece.
Just need to have it done by an aluminum frame Certifed shop. Your insurance adjuster knows who they are. Chevy, BMW, Mercedes etc have repair procedures for doing that on aluminum frame members and approve shops to perform. Yep even Hundi has cars with aluminum frame front sections! Reports are the new Chevy truck will use an aluminum frame (be fun to see how they deal with their steel versus truck bed commercial!) Several car manufactures (and others) sell the required welders, self piecing rivet tools, alignment jigs etc, etc. to do that.
Compared to frame straightening done on steel frames all the time, this repair by replace, parts designed to crush, bend while the frame stays ridged is better, IMO. Just needs a shop Certifed to perform correctly!
C7 frame is made from many parts, all welded together
The front frame section is designed to be crushable and absorb energy. Knew parts are sold by GM who outline a procedure to replace. It's shown in the 2014 Service Manual. In fact some 100 pages of frame repair procedures in it. Separate manuals for body shops have much more info. It specifies the type of welding machine and all approved welding procedures.
I imagine a total loss looking at that and for your sake it would be better too as a big repair job will always show up on Car Fax. Really bad for resale or trade at a later date.
Yep it will show up on Car Fax, but IMO will be fixed just fine.
Composite body parts are relatively inexpensive and are replaced rather than repaired with plastic filler as with steel, better IMO. Can't tell from the pic but all frame parts needing replacement look to be accessible. (In a rear collision, the whole rear plastic tub often needs to be removed for access to a frame repair. A PIA, time consuming and expensive)
Will be interesting to see the outcome the OP posts!
The cast segment and front crush segment can be purchased as a part already welded together from GM. It appears that piece/assembly is bolted and riveted near the cowl, so perhaps that would be the best way to go.
IMO, the frame damage in this case is much easier to repair than if the same hit were taken by most other type cars.
Yes, it's the part of the frame called the "crush zone," which is designed to collapse, absorb impact forces, and protect the passenger compartment. In your case it did not collapse because it took a side impact, so it was merely bent to the side, and not all that much. That piece is covered by a plastic housing, which of course, is broken.
One can never say for sure without evaluating all the frame pieces, but it looks easily repairable. It's quite likely that all pieces of the frame except for the replaceable crush zone pieces are fine.
The decision to repair or total will come down to whether the best financial decision for the insurance companies involved is to pay for the repair, or total the car and hand you a check for market value. When the estimated cost of repairs exceeds a certain percentage of market value, the car is usually totaled.
Airbags are only a factor in that they add to the overall cost of repair. However, there's nothing terribly complex about replacing them either. The driver's bag deployed because the sensors are in the crush zone areas that were damaged in the accident. Sounds like you didn't have a passenger, so that side didn't deploy because the sensor in the empty passenger seat disabled it. That reduces repair cost.
10-14-2017, 08:35 AM
Need your opinion on an accident I had
Absolutely repairable IMO! As you say the C7 frame is made of many parts. There are crushable sections front and rear to absorb energy. They are replaceable by welding a new piece.
