Well my car was stolen and crashed pretty recently and the suspension is pretty FUBARD. It looks like it went up a curb very hard. 3 bent rims snapped control arm, sway bar snapped, strut bent. The steering rack (not sure if that is the right term) is also bent as well.

Here are the pix



















What will I need to fix? How much labor is involved roughly? Do you guys think the steering will be normal after replacing all parts and allignment? Is there any chance that the steering column may be damaged?

I am trying to decide if it is worth fixing or not. Body work is not really a concern. I am scared the car will never drive right again. Please give me your input. Thanks again guys.

 

people actually steal these things????
that sucks, man, just concentrate on one wheel assy at a time, and disassemble & make a parts list as you go, you oughta be able to eyeball everything that's trashed at this stage...my sympathies...

 

Thanks for the suggestion. These pictures arent very good. I could only squeez so far under with the stock jack. It looks only like the passenger front suspension is damaged.

I have done a search on the s4 and s5 control arms. Looks like I am gonna need a new one. An s5 might be hard to find so would anybody recommend switching to s4 control arms? I assume I would have to switch both of them since the endlinks for the sway bar are different. How do I get an aftermarket swaybar to fit?

 

Front lower a-arm
sway bar link
tie rod
hub

I would also swap out these parts, unless you can confirm they are good...
steering rack
shock
brake rotor

I think the sway bar is okay, since the link broke.


-Ted

 

Thanks RETed.

How much labor am I looking at? I am looking to fix this myself and would say I am pretty mechanically inclined. I just might not have all the tools so I would like to know what I am getting into. Any special tools I would need?

 

You can use a S4 control arm. The only thing you would need is the S4 sway bar links. And you should buy new ball joints for the s4 arms.

James

 

I am assuming I should swap both control arms to s4? I am assuming also that all control arms for each series are the same between models?

 

Heh... sorry on your loss. If it helps any I have S4 control arms, end links, sway bar links, you name it. Basically the whole front suspension. Hit me up if you need parts, stuff is cheap.

 

Yeah, the mounting points are the same ......of course you do need the s4 sway bar links

 

So if I swap to s4 lower A arms and get the RB adjustable sway bar end links and RB sway bar I should be ok as far as that goes? http://racingbeat.com/resultset.asp?PartNumber=14200

 

This might also be a good time to install some energy bushing and bigger sway bar. Not to be a dick but get some real jack and jack stands if you are going to do it your self.

 

That control arm is really thrashed. what to the mounting points on the frame look like? You may be deeper in this than you're looking at. Depending on the condition of the car prior to the hell being unleashed upon you, If you're not doing the wrencing, it could easially cost more than the car is worth to fix this...

good luck man.

 

Well the car was at the insurance companies body shop and wouldnt let me use any of there stuff. All I had was the stock jack and a socket extension in the car.

I have pretty much most of the tools any home mechanic should have and I do have real jacks and jackstands. Just making that clear.

EDIT:

I didnt get a very good look at the mounting points. The car is at my body shop now and I should be able to get a better idea of the damage when it is on a lift.

 

So is the insurance company going to fix it? IT would be cool if they are but it sure doesn't sound like it. And yeah Cwater is right most people don't have the equipment to pull the frame out if the mounting point is push in. And well i just don't want your head to be crush thats all..............

 

Well right now the car is totalled from the body damage alone according to the insurance company (big surprise). I have gotten a new claims adjustor assigned to my case and am trying to get it untotalled if possible.

 

That's not surprising.
Looking at it from the insurance company's point-of-view, I can see $2,000 just in parts easily...tack on another $1,000 for labor, body & paint, and that easily hits the 75% mark of blue book to total the car.

Having the car totalled might not be a bad thing - if I were you, don't fight it.  You might end up ahead...read on.

The insurance company will total the car.
Ask them if you can buy it back, under salvage.
They are going to tell you, okay, you can have it for $500.
If you agree on the price, the insurance company will deduct it from the refund check they were going to cut you - be careful with this price, as most insurance company will try to low-ball you.  Fight it if you think it's too low - I would estimate they should give you between $2,000 to $2,500 for your car, assuming the car is bone stock.  So, if this all plays out, you end up with a $1,500 - $2,000 check, your damaged car back, and you can do anything you want with it.

Now, I do not recommend trying to get the car road-worthy again.  The chassis should be stamped "salvaged", and no insurance company would quote you a policy to cover a salvaged chassis.

With the extra money, get another FC.  Salvage all the stuff you can from the crashed car and either swap it over or sell it to make more money.

In the end, I think you will be happier.

Good luck with whatever option you choose.


-Ted

 

Well I am actually fighting for more than $4500, the original amount they offered me. A mint s5 TII is pretty rare and worth more than people give them credit for. They have also said they will let me buy it back for $120. It's juss that I have put so much time into the car already. Less than a week before it was stolen I ported the wg and redid every vac line along with all my other mods which all have less than 3k miles. I am still deciding what I will do but I need to wait for my body shop to give me an estimate as well as settle on the amount from my insurance.

 

Did they catch the rat bastards that did this to you and your car?

 

Oh ****, I was assuming S4 NA - my bad!


-Ted

 

well...if you want a manual rack, theres one sitting in my garage waiting for a buyer

edit, pm if you're interested: http://sheepdog.ar2engineering.net/p...s/PICT0083.JPG

 

wheels...mirror...looks a lot like mine...minus the horrific damage.

Buy it back for 120 (that's freaking amazing), find a straight chassis and el swapo!

 

ill buy your motor

 

I don't think concentrating on the suspension should be your number one goal - all of that stuff can be replaced fairly easily / cheaply.

Instead I would put it on a rack and see just how tweaked the chassis is. It looks like a VERY hard hit. All the energy was concentrated on just one spot, the suspension, and the body damage appears secondary. It looks like your suspension mounting points and perhaps the whole subframe are bent towards the drivers side of the car, up vertically, and probably back. That's three planes of movement. It's possible to pull it back but only a good body shop will be able to tell you that.

Personally I'd get a good rolling chassis and swap all the mechanicals. Part out the rest and you will probably actually come out on top of where you were by a couple thousand or more.

 

No they didnt. It was in the crime lab for several days getting dusted for prints but nothing came up.

Kenteth thanks for the offer but I am still not sure what I am going to do.

Forcus

Well from the vehicle damage report the insurance company gave me there is some frame damage. They quoted it to be fixed for $200 and 0 labor hour units. I was under the assumption that frame damage was expensive ($1000+) and took several hours? Does this probably mean my frame is in pretty good shape to fix?
Thanks for the advice.

 

Yeah, have a reputable body shop check out the frame first before you even start taking off a single bolt.

Taking off the rear subframe should be easy for you and the front suspension too. The only pain in the *** part is swapping the steering rack and the front subframe too. I think Hassell (madrx7racer) has an S5 PS steering rack for sale from his TII.

Edit: What part of the frame is damaged? I'd usually expect frame work to be much more expensive but maybe the damage is very minor.