Guess the damage on a MY01 Outback

[Suzam]

Sorry no prizes for guessing.

 

First off no one was hurt, just a good shake-up.

 

My wife (sorry, can't post her model year) was driving down a 35mph road with the right-of-way. She was oddly surprised when a national company package delivery van rolled through a side road stop sign and struck the driver's rear quarter panel and wheel. The Outback was knock around 180º to face the opposite direction.

 

The wheel took most of the force; the lower body panel and undercarriage along the floor height took the rest (you can see the white stripe from the truck bumper impact). The rear door was just grazed on the plastic cladding. The side door and hatch are fine with no noticeable body warp at the seams. The inside door/hatch that covers the jack is sprung so the was some intrusion into the interior.

 

My biggest worry is the rear suspension, if I get these pictures attached you can see the wheel has a good tilt to it. The tire rubs inside at the top. It isn't the wheel that's bent because the angle remains constant (tilted in at the top about 10º).

 

Any thoughts on possible damage? I had it flatbeded to an excellent body shop in our area, so I will trust their work, but there's always a chance it will never be the same again, I hope not anyway.

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[nipper]

ewwww thats ugly. The rear wheel beinf knocked in at top that far, dont know if the undercarrige bent or the suspension is bent. no way to really guess that, just let a reallly good shop look at it

 

nipper

[subiefan]

Yeeeeks.....I really don't like the looks of that wheel, although I can't say I know what's causing it either. Getting all of that repaired is going to be no fun at all, for you or the bank account, and the legalaties will probably be 10 times worse. Thank goodness no one was hurt.

 

I'm very, very lucky that I've never been involved in a multi-vehicle accident. I have come much too close for comfort on several occasions though. Other drivers on the wrong side of the road come to mind. This happened this morning on my way home. I, too, was mildly surprised to see a full-sized pickup truck on my side of the road, the driver apparently fiddling with something on the floor (aka. no head in sight scenario). When he looked up, he apparently was mildly surprised as well and swerved back onto his side. *end rant* An excuse to give Subie that big old dump trunk horn I have lyring around, perhaps... That would certainly get people's attention better than the little "meeep meeep" stock horn! (Please excuse my mind's inappropriate behavior. I've been awake for too long.)

 

Anyhoo...I wish you, your wife, and your injured Subie the best of luck.

[TheBrian]

Those deliverymen must be paid by the delivery, not by the hour. They are *always* in a huge hurry.

 

It looks like you got pretty lucky. You don't need a new turn signal housing ($150+) or a new door. Just a gallon of Bondo and two colors of paint.

 

The car's frame is seriously beefy. Based on what the underside of my Legacy looks like, I'd guess you have one or more bent control arms, with possible damage to other suspension / driveline components in the left rear. But that's just conjecture. I didn't have a hand in the design of the Legacy; I don't know whether the suspension is designed to shear off before the frame bends. Like Nipper says, it's just a guess.

 

So, I figure $1500. $2500 if it's an insurance job. $500 for a ghetto repair.

 

Heh. I just guessed with a $2000 spread.

[subiefan]

I agree about the delivery guys. The UPS trucks are usually exceeding the posted speed limit when they fly pass my house. (yeah, right... where I live the speed limit it not posted.. lol...Since it's a secondary road, I think that makes it an assumed 30mph here.) Althogh some of the body panels are strikingly similar to aluminum foil on most modern cars, Subies not excluded,, the frames of these cars seem to be pretty sound. Yes, you are also lucky that no lights got taken out. I hit a deer about 3 weeks ago that took out my healdight assembly. Youch!!! $178 dollars rush delivered from 1st subaru parts. Course I ordered the wrong one (well, the correct one according to the illustration. There was no guide to tell me how they defined driver's side/passenger side, though. I learned that the hard way.) They understood, though, and agreed to exchange it. They called me last Monday and said they had received the one I sent back and would send out the correct one. And I waited...and waited. And I called them back yesterday. After searching the records, they found that it was NOT shipped out on Monday. They said they would ship it out immediately. I am still waiting on it. So, if you order from them, make sure you order the right part. It got here right away the first time, but the return process is taking an eternity. *end rant* (Again, I appoligize for my mind's behavior. )

 

Again, good luck.

[tunered]

i will guess and be pretty close,$4100.00

[DerFahrer]

I actually think you guys might be overestimating the damage...

 

I'm going to say that only the strut is bent and needs replacing. You might hear a wheel bearing noise later on, so if they fix it, you might want to take an insurance adjustor for a ride to show him that it's not making the sound now, but might later. Trust me, when it gets hit like that, the wheel bearing doesn't like it.

 

Overall, I don't think it's that bad. The car is definitely not totalled, and if the body shop knows what they're doing, they can get it back in factory alignment specs and it shouldn't wear tires out fast or anything...

[Gnuman]

I'm with 2212, or close to that. I don't know if it was the strut, hub assy, or both that got bent on that rear wheel, but it is definitely repairable. good body shop shoould be able to take care of that outer skin and cladding no sweat. Definitely fixable back to factory specs. Go to a good shop, though, as a half-arsed job here will be one that you will be paying for for a long time. . . And, yes, get the berring replaced. That kind of impact is not what that wheel berring was designed to withstand. . .