howards11 Posted November 29, 2003 Share Posted November 29, 2003 :temper: I was involved in a rear end accident today with my 2000 Forester. A 1993 Pontiac Bonneville rear ended me at about 25-30 MPH. The Subaru held true to form and was not from all outward appearances too badly damaged. The Pontiac slid under the rear of the Subaru. The damage I can see are a dent in the hatch, the back bumper (really messed up) and the muffler along with a chrome part the fits over the tail pipe. No one was hurt except for my daughter and I being a bit sore and all appears repairable on my end. My question: Are there any particular areas I should ask the body shop to take a close look at that are under the car and I can't see ? I'm taking the car to the shop ASAP. Please keep in mind that the Forester was hit dead on in the rear. Thanks for your help ! ~Howard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesbaru Posted November 29, 2003 Share Posted November 29, 2003 Glad you are ok! Now I see why all Subarus got 5 star safety ratings... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alias20035 Posted November 29, 2003 Share Posted November 29, 2003 Originally posted by howards11 :temper: I was involved in a rear end accident today with my 2000 Forester. A 1993 Pontiac Bonneville rear ended me at about 25-30 MPH. The Subaru held true to form and was not from all outward appearances too badly damaged. The Pontiac slid under the rear of the Subaru. The damage I can see are a dent in the hatch, the back bumper (really messed up) and the muffler along with a chrome part the fits over the tail pipe. No one was hurt except for my daughter and I being a bit sore and all appears repairable on my end. My question: Are there any particular areas I should ask the body shop to take a close look at that are under the car and I can't see ? I'm taking the car to the shop ASAP. Please keep in mind that the Forester was hit dead on in the rear. Thanks for your help ! ~Howard You have to carefully inspect the aligment of the entire drivetrain and for signs of impact (scratches, dirt worn off, leaking seals, etc). If the rear subframe has been impacted, it can often push the driveshaft into the back of the transmission or do damage to the U joints and hanger bearing. On some occassions drivetrain problems such as leaks and vibrations show up quite a while after the damage is repaired. So be sure that everything is very carefully checked out, as dealing with an insurance company after a claims settlement for "hidden" damage is usually an effort of futility. It sounds like the rear end of the monocoque did not take too much of an impact (the bumper took the brunt of it) which is very good. Does the tailgate still open and close properly? If not the rear monocoque may need quite a bit of work. You see the real damage when the bumper comes off. I would have the exhaust system changed from the joint one ahead of the first one ahead of the damage (up to the joint under the driveshaft/transmission in your case?). The exhaust pipe around the rear suspension may have been stressed, even though there is no apparent damage. Before any serious work begins I would put the four wheel alignment gear on and that would tell you if the suspension took a hit (it sounds like it did not though). Since the rear stabilizer is behind the rear suspension, the frame mounts may have been hit, inspect them. Inspect the gas tank, in particular where the filler pipe enters the top of the tank. I have seen many Subaru gas tanks develop a leak on the filler pipe after an accident, even though the damage did not impact the gas tank or filler. The gas tank seems to shift and the filler pipe bends making it very susceptible to rust causing a leak. Gas tank leaks one or two years after an accident have occured to many of my friends Subaru's, while non-accidented Subaru's don't seem to have this problem. I am not sure if the evaporative emmisions system is behind the right rear tire like it is on the Legacy/Outback. I would change the whole evaporative emmisions canister and associated hardware for safety reasons. When any body panel is repair it will become VERY susceptable to corrosion on the inside. The accident and subsequent repair do a lot of damage to the galvanizing and factory rust proofing. I recommend yearly treatments of RustCheck/Ziebart or other rust proofing agents if the car is exposed to road salt or in a salt air environment (100 miles of an ocean). Most body shops will treat the inside of any panel with a thick coat of rust preventive spray after the paint is dry, ask about this.... Subaru's that take front end damage are usually much harder to repair as the engine is so close to the front bumper. Even a somewhat minor accident can break the timing belt mechanism and do in the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted November 29, 2003 Author Share Posted November 29, 2003 Originally posted by Lesbaru Glad you are ok! Now I see why all Subarus got 5 star safety ratings... YEP.....that's one reason why I got the Forester ! ~Howard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted November 29, 2003 Author Share Posted November 29, 2003 Thanks alias20035 for your help ! The people on this board are FANTASTIC ! ~Howard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WagonsOnly Posted November 29, 2003 Share Posted November 29, 2003 If I can add just one thing--check to make sure your electrical system in the rear is intact and still functioning, and repair any pinched wires or report them to the body shop before they start repairs. You should also change the bulbs ,since they're 3 years old and they just took quite a beating--and if you change the bulbs, your mechanic won't be able to blame any electrical anomalies on the bulbs themselves. Glad you and your daughter are all right. Good luck with the insurance co.! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setright Posted November 29, 2003 Share Posted November 29, 2003 Happy to hear that no one was injured I think the impact speed is over-estimated. 30mph would have written off both cars. Make sure the car is jigged up and measured carefully to check for skew in the whole body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted November 29, 2003 Author Share Posted November 29, 2003 :wave: Once again I want to thank all of the Subaru junkies on this board. Based upon everyone's suggestions I am going to have my mechanic go over the underside area of the Forester. I'd rather be safe than sorry. The rear lights all work fine and the hatch opens and locks OK. The muffer is probably gone along with the tail pipe and a chrome part that covers the tail pipe. That's all I can see now on the underside. Both my daughter and I are OK today. My back is a lot better; the soreness is all but gone. I contacted the other drivers insurance company last night. The good news is she admits her fault. An adjuster will contact me Monday or Tuesday. ~Howard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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