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Thread: Limitations repairing a modern vehicle chassis

  1. #1
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    Limitations repairing a modern vehicle chassis

    You usually think that buying a vehicle with a chassis it should be much easier to repair in the event of an accident.
    Problem is with a modern chassis they are not allowed to heat or weld the chassis so......

    My daily driver is an Isuzu MUX. On Monday someone drove under the rear of the vehicle at some speed, lifted the MUX up over their engine bay. There's engine oil on the spare wheel which is under the rear !

    I was OK and the car drives OK. The Subaru that hit me is a write off, airbags deployed, coolant & engine oil all over the road. The person involved was OK but a bit shaken up as you'd imagine.
    So....I pay extra for nominating my own repairer, I visit him and the impact to the tow bar has bent the chassis rails and he doesn't have a chassis straightening jig as most cars aren't on a chassis nowadays. So back to the insurer, I then get sent to another repairer who has a chassis straightening jig.
    He's fairly sure the car will get written off as it needs a new chassis (car is 2.5 years old) as the damage isn't repairable. Even if they could straighten it they would have to take the body off so lots of labour.

    The damage is behind any mountings for the rear axle but the spare is pushed against the anti-sway bar. I've been keeping an eye on tyre wear and will try to remove the spare this weekend.

    I've been searching the dealer market for secondhand MUX's the same model year to get a handle on prices ready to argue with the insurers. Then yesterday I got a call from the repairer, they have been given the go-ahead to fit a new chassis, and repair all the other damage.
    Looks like I'll be in a rental vehicle for a few weeks.


    Colin
    '56 Series 1 with homemade welder
    '65 Series IIa Dormobile
    '70 SIIa GS
    '76 SIII 88" (Isuzu C240)
    '81 SIII FFR
    '95 Defender Tanami
    Motorcycles :-
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    Quote Originally Posted by gromit View Post
    Then yesterday I got a call from the repairer, they have been given the go-ahead to fit a new chassis, and repair all the other damage.
    I was not expecting that to be the outcome, I'm very surprised at this.

    I think more stuff needs to be repaired instead of written off, that will be one reason premiums keep going up, I realise there's many other reasons, but this won't be helping.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by gromit View Post

    Then yesterday I got a call from the repairer, they have been given the go-ahead to fit a new chassis, and repair all the other damage.



    Colin
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    Thats good news. I suspect body off these days isn't like what body off used to be. Its becoming almost like a service procedure for some vehicles.
    Cheers
    Slunnie


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    Quote Originally Posted by shack View Post
    I was not expecting that to be the outcome, I'm very surprised at this.

    I think more stuff needs to be repaired instead of written off, that will be one reason premiums keep going up, I realise there's many other reasons, but this won't be helping.
    It all comes down to cost, as you'd expect.
    The new chassis plus all the repair costs must have been cheaper than what they would have paid me out less what they would have got back at auction for my car.

    So the manufacturer makes the chassis from high strength steel to save weight and makes it almost impossible to repair after an accident !

    Quote Originally Posted by Slunnie View Post
    Thats good news. I suspect body off these days isn't like what body off used to be. Its becoming almost like a service procedure for some vehicles.
    One of my boys has a mate that works at the repairers, He's asked him to take a few photos of the strip & rebuild


    I paid an extra $200 to have my choice of repairer and couldn't use him !!
    I wonder if I get my $200 back ........? I think you all know the answer.

    Colin
    '56 Series 1 with homemade welder
    '65 Series IIa Dormobile
    '70 SIIa GS
    '76 SIII 88" (Isuzu C240)
    '81 SIII FFR
    '95 Defender Tanami
    Motorcycles :-
    Vincent Rapide, Panther M100, Norton BIG4, Electra & Navigator, Matchless G80C, Suzuki SV650

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by gromit View Post
    It all comes down to cost, as you'd expect.
    The new chassis plus all the repair costs must have been cheaper than what they would have paid me out less what they would have got back at auction for my car.

    So the manufacturer makes the chassis from high strength steel to save weight and makes it almost impossible to repair after an accident !



    One of my boys has a mate that works at the repairers, He's asked him to take a few photos of the strip & rebuild


    I paid an extra $200 to have my choice of repairer and couldn't use him !!
    I wonder if I get my $200 back ........? I think you all know the answer.

    Colin
    Hi Colin,
    Given the chassis is being replaced not straightened, why can't you preferred repairer do it?

    Tony

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by TonyC View Post
    Hi Colin,
    Given the chassis is being replaced not straightened, why can't you preferred repairer do it?

    Tony
    Hi Tony,
    He probably could but the repairer with the chassis straightening jig quoted the RACV.

    I've seen some of their work (one of my boys had some work done there) and no issues.

    Colin
    '56 Series 1 with homemade welder
    '65 Series IIa Dormobile
    '70 SIIa GS
    '76 SIII 88" (Isuzu C240)
    '81 SIII FFR
    '95 Defender Tanami
    Motorcycles :-
    Vincent Rapide, Panther M100, Norton BIG4, Electra & Navigator, Matchless G80C, Suzuki SV650

  8. #8
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    The saga continues.....
    Chassis is 'made to order', 6-8months delivery !
    So I can't tow for 6-8 months and I'm not sure if the vehicle is 'safe' to drive, I'm just looking at rear tyre wear. Plus the spare might be difficult to remove and, possibly damaged (I didn't get time to try and remove it at the weekend).

    I'll phone the insurer when I'm back in the office.
    First I need the vehicle inspected for safety, at their expense. Then I need to find out what they will do regarding not being able to tow.
    It crossed my mind that adding 8 months hire costs may push it over the line and it'll get written off. Problem then is that I'll have to fight to get enough to replace it like-for-like.

    Colin
    '56 Series 1 with homemade welder
    '65 Series IIa Dormobile
    '70 SIIa GS
    '76 SIII 88" (Isuzu C240)
    '81 SIII FFR
    '95 Defender Tanami
    Motorcycles :-
    Vincent Rapide, Panther M100, Norton BIG4, Electra & Navigator, Matchless G80C, Suzuki SV650

  9. #9
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    JDNSW is online now RoverLord Silver Subscriber
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    Sounds like you have a situation similar to what I had a few years ago with the 110 after an idiot ran into the back of the trailer while I was stopped waiting to turn right. Compounding the issue then was he had the same insurance company as I did! Eventually I managed to get it repaired, but it took the better part of a year, and I had to find a new chassis section for them.
    John

    JDNSW
    1986 110 County 3.9 diesel
    1970 2a 109 2.25 petrol

  10. #10
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    Most repairers nowadays are not actually repairers but parts fitters.
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