Rich Sandor

OK, so the 951 hit a curb, sheared of the plastic undertray, and BENT the whole radiator/intercooler and frame back towards the engine about 2 or more inches.

This also caused that lowest, thin ribbed belt on the bottom, to cut into one of the plugs on one of the rad fans, and pinched a water pipe into a pully which puncured a hole in said pipe.

The damage also rearraged slightly the position of several things... it also sheared off the oil cooler radiator thingy, but we quickly made a bracket and put it back.

That small ribbed belt went sideways, and although we straightened it out, it flipped back upside down when we re-started the motor after fixing the pipe.

Last, I think the bent rad frame is causing a leak in the TOP of the rad assembly.. but I'm not sure.. it doesn't look broken, but I don't know really know.. I might try to take some piccys.


Does anyone know the cost involved in fixing a bent radiator/intercooler housing? I'm thinking theres a few thousand dollars worth of work to do, but I MIGHT be able to buy a new belt and pipe, and radiator and replace everything..

We did a pretty damn good fix up job in 12 hours, with the car on jacks, and when it was ready to go, after everything, it was still leaking water from the top of the rad.. dunno what to do..!?!?!

any ideas?

BTW, there is no visible outside body damage!

guardsred951S

I guess there's always the replacement option for the leaky parts, but that may be costly.

When my old 951 was hit from the front right, it bent the uni-body frame real good. I still curse that stupid woman that hit me The insurance company wrote the car off and that was that. I had lost my baby. The car was later bought by a fellow PCA member who is notorious for straightening out banana's. He did a good job, (you couldn't tell the car was hit) but I'm not sure what he did. He has allot of money so my guess is that he replaced all the bits that could be so as long as there's no frame damage (which there isn't), you probably should look for replacment parts.

Good Luck!

Rich Sandor

I'm thinking about risking my insurance and making a claim.

I'm worried that ICBC will write off the car, or I'll spend hundreds getting it towed, only to find out ICBC won't fix it, and then I won't get a new one.

I'm also worried that if they DO fix it, they will send it to some yahoo, and I'll never see that car again, or they'll just screw it up.

If I ask Weissach to fix it, they'll write it off for sure.. (

We'll see.

guardsred951S

I for one know that ICBC really isn't on our side when it comes to these cars. They really don't know what a 944 Turbo is and they'll get some half assed consultant to go online and find the worst chicken scratch price he can and that's what they'll offer you (if the car's considered a right off). I've been through this before and now that I know the system, I would be happy to coach you through it, should you decide to go that route.

If it's not a right off, then you can choose any place that's certified by ICBC (I'm sure weissach is) to do the work and ICBC will pay.

If you do decide to claim though, you'll be at fault and your insurance will jump up 6 steps on their "Claim rated Scale". This means that if you're at a -15%, you'll jump to +30% (-10%,-5%,0,+10%,+20%,+30%) and needless to say your insurance will be quite a bit more! This useless system is why I'm paying so much for insurance after my so called 50/50 fault accident (ICBC likes to do this so they get to right off both peoples safe driver discounts). In your case though, I don't think anyone else can be at fault??

Sorry for the rant but I've been through the worst our wonderful insurance corp has to offer and am a little bitter.

Please do drop me a line if you'd like a better explanation: kcardiff@sprint.ca

Peckster

First thing I'd do is get an estimate from a Porsche mechanic. It will be hard to make a decision if you don't know what it will cost. It shouldn't cost $100s for a tow, unless it's a long way.

Rich Sandor

Well, the car runs, it's just that its got a major water leak, so it heats up REAL quick.

I could put it in neutral and coast to weissach, literally, it's in kits right now at 6th and yew...

the issue is, do I have to go to a claims adjuster with it first, and then to a shop for an estimate? Or can I just park it at Weissach and tell ICBC it's there, and get it fixed...

OR, should I try to take the whole fron tend apart and fix it all myself? I have no idea how much it'll all cost...

guardsred951S

I certainly can see your problem. I'm not really sure what to do but if you can avoid ICBC, it would be to your advantage because your insurance won't be affected. Even if weissach wanted $2000+ to fix the car, this would pay for itself over the years of increased insurance. I figure my accident will have cost me $5000 by the time I'm back to where I was with insurance discounts.

The way I see it, you have three options (#1 probably being your best bet)

1. Take it (or have it towed) to Weissach and let them have at it. If they call it a right off, who knows what ICBC will do - probably the same.

2. Fix it yourself - It may be a big undertaking but will save you a bunch of money.

3. Call ICBC and they'll tow it to their lot and have a their adjuster look at it. If it comes down to an ICBC offer, be careful how you proceed because they'll likely not offer you what the car is worth.

Each way has it's pros and cons so you'll just have to weigh 'em out.

Hope this helps!

<img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

Rich Sandor

Thanks! I'm gonna have a go at that radiator and see how bad it's damaged. If I can do a temporary job until I can afford a new rad - so be it. At least I can still cruise down Robson St at nite in my baby.

But I gotta get my hands on a belt asap... it sound really bad with that belt upside down.

Peckster

All you have to do is take it to Weissach and ask for an estimate. It shouldn't cost you anything and they're not going to call up ICBC and tell them you brought your car in.

Once you know how much damage there is, you might be able to make a decision on your next course of action.

But you have to act like you can afford to have them fix it, to be taken seriously.