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2017 Explorer Crash damage

Hello all,

I'm sorry I found this forum only after my beloved 2017 Explorer was in a crash yesterday. I got rear ended by a Camry going at a high rate of speed (I was stopped at the end of a traffic jam) on interstate 93 and was subsequently pushed into another Toyota vehicle. Since I was transported off the scene (I'm all right though) I don't have too many pictures of my vehicle. Firstly I have to say I'm impressed with the safety the car provided, thats a plus for the explorer (at least from a first glance it looks a lot less damaged than either of the Toyotas). Anyhow insurance is moving fast and asking me to find a body shop etc. I would like some advice on what to look out for in this repair process and to make sure I'm getting a proper Explorer back.
From what I can tell so far there is pretty bad damage to my lift gate and rear bumper. Also my third row is completely dislodged and doesn't seem to fit into the car anymore. There is stuff penetrating into the rear right wheel well and hanging down. The front of my car looks like its mostly cosmetic damage... I know this is all preliminary information, but I'm really worried about getting my car fixed correctly.

Back of my car:
explorer_back_no_tags_zps31ybsigj.png


Front of my car:
explorer_front_notag_zpstnaeogkr.png


Front of car that hit me:
camry_zpsjgvbokwl.png


back of car that I was pushed into:
scion_back_zpsfpvleydh.png
 



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First and foremost DO NOT go to the "prefered shop" of the insurance company. ( especially if it is GEICO )
Tell me where the vehicle is currently located and I can see if I can help. In the meantime you want a shop that is I-CAR GOLD status. That means both management and technicians have reached a certain level of training. Look for a shop with lots of nice high end cars, those shops have high end cars for a reason.

Dinner is ready, I will post more when I am done.
 






1) Your vehicle:
Appearances are most often deceiving in modern vehicles involved in a collision.
The front looks fairly decent. Low damage, you outweighed what you hit so not a lot of energy was transferred back into your Ex.
The back on the other hand is pretty ugly especially looking at what hit you. ( which by the way, THAT car won't get fixed. )
Several things concern me there. It is a low hit as well, looks to be under the rails, quite possibly. You mention "stuff penetrating into the rear right wheel well and hanging down" and "my third row is completely dislodged and doesn't seem to fit into the car anymore."
Likely suspension and or significant floor damage.
I really wish I could see the right side of the vehicle to get a better feel for what is going on. It is not a love tap I can tell you that.

With it being a 17 there is a strong chance it WILL be fixed. How many miles are on it and what trim level is it? What insurance company are you working with?

Before I dive into what all goes into the repair lets wait and see what insurance says. As soon as you get an estimate please post it here. If you can post some good pics of the right side. Close up on the wheel well, and where the door and the quarter panel meet. Take a few there nice and close. Like top half and then bottom half. If you see anything you think if funky take a pic of that. I will do my best to walk through it with you.
 






Oh, don't worry about the white car. Bernie will buy him a new one ;)
 






Okay, when you find you find your shop stop in hopefully before your Explorer is even delivered with a dozen donuts. You are in Boston, you have a Dunkin Donuts every fifty feet. Tell them this is thanks in advance for a quality repair. Express your concerns. Ask questions. Do they follow OE repair procedures, do you use a squeeze type resistance spot welder are two good ones. Ask the techs what they want on their pizza and have a coupla pies delivered for lunch. ( this may or my not make a difference, but I am looking out for my own ;) )

Good luck.
 






Thank you very much for your replies. It's a 2017 Explorer Limited with all the electronic goodies added but the ole 3.5 V6. It has a bit over 6000 miles on it and is insured by Amica. I should mention the guy who hit me (the 2006 Camry) took off on foot before the police arrived and he is not the registered owner of the car, so I'm possibly looking into an uninsured driver scenario.... I have taken Donuts to a body shop before, so yeah good tip!

PS: I don't have a photo of the right side... but the right rear panel (the one the gas fill is one) is bulged inwards somewhat. Oh I found one that shows a little of that:

explorer_side_zpsk1knj0xr.png


Sorry I wasn't thinking clearly before I was carted off and just took random photos.... Here are two more from the right side I found, I guess I was curious where my exhaust pipe went.....
explorer_right_rear_zpscbpxgchi.png


explorer_right_rear_exhaust_pipe_zpsegmtynxs.png
 






DAMN!!! Sorry to see that happen to your ride. I really don't like driving up there. I nearly got waffled heading south on 3 on my way to Pembroke / Hanover... I had NO IDEA they drove 60 - 70 mph down the shoulder a certain times of the day!

Anyway, I hope all works out well for you.

Oh, and bring them an assortment of Kane's Donuts... Dunkin' is too ordinary. LOL
 






Actually Union Square Donuts in Somerville is all the rage now.....
 






Okay, small update. Nothing from the insurance yet.... but I paid a daylight visit to my car. Rear doors are perfectly fine as far as I can tell and the gaps seem normal/even. As for my right rear wheel, I suppose what I see in there is my muffler.....

right_rear_wheel_close_up_zps7vpmrdww.jpg


I'm mostly worried about the cracked open weld on this part in the red box, unless that is not critical:
underfloor_close_cracked_zpsgwx4m73r.png

right_rear_wheel_front_zpsdxqncitn.jpg

My trunk from the bottom:
trunk_underside_zpsmqihr0xf.jpg
 






Okay, lots of good stuff there.

At minimum you are getting a new floor and right quarter panel. ( aside from the obvious ) I think I see a bent cross member or a rear body panel too. Nothing too hateful really. It will be a nice job for someone.

Post the estimate when you get one.

Nothing to worry about.
 






Thanks, will do. Besides the structural issues, I'm also concerned that all the electronic goodies stop working correctly..... I see the blind spot warning stuff, rear view camera, lane keep assist and park assist affected/damaged right now.... Some 10 years ago a car of mine was side swiped by a city bus (I was parked) and as a result of the repair I no longer had mirror heating or power adjust on the drivers side, with the insurance refusing to cover that repair (they just gave me a "dumb" mirror that had almost the right color). I don't want to be a gloom and doom up front, jut nervous :)
 






Thanks, will do. Besides the structural issues, I'm also concerned that all the electronic goodies stop working correctly..... I see the blind spot warning stuff, rear view camera, lane keep assist and park assist affected/damaged right now.... Some 10 years ago a car of mine was side swiped by a city bus (I was parked) and as a result of the repair I no longer had mirror heating or power adjust on the drivers side, with the insurance refusing to cover that repair (they just gave me a "dumb" mirror that had almost the right color). I don't want to be a gloom and doom up front, jut nervous :)

The shop should do a pre and post scan. Should. ( that might be a good question for the shop if they do pre and post scans )
That will let them know what is right and what is wrong. Most of the blind spot stuff does need to be recalibrated after removal, but not all. I am not sure about 17 Explorers but if I were to guess they do in fact need to be calibrated.

Look, you have every LEGAL right to have your vehicle restored to pre accident condition. If you had heated mirrors before the collision, you had better have them after the collision. Period.
 






Okay, insurance appraiser called me. He said the estimated damage could be up to 6000 Dollars. This doesn't sound too bad. Now it's time to pick a decent body shop. I know you recommended only gold class body shops, but there are none in town that have this for more than one year. I worked with Michael Hynes before for another vehicle and they also have the best Angies list ratings in town... What do you think? My dealership where I bought the car new last fall has a body shop. Would it be smart to go there to avoid confusion over the warranty later on if other issues arise, because it would be on them either way?

As for what happened to me 10 years ago, I was naive and didn't know how things worked in this country, but back then the body shop (partnered with insurance) said that's all I could get for the money the insurance is offering and if I wanted a "fancy" mirror like before I had to pay this out of pocket, and that they couldn't make a living off the money the insurance company typically paid them. That was a place on Norfolk St. in Cambridge. It is now gone.
 






Any shop worth their weight will offer a lifetime warranty on all repairs. If they don't obviously don't go there.
I lookes at Michael Hynes web site. I didn't see anything that scared me, but I didn't see anything to encourage me.

What town is your Explorer in right now ?
 






The car is sitting in a tow lot in East Boston, not far from Logan airport.

Thanks, Thomas
 












This shop carries some Ford endorsement as well as I-CAR and ASE certifications.
https://ricksautocollision.com/

Looking around their page I like these guys.
 






Thank you MONMIX. I was just checking out the very same one!! I'll give them a call tomorrow morning and see if they want to go pick up my car. Overall, do you think 6000 USD was a good estimate? I once paid 2000 for a rear quarter panel replacement and paint touch-ups (so nothing major at all), so I'm surprised. As for the warranty what I was thinking was that if there are mechanical issues down the line that Ford can't say their warranty doesn't apply because the defect could be due to the prior accident and then I get stuck between two places ...

Edit 05/01: Car is now at Rick's....Amica is sending a check over 5.9k. The appraiser estimates a maximum of 9 days for the repair.
 






Thank you MONMIX. I was just checking out the very same one!! I'll give them a call tomorrow morning and see if they want to go pick up my car. Overall, do you think 6000 USD was a good estimate? I once paid 2000 for a rear quarter panel replacement and paint touch-ups (so nothing major at all), so I'm surprised. As for the warranty what I was thinking was that if there are mechanical issues down the line that Ford can't say their warranty doesn't apply because the defect could be due to the prior accident and then I get stuck between two places ...

Edit 05/01: Car is now at Rick's....Amica is sending a check over 5.9k. The appraiser estimates a maximum of 9 days for the repair.
$6k is likely the tip of the iceberg. 98% of the estimates we get end up getting a supplement written on them. 100% of hard hit vehicles. There are no if's, and's or but's about it this repair WILL go over $6k. There WILL be a supplement.
It is every day practice, and it will not involve you at all. The shop will take care of everything involving that.

Did you remember the Donuts and the pizza lunch?
 



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