2003 Explorer Smashed... Please help!!

[NJExplorerFan]

I really need some help guys. My Independence Day wasn't so good this year because on July 3rd, my beautiful 2003 XLT Black V8 Explorer that I've LOVED for the last 3 1/2 years was in an accident (the first one of it's lifetime 10 years after birth). My girlfriend took it for a quick spin to buy dog food and ended up smashing the front end unfortunately (20 mph impact) after some older gentleman slammed his brakes when the light turned yellow. Thankfully she was okay with only air bag burns but the Explorer had enough damage that "I think" it will totaled.

Now I'm not sure what to do. Both air bags deployed, the front end was pushed in, radiator busted. Looks like it needs a new hood, new bumper, new fender, new internal support pieces behind the bumper and the frame might be damaged. The air bag repair alone will be $2,000-2,500 and about $3,000 in body damage repair. And you know there's always something else that's found once everything comes apart. Unfortunately I didn't have collision insurance on it so any repairs would be out-of-pocket.

Now I don't know what to do:

1. I can fix it but dumping $5K+ into a truck that's worth about $6-7K doesn't seem to be worth it. It also has 111K miles and the transmission does violently jerk into gear sometimes after a delay (shifting park to drive or drive into reverse). Someone told me the transmission typically goes around 120K miles. I'm close. It does also have the annoying gear whine on the highway and the annoying torque converter rattle.

2. Do I just part it out and hope to make more money that way? A scrap yard would only give me about $400 for it.

3. Are there other options/alternatives I'm missing?

4. If I do get rid of it, what's an alternative? I like the 2013 Explorers but I would prefer no car payments. I can also consider a previous 2006-2010 Explorer but I'm not crazy about the body? Are the 2002-2006 Expeditions worth a purchase?

Everyone's help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Mr Dubya]

I don't have any concrete advice for you, but I can tell you than when my girlfriend also smashed my Ex (fell asleep and careened into a telephone pole, she was okay) I put about 2K-2.5K to fix it. That's having bargain hunted for all parts and getting cheap deals on body panels. The only thing I had a shop do was pull the frame and underbody back into shape for the panels to line up (and paint).

Right off the bat, my gut tells me to part it out and say goodbye if those rough quotes are accurate. If you penny-pinch and know what you're doing, you can potentially bring the girl back to life.

Mine had 90K on it and was in immaculate condition so it was a no-brainer for me to keep it.

Goody luck sir!


-Dubya

 

[NJExplorerFan]

Wow, thanks for your response. I guess I'm not the only one out there with a significant other that smacked up their truck. LOL

I could see about really cheap aftermarket parts but what about the 2 air bags? That's the big cost. And once everything is fixed, will it ever be the same? Will all work okay again or is it better to invest the money towards another SUV that's all factory original (like I had). What else will be found once things come apart?

 

[Mr Dubya]

Was the truck towed to a lot and still there? Or do you have it on your property. Take some photos and see if you can't post them, especially ones with the hood open looking down at the radiator area and underside of the front. Basically pictures chock full of information. I'll see if I can give you my 2 cents on whether it looks worth trying to fix.

 

[HiImBrian]

Was the truck towed to a lot and still there? Or do you have it on your property. Take some photos and see if you can't post them, especially ones with the hood open looking down at the radiator area and underside of the front. Basically pictures chock full of information. I'll see if I can give you my 2 cents on whether it looks worth trying to fix.

Ditto

 

[DAT05EXPLODER]

i have both airbags i will sell you for a good price, if you do repair the truck.

 

[Bobmbx]

Sounds like an off-roader in the making.

 

[boominXplorer]

I have a complete front clip minus fog lights from an 03 XLT. Also have the airbags from the truck which has grey interior.

 

[NJExplorerFan]

Are the air bags easy to install? Do I need a new sensor and modulator? What else? How can I see if the frame is damaged? I'm no auto body guy but I can pick up stuff at the scrap yard. Is it easy to mount the body panels and pop the new air bags in?

I'll try to get some pictures up later tonight. boominXplorer - are the air bags easy to install?

 

[DAT05EXPLODER]

air bags are pretty easy to do. as for the body panels, it depends on how bad the structural damage is.

 

[Bobmbx]

Looks like a lot of plastic, a fender, and the hood. Just by eyeballing, it appears the hit wasn't severe, so wouldn't suspect any frame damage. The grill and headlights are intact and that says alot about the amount of energy.

Did the radiator pop? It doesn't look like anything pushed back that far. If its driveable, find a flat straight road with no crown and let go of the steering wheel and monitor for a pull. If its still straight without pulling, and the steering wheel is centered, I'd say the frame is fine. A front end alignment will tell you for sure.

 

[DAT05EXPLODER]

doesn't look bad at all, compared to other possibilities.

 

[Mr Dubya]

Where is the truck located right now?

I.E. your place, a lot, etc

 

[NJExplorerFan]

Oh man... I really hope it's repairable. The truck is now sitting in my driveway. I had a lot of my contacts recommend auto body shops and everyone wants to see it in-person to check for frame damage before anything. I only have one tow left for the year with my AAA membership. Not certain what to do - that's why I'm trying to evaluate the repair (fixable or not depending on frame), and then towing it to one place for final repair. I priced out a hood, fender, bumper and 2 air bags at about $1,200 at a local scrap yard, and luckily enough off another black '03 model. If a shop checked the frame and confirmed it has no damage, are the body panels easy to install? I also need a new radiator and radiator support most likely.

 

[wolfcreek]

The damage doesn't look too bad, but it could have hidden damage. The radiator support is a weld in, as is the right inner fender. The frame horn is sticking through the bumper, so it could have been tweaked. I always shop used parts on www.car-part.com, I did a quick check and came up with about $700 without the radiator (painted parts in black=$aving$)
So the remaining questions, is the frame bent and is it easy to put the parts on? I would check with your local body shops and find out if any are willing to check/ straighten the frame without doing the complete repair. Is it easy??? I have been doing auto repair for 27 years, for me it's easy, I don't know your level of experience. As for towing expense I would look at your local craigs list, someone always seems to have a trailer or flatbed for hire. If I hadn't just done major work to mine I would make you an offer, yours is closer to what I wanted than mine is.

 

[Mr Dubya]

Your first priority is to start breaking down the front end and get those body panels off to get a clear idea of what kind of damage you have.

Strip it down to the bare under-body, take some quality photos and then report back in.


When mine was wrecked all I did was have a (generous enough) local shop to pull the frame a tad bit and get the under-body back into decent enough shape that I could mount the panels without issue.

 

[NJExplorerFan]

Hey guys, just a quick update... The body panels came off from a local shop and it appears the frame is off by about 1/8-1/4 inch. They mentioned they can straighten that little bit and get the body panels on.

I searched one recycling yard and but didn't find any good parts to put on. And with my time so limited, I'm not sure I have time to run around from yard to yard to find pieces that are in good enough shape to match the rest of the body's condition. So, I'm considering having the shop mount all new aftermarket body panels. Are they decent enough to use? Would you guys advise against it? It would just be to get it back to where it was cosmetically. Anything else mechanical on the truck I would only use Ford OEM parts.

According to shop, the parts I need are as follows:

head light (passenger side)
fender (passenger side)
front bumper cover
radiator
a/c condensor
hood
fog light cover (not sure what this is)
head panel (not sure what this is)
radiator support
2 front air bags with module

A friend of mine also told me I should replace the clock spring for the air bags. Is this needed?

boominXplorer - still have those parts?

 

[Cubanlorenzo]

Where in jersey are you? I know someone parting out the same exact explorer with rear damage. Might be the fix to your damage

 

[NJExplorerFan]

Thanks man. I'm located in Middlesex county.

 

[boominXplorer]

I have these parts you need...

head light (passenger side)
fender (passenger side)
a/c condensor
hood
header panel
radiator support
2 front air bags with module

I could meet in NJ as I will be driving through there in about 3-4 weeks if that helps