Do I have to fix my buckled hood? (insurance, salvage, brakes)
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I was in a minor fender bender last week and rear-ended a guy who jammed on his brakes to avoid hitting someone who cut in. My hood is a little buckled, but it opens and closes ok. My bumper is gouged and to be repaired would need to be replaced. Is there any reason other than cosmetics that I need to fix the hood and bumper? Thanks in advance.
As long as it is safely latched, no. Make sure the bumper cover is well attached too. Impact can tear attaching points or break and eject plastic retainers.
Nah, it looks to be cosmetic. As NCproud said, as long as the secondary latch holds, you should be OK. I drove my Mustang with a damaged hood for about a year without a problem. If it is an older car, you can probably find a used one for cheap, maybe even the same color if you are inclined. We have plenty of salvage yards here in Houston. What year and model is it?
So it's not a case of rain getting into the engine?
My car has vents in the hood to allow hot air to escape when it's running (see image here). When it rains, my engine compartment gets rained on -- no big deal. When you drive through a puddle, water splashes up into your engine compartment -- no big deal.
You may be losing 1-2 MPG due to increased aerodynamic drag, but that's about the only negative consequence other than aesthetics. The only other concern I have is if some of the paint flaked off in which case you'll have rust issues in a few years. Otherwise... if you have no desire to repair the hood, don't sweat it.
Ooooh nice car, Drover! My main reason for not wanting to do the repairs is the age of the car. But it runs really well and my mechanic says it's good to go for another 40,000 miles or so more. With that in mind, maybe I should make it look better. I got one quote for $1150 but I have a $500 deductible on insurance. So I'm still undecided. Thanks to y'all for your insights.
Pull it into a body shop out in the poor part of town, and see if somebody will bang it back into approximate shape for a few bucks. Some shops are really good about doing things like that.
Not to change the subject but there is no justifiable reason that you would hit the car in front of you even if he did jam on the brakes. I would concern myself with my driving habits along with my messed up car...just my 2 cents. where you on the cell phone? be honest now.
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