Repair question -- minor collision

[djwildstar]

Hi. Could you offer a bit of advice? I'm thinking about purchasing an F-150 Lightning that has been in a minor fender bender[.]

Personally, I wouldn't, unless the price is so low that this is practically free.

Because of the electronics in this area of the truck, repairs are likley to add up fast. A teenager hit the rear taillight assembly in my truck, and did not break any of the sensors. The repair involved removing the damaged housing, moving the sensors to the new housing, installing the assembly, and verifying that the sensors were calibrated -- overall, some $1500 in parts and $2000 in labor. So I'd expect repairs to be around $10,000 on the low end, and quite possibly more than that depending on how deep the damage goes.

If you've got a fully-equipped shop and are used to working on F-150's, then this sort of rebuild may be a good project for you. If not, it probably isn't worth it in terms of time, money, and aggrivation.

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[5tudent]

Personally, I wouldn't, unless the price is so low that this is practically free.

Because of the electronics in this area of the truck, repairs are likley to add up fast. A teenager hit the rear taillight assembly in my truck, and did not break any of the sensors. The repair involved removing the damaged housing, moving the sensors to the new housing, installing the assembly, and verifying that the sensors were calibrated -- overall, some $1500 in parts and $2000 in labor. So I'd expect repairs to be around $10,000 on the low end, and quite possibly more than that depending on how deep the damage goes.

If you've got a fully-equipped shop and are used to working on F-150's, then this sort of rebuild may be a good project for you. If not, it probably isn't worth it in terms of time, money, and aggrivation.

Thank you. I do like a project and have worked on Fords for decades.

 

[flabrent]

Thats odd to me. I've never once had an insurance company inspect a vehicle i purchased. I gave them the vinyl, etc and I was insured.

In Florida, if you're buy a new vehicle from a dealership there's no inspection. If buying a used vehicle, or from a private party, my insurance carriers have always wanted to inspect the vehicle.
The inspections were pretty basic, turn the vehicle on and off. Take a pictures of the odometer and exterior that was pretty much it.

 

[5tudent]

In Florida, if you're buy a new vehicle from a dealership there's no inspection. If buying a used vehicle, or from a private party, my insurance carriers have always wanted to inspect the vehicle.
The inspections were pretty basic, turn the vehicle on and off. Take a pictures of the odometer and exterior that was pretty much it.

Thank you. This is really good to know.

 

[5tudent]

How much money are you saving? That could be a $3000 repair or it could be a $15000 repair. I wouldn't take the chance for less than a $15000 discount.

Also, without someone looking at it you don't know if suspension or frame parts are broken. A bent frame would be a hard no at any price for me.

Just my opinion. It's possible it's a straight forward repair and a good deal. I'm focusing on the unknown.

Thank you for the good advice.

 

[Early777]

Ev’s in general can’t go into a paint booth so the battery needs to be removed. I learned this the hard way after a minor fender bender effecting my right rear door and dent to the box. My truck was out of commission for 4 months. The price was 16000.00. It took so long (I was told) because there were no ford technicians to remove the battery. This was in Canada.

 

[Maquis]

Ev’s in general can’t go into a paint booth so the battery needs to be removed. I learned this the hard way after a minor fender bender effecting my right rear door and dent to the box. My truck was out of commission for 4 months. The price was 16000.00. It took so long (I was told) because there were no ford technicians to remove the battery. This was in Canada.

That shop is clueless. My nephew runs a shop where they paint EVs regularly without removing the battery.

 

[Grumpy2]

Warranty exceptions includes the following :
• exposure to direct and/or intense heat sources outside of normal use, such as collision repairs that subject the vehicle to paint booth conditions that exceed Ford’s recommendations

 

[djwildstar]

Warranty exceptions includes the following :
• exposure to direct and/or intense heat sources outside of normal use, such as collision repairs that subject the vehicle to paint booth conditions that exceed Ford’s recommendations

Many shops bake the finish at 200F to dry and cure it quickly. This is too hot for EV batteries. Each EV carmaker has a maximum temperature and time specification (IIRC, Ford is 140F for no more than 45 minutes). Of course, if you're going to paint and dry at room temperature, that is no problem for any EV.

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