e39 530i crash!

[Arma 134]

My car decided to lose traction in a straight line today on a surprise puddle (not going fast at all) and slammed straight into my car park wall... :(

Positive notes:

- no leaks, radiator seems fine
- engine runs
- steering etc. seems to be ok

- all electrics working, including lights

Bad notes:

- front bumper is stuffed -> needs replacing
- bonnet is stuffed -> needs replacing
- guard is bent -> repair or replace?
- fog light might be stuffed
- need new headlight cover for one of the headlights
- intake pipe near the bottom seems to have cracked slightly
- not sure what else might need fixing inside



Question is. Is it worth fixing? Had a chat with Brent, who has some of the parts I'll need so I think I might. I really want to fix it cause I love the car. But not if it's gonna cost 10k.

Also - should I just take it straight to a panelbeater or to a mechanic first? Since I need to assess whether there is any internal damage. What else might need to be looked at that I haven't already mentioned above?

Not my day today. Will need to drive the 520i for a bit.

Edited September 16, 2015 by Arma

[lord_jagganath 421]

if it is an accident, just get it to your insurance company. it would be well worth your time.

[Arma 134]

Only got 3rd party insurance which don't cover damage to own car from what i recall

[yng_750 247]

Talk to panel beater first. Panels are nothing compared to damage to the frame which can happe easily.

Be very through about the bumper mount points and where the radiator support panel joins the side. You should see if the bolt heads have moved

[charles28 136]

That sucks man, it really needs to go to a panel beaters for assessment though.

Its hard to estimate the cost from the pictures, as you can't see whats underneath

[qube 3570]

Dammit that sucks.. hope it turns out alright

[rusteee 52]

Oh that sux man hopefully it wont be too bad to fix, doesn't HellBM do good collision repairs?

[jonesrp 63]

3rd party.....??

[Young Thrash Driver 1020]

Bugger. On the plus side, you'll now be able to have a really mint condition front end... Between Brent and HellBM I don't see why the car should be a write off.

[jeffbebe 1560]

Bummer. Definitely panel beater first. Bonnet's a bit out of shape but doesn't look bad enough to have damaged the engine but could get expensive if bumper carrier, etc is munted. Doubt it'll be anywhere close to $10K though, so hopefully not a write off.

[BreakMyWindow 1874]

Check the front chassis rails havn't been bent where they join to the bumper shocks.

[M5V8 337]

sucks dude.

Damn surprise puddles. Nearly as bad as those wall that jump out at you.

Seriously tho as long as the chassis rails aren't bent it should be straight forward replace parts with second hand units and respray.

[MISS BM 712]

Talk to Ray as he does collision repairs if need be, or yeah, Pop down to the local PB and see what they have to say.. Sounds exactly the same as what happened to the 7er, straight line, hit a puddle and it was gone

[Arma 134]

Hoping the chassis rails won't be bent, I think I was only going at like 10km/h ? or something like that. Regarding replacement parts, was considering getting some shipped from the US - maybe a CF hood (no idea if I like them yet..), and an M5 bumper if they fit the non-m5 e39s - anyone know what kind of taxes are involved if I bring in these kind of parts? Anyway, will have to take it in for a look before I make any of these decisions.

Car is drive-able but I'm assuming I should avoid this right? Since the front bumper part in front of the intake pipe is gone and water can go in? (and there might be other damage that I'm unaware of so don't want to be a risk on the road). So thinking of towing it. Too busy next couple weeks so might contact Ray after that to see if he has time. Towing it to Silverdale will probably cost a million dollars.

Thanks for the input guys. Am pretty bummed. But either way, will see what a panelbeater / Ray has to say. Unless I can convince AA that the puddle being there was out of my control but I don't think that will get anywhere (or just say the wall crashed into my car).

Edited September 22, 2014 by Arma

[deeveus 81]

3rd party on a 7-10k car? (guessing) I've got full insurance on my $100 dollar banger that I bought. I'm guessing it made quite a difference in the price to insurance?

[Arma 134]

3rd party on a 7-10k car? (guessing) I've got full insurance on my $100 dollar banger that I bought. I'm guessing it made quite a difference in the price to insurance?

Yeah long story. I didn't bring my German drivers license with me to NZ (ages ago) and they wouldn't convert it so I pretty much went through a licensing process from scratch (learners, restricted etc.). So since they considered my license to be so young, the comprehensive insurance cover at the time was quoted ridiculously high for me. I've fully insured my other car (the 520i), which I had bought before this 530i. Did not get around to insuring the 530i too. Was meaning to get that sorted out in the next two months, but this accident happened at the perfect time before I did.

[deeveus 81]

Ach, Scheiße!

[Driftit 2078]

Where in Auckland are you located? Maybe we can recommend you a Panel Beater.

Get the repair done right. A cheap repair on a Euro is always obvious.

To save money see if you can do some of the easy stuff yourself. Like removing all the broken parts before delivering the car.

[Arma 134]

Where in Auckland are you located? Maybe we can recommend you a Panel Beater.

Get the repair done right. A cheap repair on a Euro is always obvious.

To save money see if you can do some of the easy stuff yourself. Like removing all the broken parts before delivering the car.

Located in Eden Terrace. Though I usually use a panel beater out near botany (Prima Panels) - which is what Glenn also uses and recommended to me I think. But a recommendation of some place closer would be good too!

[Driftit 2078]

Located in Eden Terrace. Though I usually use a panel beater out near botany (Prima Panels) - which is what Glenn also uses and recommended to me I think. But a recommendation of some place closer would be good too!

Ha nice. Shane at Prima is who I would have recommended out that way. Have had a ton of work done through them.

They repainted my E39 once too.

[Arma 134]

Ha nice. Shane at Prima is who I would have recommended out that way. Have had a ton of work done through them.

They repainted my E39 once too.

Yep, I usually deal with Shane when I'm there as well. Good guy.

[Arma 134]

Oo, didn't know that

Thanks for the heads up Dave.

[sonic_attack 89]

I'd be pulling it apart in the driveway and into it with the port-a-power and BFH.

Hard to imagine any structural damage at that speed, the passenger side supports yes, but doesn't look too dramatic based on that pic. Biggest hassle will be getting all that stuff painted to match.

Bummer.

[Arma 134]

Took both the grills out cause they were annoying (wanted to see state of the fan). Can't open the bonnet as the latch seems to be locked - will need to have it pushed out of the lock position to open - i'll just leave it to the panel beaters.

Also found what looked like a coolant leak on the undercarriage directly below the area I'd say where the upper radiator hose is located - have a feeling this must have snapped off the clamps / broke / became loose during the impact.. can't really see with the bonnet stuck. Hoping it's not the radiator, but meh if it is - it's due for a replacement anyway. Either way, not going to risk driving it - will have to tow.

Couldn't locate any other leaks.

Does anyone know whether the stock e39 m5 bumpers fit normal e39 msport cars?

Plan is to contact Prima tomorrow to see how busy they are, then organise a tow. After panels/body parts are sorted, will send to mechanic (most likely to you Glenn if you aren't too busy in a few weeks!) to do any mechanical repairs.

[aja540i 1906]

Took both the grills out cause they were annoying (wanted to see state of the fan). Can't open the bonnet as the latch seems to be locked - will need to have it pushed out of the lock position to open - i'll just leave it to the panel beaters.

Also found what looked like a coolant leak on the undercarriage directly below the area I'd say where the upper radiator hose is located - have a feeling this must have snapped off the clamps / broke / became loose during the impact.. can't really see with the bonnet stuck. Hoping it's not the radiator, but meh if it is - it's due for a replacement anyway. Either way, not going to risk driving it - will have to tow.

Couldn't locate any other leaks.

Does anyone know whether the stock e39 m5 bumpers fit normal e39 msport cars?

Plan is to contact Prima tomorrow to see how busy they are, then organise a tow. After panels/body parts are sorted, will send to mechanic (most likely to you Glenn if you aren't too busy in a few weeks!) to do any mechanical repairs.

I put an M5 front bumper on mine, you will need the mesh insert, fog lights, the brake ducts, and the flat panels underneath in front of the wheels, but should bolt straight on. Good upgrade!