[Columbo]

Well, here they are, the pics of my Mustang Crash from 7-27-02. As some of you may remember I was hit by an Audi TT coming from the left from an area that he shouldn't have been coming from.

At first I tought I had major damage, but when you look at the photo's, it seems to be relatively minor... However, looks can be deceiving.... The frame is still straight, but the front inner fender apron has dented badly, and the radiator support has been lightly damaged. All bumper brackets tore off and off course a lot of sheetmetal is toast. The headlight bucket simply sheared off into two parts. Even the rivets on the grille have popped out!

In America the damage may be fixed at a relatively low cost. But, to get the needed parts here in Holland, you have to multiply the prices from your NPD or MU catalogs by at least 3 to get the price in our currency. So, parts over here are expensive.... My repair guy estimated about 6000 Euro's damage, but he isn't really aware of mustang parts prices. Tuesday the damage will be appraised so I'll know for sure than.

I have traced original never used 36 year old fenders and headlight buckets, but the costs are rediculous...1135 Euro's for a fender and 405 for a headlight bucket..... In parts alone, counting for original parts, I'm running close to 2800 euro's and then the parts haven't been cateforised (something I did to all removable panels) or sprayed and mounted.....

Well thanks for bearing with me...

Here are the pics:

members.chello.nl\a.schroeders\damage\mu_dmg1.jpg
members.chello.nl\a.schroeders\damage\mu_dmg2.jpg
members.chello.nl\a.schroeders\damage\mu_dmg3.jpg
members.chello.nl\a.schroeders\damage\mu_dmg4.jpg
members.chello.nl\a.schroeders\damage\mu_dmg5.jpg
members.chello.nl\a.schroeders\damage\mu_dmg6.jpg
members.chello.nl\a.schroeders\damage\mu_dmg7.jpg
members.chello.nl\a.schroeders\damage\mu_dmg8.jpg
members.chello.nl\a.schroeders\damage\mu_dmg9.jpg
members.chello.nl\a.schroeders\damage\mu_dmg10.jpg
members.chello.nl\a.schroeders\damage\mu_dmg11.jpg

 

[fordnut]

Man, I feel real bad for you..At least, the Audi got hurt pretty baddly, also....That says something for old American iron....
Have you looked at the parts for sale section? Maybe someone has parts to help you out, and wouldn't mind shipping them to you. If I had anything that you could use, I would help...
Good Luck..

 

[Guest]

Here, try these instead...

http://members.chello.nl/a.schroeders/damage/mu_dmg1.jpg
http://members.chello.nl/a.schroeders/damage/mu_dmg2.jpg
http://members.chello.nl/a.schroeders/damage/mu_dmg3.jpg
http://members.chello.nl/a.schroeders/damage/mu_dmg4.jpg
http://members.chello.nl/a.schroeders/damage/mu_dmg5.jpg
http://members.chello.nl/a.schroeders/damage/mu_dmg6.jpg
http://members.chello.nl/a.schroeders/damage/mu_dmg7.jpg
http://members.chello.nl/a.schroeders/damage/mu_dmg8.jpg
http://members.chello.nl/a.schroeders/damage/mu_dmg9.jpg
http://members.chello.nl/a.schroeders/damage/mu_dmg10.jpg
http://members.chello.nl/a.schroeders/damage/mu_dmg11.jpg

 

[topless66]

Dude, that does suck.
Just for clarification, is it the rate of exchange that kills you, does NPD charge that much for shipping, or are there just so few old Stang parts in Holland?

Would it be easier/cheaper to get used parts in the US shipped to you?

 

[Columbo]

Thanks for your support....

As always the VMF proves to be a great bunch!!

But, it's just that shipping and import charges are making parts so expensive that unless you could fill a container it is not profitable to ship or buy direct from the states....

 

[Columbo]

Was there something wrong with my links?? I tried them in the preview and they worked fine, I tried them from the post and they worked fine also....

But, thanks for making them work for everybody, that is the point of putting them here in the first place....

PS. When my car is back on the road, I must see where to find a friend like yours who likes posing..... /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

 

[Columbo]

Hey Topless,

There are loads of vintage Mustangs over here in Holland.....and plenty of parts/specialists.... Problem is their prices.....

Our Euro is almost at the level of the Dollar, so you should think that a part in the US would be only slightly cheaper. But, the high costs of shipping and the import duties raise the prices big time.

Unless you can ship a container at a time, it is not profitable to order from the states. But as almost all parts at some time have to come from the states, there are always shipping and duties costs that have to be earned back....

My parts suppliers always say that the prices they pay for the parts in the states are very reasonable, it's the shipping and import costs that generate the high prices.

Though some parts are relatively cheap, there are also parts that are extraordinary expensive....

But, I also think that because the car is an american car you americans will always have lower prices as there is more available and in different shapes.... For instance, you can go to a junkyard and find mustangs there stripped or not.... You can go to 100 junkyard in Holland and not find a single Mustang...... I think this is also a reason for high prices....

 

[Guest]

Was there something wrong with my links??

I'm guessing that format will work on some browsers, but not all. It didn't work on mine, so I reformatted them.

Strictly speaking, URLs should have forward slashes (/) not backslashes (\) and should be preceded by the http:// prefix.

Sorry about the car, btw. It's not a pretty sight to see a Mustang get smooshed like that.

 

[iDrew]

Such a bummer that this happened to you. My wife has an Audi TT Roadster...I promise she doesn't drive that way! Just makes me sick. I lived in Sweden and had my share of difficulties getting parts for the fastback I had while living there.

If it would help for us to buy here and ship, let me know, I'd gladly help out. Also...if the Audi driver was at fault, why should you worry about the expense. Shouldn't he or his insurance worry about the cost?

best,

Drew

 

[mike65]

Columbo, as Drew said if the Audi driver was at fault his insurance should cover t repair your Mustang & it shouldnt be a problem to you as far as cost. Just a thought.
Mike.

 

[AussieMustang]

Insurance Co. may consider it too expensive to repair and write it off !!!!???

 

[twotoots2]

What a terrible wreck. Glad no one was hurt. If the Audi was at fault, would his insurance pay under his liability policy? From what I see in the pics, looks like your car smacked his first, then bounced away slightly. In which case your front wheel suspension ought to be ok. Might not hurt to have an alignment done on the front end when the work is completed. Good luck.

 

[twotoots2]

In the states, if a car is totaled, the owner has the option to keep the car. The insurance pays the book value (or negotiated value sometimes), less the salvage value of the car. For instance, the car may be worth $10,000. The insurance company may pay up to 75% of the car's value in repairs. If the percentage is exceeded, the car is considered a total loss. So if it costs $8500 to repair the car, the car is totaled. The owner may elect to keep the car and try to repair it. So then the insurance company will call the salvage dealer for a salvage quote. If, for instance, the salvage value of the car is $3000, the insurance would pay $10,000 less $3000 salvage and write a check for $7000.

 

[Columbo]

Problem with the cost is that the car wasn't appraised yet. It was scheduled for the end of august.....

Because of this it is not certain how the car will be valued or if it will be totalled because of the high repair costs. That is why I still have to worry about the costs of repair. But, when the insurance company gives us the go ahead to fix it, I will no longer have to worry about cost. If it is declared totalled, I just have te get enough money for the damage and the wreck to be able to fix it up again. It will remain on hte road....I'm getting married in it next spring....

 

[Columbo]

That's my fear exactly......

And if so, the insurance will have to pay me at least enugh to get it back on the road. I'll go through the Dutch court system if necessary....

 

[Columbo]

The insurance policy of the Audi should pay for all the damage... It is indeed just a question of at what price is the car valued....as it wasn't officially appraised yet.

I have over 35.000 guilders into the car excluding the 18.000 guilders the car was bought for. I'm now putting together an archive off bank statements for car parts payments, pictures of the work carried out and all bills I can find, to show that this car was loved properly and should be valued at a lot more then just an average condition Mustang. Interior and exterior are like new, only the engine compartment and the engine itself remain to be doen, but why tear up a good running motor on a daily driver just for paint etc..... I'll just wait till it quits.... Or if that is too long until funds allow for a quick rebuild...

On your other post, our insurance does the same thing....It all revolves around the appraised damage and value of the car.....

Will know tuesday and repost....

 

[AussieMustang]

Oh that will ned an aligment alright . Smash repair used to be my trade ,when hit like that the whole front ends distorts and then sort of springs back (so to speak ) . It will be out of wack a fair bit .

 

[Columbo]

thanks, one more thing to add to the list.....

I just hope it will be as good as it was before. The alignment done om my car was of top quality. Doen by someone who actually knew what he was doing...

 

[Nick66]

Ouch, these are scary pictures. Mine is a 66 Wimbledon White Hardtop as well. Hope I/my car never get into such a situation! /forums/images/icons/frown.gif

Hey, speaking about parts. Are there any Mustang parts suppliers/dealers in the Netherlands?
We have one or two over here in Germany. And while they are more expensive than in the states (obviously), you might want to get quotes from them?! Let my know if you are interested, and I could give you their contact info... .

Regards,
Nick

 

[Columbo]

Yeah, the pics are scary. But honestly, they do not do justice to the face to face look of the damage.......

We have plenty of excellent parts specialists in Holland. I can name 4 without effort.... But as with you in Germany prices are high. Would be interesting to know if there is a difference between Germany and Holland. As you probably know the cars you buy in Germany are thousands of Euro's more expensive here...

Well, if I need the info you volunteerd, I'll let you know....

Thanks...