Ragingfish's Vibe Takes A Hit!

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Tue Nov 04, 2003 11:53 am

Can soemone with a service manual hook me up with the steps to remove the left front fender panel? It's keeping me from opening the door on the driver side, and I'm sick and tired of climbing through the passenger side and over the shifter to get in the car.Thanks guys.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Tue Nov 04, 2003 12:11 pm

The quick version is:1. open th e hood2. remove the fender flair (the deer already did that for you) 3..Remove the "left wheelhouse panel"4.Remove the front fascia5. Remove the rocker molding6. Remove the headlamp assembly7. remove the left rear inner fender guard.8 .remove the front fender to rocker panel bolt9. remove the 2 front fender to door jamb bolts10. remove the top 2 front fender bolts11. remove the 1 bolt from the front of the fender.12. Remove the fender.Steps 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 each have their own procedure. so , guessing between 10 and 20 pages. I can try to send it to you tomorrw, but have no bandwidth for such things at home, and am beat and won't be up long tonight.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Tue Nov 04, 2003 12:13 pm

If you wouldn't mind e-mailing it to me, I'd greatly appreciate it.Anything to use my door again! I updated the e-mail in my profile, please use that to send the scans.Thanks so much again!!!!

Merzbow · Post by **Merzbow** » Tue Nov 04, 2003 11:17 pm

Yeah those images are quite upsetting. I'm glad the deer didnt roll onto the hood and break through the windshield I hate deer so much. They don't pat attention to anything around them unless it makes loud noises. Even then, they don't pay attention they just clumsily crash into things as they try to flee

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Tue Nov 04, 2003 11:31 pm

My sister's mother-in law was driving along and had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a deer. A half mile down the road she came across a "Deer Crossing" type sign. Days later she was still furious at those stupid deer who didn't even know where they were supposed to cross the road.

disneydj · Post by **disneydj** » Tue Nov 04, 2003 11:39 pm

Wow brings back memories... good luck... bad new: took the dealer three weeks to get mine back... Good News: Got a new paint job on that front end of mine.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 12:16 am

Guy at the dealer said once he gets the parts, he'll put me on priority, and get it back to me in 4-5 days tops.I love having a dealer who's a friend of the family.

NY Pete · Post by **NY Pete** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 7:57 am

Dude, you can't really be serious about paying for this out of pocket... $3k is a lot of money! Unless you already have a DUI or something on your record, I wouldn't sweat it. Claim it on your insurance and fuhgettabowdit! Pete

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 8:19 am

Believe me, I'm serious.My insurnace company is State Farm. They're trying to pull out of NJ. They drop people for lesser crimes than this, just to get them out of their way.I can't risk getting dropped -- I'll take my whole family down with me. It's a family policy.

fuel4soul · Post by **fuel4soul** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 8:27 am

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... _1Consider yourself lucky, Although I think the Vibe had a part in keeping you safe..

NY Pete · Post by **NY Pete** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 8:51 am

quote:I can't risk getting dropped -- I'll take my whole family down with me. It's a family policy.D'oh! Looks like you should ask dad to pony up a few bucks... blackmail money, y'know...Cripes, I've had my own policy since I was 16, my dad wouldn't even let me on their policy for exactly the same reason!Hope it work out for ya, but this should be a wake up call for you to have your own policy...Pete

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 9:34 am

quote:I can't risk getting dropped -- I'll take my whole family down with me. It's a family policy.D'oh! Looks like you should ask dad to pony up a few bucks... blackmail money, y'know...Cripes, I've had my own policy since I was 16, my dad wouldn't even let me on their policy for exactly the same reason!Hope it work out for ya, but this should be a wake up call for you to have your own policy...PeteCan't afford my own policy.Hence the reason I'm on with them.

greenfire · Post by **greenfire** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 9:38 am

quote:My sister's mother-in law was driving along and had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a deer. A half mile down the road she came across a "Deer Crossing" type sign. Days later she was still furious at those stupid deer who didn't even know where they were supposed to cross the road.Haha Thats funny. The deer need "car crossing signs". Anyone good at drawing? That would make a funny cartoon. Picture of a deer alongside the road reading a "car crossing sign".

Jahntassa · Post by **Jahntassa** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 9:44 am

quote:Can't afford my own policy.Hence the reason I'm on with them.Time to switch to Allstate, Mike... My parents have their policy there, and I was on them till I had my Probe switched to my name..Right now i'm paying $947 every six months. That's being 22, in a Red Vibe GT. Though I do have a safe-driver discount for having a clean record...

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 9:52 am

Unfortunately, I don't have a clean record anymore.

ShotInTheDark · Post by **ShotInTheDark** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 10:01 am

mmm deer, tasty

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 10:08 am

quote:Your lucky that you removed your CAI the other week. Absolutely. Would've been crushed if it had been in.

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 10:10 am

could be worse!

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 10:13 am

Oh my God...how did it get up there with no damage whatsoever on the front or the hood?

NY Pete · Post by **NY Pete** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 10:24 am

I've seen this beofre - the story is that the deer came from an overpass above and landed on the oncoming truck...!Pete

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 10:31 am

gruesome for sure!

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 10:34 am

Look at how bent the steering wheel is...I wonder what happened to anybody who was in the front seats.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 10:46 am

Well, I managed to get the fender off today, play around with it a little, and now, at least I can open my door.However, I made an unforutnate discovery while in there. Additional damage that I'm not sure was noticed up front.New pictures at: http://www.ragingfish.com/deer (4000 series)It appears numerous mounts for the fender were bend or mangled as well.And the headlight assembly looks much worse out of the car than in it. But I do have some good news. I just saved a ton of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico.I'm kidding. Geico isn't available in the Garden State. The good news is my silverstar bulb was unscathed! That's right. When the fixture shattered, the bulb popped out of its socket, and was lying in the bottom of the assembly unharmed. WOOHOO!!!!!But I also removed the black plastic fender liner completely, as it was interfering with my ability to make right turns. Unfortunately, when I removed the fender, the sound barrier came with it. Thankfully, though, I think they can reuse it and reinstall it. Otherwise, that's another 80 right there. Anyway...

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 10:54 am

I'm not worried about htat.I'm worried about how much more the repair is gonna shoot up.The damage was mostly contained to that one quarter-panel, the hood, and the headlight. IMHO, I'm satisfied with how it held up. I just am afraid of how I'll get it back to normal, and at what cost it will be.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 11:02 am

Actually, disney's damage looks right on par with mine.I think his point of impact was lower, because his bumper was cracked. Mine is fine except for some scratches.

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 11:05 am

If I was at home, and I knew where these pictures were, and I had a scanner...I'd show you what happens when Dodge Ram going 45 mph eats Chevy Suburban which eats Buick Century which nearly eats Ford Explorer if the light hadn't just changed to green. Now that was some damage.These cars are meant to have crumple zones, and the front end is one of those zones, so I'd say that's the reason why everything is bent. It's made to absorb the energy so your body doesn't have to.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 11:06 am

Precisely.And keep in mind, the actual bumper and crumple zones were not affected at all.It's all cosmetic damage! Except for the headlight, I could realistically drive around the car as it is. Nothing is putting my safety at risk.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 11:39 am

disneydj rear ended a dually pickup, pics at http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=4556, didn't give an estimated speed at impact.In Carol's deer damge post http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=6334, she said "I was *almost* able to stop in time"It sucks that some front end sheet metal damage will cost you 1/6 the price of a new one. Give up on Geico, they'll drop you faster than any other insurance company if you are less than perfect. They advertise a lot, but they can afford to with all the money they save by dropping people who are any risk.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 11:48 am

Joatmon, thanks so much for the service info, I really appreciated it! Was extremely helpful...

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 11:57 am

no prob. Man, that car looks weird with the fender off. Be funny if you start seeing riced up hondas take their fenders off to follow your lead

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 12:02 pm

Oh, apparantly I wasn't clear.I took it off, banged it straight a bit, and then put it back on. Didn't want to drive without it, leaving those wires exposed. They're just asking to be cut.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 12:35 pm

save a couple of bucksquote:Head Lamp Assembly 301.27http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2441235144Ends Nov-09-03 04:35:14 PST current $85, 0 bids, no reserve

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 12:42 pm

Thanks, but for various reasons, I can't do that...

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 1:25 pm

Yes, it would.But certain "agreements" I have engaged in prohibit me from using replacement parts other than those the dealer orders directly from GM.

Pablo1669 · Post by **Pablo1669** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 11:14 pm

quote:gruesome for sure!Thats not too bad, a friend of mine had a deer hit the side of his car one time. Well, here's the crazy part... The deer's head came through the drivers side window, shattered my friend's jaw and hospitalizing him for a few days. I'm pretty sure he had a concussion as well. The worst part of this accident is that the deer's head got ripped off and fell inside the back of the car. The paramedics couldn't tell if all of the blood was from the deer or from my friend

Pablo1669 · Post by **Pablo1669** » Wed Nov 05, 2003 11:19 pm

quote:Just seems like a lot of damage.Look at CDS22 and DisneyDJ, they did not even have that much damage. Kinda worries me.There are tons of factors involved with hitting deer and how much damage is done. First of all, the angle of impact. did the deer do a last minute jump to avoid hitting the car? was the deer moving or stationary? How big was the deer? How much does the deer weigh? did you hit the deer square in the body, or in the rear (also angle of attack).Some of these factors can make accidents with deer very serious. Thats probably why he looks to have more damage then the previous posts.

Jahntassa · Post by **Jahntassa** » Thu Nov 06, 2003 6:02 am

quote:But I do have some good news. I just saved a ton of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico.I'm kidding. Geico isn't available in the Garden State. I'm telling you...try calling Allstate...Mine is in Princeton (even though I live in Hillsborough). A guy by the name of David Van Leeuin (I think...the insurance card is in the car, i'm at work!)

NY Pete · Post by **NY Pete** » Thu Nov 06, 2003 8:51 am

quote:Yes, it would.But certain "agreements" I have engaged in prohibit me from using replacement parts other than those the dealer orders directly from GM.What "Agreements" would prevent you from saving $200 by buying a headlight yourself?!?... you're being very weird about this whole thing, dude... seriously... Pete

Roadpig · Post by **Roadpig** » Thu Nov 06, 2003 10:38 am

---------------------------------------------Head Lamp Assembly 301.27-----------------------------------------Ragingfish, found this on eBay, check it out (sorry if this was already posted in this thread...I didn't feel like reading 6+ pages):http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 235144It's the drivers side head lamp for $85Good luck

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Thu Nov 06, 2003 11:36 pm

quote:Yes, it would.But certain "agreements" I have engaged in prohibit me from using replacement parts other than those the dealer orders directly from GM.Too bad, that front bumper is back, went for $63 last time, relisted for some unknown reason, current bid now $10, at http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 2441770736

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Fri Nov 07, 2003 4:51 am

I figure Mike has looked at his options and it taking the best path for the situation he is in. There's stuff going on there, so we can't know what the best options are. You can never count on anything with ebay. I give Mike the benefit of the doubt, and wish him a quick return to normal vibing.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Fri Nov 07, 2003 5:04 am

quote:I figure Mike has looked at his options and it taking the best path for the situation he is in. There's stuff going on there, so we can't know what the best options are. You can never count on anything with ebay. I give Mike the benefit of the doubt, and wish him a quick return to normal vibing.Thanks for understanding.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Fri Nov 07, 2003 12:14 pm

I don't think there's any madnessFor me, it would be insurance and not care what it cost them. If not that, then it would be junkyards, but that could be hard because there might not be many wrecked vibes around here. It that failed, then I'd probably drive a beat up car again..I asked the seller of the front bumper why it was back, he said it was because the auction winner wouldn't pay. I know it won't finish at the current price of $10, but that $10 price makes want to buy it just in case I ever need it. Kind of silly though, like I need to be stocking up on part just in case I need them. Got to be practical, and need the money and space for other things.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Fri Nov 07, 2003 12:34 pm

My project is a 68 Firebird convertible, nothing special about it, just a body style I have always liked. My new money pit.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Sun Nov 09, 2003 8:19 am

ragingfish, what's the forecasted schedule on repairs? Do you have an estimate on when Emily will be back to normal?

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Sun Nov 09, 2003 10:16 am

Thanks for checking up...parts are on order, hoping they're in tomorrow, but once they come in, into the shop she goes...

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Thu Nov 13, 2003 2:56 pm

Update.Still waiting for parts. Over a week now.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 11:43 am

IBGVM Local #847

Attached files

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 11:57 am

Huh?And update: they said MAYBE by the end of this week, if not they can take me next week. But if it's next week, I"m pushing it off until the following week. Not leaving my car in the shop so they can NOT finish it, and then it will sit for the holiday weekend. Nah ah.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 12:12 pm

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish Â»Huh?Have no idea what's behind your avatar or signature, but was just trying to show some support from International Brotherhood of GenVibe Members, Local #847