I want to rebuild my car, where do I start?

[white dagger]

First off, I know it's a waste of money & going to be a very long process; I'm completely aware of this. I hit a deer two nights ago, and it completely ruined my car. I haven't even been able to go over everything yet, but I'm just looking for a push in the right direction. I assume frame work is the first thing on the list, any advice/info on how I should go about managing that?

[normal stirrup]

Could u send a picture of the damage

[white dagger]

very very far gone

[normal stirrup]

Do u have insurance

[white dagger]

Yeah

[normal stirrup]

Get a payout

That’s bad

[white dagger]

ik

[normal stirrup]

That’s a lot of frame damage

[white dagger]

Yeah

I don't honestly mind

[normal stirrup]

Man get a payout

[white dagger]

I don't expect this to be a quick fix in a month or so

[normal stirrup]

It will be a year of work

Especially since ur new

[white dagger]

Yes

I'm okay with that

[normal stirrup]

U wanna spend a year, when u could just get a payout?

[white dagger]

Yes

I do

[normal stirrup]

You okay with spending more money then what the car is worth too?

[white dagger]

Yes

I already said in the original post that I knew all of this & was okay with it

I'm just going to purchase a beater while I figure out my car

I don't expect this to be easy by any means & I know I'm lighting stacks of cash on fire, I just don't mind.

[snow mesa]

GG @white dagger, you just advanced to level 4! Chat more to level up and earn top roles!

[normal stirrup]

Ur weird bro u literally could get the same car with money for a shit ton of mods with the payout and spending the same amount of money that you would be putting toward fixing ur fucked up car

And people ask why they are poor

[white dagger]

Why're you still here if you have nothing helpful to say?

[normal stirrup]

Spending decisions lol

[white dagger]

I'm not poor, that's why I'm able to spend the money on my car like this.

[normal stirrup]

Everyone with a brain is gonna say the same thing

I am trying to be helpful lol

Use your insurance and get a payout

Why is this car so sentimental to you, bruh when did cars become such a idol to people wtf. Get the same car then. Still the same piece of metal

[white dagger]

I don't see how. You're trying to convince me to do what you want/think I should be doing, instead of actually giving me any useful information about what I asked lol

[white dagger]

it's not, I want to fix it, I can afford to fix it, I'm going to fix it.

It's really not that deep

I want to do something

& I plan on doing it

[normal stirrup]

I am giving u useful information u are still a dumb fuck. If I were doing the same stupid shit I would let my insurance have the car, take the money and then rebuy it from the scrap yard.

[white dagger]

Holy fuck

Are you fr my guy?

Why do you care so much??

[normal stirrup]

You should be asking yourself that

[normal stirrup]

Honestly I don’t give that much of a shit. Waste your money the economy needs it rn

Just was wondering how far gone are u

And u are really, really far gone

[white dagger]

Okay? lol

cope some more or something

[normal stirrup]

Ur the one getting mad at me lol

[normal stirrup]

Yep u are

[white dagger]

I just want you to either A. give me information about the question I asked, or B. leave

[kind tulip]

That's really not even that bad

[white dagger]

I mean I've seen worse repaired

[kind tulip]

We long as the frame isnt bent

Find a junker and take everything that needs replaced

[normal stirrup]

The fame is bent look at the images

[white dagger]

Not sure yet, I'm hoping it's only my front

[kind tulip]

You can't tell if frame is bent from those pics

[normal stirrup]

Literally could you take it off to insurance and get the same car

[white dagger]

Holy shit

[kind tulip]

The front part that sits around and in front of the radiator is not the frame

[white dagger]

can you go away?

[normal stirrup]

What is it only $300s for a payout

[white dagger]

I haven't even had insurance come take a look.

[kind tulip]

You'll need to find a junker to take from to repair this without spending thousands

Don't get your insurance involved or you will probably get a higher insurance rate

[normal stirrup]

That is true

[white dagger]

Yeah probably best

[normal stirrup]

Idk if the rate would compare to the damage. Really depends

[kind tulip]

Call and ask your insurance " the hypothetical if I were to hit a deer "

Ask if your rate would go up

[normal stirrup]

Yep 👍

[kind tulip]

But they would probably total your car

So it's not worth it anyways

[white dagger]

I mean insurance companies are greedy so I'd assume but idrk because I've actually got pretty low rates

[normal stirrup]

They ain’t that greedy

[white dagger]

Police report shows I didn't do anything wrong though

[white dagger]

Depends on what kind of insurance we're talking about

[normal stirrup]

Ur insurance is going up

If it is on a police report

[kind tulip]

Anytime you're in a wreck that involves your insurance paying you, your rate goes up

Typically

[white dagger]

yeah

[normal stirrup]

No matter what now, your insurance company will have access to those reports from what I have heard

[kind tulip]

If you report this to your insurance and they total it

You'll have to get a salvage title

[white dagger]

I'm pretty sure my insurance company will still insure a salvage but not 100%

[normal stirrup]

They should but your rates will change. Please just ask your insurance what your rates would be if you totalled your car and how much u would get with a payout.

[white dagger]

Yeah I plan to

[normal stirrup]

👍

[split zinc]

God damn that was a deer????

[normal stirrup]

I thought it was a moose at first

Bruh must have been flying

[split zinc]

he stated deer but the damage doesnt fit a moose either, moose would be way higher

either he was flyin or the deer was heavy af

[normal stirrup]

Think he was flying

[split zinc]

could happen to me too

had a crash like 4 weeks ago
frame rail is bent slightly :/

doesnt look nearly as bad

[normal stirrup]

U got a friend with a truck. Hook up a chain to the frame and pull out the bend

[split zinc]

i got a friend with a rack to straighten frames controllably

[normal stirrup]

Nice

[split zinc]

he needs time tho

hes a busy man

and i need him to fix my t3 aswell

[dusty pier]

A bit with the first guy in just writing off the car and directly finding another unless it has some kind of unusual sentimental value or the likes.

Nonetheless, even overlooking frame damage. At minimum you need to source and replace:
-Core support
-Fenders
-Hood
-Headlights
All of which unless they are fairly available at a junkyard nearby (and even then) are higher ticket items likely.

[split zinc]

and youll also need the whole radiator pack and stuff

[dusty pier]

Yeah.

[split zinc]

and somehow fix the metal that the fenders bolt onto , so to say the chassis itself

[dusty pier]

That's also not considering if it hit anything on the motor itself badly.

[split zinc]

and youre basically fucked when the frame is bent

[split zinc]

that aswell yes

[dusty pier]

Fuse boxes are also likely crushed.

[split zinc]

on my example i was lucky it didnt snap the power steering pump off of the block

[dusty pier]

So you might need to deal with electrical issues

[split zinc]

yea need to change wiring harness probably....

[dusty pier]

In parts for the hood and body panels alone you are looking close to $1000 even from a junkyard.

[split zinc]

if you arent a mechanic and you dont have all day off, youll need way more than a month and a fair share of money

[dusty pier]

Your best option is maybe write this one off, get another car identical and save this one to scavenge parts from.

Because even if you fix the car, it's reasonably likely it just will never quite be the same.

[split zinc]

probably what id do with that extent of damage

[heavy marten]

[split zinc]

yea youll need an alignment aswell

theres probably suspension parts bent aswell if you look at how far the damage went to the wheel

[dusty pier]

Yeah, didn't even cross my mind suspension.

Also the metal where all your shocks mount on the left side might be bent.

Which basically means you would almost need to buy an entire front clip to fix.

Again, thousands not including getting it welded in.

[split zinc]

insurance wise, definitelly a write off
and i say, with my few years of experience, you will never get back to what it was, i wouldnt invest the time and money to fix it

[split zinc]

if one may even weld that in

[dusty pier]

It's literally a recipe for a sitting project.

[split zinc]

newer cars use specialized stronger metals that arent allowed to be welded in a crash repair

[dusty pier]

Ah, good point.

[split zinc]

so youll need special machinery aswell

[dusty pier]

This looks like it might be a mid-2000's VW of sorts?

[split zinc]

idk the body (outside) but judging from the engine / coolant reservoir its a vw

or audi

[dusty pier]

Something euro by the bumper blanks haha.

[split zinc]

or maybe seat/skoda whatever

[dusty pier]

Yeah this car isn't a hobby project by any means.

Even dedicated people with tons of experience and tools would give up trying to save it.

[split zinc]

definitelly

sorry to inform but it really seems like that

even my golf, i doubt any company would fix it

[dusty pier]

Indeed, never nice to see a car go but there are always limits to what can be done.

[split zinc]

sadly, yes

[normal stirrup]

I tried already talking sense into him but he is just set on wasting money

[dusty pier]

Some cars are hard to let go, I don't pass judgement on it. At least worth knowing some of the specifics requested and why it simply isn't meant to be.

[normal stirrup]

He could literally get the same car with the payout. People who treat their cars like people; is the same as worshiping a idol back in the day

A piece of metal can’t speak, talk, or think. It doesn’t have emotions or shit. People need to understand that stuff

I love my car, but it is a car still

Nothing lasts forever, especially time. Which this man is gonna waste

[split zinc]

tbh, i do gotta admit, id be the same if something happened to the T4
but i have a strong emotional bond to it, we had it since i was 4 , and its happened more than once that i actually cried when i drove it again after not having seen it for weeks

or even a piece of memory of people or events that happened in life

tbh id go that far and buy a donor car to remove chassis parts out of

but i have the space for multiple caars, i have professional workers as friends

if i didnt have all that id see no chance

[dusty pier]

Yeah, for most people why he did would have been impossible haha.

But still incredible to see.

[sacred osprey]

Depends on the state. Some states will insure salvage, some states you need to turn a salvage title into a rebuilt title.

[white dagger]

Audi TT Coupe - 2008

tbh a lot of my motivation comes from PrizzaMike

I'm not super sentimental to the car, it was just a pain in the fucking ass to find a car I actually liked

I was without a car for like two years, this was my first car & within a month it's gone

Ty for actually explaining in depth the struggles of rebuilding, it puts everything into perspective& is a lot more helpful than just "get a payout, it's not worth it"

[normal stirrup]

Get a payout

It’s not worth it

[white dagger]

Still very on the fence because I'm more or less fine dumping time & money into it, just makes me feel like I'm wasting it by not trying my hardest to fix it (especially because it was so ass to find something I actually liked during the pandemic)

Also pretty car inept for the most part, so weighing the decision is a bit harder. I'll probably make a 2nd post/update this one when I'm able to actually fully take a look at everything & see what needs to be done

thanks a ton again to everyone that tried to be helpful

[normal stirrup]

Anytime 👍

[sacred osprey]

PrizzaMike also had years of experience. You're setting on on a multi-year trek with no experience and no tools.