Major-ish DIY car repairs with no experience? Am I crazy?

[mitchm]

DW got in an accident (her fault) in our 2009 Hyundai Elantra. 140K miles and some serious cosmetic defects even before this, but runs great and no issues with it since I got it. Liability coverage only.

The front bumper and grill is gone, the coolant and windshield wiper fluid tanks are both busted and need to be replaced, and to go straight, you need to turn the wheel to the right a bit. Miraculously, it does run (at least the two minutes it took to drive from the accident site to home). I really have no experience with DIY car repairs except swapping out some dead window switches I got from the pick-n-pull a few years ago. However, watching some Youtube videos it seems very simple to put in a new coolant and wiper fluid reservoir and only marginally more complicated to install a bumper. I've already gone ahead and taken out the old broken parts without much trouble. 

I am thinking that I can do these smaller/easier fixes and then drive it up the street to a local mechanic to have it inspected for safety and see about having the steering issue corrected. Is this a stupid idea? Is correcting the steering issue likely to be so expensive that this whole endeavor is pointless?
 
I have no desire/appetite to be in the market for a used car right now, and am hoping that if I can shave off some of the cost of repairs by doing it myself, maybe I can get out of this for under, say, a thousand dollars, which would be a big win in my book. That seems to me like it would be a much better option than buying something used for 7-10K that is itself an unknown quantity.

Just wanted to see what you all think.

Tried to attach pictures but didn't work: here are a few...
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sMGze-NknmPL7PmGmgVrxmErcmjV6cDV/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/114zaoOGg6VKnsGraUwNiwCdlL7Jkds7T/view?usp=sharing

[Fru-Gal]

I have done a lot of DIY repair. But the steering issue sounds potentially serious. I would take it to the mechanic first before worrying about the other stuff. I have kind of a close relationship with my mechanic so sometimes I will call or ride my bike and describe a problem to him and get feedback that way. That is if my car is not running at the time.

[Notch]

Reading your post, I thought maybe, until I saw the pictures...  I'm not a mechanic, but that look likes a write-off to me, based on the bent frame.

[Fru-Gal]

This might be helpful, it’s what to do if the steering wheel isn’t straight. https://youtu.be/ouHhUoNh47s

[Fru-Gal]

My car is a lot older than yours so it’s mostly steel and doesn’t fall apart like newer cars do with the crumple zones. But that does look pretty serious. I would say just take those pictures to the mechanic.

I used to work in a luxury auto shop and they would straighten salvaged luxury cars purchased from auction and resell them. It was incredible what they could do with a twisted pile of junk.

[Paper Chaser]

That one's done. A novice can absolutely replace coolant and wiper fluid tanks, but there's so much major stuff damaged that it would be like putting a band aid on a gaping gunshot wound.

No bumper is going back on that without major time on a frame rack. The bumper mounts are at 45 degree angles. The entire unibody structure ahead of the firewall is probably no longer aligned, and it looks like a subframe or crossmember is damaged and hanging below the frame. You've likely got thousands of dollars in repairs needed just to straighten things out enough to bolt replacement parts in place.

The pics also make it look like the AC condenser and possibly the radiator are damaged and need replacement, and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the related lines have damage that you haven't noticed yet.

Then you get to deal with cosmetic stuff like the grill, headlights, bumper structure and bumper cover. Probably hundreds of $ even from a junkyard.

I just don't think it makes sense to invest the time and money into this one. Because you're posting here, I'm going to assume that you can afford to replace this car. I think that's going to be the much better option than trying to repair this one. This is what an emergency fund is for. Use it and save yourself the grief of trying to fix the broken old beater.

[Metalcat]

That one's done. A novice can absolutely replace coolant and wiper fluid tanks, but there's so much major stuff damaged that it would be like putting a band aid on a gaping gunshot wound.

No bumper is going back on that without major time on a frame rack. The bumper mounts are at 45 degree angles. The entire unibody structure ahead of the firewall is probably no longer aligned, and it looks like a subframe or crossmember is damaged and hanging below the frame. You've likely got thousands of dollars in repairs needed just to straighten things out enough to bolt replacement parts in place.

The pics also make it look like the AC condenser and possibly the radiator are damaged and need replacement, and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the related lines have damage that you haven't noticed yet.

Then you get to deal with cosmetic stuff like the grill, headlights, bumper structure and bumper cover. Probably hundreds of $ even from a junkyard.

I just don't think it makes sense to invest the time and money into this one. Because you're posting here, I'm going to assume that you can afford to replace this car. I think that's going to be the much better option than trying to repair this one. This is what an emergency fund is for. Use it and save yourself the grief of trying to fix the broken old beater.

100% this.

My old car sustained similar, but far more minor damage, just one front corner and so many things got fucked up from that accident. Insurance should have written the car off, but instead paid 8K to have it repaired, but it never ran properly again. Less than a year later I ended up trading it in for $1500 for a different car because it had so many issues.

[BlueMR2]

One of my first car projects was after crashing mine.  Stripped the whole front end myself, found a local guy that would do a cold frame pull.  Lined up a local painter for the new parts.  Reassembled, and it came together perfect.  Drives just as good as new.  Still driving it 22 years later!  Sorry I crashed it, but no regrets on tackling the project.  Learned a lot while doing it.  YMMV of course.

[sailinlight]

I would not want my wife to drive that again no matter how nice it looks after your repairs. With that much frame damage, it's likely lost a lot of structural integrity.

[Jon Bon]

She's a goner.....

But seriously, why would you invest that much of your time (and money!) to try and fix that? I mean it would probably take what 40 hours? 100 hours? even paying yourself almost  nothing that does not feel like a win. The price of parts is going to be more than you think as well.  When you best case is driving a car that is likely not repaired correctly* and structurally compromised?

*I am saying you can't repair it correctly and likely a professional cannot either.

[alsoknownasDean]

I'd get it checked out by a professional first.

Although consider that many new cars are designed to absorb the impact of accidents and after a decent wreck may not fare as well if it gets into a second crash.

Realistically though, I think you're better off putting the effort into sourcing a replacement. Would you be prepared to spend a month or two of weekends wrenching on it and going to junkyards, along with potentially frame work to get it right again?

[Dave1442397]

That looks totaled to me. The frame rails are bent, and replacing them will probably cost more than the car is worth.

[chemistk]

Just to give you an idea of what you're looking at, based on the pictures you'll need:

(First, the engine and transmission have to come out)

-Frame rails straightened, or the damaged ones cut off and new ones welded on, with both they would need painted.
-New passenger motor mount
-New control arms
-New steering rack
-New shocks & struts
-New radiator & overflow tank
-New A/C condenser & lines
-New wiper fluid reservoir & pump
-New front clip
-Possibly new hood
-Possibly new headlights

The work involved here is many times higher than the residual value of the car. At this point, it's worth more as scrap than anything else.

[mitchm]

Welp, thanks all for your feedback, sounds like that's a wrap.

I wouldn't have minded doing some of the repairs myself just as a learning experience (and no, I don't mind spending several weekends/countless hours of my time) but based on all of your feedback it just seems like a long shot.

Anyone have any recommendations/guidance for the best way to dispose of this thing? Should I just have it towed to the pick-n-pull and take whatever they offer?

[Fru-Gal]

When my previous car was totaled the pick and pull came and picked it up from our house and paid us for it too. Can also try selling it yourself as a mechanic special.

[chemistk]

Just call you local junkyard and let them know what you have what what condition it's in. They'll come get it, and pay you once you hand over the title. If you have multiple junkyards nearby, it's not a terrible idea to see what each one would offer but they're all probably going to be about the same.

[sailinlight]

I was in a similar situation about 8 years ago. I still had a hood though and the damage wasn't as bad so I drove it around for a few months until my wife was too embarrassed of me. Put it on Craigslist and someone gave me $2000 for it. It was a collector car though, manual 2002 BMW 540, not a Hyundai. They probably repaired it and it's worth a lot more than they put into it now.
Not helpful to you, but it makes me sad I lost that car and took everyone's advice not to fix it. Good luck.

[JAYSLOL]

Just about anything can be done DIY, and I would say anyone with time, determination and some mechanical aptitude would be able to learn how to fix that.  Would fixing that car be an economical use of time and money? 100% Absolutely not.  That car has suffered horrendous damage and is well into complete loss territory. 

That said, if I owned that car, and I happened to want to spend my free time (potentially hundreds of hours for a full diy of this rebuild) learning how to fix collision damage, here’s what I would do. First thing would be to check if the front frame rails that are bent are able to be unbolted for easier replacement further back behind where the damage stops. If the front frame rails cannot be unbolted from the rest of the frame, it will likely require removal of the engine and transmission and have the bent pieces cut out, and replaced with donor frame rails welded in by a frame shop.  This would already immensely complicate the rebuild, and cost quite a lot.  If it were me, I would prefer to tackle this project with an entire donor car of the exact same year, colour, transmission type, and trim level as yours, one in overall excellent shape that had their engine or transmission die, or was in a mild rear end accident so that everything in the front is still solid. This will likely be cheaper than buying individual parts because of the volume of different parts that will or might be needed, and it will also assist as a reference of what an undamaged vehicle is supposed to look like, as well as can provide measurements to compare the fit for things that need to be aligned.  Provided a car like that is available, next step would be to have the alignment checked and likely end up swapping the entire front suspension, steering etc from the donor to fix alignment issues.  Then it’s on to swapping over the front radiator supports, radiator, condenser, washer fluid reservoir, headlights, hood, fenders, bumper and anything and everything else that needs to be replaced.  Keep in mind almost everything will be hard to take apart, and almost everything won’t want to go back together, and there will be many hours spent on adjusting things to fit.  It might take a week to get the hood to latch properly. 

All in all, if you enjoy a project, do it for the learning and enjoyment of the rebuild process, not as an economical way to save money on a vehicle. This kind of rebuild could take an amateur literally many hundreds of hours, and cost several times what the vehicle would be worth after being perfectly rebuilt on top of the time spent.   

If you scrap the car, put it up on Facebook marketplace and Craigslist as a parts vehicle or mechanic special for $1000 or something, if no bites, lower by $100 until it sells.  And see what the local scrapyards would give you so you know where your bottom is

[chemistk]

Just about anything can be done DIY, and I would say anyone with time, determination and some mechanical aptitude would be able to learn how to fix that.  Would fixing that car be an economical use of time and money? 100% Absolutely not.  That car has suffered horrendous damage and is well into complete loss territory. 

That said, if I owned that car, and I happened to want to spend my free time (potentially hundreds of hours for a full diy of this rebuild) learning how to fix collision damage, here’s what I would do. First thing would be to check if the front frame rails that are bent are able to be unbolted for easier replacement further back behind where the damage stops. If the front frame rails cannot be unbolted from the rest of the frame, it will likely require removal of the engine and transmission and have the bent pieces cut out, and replaced with donor frame rails welded in by a frame shop.  This would already immensely complicate the rebuild, and cost quite a lot.  If it were me, I would prefer to tackle this project with an entire donor car of the exact same year, colour, transmission type, and trim level as yours, one in overall excellent shape that had their engine or transmission die, or was in a mild rear end accident so that everything in the front is still solid. This will likely be cheaper than buying individual parts because of the volume of different parts that will or might be needed, and it will also assist as a reference of what an undamaged vehicle is supposed to look like, as well as can provide measurements to compare the fit for things that need to be aligned.  Provided a car like that is available, next step would be to have the alignment checked and likely end up swapping the entire front suspension, steering etc from the donor to fix alignment issues.  Then it’s on to swapping over the front radiator supports, radiator, condenser, washer fluid reservoir, headlights, hood, fenders, bumper and anything and everything else that needs to be replaced.  Keep in mind almost everything will be hard to take apart, and almost everything won’t want to go back together, and there will be many hours spent on adjusting things to fit.  It might take a week to get the hood to latch properly. 

All in all, if you enjoy a project, do it for the learning and enjoyment of the rebuild process, not as an economical way to save money on a vehicle. This kind of rebuild could take an amateur literally many hundreds of hours, and cost several times what the vehicle would be worth after being perfectly rebuilt on top of the time spent.   

If you scrap the car, put it up on Facebook marketplace and Craigslist as a parts vehicle or mechanic special for $1000 or something, if no bites, lower by $100 until it sells.  And see what the local scrapyards would give you so you know where your bottom is

None of this makes sense for an '09 Elantra that's probably going to drop a rod before 200k miles.

This kind of exercise is much better spent on a car that's both easier to repair and has more residual value. It's an exercise worth doing, just not on this car.

Still thinking about the value of OP's time, the junk value of the car is probably going to be in the $400-$600 range. At that price point, they don't have to worry about spammers, tire kickers, lowballers, or the logistics of title transfer and how to get the car taken away.

OP - one thing to consider - if you scrap the car, consider draining the fuel tank by siphon or removing a fuel line. The yard won't pay you any extra for the gas and $30 in fuel isn't worthless.

[jim555]

I'm no expert, but that looks like a write off.

[HPstache]

As others have said... this car is done.

[sonofsven]

That's the kind of repair you take on if you don't have a job and someone gives you a free car and you need it to get to the store for pepperoni sticks and smokes.
Especially if your name is Ricky and you live in a trailer park.

[Metalcat]

None of this makes sense for an '09 Elantra that's probably going to drop a rod before 200k miles.

This kind of exercise is much better spent on a car that's both easier to repair and has more residual value. It's an exercise worth doing, just not on this car.

Still thinking about the value of OP's time, the junk value of the car is probably going to be in the $400-$600 range. At that price point, they don't have to worry about spammers, tire kickers, lowballers, or the logistics of title transfer and how to get the car taken away.

OP - one thing to consider - if you scrap the car, consider draining the fuel tank by siphon or removing a fuel line. The yard won't pay you any extra for the gas and $30 in fuel isn't worthless.

I think that's why they stated that it's 100% not worth doing and that the car is well into complete loss territory at the beginning of the post...

[JAYSLOL]

None of this makes sense for an '09 Elantra that's probably going to drop a rod before 200k miles.

This kind of exercise is much better spent on a car that's both easier to repair and has more residual value. It's an exercise worth doing, just not on this car.

Still thinking about the value of OP's time, the junk value of the car is probably going to be in the $400-$600 range. At that price point, they don't have to worry about spammers, tire kickers, lowballers, or the logistics of title transfer and how to get the car taken away.

OP - one thing to consider - if you scrap the car, consider draining the fuel tank by siphon or removing a fuel line. The yard won't pay you any extra for the gas and $30 in fuel isn't worthless.

I think that's why they stated that it's 100% not worth doing and that the car is well into complete loss territory at the beginning of the post...

… and again at the end of my post :)

I definitely wasn’t recommending that as the way to go, more of a thought experiment to lay out what it would look like to actually tackle.  Even I wouldn’t diy this, and I’ve got experience doing both mechanical and body work on vehicles, a shop with all the tools required, as well as downtime in the winter I could use to tackle it.  I happily do all the maintenance and repairs to my own cars (the daily drivers both of which are also hyundai) these days, but I wouldn’t put that kind of work into them since it just wouldn’t pay off compared to the alternatives.