I have a 2002 ford Escape in the shop for 13 thousand dollars of repairs after hitting a utility pole in the snow & ice.

I'm wondering what kind of issues down the road I'll run into if the vehicle develops problems as a result of all the front end repairs. It is going to need a new transmission,frame rail replacement,rediator support,engine mount ,etc. the list gos on... Anyway I'll assume I cannot purchase an extended warrenty from Ford now that this has happened. I would trade it but I'm upside down payment wise, plus I do like the Escape. Anyway any input from those who have had experiences with this sort of stuff appreciated.


Thanks

D

 

IMHO, from what I've seen of heavily (even moderate) damaged rigs, they will never be the same no matter how good the body shop is. If your airbags deployed, get ready for Carfax to possibly make note of it too. If this happens, brace for what is known as diminished value. Body shops can do wonders and I've done mucho body work, but they are still never the same no matter how well it is done. Corrosion protection is compromised, chances of squeaks and rattles, where is it bent that they missed (yes, I saw a late 70's Z-28 with damage on the trunk floor as a consequence of an accident and the accident was front corner related) are all concerns, and God only knows what else. I personally know a guy that ran a 97 F-150 into a house and the rig was two months old. There was almost $20,000 damage. They fixed the rig. Now, down the road, it's proven that it would have been smart to dump it soon after getting it back from the shop. Rust at seams, some funny noises; a person like me with a sharp eye can tell that the damaged panels have been spotted in, etc. This is not a rig I would ever buy.

IMHO, find out what kind of warranty the shop will offer you. Then plan on disposing of the rig in the next 1-3 years. Watch for rust and the like. This is somewhat tought for me to judge, but $13,000 damage to a rig that is not especially expensive sends up a HUGE warning in my mind as to what it must look like. Sorry to hear this happened. BTW, why don't you push for your insurance Co to total it and go out and buy a new one.

 

I'd push for getting it totalled. I don't know what model 2002 you have but my 2002 XLS has a retail of $14k which is what my insurance company would pay if totalled. I'd hate to think I'd be driving 100k+ more miles on a Scape that had it's front-end rebuilt in a repair shop.

 

They valued it at 19,880.00 cause it has all avail. options. Unfortunately this is why they are going to fix it. The formula this insurance co. uses is 70 % or more repair costs of total value.

So having a fully loaded vehicle is a liability in this case.

Believe me I tried to get them to total it, but they said I was almost 2 K under the threshold, (the repair costs are actually 12,300). This is one of odd cases where I would hope they would put the replacement value at less than what they did.

Oh well, I'll sell it when I can break even. Wonder how long that will take. I owe 20,500 on it.

BTW

Does anyone know how one would unload a vehicle like this? I know I could trade it to a dealer eventually, or, sell it outright.
I'm not really too motovated to sell this to another private owner.

Has anybody gotted top $$ via auto auction, etc?

 

Has anybody gotted top $$ via auto auction, etc?

You'll lose your **** in an auto auction (only get trade value at best) unless your going to E B A Y it. Then you should disclose the repair work and likely drive the price down there too.

Is it a Ford Body shop doing the repairs? If so then they SHOULDN"T be able to deny the extended warranty (may have to buy it at the dealership that did the repairs). Due to the fact you are upside down on the this vehicle your options on trading it without losing your shirt are very limited. You owe $20K on it and I have seen a lot of 2002s 4X4s advertised for $15.5 to $18K in the paper. Maybe not as optioned as yours but then I've never seen options given their full "BOOK" value on trade or private sale either. Unless your willing to take a bath on it your stuck driving it, make special allowances to try and restrict rust (lots of time washing the underside) and lower your driving expectations once back from the shop. Sorry about your loss.

 

May as well throw my 2 cents in...

I would have the body shop undercoat the living daylights out of it. Remove the kick panels, all inside trim around the rear seats and cargo areas, inside the doors, fenders, ect...
Everywhere possible. Coat everything.
I did extensive repairs on an '80 Toyota Celica, and I used this stuff that looked like honey when heated up. It sprayed well hot, then cooled and hardened somewhat as it cooled. The stuff found every crack in the seems at the bottom of the doors and fenders with a piece of wire.
After it cooled, I re-opened the drain holes in the bottom of the doors and fenders.
The cost of the work well offset the incredible lack of rust the car experienced after that. NO SQUEAKS either. SUPER QUIET ride.

Something to consider, if you plan to have something worth trading a few years down the road.

 

my advice is get rid of it as fast as you can or try to get it totalled out. it will never be the same and youll run into all kinds of problems after this allignment front end 4Wd etc. if you wind up keeping it youll be sorry in the not so long run. like the other guy said if its been hit to that extent, youll be noted as a repaired wreck on carfax. if it winds up getting fixed, sell it as soon as ya get it back

 

IF ya have to get a lawyer involved they might be able to help you get er totaled out speacially if they can prove it will be a un safe vehicle which i have a fellin wouldnt be a problem to prove. do you have gap insurance as well? wonderful thing to have for sitiations like this. i got a 02 as well pretty much loaded and when i was goning to trade er in they offered me little over 15 for it. any way it is impossable to fight insurance companys by your self most lawyers will give ya free advice. it might cost ya a little but in the long run i think it will save ya a lot of money and heart ache. good luck keep us posted.

 

O.K. Its baaaack now

After 3 months in the shop- (dont ask -rediculous!).

Some differences. I'll start with the good stuff first.

The annoying buzzing sound that resonated from the engine compartment before the wreck is gone. The Escape sounds like a regular vehicle now.

The shop did do a good job with the fit and finish. I cannot tell at all from looking at the exterior it was wrecked.

I've driven it about 800 miles so far and have not yet noticed uneven wear on the tires yet, I will keep an eye on that though.

Now the bad.

It rides and sound like it is on a cheap set of tires. Ive seen other comments about these issues, but i've never noticed them in my own until now. It has the Continental "SUV" factory tires on it.

The transmisson was replaced with a new factory unit (cracked case)
It seems a bit unsure of itself on occasion when shifting in and out of overdrive.

I took it to a couple of dealerships to trade, One put 11K on the trade value cause they said it was a wholesale candidate only. Dident matter to them that it drove and looked O.K.

So far thats about it, Oh, the ins. co. has now put over $15 K into the repair of this vehicle (nickle and dime add ons from the repair process they told me.)

Oh well , Maybe they know now they shoulda totaled it like I asked them to.

D

 

Too bad you couldn't have negotiated on the tires. The past few Fords I've owned have had really poor factory tires. The Continental SUVs are bad and the Ameritrac SUVs I had were bad too.

Tranny - I've seen several people complain about it hunting between 45mph and 60mph. I don't have any complaints with mine compared to any other front wheel drive cars I've owned with overdrive. Since the CD4E has had some issues, I'd verify they (dealership or a repair shop, I assume dealership since you have the cheap factory tires) used the most current TSB flash on the tranny. I'd also inquire about the tranny fluid since plain Mercon (not Mercon V) is to be used per Ford. Some dipsticks say Mercon V (01 and 02)and even some dealerships have used Mercon V but Ford states to use plain Mercon in the CD4E. Did they give you a warranty on the tranny - 12 months or 12k miles?

Other than the cheap tires, you may be in better shape than before since the noise disappeared and it's tracking straight. Probably got a new rack/tire rods which were a common wear item too. $15k was alot to spend since my 02 Escape isn't worth that much but it was the insurance companies decision.

I wonder if you wrapped it around a tree today and totalled it, if the insurance company would now give you $15k since that is what they invested?

 

The dealership and ins. co. said the tranny was good for 36 K from install date since it was a new unit. I'll feel confident if/when I have something in writing though. I'll report my findings on this later. If anyone has replaced the tires on this vehicle, with another type , I'd be happy to hear from you. Plase include Cost,brand, etc .

Thanks

D

 

Depends what you want, must people want all-terrain tires which just adds to the road noise. I drive mine straight highway so I put some Yokohoma Avid Touring tires on it. Great wet/dry traction and so-so in a little mud. I would not use them for off roading nor snow/ice. Put them on back in the fall and I've got 15k miles on them with good wear. Spent around $350 at Discount Tire. They're a 70k mile tire.