[smurphy522]

I was recently hit on the passenger side front fender/wheel area. The vehicle suffered, in addition to some sheet-metal/body damage, frame and suspension damage too. The front passenger wheel and tire was shot. The upper and lower control arms have been replaced and some steering components.

I am concerned that since I was accelerating onto a highway when I was hit; the turbos were spooling up. The engine and all electrical was shut-off immediately after being hit. Does anyone think the possibility of turbo or turbo bearing damage is high? The shop where it is at is not a "BMW only" place (though apparently Cert. for BMW). They also are affiliated w/a local BMW dealership.

How would I request that they assure there is no damage to the turbos or any other internal engine component? I don't believe they will be removing any of it for inspection so how should I go about requesting it is inspected. Should I request something in writing from them? Or, for example, can an oil analysis (once the engine is started and oil circulates) be completed to help assure everything is OK. Would there be any error codes to look for?

Looking for some ideas to pose to my insurance company and the shop doing the work.

BTW, they even had to remove the entire front section of the car up to the fire wall to replace some front frame parts. Engine was also removed! So far it is just over $12k damage. It's a 2007 with under 30K miles.

[smurphy522]

Hello......McFly?

[G-Bus]

In order for your turbo to get touched in case of an accident it would mean that the frame of the car bent inwards and therefore the car wouldve most prolly be a write off. If you had no frame damage your turbos will not be touched.

[ChasVS]

Na, what he means is was there any potential for damage since the oil circulation through the turbos, etc. was cut off when the accident occurred. You know they are allowed to cool a bit before the oil stops circulating when you shut off your car under normal operation.
A collision repair shop isn't going to be able to test the turbos for that sort of issue. I suspect the only issue might be a bit premature wear if they were affected by the lack of a cool down. If they are working properly now, I'm not sure there's a way to get the reassurance you want without a complete tear-down of the turbos which I doubt anyone would pay for.

[G-Bus]

Originally Posted by ChasVS

Na, what he means is was there any potential for damage since the oil circulation through the turbos, etc. was cut off when the accident occurred. You know they are allowed to cool a bit before the oil stops circulating when you shut off your car under normal operation.
A collision repair shop isn't going to be able to test the turbos for that sort of issue. I suspect the only issue might be a bit premature wear if they were affected by the lack of a cool down. If they are working properly now, I'm not sure there's a way to get the reassurance you want without a complete tear-down of the turbos which I doubt anyone would pay for.

Ohh okay! Well no it would be even less worried for that. Yes, we always have to wait for them to cool down, but sometimes you can't wait, you're on a rush, late for work etc... It's bad, but your turbos won't break if you don't do it once or twice in the span of 6 months.

Heck, I know people who beat the crap out of their engines and never let the turbos cool down and never had a problem so you'd really have to be unlucky.

[ChasVS]

Originally Posted by G-Bus

Ohh okay! Well no it would be even less worried for that. Yes, we always have to wait for them to cool down, but sometimes you can't wait, you're on a rush, late for work etc... It's bad, but your turbos won't break if you don't do it once or twice in the span of 6 months.

Heck, I know people who beat the crap out of their engines and never let the turbos cool down and never had a problem so you'd really have to be unlucky.

I wasn't suggesting that we need to idle the car before we shut it off to let the turbos cool. The car automatically runs the oil through the turbos for awhile after you shut it off. That wouldn't have happened in this case if the power was disconnected because of the accident. I agree it's not likely that there was any damage done, but that's what the concern was all about in this case.

[pruettfan]

If you took your car to a BMW certified body shop then they will send it over to a bmw dealer to have the entire drive train checked over to ensure there is no additional damage or issues from the accident. Regular body shops won't do this. My guess is you are ok but I would have some concerns also. I had a big repair on my 330i (16k) but is was rear end damage, I was very concerned about everything but I used a BMW certified body shop and they were meticulous.

[smurphy522]

Thanks for the replies. ChasVS nailed it, as for my concern that is. There was frame damage: the entire passenger side front frame rail had to be replaced which required the engine, suspension and basically all components Fwd of the fire wall to be removed. The cost so far is $17K and it has been in the shop for 49 days. Right now it is at the local BMW shop getting a re-programming. It was sent there to troubleshoot the starting issue along w/various "error codes". They found that the battery cable had been severed when the frame was damaged. Battery was grounded out so I get a new battery too!
The hood, front pass fender, bumper cover, side of vehicle (doors), rear fender and rear bumper cover required a complete paint job too!

I (finally) got the Ins. Co to note the concern of the lack of oil flow to the engine due to immediate shut down in their report.

I am hoping to get it back in the next few days. The rental 2012 Chrysler 200 I have been in is a real POS compared to my 335!

[Johnny D]

Contact your insurance company and ask their policy on checking drivetrain parts after repairs.

[achien]

I would be more worried how you car "handles" after the repair. your chassis will be weaker than before and the alignment (camber angle, castor angle, and toe-in/toe-out) will be very difficult to re-produce to the original state.

Originally Posted by smurphy522

Thanks for the replies. ChasVS nailed it, as for my concern that is. There was frame damage: the entire passenger side front frame rail had to be replaced which required the engine, suspension and basically all components Fwd of the fire wall to be removed. The cost so far is $17K and it has been in the shop for 49 days. Right now it is at the local BMW shop getting a re-programming. It was sent there to troubleshoot the starting issue along w/various "error codes". They found that the battery cable had been severed when the frame was damaged. Battery was grounded out so I get a new battery too!
The hood, front pass fender, bumper cover, side of vehicle (doors), rear fender and rear bumper cover required a complete paint job too!

I (finally) got the Ins. Co to note the concern of the lack of oil flow to the engine due to immediate shut down in their report.

I am hoping to get it back in the next few days. The rental 2012 Chrysler 200 I have been in is a real POS compared to my 335!

[smurphy522]

Well after getting it back 8/23 I drove it on the weekend. The active lights, were not! Most notably there was a mechanical feel in every bump which was directly felt thorough the steering wheel (as though the column was being hit w/a small hammer on each road imperfection). I took it back to the shop and they have sent it to BMW for troubleshooting the lights and steering. I believe there is probably a bushing or bearing low on the steering column that was damaged and requires replacement. The tracking was spot on as well as handling. Sadly I have not driven it for over 60 days so it was not easy to compare to anything (other than a memory). Hopefully I get it back this week and it's completed correctly

[aesfah]

i would personally get rid of the car as soon as all the work is completed. who knows what kind of errors and malfunctions you're bound to get

[zimbim]

After an accident like that, your resale value will go down the tubes. Make sure that care is perfect