Starwatcher1979 Posted April 4, 2016 Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 Friday I had an accident. Somebody ran into me. From the outside only the bumper fender and light on the driver's side are damaged. I was able to drive home without trouble. The next day I tried to start car gavecme some trouble but finally started, yet engine light was on. Turned off car right away. Couple of hours later a friend tried to start it to see what was wrong and nothing.the key unlocked the doors headlights cam on but the car was not able to detect the key to start. Dash stayed dark other than informing me the key could not be detected. Insurance is slow...can't get to the car till Wednesday to even give me an estimate. Other party no insurance just trying to figure out what kind of repairs I am looking at. Thanks dhh3 and Steve_T 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted April 4, 2016 Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 (edited) Your battery is located right in front of the drivers side tire. Might have been damaged in the accident..... Edited April 4, 2016 by OhareFred dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starwatcher1979 Posted April 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 Thank you. I know nothing about cars. The headlights would still come on? I always figured there was a battery light that would come on not the engine light. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted April 4, 2016 Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 No, the battery light will come on if your charging system is bad. Does the car crank? Did the airbags deploy? It doesnt take much to turn on the headlights, but starting the car is another issue, espically with all the computers in them now. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starwatcher1979 Posted April 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 It doesn't do anything. It's one of those push button start thingies. No airbag. I really didn't think she hit me all that hard. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted April 4, 2016 Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 My guess is the battery cracked or shorted internally. Not an uncommon thing when you get wacked in the front or drivers fender. Insurance will cover it. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted April 4, 2016 Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 I concur with Fred. Something happened to the battery. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starwatcher1979 Posted April 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 Thank you guys.... I get it towed to the shop in the am... dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfurth Posted April 4, 2016 Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 You'd be surprised at how much damage can be done by a "minor" hit to the front corner. Last year, I got hit while stopped at a light in the front left corner, and the final repair list included: front bumper cover driver side fender driver side headlight radiator core support mis-aligned hood paint for all affected parts time spent on a frame rack to re-align lower frame rail 4 wheel alignment All told, it was about $4,000 worth of damage (I insisted on OEM parts and refused to allow the shop to use anything else - someone else was paying for it, and my car was 27 days off the dealer lot). Does Georgia have (and do you carry) uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance coverage? If so, did you get a police report/witness accounts of the collision? dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starwatcher1979 Posted April 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2016 I have full coverage... Everything and anything is insured. I hope by tomorrow night I know what the damage is. Thank you so much guys dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman425 Posted April 5, 2016 Report Share Posted April 5, 2016 Located on the negative battery cable is a device called the Intelligent Battery Sensor (IBS) which provides information to the PCM for controlling battery voltage. Mine was damaged in our accident which also was a driver's side front impact, but much worse than yours - enough to cut the battery literally in half. Anyway, once the car was all repaired and a new battery installed, it still wouldn't start because the IBS had been damaged. More than likely, one of the cables has been damaged or knocked loose in your case, but make sure the insurance adjuster and bodyshop are aware of the IBS in case it has been compromised. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starwatcher1979 Posted April 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2016 Update. So the battery was busted. Half of the front end needs to be replaced. They have not even gone very much further inside the hood. I assume I will lose my mind before all this is over. OhareFred and dhh3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted April 6, 2016 Report Share Posted April 6, 2016 Unfortunately even seemingly minor accidents can cause a tremendous amount of damage on todays vehicles with all the lightweight metals and plastic utilized to reduce overall vehicle weight. Hope your insurance gets it all fixed up for you. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhh3 Posted April 6, 2016 Report Share Posted April 6, 2016 I'm curious how an F-150 will fare now that it is all aluminum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlindSquirrel Posted April 7, 2016 Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 utilized to reduce overall vehicle weight. I was under the impression that they're built to crumple and absorb impact. OhareFred and dhh3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfurth Posted April 7, 2016 Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 The F-150 will fare just fine - until it gets hit. They can be repaired, but it's a new vehicle structure compared to traditional steel frame or unibody. Like anything else, make sure you know your body shop. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted April 7, 2016 Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 I was under the impression that they're built to crumple and absorb impact. That too. Multiple reasons. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted April 7, 2016 Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 Update. So the battery was busted. Half of the front end needs to be replaced. They have not even gone very much further inside the hood. I assume I will lose my mind before all this is over. Now now, lets no go nuts just yet! Plenty of time for that. Just remember, no one got hurt, you both have insurance, and its just a car. Could be alot worse. I know you are not happy about it, one of your prized possessions was violated due to someone else's carelessness. Id be pissed too. When you get it back, it should be good as new. Bodyshops have come a long way! Keep the faith!! dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted April 7, 2016 Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 Now now, lets no go nuts just yet! Plenty of time for that. Just remember, no one got hurt, you both have insurance, and its just a car. Could be alot worse. I know you are not happy about it, one of your prized possessions was violated due to someone else's carelessness. Id be pissed too. When you get it back, it should be good as new. Bodyshops have come a long way! Keep the faith!! Other party does not have insurance..... dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted April 7, 2016 Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 My bad. Your insurance will go after them, still no reason to go nuts. Lol jkeaton and dhh3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeyman425 Posted April 9, 2016 Report Share Posted April 9, 2016 Here's mine after it got blasted 26,000 miles ago. Repaired good as new and has never given me a hint of trouble since. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhh3 Posted April 9, 2016 Report Share Posted April 9, 2016 My coverage for uninsured drivers is less than $5/6 month policy. Well worth it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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