Body repair

[gt1]

I'm slowly researching i3 for a purchase and following listings on ebay. I saw one example with a salvage title (written off as unrepairable) and was surprised how little damage it had.The listing has been removed from ebay, but I saved it.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/7252489/BMW%20I3%20_%20eBay.pdf
What are your thoughts on it? Will any minor damage result in salvaging the car?

 

[jadnashuanh]

Certain things on the CFRP frame can render the car unsafe to repair. OTOH, some things that look horrible can be repaired successfully. Different states and insurance companies have different cost thresholds about when to total a car. Without more information, you might be buying a parts car that could never be made safe again.

 

[gt1]

The damage on this car seems to be limited to the bumper and shattered headlight. The front fender alignment doesn't look affected. Looking at the i3 frame http://image.motortrend.com/f/50478050/2014-bmw-i3-front-frame.jpg (warning: large image) I see that there are few CFRP parts in the front subframe and they look bolted to the metal frame. I can't see a $20000 repair bill.
But may be it explains why my insurance agent says that replacing my Acura TL with i3 will hike the rate by 70% or so.

 

[WoodlandHills]

Is there some reason why you would be better at estimating damage repair costs of CFRP than BMW and the insurance company that totaled the car? And are you willing to bet your money and your life that you will be able to repair this type of structure successfully and that their estimate of costs was incorrect? If so, then go for it! And keep us informed with pictures too. You could be the first individual in NA to take on such a challenge when even the authorized i3 body shops are facing a steep learning curve.
Good luck!

 

[gt1]

There is no need to be hostile. I'm not an expert on the body work by any means. If I were, I wouldn't be asking questions online. I'm interested in this car and want to satisfy my curiosity. I've been in accidents myself, and have seen other cars before and after the repairs. I've had my Moto Guzzi bike written off for mostly cosmetic damages, but always thought that cars have better repairability.

Found another one on ebay:

 

[jadnashuanh]

Some things are hard to determine unless you are intimately familiar with the repair process. For example, someone here had a scratch on the roof panel that cut through some fibers...the whole roof needed to be replaced rather than a simple buff and polish. Up to a point, the CFRP frame is designed with weak points and a means to replace them, but it's not like putting a steel unibody vehicle on a frame straightening system and pulling and twisting it back into shape. On something like the i3, if certain parts are damaged, essentially, the vehicle can't be repaired. Not all BMW shops have opted to spend both the money to train their shop on repairing the body of the i3 as it's a significant investment in both time and money to get up to speed.

IOW, there's a reason why you might see an i3 that was totaled that doesn't look bad to the untrained eye, especially one trying to view it in a picture from afar. If it were a steel vehicle, you can weld in bits and patch things, and while the cost may be prohibitive, you could end up with both a safe and good looking result...I do not believe that is the case with the i3...you might get it to look good, but it would still be unsafe unless you know what you're doing and it has not had a critical structure compromised. Break certain parts of the main CFRP frame, and you would not be able to repair the vehicle - it would be cheaper to buy a new one. Doesn't mean there aren't some valuable parts that could be retrieved from it, but not a whole car.

 

[WoodlandHills]

There is no need to be hostile. I'm not an expert on the body work by any means. If I were, I wouldn't be asking questions online. I'm interested in this car and want to satisfy my curiosity. I've been in accidents myself, and have seen other cars before and after the repairs. I've had my Moto Guzzi bike written off for mostly cosmetic damages, but always thought that cars have better repairability.

Found another one on ebay:

I am not being hostile, but I am trying to throw a little cold water on the idea of fixing a smashed CFRP structure at home. However, since you have been in accidents yourself and have seen steel unibody cars repaired in the past, I can see that you understand the difficulty and complexity of the job. My bad.....Sorry

 

[gt1]

My concern is not about a shadetree body work, but of the cost of the ownership. The insurance is not cheap as it is, and after a year or two of writing off cars with some bumper damage it might rise even more. I understand that the technology to repair the unibody is new and few if any shops have the skills. But the front bumper, fenders and subframe are not the parts of the CFRP superstructure and should be replaceable. Check out this video https://youtu.be/kfISmVGCjxg?t=13m19s

 

[WoodlandHills]

I don't want to pop your bubble (Yes, I do ), but the i3 does not have a unibody.

 

[jadnashuanh]

Essentially, the i3 is a body on frame, where the frame is composed of two parts: the CFRP life module, and the drivetrain module. The roof is glued onto the CFRP, but the rest of the bits are bolted together (well, there's a LOT of structural adhesives used as well). Many of the structural adhesives are BMW, patented, proprietary materials, and, obviously, all of the body parts. In reality, there aren't all that many fasteners, as there are a lot of built-in channels for bits to snap into.

 

[gt1]

I don't want to pop your bubble (Yes, I do ), but the i3 does not have a unibody.

If you would watch the video I linked you'd know what I meant. The passenger compartment is glued together and installed on the frame. The bumper, front subframe elements and the fenders appear to be bolted on. You should do your homework before trying to "burst a bubble".