regardless … my question was still relevant … the canoe is gone, and we can add comments to the thread that weren't there before 
regardless … my question was still relevant … the canoe is gone, and we can add comments to the thread that weren't there before
Don't forget the collapsible steering column usually collapses from airbag force, and the dash frame often collapses as well.
Knurled wrote: Don't forget the collapsible steering column usually collapses from airbag force, and the dash frame often collapses as well.
If it's hit that hard, it's a total loss. That's too much structural damage to rebuild. In all my years of selling crash parts, I've never sold a column or dash structure on a crashed car.
Bobzilla wrote:Knurled wrote: Don't forget the collapsible steering column usually collapses from airbag force, and the dash frame often collapses as well.If it's hit that hard, it's a total loss. That's too much structural damage to rebuild. In all my years of selling crash parts, I've never sold a column or dash structure on a crashed car.
I'm just going from my experience at Saturn, where they were standard replacement items. It's not the hit that destroys them, it's the force of the airbag. The frames would visibly bend and the column would be roached.
But yes, I will agree. It's usually a total loss. IIRC airbag deployment was roughly a $3-4k bill before you got into repairing the actual collision damage.
I find it endlessly funny that the expense is due to the big push for airbags, which was done in large part by the insurance lobbyists. I'm not trying to flounder, I do think safety in cars is a Good Thing, but it's another case of be careful what you wish for.
There are "mandatory" replacement items for every airbag deployment. Any body shop can look this up on their estimating system for you. Some cars are simple, and only require a few items. Others (like some newer Chryslers) have a laundry list that will include steering column, dashboard, wiring harness, etc. This is one instance where the "mandatory" list usually isn't just to sell more parts; the stuff will likely be compromised.
You can buy used airbags and parts all the time at the U-Pull-Its in my state of PA. But, how reliable will these be having sat out in a yard for who knows how long? Plus, with the cars most of us play with, some of these components may be getting to the age where they are 'aging out'.
Zombie thread update.
I stripped the original car for parts and she is currently driving its twin. It wasn't worth swapping the parts over to the wrecked car. This is what I suspected in the first place.
On a positive note I gave the old Sunfire shell to a neighbour's kid and it's currently mounted to a F150 frame. It's also sporting a set of 31" mudders and a camo paint job. I really need to get some pictures.
I'm not sure how to feel about that. Car bodied trucks always looked goofy to me, but the neato factor is high.
i took the perfectly good airbag wheel out of my 98 Cavalier and replaced it with my trusty Lumina Z34 wheel.. it made the car so much more pleasurable to drive- the wheel was lighter so the steering was more responsive, and it just fit the hands better... but i wasn't a teenage girl with a propensity for sliding off the road and hitting things, so i never needed the airbag...
In reply to Wayslow:
I like it. Normally they end up under monster trucks, not trying to become one.
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