Collision damage to aluminum hood + headlight assembly shattered

Had an accident a few days ago. Stupid mistake on my part.
Fortunately, everyone was wearing seat belts, the collision
was at low speed since the other driver braked, and in my
opinion nobody seemed to be seriously hurt. The fire dept
did check us out and transported the other driver (complaining
of headaches and back pain) in a neck restraint to the hospital.
The paramedic said it was just a precaution. I'm hoping she's
OK, but I have no way of knowing.

The other car's (late 80's GM sedan) front bumper caved in. My
insurance is going to cover this, but I've got damage to the
bumper, headlight assembly, and hood of my 2004 WRX.

My right headlight assembly was shattered, and the bulb's (H1)
filiment broke off. The front reflector was reaaranged, and
I tried to bend it back. I put an old bulb back in, and it worked.
The aim is way low, but I'll try again. The officer who took the
report (and actually saw the collision) told me that there was no
law saying that the headlight had to be covered. My big worry is
that rain or dew might short out the bulb. I thought of covering
it with clear tape, but I was worried that it might melt. I also
drove with the fogs on to help improve my visibility.

I'm not sure about the bumper. It looks scratched, although
it did buckle. It doesn't align with the right fender, and the
hood isn't even with the right/left fenders. I'm curious about
the aluminum hood. There's a tiny dent - about an inch long and
a quarter inch wide. I don't think there's any way they might
be able to pull it. The hood scoop is fine though.

So - my basic questions are, how safe is it to drive without
the headlight covered, and does it sound like the hood will need
to be replaced or fixed? Either way, insurance is covering it,
but I'm just curious.

It's possible that paintless dent repair might work on the hood if it is
just dented and not bent. If it's bent you'll most likely need a new
hood as most body shops can't deal with repairing aluminum.
Get a new headlight ASAP, you don't want to drive around with it open as
the bulb and its wiring are exposed to dirt and rain. If water gets in
there it could short out the circuit and blow the fuse. It would be
safer to unplug the connector from the headlight for now and avoid
driving at night.

y_p_w wrote:
> Had an accident a few days ago. Stupid mistake on my part.
> Fortunately, everyone was wearing seat belts, the collision
> was at low speed since the other driver braked, and in my
> opinion nobody seemed to be seriously hurt. The fire dept
> did check us out and transported the other driver (complaining
> of headaches and back pain) in a neck restraint to the hospital.
> The paramedic said it was just a precaution. I'm hoping she's
> OK, but I have no way of knowing.
>
> The other car's (late 80's GM sedan) front bumper caved in. My
> insurance is going to cover this, but I've got damage to the
> bumper, headlight assembly, and hood of my 2004 WRX.
>
> My right headlight assembly was shattered, and the bulb's (H1)
> filiment broke off. The front reflector was reaaranged, and
> I tried to bend it back. I put an old bulb back in, and it worked.
> The aim is way low, but I'll try again. The officer who took the
> report (and actually saw the collision) told me that there was no
> law saying that the headlight had to be covered. My big worry is
> that rain or dew might short out the bulb. I thought of covering
> it with clear tape, but I was worried that it might melt. I also
> drove with the fogs on to help improve my visibility.
>
> I'm not sure about the bumper. It looks scratched, although
> it did buckle. It doesn't align with the right fender, and the
> hood isn't even with the right/left fenders. I'm curious about
> the aluminum hood. There's a tiny dent - about an inch long and
> a quarter inch wide. I don't think there's any way they might
> be able to pull it. The hood scoop is fine though.
>
> So - my basic questions are, how safe is it to drive without
> the headlight covered, and does it sound like the hood will need
> to be replaced or fixed? Either way, insurance is covering it,
> but I'm just curious.
>

Who cares about the headlight? If its cracked the whole assembly will
be replaced c/o your insurance. Your best bet is to go to the body
shop and get an estimate. They;ll tell you what you need.

s wrote:
> It's possible that paintless dent repair might work on the hood if it
is
> just dented and not bent. If it's bent you'll most likely need a new
> hood as most body shops can't deal with repairing aluminum.
> Get a new headlight ASAP, you don't want to drive around with it open
as
> the bulb and its wiring are exposed to dirt and rain. If water gets
in
> there it could short out the circuit and blow the fuse. It would be
> safer to unplug the connector from the headlight for now and avoid
> driving at night.
>
>

On Sun, 12 Dec 2004, y_p_w wrote:

> My right headlight assembly was shattered, and the bulb's (H1)
> filiment broke off. The front reflector was reaaranged, and
> I tried to bend it back. I put an old bulb back in, and it worked.
> The aim is way low, but I'll try again. The officer who took the
> report (and actually saw the collision) told me that there was no
> law saying that the headlight had to be covered. My big worry is
> that rain or dew might short out the bulb.

Rain won't short out the bulb; it'll cause it to shatter when cold water
hits hot bulb glass. You need a new headlamp assembly or a set of
Morettes.

DS

wrote:

> Who cares about the headlight? If its cracked the whole assembly will
> be replaced c/o your insurance. Your best bet is to go to the body
> shop and get an estimate. They;ll tell you what you need.

I know that. I'm getting the estimate tommorrow. I was actually
hoping that I could fix the part just to be able to drive it, but
it's a special order part. However - I still need a car to drive
in the meanwhile, and I'm wondering if it's going to explode if
it rains.

On Sun, 12 Dec 2004, y_p_w wrote:

> I know that. I'm getting the estimate tommorrow. I was actually hoping
> that I could fix the part just to be able to drive it, but it's a
> special order part. However - I still need a car to drive in the
> meanwhile, and I'm wondering if it's going to explode if it rains.

The bulb will, yes. H1s haven't been made out of quartz for many, many
years -- they're all hardglass nowtimes.

DS

Daniel J. Stern wrote:

> On Sun, 12 Dec 2004, y_p_w wrote:
>
>
>>My right headlight assembly was shattered, and the bulb's (H1)
>>filiment broke off. The front reflector was reaaranged, and
>>I tried to bend it back. I put an old bulb back in, and it worked.
>>The aim is way low, but I'll try again. The officer who took the
>>report (and actually saw the collision) told me that there was no
>>law saying that the headlight had to be covered. My big worry is
>>that rain or dew might short out the bulb.
>
>
> Rain won't short out the bulb; it'll cause it to shatter when cold water
> hits hot bulb glass. You need a new headlamp assembly or a set of
> Morettes.

Actually - that was my biggest worry.

Oh - how this for irony? As the officer taking the report was finishing
up, one driver clipped another right in front of us. Strange.

Too bad the Morettes for the 04 Impreza are only reflectors and not
projectors like the old bugeye ones.

Daniel J. Stern wrote:
> Rain won't short out the bulb; it'll cause it to shatter when cold water
> hits hot bulb glass. You need a new headlamp assembly or a set of
> Morettes.
>
> DS

On Sun, 12 Dec 2004, s wrote:

> Too bad the Morettes for the 04 Impreza are only reflectors and not
> projectors like the old bugeye ones.

And you consider this "too bad" because...?

Are you laboring under the misapprehension that projector lamps are
necessarily better than reflector lamps?

Not necessarily in all instances. But the bugeye Morette projectors are
pretty good and were a significant upgrade from the factory reflector
lights.

Daniel J. Stern wrote:
> On Sun, 12 Dec 2004, s wrote:
>
>
>>Too bad the Morettes for the 04 Impreza are only reflectors and not
>>projectors like the old bugeye ones.
>
>
> And you consider this "too bad" because...?
>
> Are you laboring under the misapprehension that projector lamps are
> necessarily better than reflector lamps?
>
>