'98 S70 door alignment & pillar questions

[jersey240]

I got into an accident last week—thankfully nobody injured, and comparatively minor damage to both vehicles. Even though I've done more repairs than I ever thought possible prior to discovering Volvo forums, and especially MVS, I know almost nothing about body work, and have two questions—

1. Door
Can I try to adjust the current door, or would I be better off just getting a new one? I haven't read nearly enough yet, but one of the articles I found said to use a piece of wood and try to bend the door back into place... but if I try to do that, I would be nervous about damaging the hinges. Any thoughts on this?

Separate thought—luckily, it looks easy enough (relatively) to remove and replace the fender (thanks, rspi!).

2. Pillar
Conflicting opinions so far: two body shops and my favorite Volvo indie mechanic say I have to get the pillar fixed, but then one reputable auto body shop said if I'm planning to replace the fender and door myself, then I shouldn't bother with the pillar unless the door still won't shut right. Any thoughts? No damage to the rails, thankfully, according to all three body shops.

If you guys are in favor of fixing the pillar because it will make the car more safe, then that's the most important consideration right now. But if it doesn't make much difference, maybe I'll skip it... I still need plenty of money to do the rear suspension, PCV, and other repairs. The same body shop that said to try skipping the pillar also said not to worry much about the way the fender bolts got ripped out of the pillar, damaging the spots where I'd tighten the new bolts on. He felt like the fender would be held in place enough even without those two bolts, but I'd like to hear any opinions on that, too.

Thanks for any help!

[rspi]

Looks like the car has about $2,800 in damages. That will usually total a car??? Will they pay you enough for the car to replace it?

[JRL]

Looks like the car has about $2,800 in damages.

Much, MUCH more, that car is very bent

[jersey240]

Thanks, rspi and JRL!

Unfortunately, the accident was my fault. Many years of safe driving (and luck), but this was a really stupid mistake. So I'm paying out of pocket, and have a really limited budget. Even $800 is really pushing it (about $400 for parts, and $350+ if I need to get the pillar pulled), which is why I'm looking into doing things myself.

rspi—so I won't get any money from insurance, and really hope to keep this car. It still runs great, even if it looks pretty bad right now. Of course, I wouldn't mind having a door that shuts enough to prevent the constant blast of cold air I'm currently getting....

I know absolutely nothing about body work, and my questions sound really stupid, but I just don't understand how this stuff works yet.

JRL—Does bent mean it's unsafe to drive? More info on body shops' estimates, and their take on the damage in a minute—

[jersey240]

One body shop quoted about $2000, another about $3000, but their prices included them getting the parts and installing them, plus painting, and/or cleaning up the damaged door if they were going to try and re-use and re-align it. The third shop, which said I could probably skip the pillar, said the pillar itself would probably be about 5 hours of labor on the frame puller, x $70 an hour, so about $350, assuming all went smoothly and I bought and installed the new door, fender, and wheel well myself.

The first shop said the rails were okay, I don't recall if the second shop specifically okayed the rails or just talked only about the pillar, and the third shop didn't even seem concerned about the pillar, let alone the rails. The third shop said I could have them adjust the pillar if I can't get the new door to align right.

By the way, I'm picking up a new door, instead of trying to fix the old one.

Based on their assessments, do you think I can replace the parts myself and call it done? Or should I absolutely get someone to work on the pillar? If the car is safe without fixing the pillar, it would be great to save the $350+. But if you guys don't think the car will be safe, then I would rather spend the extra money to get the pillar fixed.

Thanks!

[mikealder]

A new door isn't going to fit and neither will adjustment pull the door back to where it should be, you need to get the Pillar sorted before doing anything else, to be honest looking at the damage if that were a UK car you wouldn't even consider fixing it as it would be cheaper to scrap and replace with another one - Mike

[rspi]

I can't tell much from the photos, just looks like to much damage with the lugs torn out of the metal.

That's why I carry full coverage on everything I drive. It might be an extra $50 or so per month but if I tear it up, I usually get enough money to move forward with a smile.