1991 735i Rear End Collision

My 1991 735i with 165K was performing so well that I was thinking about getting it painted to improve appearance as paint was fading badly. Now I'm thinking about just getting rid of it. The problem--some cell-phone distracted b&*%$ rear-ended me. There was little visible damage but now the trunk leaks. I have detemined the leak to be at the tail light assembly. I am also detecting odor of raw gas. I have not been able to determine the souce of this but have to believe it is also the result of the collision. My questions are:
Does anyone know how much it will cost to repair the leaky trunk? As gas evaporates quickly does anyone know how to determine source of leak? Is gas leak potentially dangerous? My DIY skills are very limited but I have excellent mechanic that has serviced this car since I bought it in 2001 and did all the work on my 1988 735i that I drove from 1996-2001. Is it worth repairing these problems or should I just move on? Any insights appreciated.

My 1991 735i with 165K was performing so well that I was thinking about getting it painted to improve appearance as paint was fading badly. Now I'm thinking about just getting rid of it. The problem--some cell-phone distracted b&*%$ rear-ended me. There was little visible damage but now the trunk leaks. I have detemined the leak to be at the tail light assembly. I am also detecting odor of raw gas. I have not been able to determine the souce of this but have to believe it is also the result of the collision. My questions are:
Does anyone know how much it will cost to repair the leaky trunk? As gas evaporates quickly does anyone know how to determine source of leak? Is gas leak potentially dangerous? My DIY skills are very limited but I have excellent mechanic that has serviced this car since I bought it in 2001 and did all the work on my 1988 735i that I drove from 1996-2001. Is it worth repairing these problems or should I just move on? Any insights appreciated.


I was tagged a couple of years ago by an inexperienced, cell phone distracted teenage driver while it was raining cats and dogs so I feel for you.

As for the trunk leak, replacing the tail light assembly isn't that difficult of a job if that's what it needs. My first move would be to remove it and check to see if it's damaged at all or if possibly it is only the water seal that has been broken. The gas tank on the other hand could be significantly expensive (around $600.00), if in fact it needs replacing. Does the gas leak out completely or is it just to a point at which time it stops leaking? If it eventually stops leaking but there is still gas in the tank, you know the leak is going to be a leak which is high up on the tank. If it is the latter type of leak, I would fill up the tank and immediately begin watching very closely to see where the leak is coming from. Other than a visual inspection, I don't know if there is any trick to determining where a leak is coming from, other than a complete removal of the gas tank(which is a bitch!). I had this same problem this summer and was able to repair it with some stuff called JB Weld and to this date some 4 mos later, it's not leaking anymore. My leak was in the neck (high up) so it wasn't as bad as it could be for sure, however, whenever you have a fuel leak, it's dangerous. I recommend fixing it ASAP no matter what it takes.

Good Luck!!