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The front of a black Mazda CX-5 seen head on, with a glossy hood reflecting clouds, a black mesh grille with chrome trim and the Mazda badge, parked on gravel

Car rebuildDrawing 37 of 37

2022 Mazda
CX-5

A 2022 Mazda CX-5 Premium Plus I bought for $12,400 at a Copart salvage auction after it was hit in the front. I replaced the whole front end, a shop straightened the bent frame, and I put it back together. I did it for my fiancée, and it's her car now.

Sheet 02 of 05/Auction

Buying it at auction

It's a 2022 Mazda CX-5 Premium Plus in black, with all-wheel drive and the 2.5 litre four-cylinder. It had 24,905 miles on it when I bought it.

I bought it at a Copart salvage auction on June 26, 2025. It was in their Savannah, Georgia yard with a Georgia salvage title, and I got it for $12,400. The auction record lists its retail value at $25,800, so I paid a little under half.

It was hit in the front. The hood was buckled, the bumper cover was torn open at both corners and the headlight on the passenger side was smashed. Underneath, the frame was bent.

With the fees, the parts, the frame work and the paint, the whole thing came to about $19,000. I bought a BMW 530i from Copart around the same time, and by July 16 the titles for both cars were on the way.

A black Mazda CX-5 on a dirt auction lot seen from the front left, with the bumper torn open at the corner and the hood buckled. The lot sticker on the windshield is blurred
PL 02The Copart listing photo from the Savannah yard. The damage is all at the front.
The front of the damaged CX-5 seen head on, with the hood creased along its front edge, the grille still in place and the bumper torn and hanging at both corners
PL 04Head on at the auction. The hood is buckled along the front and the bumper is torn at both corners.
The damaged CX-5 seen from the front right, with the headlight broken open, the bumper cover crushed and torn, and the hood crumpled at that corner
PL 05The passenger side at the auction, with the headlight smashed.
The damaged black CX-5 on the dirt auction lot from the rear left, with the front bumper torn open at the far corner and the rest of the body straight. Marker writing on the rear glass is blurred
PL 20The driver's side at the auction, seen from the back.
The black CX-5 from the rear right on the auction lot, with the torn front corner at the far end and a metal Copart building behind it. The plate on another car is blurred
PL 21The passenger side from the back, in front of the Copart building.
The rear of the black CX-5 on the dirt auction lot, with the Mazda badge, the CX-5 AWD and Skyactiv-G badges on the tailgate and twin exhaust tips. Marker writing on the rear glass is blurred
PL 15The back of the car in the auction photos, with the CX-5 AWD badge.
The CX-5's engine bay with the hood propped open, showing the black engine cover marked Skyactiv-G, the battery and the washer fluid cap
PL 16Under the hood in the auction photos.
The CX-5's light grey leather front seats seen through the open driver's door, with the steering wheel and the gear selector
PL 17The front seats in the auction photos.
The CX-5's dashboard seen from behind the front seats, with the steering wheel, the screen on top of the dash, the gear selector and the two light grey seats
PL 18The dashboard in the auction photos.
The CX-5's rear bench in light grey leather, with three headrests and the rear window behind them
PL 19The back seats in the auction photos.
The CX-5's instrument cluster, with the speedometer in the middle and the odometer under it reading 24905 miles
PL 03The odometer in the auction photos, at 24,905 miles.

Sheet 03 of 05/Teardown

Taking the front end apart

I replaced the whole front end, including the whole radiator assembly. By July 5 the hood, the headlights, the grille and the bumper cover were all off, and the car sat in the driveway like that. Later that night a new hood and the headlights went on. The next day the bumper cover and the grille frame were on too.

The CX-5 at dusk seen head on with the whole front end removed, showing the engine cover, the radiator and the bare structure behind the bumper
PL 06July 5 in the driveway, with the hood, headlights, grille and bumper cover off.
The CX-5 at night seen head on with a dull black hood fitted and both headlights lit, and the radiator and lower bumper still exposed below them
PL 07Later that night, with a new hood and the headlights on.
The CX-5 at night from the front right, with the headlight fitted, the washer fluid tank and wiring showing, and only the lower bumper left at the front
PL 08The passenger side the same night. The headlight is in and the bumper cover isn't on yet.
The CX-5 at night from the front left in a driveway, with the dull black hood and the headlight fitted, and the corner below the headlight open with parts and wiring showing. A white car is parked beside it and a street sign in the distance is blurred
PL 22The driver's side the same night, with the hood on and no bumper cover yet.
The CX-5 in daylight from the front left, with a dull grey hood and bumper cover and an empty grille frame where the grille goes
PL 09July 6, with the bumper cover and the grille frame on, before paint.
The CX-5 in daylight seen head on in a driveway, with a dull black hood and bumper cover and an empty grille frame where the grille goes. The plate on a car across the street is blurred
PL 23Head on the same day, with an empty grille frame.

Sheet 04 of 05/Frame

The bent frame

With the new parts on, the panels didn't line up because the frame was still bent. On July 12 the gap between the hood and the fender was uneven.

A shop straightened the frame, and then I put the front end back together again. A painter I know painted it, the same one who later painted my BMW.

A close-up of the corner where the hood meets the fender near the windshield, with a wide, dark gap running between the two dull panels
PL 10July 12. The gap between the hood and the fender by the windshield is uneven.
A close-up of a front corner, with the dull hood above, the fender with a few light scratches, the headlight between them and the front wheel to the right
PL 24The corner where the hood, the fender and the headlight meet, on July 12.
A close-up of the seam between the fender and the front door, with dust on both panels and the front wheel at the bottom right
PL 11The seam where the fender meets the front door, the same day.
A close-up of the lower end of a panel seam, with small white scratches on the panel to its left, the black wheel arch trim and the edge of a tire at the bottom
PL 25The bottom of the seam between the fender and the door.
A close-up looking down at where the top of the fender meets the front door below the windshield, with a brick wall reflected in the glass
PL 26The top of the fender where it meets the door and the windshield.
A tighter close-up of the joint between the top of the fender and the door frame at the base of the windshield, with dust on the panels
PL 27A closer look at the same spot.
A close-up of the closed fuel door on the rear quarter panel above the rear tire, with a parked car reflected in it. The reflected car's plate is blurred
PL 28The fuel door the same day.

Sheet 05 of 05/Finished

How it came out

By August 1 it was back together, with the grille in and the panels lined up. I did it for my fiancée, and it's her car now.

The finished CX-5 from the front right, glossy black with the grille and headlight in, parked on gravel beside a grey building
PL 12August 1, painted and back together, from the passenger side.
The finished CX-5 from the front left, glossy black with the grille and headlight in, parked on gravel
PL 13The driver's side the same day.
A side view of the CX-5's front left fender, wheel and front door, all glossy black
PL 14The driver's side front fender and door after paint.
A side view of the CX-5's front right door, mirror, fender and wheel, glossy black and parked on gravel, with someone on the far side of the car seen through the window
PL 29The passenger side front door and fender on August 1.