1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Are these repairs necessary?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Nate Byrne, Dec 22, 2014.

  1. Nate Byrne

    Nate Byrne New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2014
    27
    0
    0
    Location:
    Longmeadow, MA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Hi guys, I recently ran over a dead deer. Yeah. The car thankfully runs fine, and I had Toyota check it out. They told me everything is great except the deer dented the fuel tank pretty bad and might have pushed it up into the floor plan. They told me to take it to an auto-body shop and work my insurance.

    My question is... is it necessary I fix this if there are no leaks? I'm a college student and I can't afford to do unnecessary body work to the undercarriage of my car, so I want to be sure.

    I spoke to my insurance, they will cover anything over $500. How much could you GUESS this would cost? Thanks for any feedback.
     
    #1 Nate Byrne, Dec 22, 2014
  2. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2006
    7,028
    1,116
    0
    Location:
    South Jersey
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V
    Don't guess. Take the car to a shop & ask. It'll be a lot more than $500.
     
    #2 JimN, Dec 23, 2014
  3. M in KC

    M in KC Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2014
    358
    106
    0
    Location:
    KC, MO
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    The thing is with these Gen II Pri the fuel tank is more sophisticated than most to limit emissions during refueling. Your tank may not be leaking externally, however it might be leaking internally via the bladder. No real way to tell unfortunately until you throw an evap code I suppose. If it were me I'd find a way for your insurance company to replace the fuel tank under your collision/comprehensive coverage.
     
    #3 M in KC, Dec 23, 2014
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,703
    48,947
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    hate to give you bad advice, but if there are no codes, it might be fine. i guess, 'dented it pretty bad and pushed it up into the floorboards' is in the eye of the beholder. have them put it on a lift and show you. sounds like a couple thousand bucks, no pun intended.
     
    #4 bisco, Dec 23, 2014
  5. 69shovlhed

    69shovlhed Surly tree hugger

    Joined:
    May 13, 2012
    2,170
    744
    0
    Location:
    Delaware
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Premium
    better to get it resolved now than wait until it causes a problem and its too late to get insurance to cover it. a normal fuel tank can be popped back into shape with compressed air, but since Toyota decided (stupidly) to put that worthless bladder inside the tank, you got to get it fixed asap.
     
    #5 69shovlhed, Dec 23, 2014
  6. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2010
    7,673
    6,492
    0
    Location:
    Redneck Riviera (Gulf South)
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Hmmmm.
    This is a wobbler.

    I'd be tempted to drive it for a bit since we're dealing with an 8-year-old college car being driven by a (presumptively) unmarried younger driver.
    You're going to have to balance the insurance payout against the rate increases and the true value of your now previously-wrecked car.

    There's a lot of moving parts there, and you're going to have to do the coin-toss yourself.
    What's your driving record look like?
    Do you owe anything on the car?
    What's the budget say about the initial $500 outlay for the repair?
    Is the car safe to drive?

    I would certainly take it to a good mechanic (NOT Toyota and NOT a body shop initially) and pay them an hour's rate for a thorough inspection with an eye for determining what is astheticlly and mechanically prudent for getting you through college and into the next car.

    I wouldn't worry too much about the former.
    Since you're driving a wrecked car, it''s going to take a significant ding in value (pun almost unintended) whether you fix it or not.

    Good Luck!
     
    #6 ETC(SS), Dec 23, 2014
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)