Injured 07 Prius

The car may physically be just about the same when the dust has clear IF YOU'RE LUCKY but as to value, you're going to take a hit. Major body work will show up in CarFax. I don't know how much less you'll get but it will be substantial, a few grand.

 

yeah, that rear quarter panel is toast. that's the part they'd have to cut and weld, it's not removable like the bumper and fenders and stuff.

i can't tell, is that floorboard inside the hatch buckled? that would require a LOT of work to fix up, and they should be checking the frame for damage.

i take it that the front end hit was just bumper damage? once you start getting into the under-hood components the dollar amount increases exponentially...

at least you're okay, the rest is just gravy. of course you want to be restored to your previous car/financial situation as well, but i'm glad you weren't hurt.

 

I would consult an attorney if need be and push for State Farm to total the car. There are not many people IMO that would buy a used car with $9,000+ worth of historical body damage (and again, IMO the car will never be 'like it was before' the accident). The insurance company can sell the car and make up some of their loss if they total it.

Go Indiana!

 

Push for a total. I had a 4-year old Mercury Villager (I know, but it was actually a Nissan!) that was struck in the left wheel-well area by a lady running a stop sign going about 30. I took it to a State Farm recommended repair shop. While I stood there they said it came up on computer as totaled. Next day they said they were going to repair it. They found the rear-end half of a Villager in Arizona, shipped it to New Mexico, and welded the backend from AZ onto my car. I was in a rental car for 4 months. I found out later the State Farm adjuster was the brother-in-law of the owner of the repair shop. They both probably took a really nice vacation that summer. The car was never the same, when they gave it back to me they said the back seats would not move on the sliding rails anymore and there was nothing they could do about it. I traded it in asap. GO FOR A TOTAL OR GET A LAWYER.

 

If that was in uk it would be totalled and you would get a new one
the insurance company would then sell it as a wreck and get half their money back

 

One things for sure...if the car gets "totalled".....someone will fix it,and it will drive as good as a new one,and it will be cheap.A good deal for someone.

I find it somewhat sad that our culture even finds slightly damaged but repairable AUTOMOBILES essentially disposable items.....but I guess it is good for those of us who don't insist on things being LIKE NEW....which they can only be when they ARE NEW....JMHO.....I see your point about value,but if you are keeping the car a long time,as is most cost effective,will it matter?

We own two repaired Hybrids....a Prius and an Insight...both drive very nicely,you would never know they were damaged.Coincidentally,the Insight had an initial estimate of $9K...but was fixed for $3500,by a professional body shop,not by me.I could have made it a runner for $1000...

The Insurance Game is a sad racket in America....it generates unbelievable waste...Any part that is even scratched is tossed,and replaced with new.How does this fit into "Recycle,Re-use,Repair"?

Ultimately there is an incredible amount of environmental damage done by people insisting on things being perfect in a world where a repaired item,including a Hybrid car,will function just as well as a new one.

I think it all comes back to everyone basically protecting their own self interests above those of the planet.

After all,things are only "like new" for a very short time....then they are used,but still just as useful.

And what does a car do afterall?.....it hauls our lame asses from point to point...period.

They are not our alter ego,or our self image,they are just machines,even a Prius.end of rant.












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I am not dissagreeing with any of the points made regarding diminished value, but I do believe it is posible to have the car brought back to pre loss condition if it were for the purpose of your keeping the car for most of it's life to the point were it is worn to the place where diminished value is no longer a concern.

If it is to be fixed, I would insist that it be repaired at a body shop that has a frame rack or very good relationship with a frame shop. Don't settle for someone making a judgement call that no frame measurements and corrections are required.

When repairs start on a frame rack, they will be better repairs, because the frame rack is designed to clamp onto specific points on the frame and reverse the forces tha made the damage. Without this, there is plenty of room for compromises involving makeshift repairs that are more designed to hide the underlying damage.

If a car is seriously damaged and not correctly repaired, it has a legitimate diminished value, but if it is correctly brought back to pre loss condition without compromises, then the resulting diminished value is more of a marketing farce in my opinion.

Another thing I would do is come right out and ask my insurance company and the body shop if there are any reports that will be filed that would result in an entry on any Carfax Report. I believe they mostly catch cars that are totaled by the insurance company and then sold as salvage to a car rebuilder. I guess there may be more chance since three cars were involved. Any one of the three drivers could follow the letter of the law and submit a report to the DMV, but I don't think most people take this step and I am pretty sure the insurance companies don't do it. This is why I would ask them.

One of the reasons I believe the diminished value claim is highly exagerated by car sales people is that my Honda Accord was hit by a young driver in a parking lot. Only damage was crupmpled plastic bumper cover, a mounting tab broke on one of the headlights, and there was a tiny crease the size of a rasing at the front corner of the fender which they repaired, so the fender and bumper cover had to be painted, and ended up matching better than the original bumper cover paint from the factory. They also replaced the impact absorbing styrofoam thing inside the bumper, just for good measure. It coast like $900.

But then when I went to trade in the car, the dealer noticed that the bolt pattern was shifted a little if you lay on your back with your head under the bumper, or something like that, and he came back and told me that th value was diminished because the front end had been off the car.

I just reminded him that it was repaired in their body shop who guarentees all their work, and he didn't talk about it any more and I got the trade money I was asking for.

 

Whats your marriage worth? Your husbands right. Chill out. Even though you love the car as I love mine..if my baby was totaled I'd go get another one. Its a car. Besides that car isn't that bad. A good body shop will fix that no problem. Rear ends are easy as opposed to a front end lick. Rear ends are a lot of sheet metal. And really you have no choice as they won't total it out. Relax....that why you pay out the a** for insurance...and btw...why the he** does everyone fly up behind us while we sit at lights in our car? Very good luck to you!

 

Hi Jacguy,

If the repair occurs, make sure the body shop is hybrid qualified. The traction battery is not rated for the temperatures inside the paint oven and must be removed prior to paint baking.