2016 Prius Four in body shop; frame damage question

Yes and No.

They can be done well - or not. The car will be safe, but the first thing to check is that it drives well. I would insist on going for a drive before taking delivery - maybe have one of the crash repairers come with you.

The other thing I'd check before taking delivery is that everything works - that the hybrid system runs, regenerates etc as before, headlights are aligned and not looking for koalas or wombats. If you've got RADAR Cruise, I'd check that works too.

Back decades ago, I rolled a near-new car, only at slow speed, and they repaired it quite quickly. However, it wandered on the road after that, I took it back and they checked out the steering, eventually replacing the steering rack, RH wishbone and ball joints. It drove much better after that, and I kept it for another 2 years. I had no problem with the paintwork - I think it was better than the original (French) paint, but I'd inspect that before taking delivery.

I'm not sure if you have someone more acquainted with cars who could help you if you're unsure - even to pay your mechanic (if he's any good) for an hour to check it over.

Will it be as good as new? Difficult question to answer. I suspect that a crash repairer would be able to detect that it has been damaged and repaired if he were to inspect the car carefully. I've known a couple of expensive luxury cars which were repaired after quite major damage (the more you pay, the more you can spend on repairs before it's a write-off), and the owners were happy with the car afterwards, though they were repaired by BMW specialist repairers (one was a Merc).

 

I wouldn't be worried about the headlamp - likely came off a wreck which was T-Boned or rear-ended so should be as-new. The new LED headlamps in PRIUS are very expensive, but should last about the life of the car. I could be wrong, but a reconditioned bumper could just mean that they've repainted it the colour of your car.

 

I think @alanclarkeau has covered the most important points. The safety, handling, drivability, and durability of the repaired car depend on several complex factors that are difficult for anyone here to assess:

• The nature and extent of the damage;

• The care and skill with which the body shop has found and repaired all of the damage;

• The diagnosis and repair techniques that were used, and whether these are in accordance with Toyota’s Collision Repair Manual, Repair Manual, and Collision Repair Information Bulletins (available by subscription to techinfo.toyota.com); and

• The quality of the repair materials and replacement parts—and if aftermarket, rebuilt, or salvaged parts were used, how these might be different from new (OEM) parts produced by Toyota.

You may find these Collision Repair Information Bulletins of interest:

• #156, “SRS and HV Wiring Repairs”
• #157, “Collision Parts Position Statement”
• #180, “Use of Non-OEM Parts on Toyota Vehicles”
• #191, “Scanning for Electrical System Faults”

For example, the last bulletin explains why body shops should use a Toyota Techstream diagnostic system to scan all of the car’s computers for diagnostic trouble codes before and after making repairs. I’d suggest asking to see these reports; a clean report doesn’t guarantee the absence of electrical faults, of course, but having the equipment and taking the time for this is one indicator of a professional shop.

 

Wow, you only had 5000 miles on it?
I consider that nearly brand new.
Was the accident your fault?
It can be some work, but I'd consider trying to get diminished value, especially if you are not at fault.

 

Good, the TOYOTA repairers should know what's involved, plus their repairs can be better verified if there was a warranty problem down the line.

The other possibility with used parts - insurance might have pushed to use used parts if a car is on the verge of being a write-off. To replace for example $4000 worth of new parts with $2000 in used parts is a considerable saving, and, in a near new model, they should be as-new. I've used used parts in repairs over the years, with no ill-effect.

 

How is that car not a total loss with frame damage? How "hard" was it hit? did the entire front end crumple or is just pushed up against the engine?

 

A couple of points to add:
Just FYI - there is no "frame" on regular passenger cars anymore. Only on pickups and full size vans. But unibody cars can be "pulled" or straightened out, before the more detailed work begins.

Usually, using OEM, or used OEM, or aftermarket parts is a function of your insurance. The small print most people don't read.

After repairs are completed and you get the car back and drive it for a couple days, do not hesitate to take it back to the shop as many times as needed for anything that is not the same as before. Yes it can be a pain in the rear, but after major collision repairs there are often things that need to be addressed. Don't be satisfied until everything is perfect.

The dealer shop, and any body shop is judged by the insurance companies who send them large amounts of work. If you don't get complete satisfaction from the shop, talk to the insurance people who worked on the claim with you. But give the shop a chance to make everything right, which sometimes means opening a supplement to your original claim. This is a good thing, more work being done on your car but no additional deductible for you to pay.

If you don't mind, when you see the final invoice, post the amount so we get an idea of the damage. If you can, post pics of the damage before repairs started. Also if you want, after you get the final invoice, redact the private info and post the repair order. It should be very detailed and list every part replaced, repaired, or removed and replaced during the process. It will also show labor detail.

Will it be as good as new? It can be better, depending on the technician. There are people who put cars back together with far more care than when they were assembled at the factory.

Bottom line, don't let it freak you out. It is a pain in the rear, but you will come out the other side stronger.
Peace

 

I agree with Nice Prius above, overall, but personally I have a horror story.

I recently hit a dear in my 2017 Prius after I only had it for 3 days. The body shop is attached to a Toyota dealership nearby, but is clearly not actually Toyota, but it is owned by the same guy who owns the dealership. You wouldn't know it wasn't really owned by Toyota unless you seriously investigated. I was under the impression that Toyota did not own ANY body shops in America, just that they are allowed to be "affiliated" to the attached dealership.

My accident was VERY minor, a very slightly dented bumper and fender and a cracked headlight, NO frame damage.

Anyway the body shop did a terrible job. It took them 1 month to fix my car and I immediately noticed EVERY single part they touched was done incorrectly, everything. Missing bolts, mistightened bolts, body panels not aligned properly, weatherstripping not installed properly, windshield moulding not installed properly, tons of broken and missing clips, insulation not installed properly, door panel installed incorrectly, and the actual door was installed crooked, as was the fender and the bumper. My hood "became" crooked just from them working on it, the accident didn't cause it. The window was pressed against by the outside belt moulding causing the window to make noise when rolled up and down and to only go at half speed, the bumper was dented in two spots, my mirror housing was sticking out(the black thing attached to the mirror) and the heated mirror didn't work on the driver side, the DRCC badge wasn't installed correctly, reusing one time use parts that are both clearly labeled "ONE TIME USE DO NOT REUSE" on the part and broken from removal, wobbling rocker panel, tons of problems with the replacement paint, such as hair bubbles etc, the radar wasn't aimed correctly, etc. etc. etc. etc.

It was terrible. I had to take my car back 4 times showing them things that were still wrong, serious things too. The last time I took it back they kept it for 1 more month and most of the problems were kind of fixed. At that point I gave up and spent about 500$ of my own money fixing the car properly with my own hands finishing up. I knew at that point they did their absolute best and that my insurance company wouldn't help me anymore.

Now finally it is mostly good, the bumper is still misaligned near the headlight, but I am mostly satisfied now.

My insurance company ended up paying 8000$ for this. 4000$ for the first 3 visits and 4000 again for the 4th visit. Each time they said they fully addressed all my concerns and it was as good as new and swore I would be happy and to "please delete my review from google maps(the only reason they even gave 2 craps about fixing my car right. It was a very negative, but detailed and true review from a guy who knows car bodies)". Each time I discovered about 5 things wrong before I even got inside the vehicle to drive it away.

With your accident being so much worse than mine, if you took it to a body shop that wasn't at least 65 times better than mine, that they will certainly do multiple things incorrectly, or take cheap shortcuts because they "think you won't notice".

Pay careful attention to everything really, symmetry can also be a good hint. The car is very symmetric, especially bolt/clip locations. Check all functions, all electrical functions, immediately check the wheel alignment at a professional, ensure it drives straight and smooth, look at fluid levels, test DRCC, ensure that everything on the car is attached and firm. Look for noises and rattles. Make sure everything is straight and aligned properly. Make sure your fans in front of the radiator are sucking air into the car and not blowing out the front(hooked up backwards).

Personally, if my car had suffered mechanical damage, I would have traded it in a heart beat with these jokers working on it.

 

Yes, unfortunately the horrible body shops are much more common than the good ones. In my experience, the ones found within a dealership fall into the "bad" category nearly every time.
There are many instances where an independent shop is called upon to fix the errors of a dealership shop.

 

I had the opposite problem.

My last incident with a body shop, I'd had a minor rear-end incident, needing the bumper and reinforcing bar to be replaced and painted. The body shop closest to me is part of the BMW dealership, and insurance accepted their estimate - the other guy was paying as it was his fault.

Problem was, the panel fit and paint job on the new bumper was EXCELLENT - flawless, perfect colour match. Much better than the paint job FORD had originally done which was a bit "ordinary" (South African build). It was noticeable - at least to me, as I knew it was different.

 

I assumed it would be a good idea to take it to someone affiliated with Toyota, but really my insurance company forced my hand pretty much. They were very misleading and basically threatened me by saying, "if you take it to an independent who isn't in our network it will take 3 weeks longer"(unfortunately I don't have rental coverage for deer strikes, had to pay out of pocket for rental).

Hah, it ended up taking me 1 month before I got the car back anyway,(I could have fixed it myself in 2 weeks) and then 2 more arguing with the body shop some more.

My insurance adjuster came out to look at the vehicle with me to sort of convince me that everything was fine, but I was able to point out so many things wrong even he agreed to pay 4k more to fix it "right".

 

Sorry to hear

Sorry to hear about accident, where are you located? I have a dealer with a body shop attached in northern illinois, but have a local guy i had work done on older model prius.

 

I'll never allow a Toyota dealer to fix my Prius ever again.

 

Sounds like a horror movie in the making. Please tell.