6 months old and already wrecked :-(

coleyhl · Aug 22, 2006

Hello,
This is my first post to this site but I've been reading and learning from y'all ever since I bought my car. Thank you all for such great information! Unfortunately, now I need a bit of a different type of information and didn't see it posted.

I bought my 06 Prius in January and before it even turned 6 months old, I was rear ended at a red light by a 16 year old. The back left side of the car was pretty much smashed to almost the wheel, including the hatch door. Now, after 6 weeks of waiting on body work, the hatch door has to be slammed and has a fingerwidth gap between the light and hatch on the right and a tiny gap that my finger won't fit in on the left. Those being the major harms, there are numerous other tiny issues that, although superficial, make the car look like it doesn't fit exactly right (i.e. the black molding on the hatch door isn't flush all around and has scratches from installation, the beading to attach the hatch window/spoiler is irregular and looks horrible, the carpeting of the trunk is not flush to the wall and hatch anymore, and many other tiny scatches and awkwardnesses). Also, the paint is a slight shade different.

As this is my frist wreck and also my first car of any value, I'm at a loss for exactly what I should expect from the body shop and what I should expect from my insurance company.

My questions are:
1. How many of these problems should I expect the bodyshop to fix and how do I get them to do it? Should I just accept that some of the molding will get scratched when installed?
2. How much should I try to get in a settlement with insurance if my car was $6500 to fix and has 6,600 miles on it? Where can I go to get this information? Do you get only the difference between how much your car is worth now vs. how much it was worth unwrecked? Are there any rules of thumb to go by?
3. The car came back from the body shop smelling like...body shop. I can't handle strong air fresheners in enclosed spaces, anyone know anything to get this out?
4. After the wreck my 12 v battery died. The body shop (recommended by my toyota dealer) had to take my car in to toyota to fix it. Although the battery death coudl have been caused by the wreck, the dealership charged the cost of replacing it, and also a relay, to my warranty. Does this make sense? Also, will this effect my extended warranty and the possiblity of getting it refunded to me should I not use it?

Thank you all for any help you can offer. This is very sad and frustrating since it's my first new car, but I'm afraid of being taken advantage of because I have no idea what I should expect here. I just want my car back as close to new as I can get it.

eagle33199 · Aug 22, 2006

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hlesc @ Aug 22 2006, 09:45 AM) [snapback]307485[/snapback]</div>

My questions are:
1. How many of these problems should I expect the bodyshop to fix and how do I get them to do it? Should I just accept that some of the molding will get scratched when installed?
2. How much should I try to get in a settlement with insurance if my car was $6500 to fix and has 6,600 miles on it? Where can I go to get this information? Do you get only the difference between how much your car is worth now vs. how much it was worth unwrecked? Are there any rules of thumb to go by?
3. The car came back from the body shop smelling like...body shop. I can't handle strong air fresheners in enclosed spaces, anyone know anything to get this out?
4. After the wreck my 12 v battery died. The body shop (recommended by my toyota dealer) had to take my car in to toyota to fix it. Although the battery death coudl have been caused by the wreck, the dealership charged the cost of replacing it, and also a relay, to my warranty. Does this make sense? Also, will this effect my extended warranty and the possiblity of getting it refunded to me should I not use it?
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1. don't except anything less that perfect. The accident wasn't your fault, why should you have to suffer with inferior work?
2. Get the full repair value. While it's pretty much useless to you now, What my family and i have done in the past is imediately notify our insurance company, and have them talk with the other guys insurance company... this brings in the "big hitters" so to speak. from there, we go to have it fixed, and give the repair show the information for both our and the other guys insurance company... usually we never even see a bill.
3. you could try something like febreez on the fabric. other than that, try driving around for a few weeks with the windows open, even crack them at night or during the day when you safely can. It'll help the car to air out quickly.
4. First, the 12V battery is sorta like any car - it eventually needs to be replaced no matter what you do. while it's not cheap, it's not going to break the bank, either. I'm not really sure what you mean by charged it to your warrenty, so i can't really tell you what effect it will have. As for the extended warrenty, i'd suggest you talk with the dealer to make sure. However, once again, the accident wasn't your fault, and you did take it to toyota to get it fixed (even though they recomended a body shop, probably cause they don't do body work themselves). If nothing else, that shows that you handled the situation properly. if toyota says it effects your warrenty or something, you should add it to the bill you send the insurance company.

Rancid13 · Aug 22, 2006

eagle gave you some pretty good advice about the technical aspects of getting your car back to its original state. I just wanted to make mention that one potential way to get rid of that nasty 'body shop' smell would be to take it to the car wash and have the seats & carpets shampooed and all the hard interior surfaces scrubbed down to get rid of that mechanic grease smell? And leave the windows cracked open to help with any offensive smells that might remain.

RichBoy · Aug 22, 2006

do NOT accept anything less than repair by an Authorized Toyota Dealer, using GENUINE Toyota parts and the work performed by a Certified Toyota Repair Technicican. Press HARD to have the vehicle toataled. also, very importantly, sue the othe driver.

MattInMD · Aug 22, 2006

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ Aug 22 2006, 10:56 AM) [snapback]307503[/snapback]</div>

4. First, the 12V battery is sorta like any car - it eventually needs to be replaced no matter what you do. while it's not cheap, it's not going to break the bank, either.
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Well, any car that is only 6 months old should NOT need its battery replaced.... Even a K car wasn't that bad...

Also, I thought the service life on the 12v battery used by the prius was substantially longer than your traditional wet-cell lead-acid battery.

galaxee · Aug 22, 2006

waaaaaay too soon for a 12v, that's for sure.

genalex · Aug 22, 2006

Advice from the old-timer (Now officially an octogenarian). Sadly, most of this is too late to help hlesc:

(The following applies to vehicle damage only. Obviously, personal injury is most important and takes priority in any accident.)

1. Buy collision insurance for a new car, even if you have to take a large deductable to afford the premium.
This simplifies claims by laying it all in the hands of your insurance company, regardless of fault. They'll go after the other guy and his insurance, you don't even have to talk to them and if they collect, they'll refund your deductable.)

2. Report the accident immediately to police, who will witness the situation, issue tickets if they find careless driving was involved or any other violation. (This establishes a precedent in event of any court case.) They will also issue an accident report which your insurance guy will obtain. (Important: Stand by the cop and make sure he hears your side when he prepares the report.

(If you know it was all your fault, you may want to skip step 2.)

3. Report the accident immediately to your insurance company. Have them send an adjuster who will evaluate the damage and record it. Tell him you want it repaired in a Toyota dealer's body shop with new parts, because it's a new car.

4. Call a Toyota dealer that has a body shop and have them take over towing if needed and all negotiations with the insurance company. (Most insurance companies will want after market parts used but Toyota will not permit this and, under threat of warantee voidance, will prevail.)

5. Relax till your car is finished, then insist on like-new condition in every respect.

Godiva · Aug 23, 2006

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RichBoy @ Aug 22 2006, 10:10 AM) [snapback]307517[/snapback]</div>

do NOT accept anything less than repair by an Authorized Toyota Dealer, using GENUINE Toyota parts and the work performed by a Certified Toyota Repair Technicican. Press HARD to have the vehicle toataled. also, very importantly, sue the othe driver.
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Ditto.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(genalex @ Aug 22 2006, 10:49 PM) [snapback]308043[/snapback]</div>

Advice from the old-timer (Now officially an octogenarian). Sadly, most of this is too late to help hlesc:

(The following applies to vehicle damage only. Obviously, personal injury is most important and takes priority in any accident.)

1. Buy collision insurance for a new car, even if you have to take a large deductable to afford the premium. (Once the car is paid off, you can decide if you want to continue this. After a car is so many years old, it's not worth the expense.)
This simplifies claims by laying it all in the hands of your insurance company, regardless of fault. They'll go after the other guy and his insurance, you don't even have to talk to them and if they collect, they'll refund your deductable.)

2. Report the accident immediately to police, who will witness the situation, issue tickets if they find careless driving was involved or any other violation. (This establishes a precedent in event of any court case.) They will also issue an accident report which your insurance guy will obtain. (Important: Stand by the cop and make sure he hears your side when he prepares the report. Be sure to read it carefully and make any necessary corrections.

(If you know it was all your fault, you may want to skip step 2.)

3. Report the accident immediately to your insurance company. Have them send an adjuster who will evaluate the damage and record it. Tell him you want it repaired in a Toyota dealer's body shop with new parts, because it's a new car. Tell them this is necessary or your warranty is voided.

4. Call a Toyota dealer that has a body shop and have them take over towing if needed and all negotiations with the insurance company. (Most insurance companies will want after market parts used but Toyota will not permit this and, under threat of warantee voidance, will prevail.)

5. Relax till your car is finished, then insist on like-new condition in every respect.
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Ditto plus one. (See my addendums in italics or bold above.)

6. Start a journal. Begin with your recollections of the accident in as much detail as possible. Revise it as you remember more. If you have injuries document them. Do it daily or as your condition changes. Details are important. Document each phone conversation you have regarding the accident with whoever to the best of your recollection. Keep every document. Make photocopies and keep originals of everything if you need to send in quotes or receipts. It's tedious and a pain. But if you end up in court with a your word against theirs...having a detailed journal will trump their "memory".

Jeannie · Aug 23, 2006

Sorry your car was damaged, and I hope you get it fixed to 'brand new' status.

mbutterfield · Aug 23, 2006

A little caveat before I offer my two cents:
-Laws vary state by state, and accordingly so does coverage.
-Processes and coverage vary with the insurance company

That said, you should try to:
(1) Insist on getting the repair corrected. Put the burden on the Insurance company(ies) to make the body work 'right'. Try to work with YOUR insurance company, not the other drivers, even if it is not your fault. In my recent accident, my company paid the claim, and then successfully sought remediation from the other drivers company.

(2) If the battery failure was a result of the collision, it should be paid as part of the collision. If it was NOT the collision, fight Toyota for a warranty adjustment. Yes, it is a consumable, but it should last MUCH longer than 6 months. The factory battery in my Volvo lasted an amazing 5 years!

(3) You might be able to file a claim for 'Loss of Market Value' after the repair, since the resale value can be affected. I was recently hit, and both my company and the other driver's company confirmed that I would be eligible for a lost value claim. Since my car was totaled, this no longer applied.

(4) I learned the hard way that insurance is NOT obligated to pay a dealer's going rate. Much like an HMO, they are obligated to pay 'fair market value' for your repair (at least under Texas Law), but a shop can charge anything they want, and you must pay the difference out of pocket. A dealer might not always be your best choice (at least a particular Austin area Volvo dealer :blink: ). You can still request genuine parts from a third party shop. (which is something I WOULD insist on).

Sorry about your experience. Hope you can get this issue behind you once and for all. The silver lining (or rather the 'Silver Pine Mica' lining :lol: ) in my situation is that I finally ended up with a Prius.

coleyhl · Aug 23, 2006

Hello,
I wanted to thank all of you for your help with this. Needless to say, with my first wreck experience I've been a bit overwhelemed..even more so since no one understands these "weird electrical cars"- said by my bodyshop.

In comment to some of your posts:
1. I have full coverage. Accident entirely the other parties fault. Police report at the scene agreed. Insurance company was called immediately and had an in-house adjustor at bodyshop. This bodyshop was the one my toyota dealer used for all bodywork (although it was a chevrolet place). They are required to use toyota parts.

2. It seems both me and the other driver have the same insurance company. I am nervous as to how this will work out because I've heard that in establishing loss of value to your vehicle, it is more difficult to receive ample compensation when it is "in house" at the insurance company.

3. I'm still trying to figure out this battery/warranty issue with my dealer. The bodyshop basically threatened me when I went in and said if I wanted to press the issue to have the battery cost taken off my warranty then I would have to leave my car there until a decision was made. Maybe foolishly, but after 6 weeks, I accepted to have my car back and hoped this was something I could take up with Toyota later.

I have a few other questions about whether things were done in a Prius friendy manner:

1. My dealer told me to never tow my car without using the front attachment. The tow truck driver would not wait for me to get the attachment out but instead insisted on pulling the car onto the tow truck while in neutral. Was this harmful to my car to be pulled from underneath? Also, a second tow truck driver "jerked the vehicle" when dropping it off. Toyota checked the transmission, but what else should I make sure is not damaged?

2. When the bodyshop finished my repair, the battery was dead, a fuse was messed up, and a relay (warranty issues stated above). All lights were on in the dash and the air bag lights proved especially difficutl to fix. The car was taken to toyota to be fixed electrically at this point, but are these common issues for a prius or did the bodyshop not take precautionary measures before, for example, starting to weld?

Thank you all for your help!
Heather

mehrenst · Aug 23, 2006

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(genalex @ Aug 22 2006, 08:49 PM) [snapback]308043[/snapback]</div>

Advice from the old-timer (Now officially an octogenarian). Sadly, most of this is too late to help hlesc:

<snip>

2. Report the accident immediately to police, who will witness the situation, issue tickets if they find careless driving was involved or any other violation. (This establishes a precedent in event of any court case.) They will also issue an accident report which your insurance guy will obtain. (Important: Stand by the cop and make sure he hears your side when he prepares the report.

<snip>

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Hard to do. Most police departments won't even come out to an accident unless there is an injury or damage to property (building, etc.) or one of the drivers is obviously impared. h34r: Gone are the good old days when cops did all the investigative work on accidents where damage was only to the cars.

BTW, it's a good idea to carry one of the disposeable cameras in your glovebox along with a small bound notepad, pen and a 25' tape measure. Take pictures. Do a sketch of the accident scene. Take measurements (if possible).

genalex · Aug 23, 2006

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mehrenst @ Aug 23 2006, 02:07 PM) [snapback]308330[/snapback]</div>

Hard to do. Most police departments won't even come out to an accident unless there is an injury or damage to property (building, etc.) or one of the drivers is obviously impared. h34r: Gone are the good old days when cops did all the investigative work on accidents where damage was only to the cars.

BTW, it's a good idea to carry one of the disposeable cameras in your glovebox along with a small bound notepad, pen and a 25' tape measure. Take pictures. Do a sketch of the accident scene. Take measurements (if possible).
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Sorry to hear the San Jose police are so unaccommodating. Probably pre-occupied, like the San Diego police, tormenting drivers, like my daughter, for a dead tail-light.

But, seriously, don't they show up when damaged cars are obstructing traffic?

theorist · Aug 23, 2006

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(genalex @ Aug 23 2006, 04:00 PM) [snapback]308420[/snapback]</div>

Sorry to hear the San Jose police are so unaccommodating. Probably pre-occupied, like the San Diego police, tormenting drivers, like my daughter, for a dead tail-light.

But, seriously, don't they show up when damaged cars are obstructing traffic?
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In Boston they show up to tell you to move your car. They refused to file a report in my case a few years back.

6 months old and already wrecked :-(

coleyhl New Member

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6 months old and already wrecked :-(

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