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Facing possible totaled car (new hybrid battery then hit & run)

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by 2006Prius_PA, Jun 19, 2023.

  1. 2006Prius_PA

    2006Prius_PA New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2023
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    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    We have a 2006 Prius with 169,000 miles and live in Pennsylvania. A week after replacing the hybrid battery for $2767, we were in a hit-and run accident. Our concern is that the car will be totaled and we will not be able to buy another Prius for the settlement amount we get. If anyone has any thoughts or ideas, we are all ears.

    My initial questions/concerns:
    • Is this repairable at all? Is there structural damage or is it just really the door? Salvaged doors seem to cost $75-175, but I don't know what labor is to replace it. I wasn't sure if the slight dent in the rocker panel is an issue.
    • In terms of proving value, how far back in time should we go in terms of things we've replaced on the car?
    • If we wanted to try to just sell the two-week old new hybrid battery, how would we go about that?
    • Trying to find comparables is hard for a 2006 Prius
    We have GEICO insurance and we managed to get the license plate number of the other car. We did file a police report, but we don't yet have driver or insurance information for that car and may never. If we use GEICO's collision insurance, it's a $500 deductible if they don't total it.

    We have an appointment for an estimate next week with a private auto body shop (not through insurance). We are concerned if the insurance appraiser looks at it, they will just total it and we'll be really stuck. They only do a rental car for 3 days if they total it. We are trying to get everything in order so we can prove the value of the repairs we've done to the car thus far.

    A pressing matter is that the door latches, but not tightly and so we're going to have to tape it to prevent water from getting in in the meantime. But of course taping the front of the door will impede getting in the passenger side.

    We could just drive it like this for a while (there is no deadline to file a claim), but I'm not sure if there are any structural concerns.

    Most of the damage is to the rear passenger door.

    New Prius on order
    The irony in all of this is that we ordered a new Prius LE AWD in April. We were offered the XLE AWD last month, and declined ($3,500 more, worse gas mileage, etc.). Had we taken it, that would have been the car we were driving when plowed into, so silver lining?

    We would like to have two cars, and in any event, we have no idea how much longer we will be waiting for the new car. We have a trip planned in mid-July that we need a car for.

    Battery replacement story
    Not relevant to the above, but I'm just posting this part in case it is helpful to others, as we had to have a crash course when we got the news.

    We we out of town visiting friends. The car was idle for two days, and when we went to leave, the red triangle of death, the check engine light, the circle with the exclamation point (brake control warning light), the VCS lights were all on. It was too late in the day to be seen, and the nearest Toyota dealer was an hour away. We decided to drive the hour and went to the dealer first thing in the morning.

    We soon got the news that the codes were P0A80-Replace Hybrid Battery Pack and U0293-Lost Communication with Hybrid Vehicle Control System. The dealer quoted us $3114.88 for parts and labor. We paid $143 plus tax for the evaluation.

    We investigated the refurbished battery scene and contacted Green Bean Battery and Hybrid Battery 911, both of which will come to you and replace the battery. We got nervous reading reviews here about how long such batteries would really last. Hybrid Battery 911 said they also install a brand new Toyota battery for $2999 plus tax, but this was more than what we ended up paying at the dealer.

    We decided to drive the two hours home, but we were worried about the battery suddenly dying on the highway. (We separately have some trauma from frozen windshield washer fluid during winter highway driving, and weren't looking to have another problem on the highway.) So we drove on backroads and it took 3.5 hours. We continued to drive around town for a few days, and it was fine. (The dealer had turned off the lights and they didn't come back on during that time, so it was less nerve wracking.)

    We bought a new OEM battery from the local Toyota dealer for $1950 plus tax. Also an HV filter for $36.58. Labor to install was $594.10. So $2580.68 plus tax. We decided to replace the battery because it was cheaper than buying a used Prius.
     
    #1 2006Prius_PA, Jun 19, 2023
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
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    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    No reason to worry about insurance company totaling it, it's not that bad. The repair costs less than a couple hundred dollars so no reason to file a claim. It's an older car and doesn't need new replacement parts, just used ones... Simply replace the right rear door with a used one and polish out the damage as best you can in the right front door and you're done. You might need to take a hammer to door hinge mounting plate to get new door to line up better, but probably not. Any friend or family member can help you do this. It's very easy work and probably youtube videos on how to do this... Of course an auto body store will take the car away for way too long and will likely boost the bill up over $1K because it's super expensive to run a shop.
     
    #2 PriusCamper, Jun 19, 2023
  3. highmilesgarage

    highmilesgarage Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 28, 2022
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    Location:
    Kansas City
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    just buy it back from the insurance company if they totaled it. The door can be easily replaced with parts from a pull-a-part junkyard. You don't give the title to insurance if you're buying the car back, that makes it still clean.
     
    #3 highmilesgarage, Jun 19, 2023
  4. JohnPrius3005

    JohnPrius3005 Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2021
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    Location:
    California and Hawaii
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    II
    You seem like pretty smart shoppers - getting a new HV bat instead of gambling on a refurb. How well do you know your insurance agent, if you have one? Do you have inside garage parking available?
     
    #4 JohnPrius3005, Jun 19, 2023
  5. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2020
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    Location:
    Durham NC
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    I hope this is a joke? That vehicle should not be with any tow company or anything You should have driven that home from the horrendous hit and run accident or whatever happened so it should be in your possession with no towing fees nothing We don't care what the insurance company has to say they're not taking my car oh no sir I don't care what they want to give me My $3,000 battery is sitting in the trunk and the car still drives doors I can get for free probably in silver too or is that white so oh no that's going nowhere that center post isn't damaged You're in good shape I wouldn't let that car out of my sight I can't see the rest of it really but looks pretty decent and now that's all cosmetic If you really wanted to you could have the door fixed but I wouldn't spend that kind of money it's too easy to grab another door of the same color even with the same interior trim on it probably the whole shebang for well I get them for nothing I imagine if someone had a real nice one and knew what they were doing they might could get 200.
     
    #5 Tombukt2, Jun 19, 2023
    crooner likes this.
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