Hit while parked in a line of cars; engine damage?

bummer!
is there a picture?

 

If "your mechanic" is not, have the car evaluated by Toyota Dealership. Insurance Companies are sticklers about "qualified".

 

I don't think you'd have any engine/transmission issues with the car ye, considering that the impact, did not result to the loss of coolants, or transmission system fluid from the front area of the car.
Is there any signs of fluid leaks you've noticed at the front end of the car? If no, then I'd think its just the numbers, and probably the AC system condenser/hose that maybe impacted.
Overall, get your mechanic to check the car out.

PS:
I suspect some part of the suspension systems(tie rods, bent shocks, etc) might have being impacted as well.

 

The average parking pawl (the actual mechanical lock that holds the drive axles) can handle some significant abuse before it breaks. I don't know that the Prius is anything unusual- we probably would have heard about it by now if it wasn't up to scratch.

It's a very simple mechanical device, so it either works or it's broken. You'd know right away, not much need for a mechanic to get involved.

Cars get dragged all the time for recovery operations, the parts are built to handle it.

 

Speaking as a career Mechanic, married to a woman who's career is Insurance...the wiser course is to have the vehicle thuroughly checked out...especially when the other party's insurance is paying the bills.

 

In my opinion, if you have impact damage, there's the possibility of damage almost anywhere and everywhere. Especially if you are impacted from both the front and the back. That's just kind of the nature of force and shock waves.
Having said that?
No way to tell over the internet, or even with pictures. You need a competent professional to evaluate.
And yes, they should be looking at EVERYTHING.

Don't quite get a bodyshop that is saying they can't evaluate for that kind of damage. But since this accident was not your fault, I'd say if you want a mechanic or Toyota Repair Facility to check out the vehicle in totality? You deserve it.

I was rear ended once in my old Honda Fit. Very little damage, but I wanted the vehicle checked out entirely. It was almost brand new. The insurance DID pay for the check out. But I had to lobby very hard, to get the Honda repair facility to even take a look. Their attitude was that if I wasn't getting a code, there was no problem. Which I felt was ridiculous. I wanted at least a visual inspection, to look for anything that looked out of place, hoses knocked loose, any new leaks..etc, etc.

So I would imagine you'd meet similar resistance. The attitude sometimes is...repair what we see, and know...assume everything else is OK. I don't like this attitude. But you may be forced to get your vehicle repaired and then just see how transmission seems to be doing, your parking brake, etc.

Usually good body shops are good at spotting or knowing where damage has occurred. There is good chance, I would speculate that things can be repaired, hopefully no frame damage.
I can maybe understand a body shop saying they don't do transmission work, but they should be able to at least evaluate whether it looks like there might be any damage to that area.
Also I can't believe they can't check the handbrake. What if a vehicle does come in with direct body damage that has affected the hand brake? Do they just refuse to do the repair?
Don't particularly like the attitude of your body shop.

Good Luck.

PS.
In my case the bumper...very minimal damage, was repaired and I never noticed any further problem.
PS. PS.
There is a body shop in my local area that runs a lot of advertising on the radio. One of there big tag lines is " We repair your vehicle to Pre-Loss Condition".
So I don't particularly like a bodyshop that seems to be ONLY evaluating what they want to evaluate.
I do think you should have the vehicle checked out as best as possible in whole.

 

all you can do is drive it when they're finished repairing. if it sounds and feels good to you and your mech, i wouldn't worry about it.
ask the insurance company about diminished value.

 

I don't understand why this is a hard decision at all.
The "at fault" party (or insurance company) should PAY for the mechanical diagnosis and you should INSIST on having that done.

Alas, it might not be possible to detect any hidden damage without spending a LOT of time and money........so you might be paying for an educated guess.

 

Which is quite different than a sudden impact.

 

Photo would help.

Parking brake system is probably fine....braking brake was on thereby negating impact forces to the trans park gear.

IMO it is chassis/ suspension and engine/ trans/ component mounting that could be the issue.
Frame needs to be measured as an inspection.
A quick visual by an owner could be to look at all the door, hood etc. gaps remain unchanged and the roof panel for metal surface waves.

Maybe an insurance expert can chime it, yet I think if you take a settlement check that ends any future claims.
Bosco is correct about Diminished Value and let us know how you fight for that goes.

Good luck.

 

A driver lost control and hit the first car, a Tesla (totaled it) which sent it into the Mini Cooper in front of it, which hit my 2010 Prius from behind, forcing my car into a Honda Civic in front of my Prius.

...sadly the car that hit us was also a Prius and her air bags deployed...

Can you clarify, please? Just for the record...

 

It's scary and challenging.
My Dad was in a wreck with his Rav4.
He took it to a Body Shop that was recommended to him.
It was bad right out of the gate. When he went to pick the vehicle up, it looked great. The bodywork looked fine...BUT...
the back-up camera well it wasn't working, unknown to him at the time, because it was totally missing, the infotainment center wasn't right....when he first started it up, he got several dash lights. He had to take it back several times.
They had the audacity to be annoyed at him, when he noticed that his vehicle that DID have a back-up camera, came back to him without one.

My Dads retired, and basically uses the vehicle for shorter urban trips, So really? I don't think he cares too much. He kept taking it back until he could start it without dash lights and warnings. They "found" his back-up camera and re-installed it. It works, and drives, but he doesn't really put too much of a test on it every year. IMO they did a crappy job, and their inattention to detail would make me question the quality of even the work that looks good.

Anyway, the moral of the story is a GOOD body shop is a valuable thing.
I'm not sure the best way to find one....as internet reviews can cover the whole gambit. As my Dad found out...personal recommendations of friends and family can also lead astray.

I kind of hope if I'm in a wreck.
A. Nobody is Hurt.
B. If the damage to my vehicle is at all significant, they simply total it.

 

The other parties Insurance adjuster can not go AWOL. There is always someone to cover "their" desk/work load when say they are on vacation, medical leave or what ever.

The check you have should just be the initial...and initial estimates are usually "adjusted" once open up and work begins...and usually paid directly to the repair vendors. Verify that the mechanicals/electricals are being checked in conjunction with the body work. Seldom does one shop ever do both.