Prime probably totalled

The vehicle had 13.3k miles and was about 1.3 years old. I'm thinking the ACV would be about $25k? Hopefully more than that.

Hoping I can get my tints covered ($900) plus my extended warranty transferred as I hadn't actually started using it. I assume the extended warranty doesn't kick in until the 2 year Toyota coverage on a new car expires?

Hopefully the extended warranty would be transferable to a new vehicle - if anyone has experience dealing with Toyota on this your input would be appreciated.

 

Yup - hard to believe it but it's worth it. Huper-Optik Autobahn.

 

A lot more common than you would think actually.

 

Still waiting. Adjuster showed up when the mechanic who did the repair estimate at Toyota had his day off (of course). So their quote was way below what Toyota says the repairs will start at. They are trying to get the adjuster back to do another estimate when the mechanic is there plus have the vehicle up on a rack.

Not sure what you mean by 30% of what we paid for A/C repairs? Wouldn't that be covered under the first 2 year warranty?

 

@jerrymildred Sorry, been a little radio-silent on this while I've been working with my insurance company and Toyota.

When the vehicle was first inspected by Toyota, the mechanic who did the inspection felt that even with $20k+ worth of repairs, he would not trust driving it again. So of course the first assessment by my insurance company came in at $12k which was much lower than Toyota's initial estimate. Toyota had to get another assessor out there and he only upped it to $14k.

Finally, about 3 weeks into this saga, Toyota was directed to put the vehicle up on a rack and it turns out the sub-oil pan assembly (above the oil pan itself) was severely damaged. Add another $4k to the initial estimate as that part of the vehicle includes the oil pump and only comes in one piece.

So finally, after talking to my insurance company yet again, they finally agreed to total the vehicle. At this point, we were looking at $18k damage just to start. If any engine damage had occurred (can't be determined unless you replace the oil pan and sub-oil pan assembly first and then fill the engine with oil) then you'll add on another $10k or so on top of $18k. We were in the "ridiculous zone" at this point, so thankfully the insurance company finally decided to total the Prime.

So, now I'm set to pickup a new 2018 this week. Same color (Blizzard Pearl, black interior). Never thought a white car would grow on me, but it did! Almost picked up a Titanium Glow model, though.

With all of the Federal, State and SCE rebates, I'll probably break even. Just lucky the rebates were there otherwise I would be out about $5.5k.

 

Things I'm going to do differently this go around:

First, I'm gong to apply for my California HOV sticker in January, 2019 so I can get an extra year of HOV sweetness (expires on Jan 1, 2023 instead of Jan 1, 2022).

Second, I'm going to get the Toyota dealer-installed aftermarket paint protection film instead of the Toyota factory-installed film which only covered a small portion of the front end of the hood and a section of the front and left side quarter panels. The new film will cover most of the front end and hood and also will include the mirrors. Costs over twice as much as the Toyota option ($400 vs. $950), though, but comes with a Toyota guarantee.

Concerning the extended warranty. Absolutely no problem transferring the extended warranty (8 years) from my 2017 to my 2018. I just paid a small pro-rated difference of about $400. Interestingly enough, there was an option to convert the warranty to cash and apply it to the car. It was tempting, but I passed on that.