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Prius back post deer hit

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Tdoff1, Dec 18, 2008.

  1. Tdoff1

    Tdoff1 New Member

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    Yes, as the estimate continued to climb, I became more and more concerned. However, glad to report my Prius is back ($6800 later). Looks great, ALL OEM parts and had the dealership check out the repairs. The seam sealer that my shop used looks better that the Toyota off the line work.

    Luckily, I am in the insurance field and knew a great shop that did a great job. So, bummer I hit the deer, but looks as good as new!:rockon:
     
  2. Boo

    Boo Boola Boola Member

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    Oh man, that's great news. Happy for you.

    * * * * * *

    Your story brings up a couple of things I've always wondered about:

    1. Under all/most insurance policies, does the insured have the right to insist on OEM parts?

    2. Are collision repair paint jobs as good as OEM? For instance, won't a collision repair paint job be one coat of paint, while the OEM paint job may be multiple coats? Or maybe current OEM paint jobs are one coat, I don't know. Maybe I'm thinking of the very old days when, for instance, Jaguar used to advertise its multiple coats of paint like it was multiple coats of hand-rubbed Chinese lacquer.
     
  3. Tdoff1

    Tdoff1 New Member

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    Most insurance companies policy language states that have to "indemnify" you in the event of a loss. This means putting you as close as they can to how you were prior to the loss. If you have a 4 year old car, then they certainly can (and usually will) put 4 year old or used parts back onto your vehicle. Every company is different, but unless a same year car with low miles most will use after-market or used parts. I just made it very clear to the adjuster and shop what I wanted. (having some knowledge of the industry helps)

    Regarding the paint, most is 2 or 3 stage now. (base coat then clear coat applied). The paint quality depends a lot on the skill of the painter and the quality of the paint booth that is used. Dirty filters at the Toyota plant or your local shop will result in trash in the paint. (I have seen some cars right off the factory line with orange peel and junk in the paint). Some of your higher end cars may have three stage, pearl or flake in the paint, but all applied the same way. The base coat is flat in color and the clearcoat is aht makes it shine.