Very Sad Day For Me.. My (meticulously pampered) Prius was hit...

Which body shop did the work?


iPhone ?

 

At 800 miles we got a rock in the windshield.

The best thing to do is spill the beans to the body shop manager about your expectations. Most car owners aren't that anal about their cars. I would take a couple of your side view pictures you took in your garage that show how straight the sides "were" with you and explain that this is exactly what you expect when you come to pick it up.

My wife's 2007 Corvette got hit in the door at work a few years ago. When I took it to the dealer for an estimate I told them it did not have repaired doors on it when we bought it and we are not interested in a repaired door after it's fixed as it was not our fault the jerk ran into my wife's car. I want a new door and the offenders insurance company can call me if they have a problem with it. Our car and the offender's were both insured through Mercury. In the end, she got a brand new door rather than a fiberglass and bondo fix job and you couldn't tell it was ever in an accident. The reason I know it got a new door is because I told the body shop manager we wanted the old door back, and we got it.

 

I can relate to the OP, but I too have adopted the opinion as I have aged that it can't be helped. If everyone out there were as careful and meticulous it would be a much better place for our beloved Prii.

Our gen II was hit a little more than a year ago - by an uninsured driver trying to avoid rear ending the car in front of her. Instead she veered left and hit our car near the rear wheel. My insurance company covered it (since the other driver lied to the officer that she had insurance). Imagine my surprise when "her insurance company" called me to tell me that her insurance lapsed two months ago due to non-payment. One of our local body shops did the work and in my opinion it was the best I've seen. Considering I used to do that type of work, I am pretty particular.

The gen III got hit at church last week in the rear bumper. It was paralell parked and the car behind it scratched the rear bumper on the way out. At first I was PO'd, but then realized that it was probably just the first "in a series" of scrapes.

Don't get me wrong - I still care a lot for my vehicles. They all get washed regularly (3-bucket method), dried, vacuumed - the works. My 23-year old T-bird SC still looks as good as it did the day I brought it home.

Hope yours came out looking great!

 

Many years ago, my friend had argument with his wife on whether buying a new or used car. I was there, so she asked my opinion. I knew she is a very nervous person. In difficult situations she will overreact. So I convinced her to get a 2 years old car. Looks like new, feel like new, but will not feel as much pain if someone bumped onto it, or scratched in parking lot. And at the same time, save 40% of the cost, of cause.

If you want to own some really good stuff, better to be something that you can enjoy in your home, such as furniture, gadgets... I, too, hate to see loved toys gone bad.

 

does OP or anyone know if it's allowed/worth the time in CA to file a diminished value claim with the at-fault party's insurance company (after they fix the car of course)? i read in another thread that by definition there is no diminished value if the car is repaired fully.

 

Disagree. No matter how good the repairs, it is only original once. And ANY history of damage in a vehicle's past diminishes its value. Period. Now, whether or not you can be compensated for that in your state is another matter....

 

How much was the cost to repair the vehicle? I filed a DVC and was awarded 6k. I sadly have a vast knowledge in this department.

 

That is the best answer I have ever read, in regards to an aging car or person or anything.

 

Just be glad that cars can be traded in and replaced -- your body, not so much.

 

Totally agree.

 

My old front bumper says HI to your rear bumper, except when I made it look like that it was completely my fault.
As everyone else has said, I'm glad no one was hurt, and feel your pain too, but I found that the body shop made things look pretty damn good.
Plus, I'm pretty sure the car has its great coefficient of drag back too!

 

I'm of the opinion that sometimes it is good to buy a brand new car, other times used. Case in point, the 2012 liftback Prius cars came with nice upgrades to the exterior, Entune, all have 6.1" touchscreens, power seat in 4 and 5, etc...

Now if someone wanted to save a few thousand by getting a '2 year old' third Gen Prius, they might be choosing from a 2010 which may have come off the line in June 2009, very early production, maybe has extra rattles, some minor issues.

Also, the 2012 Prius was said to have gotten an upgraded intake manifold to eliminate any cold start knocking, and also improved right engine mount.

If one was buying a 2012 Prius in year 2014, that's a different story, maybe buy used. I doubt a 2 year old Prius would be 40% cheaper.

 

Too bad ur in Frisco. If u were in LA I would recommend the shop that did the repairs on my 2012 BP.....either way, good luck with the repairs & glad ur family was ok

 

I've been through too many cars in 50 years of driving to relate to this. The laws of physics state that entropy went to work on your car before it was even out of QC in the factory. Like us, our vehicles deteriorate even when they're at rest. Me, I never look with appreciation at our cars until I can do "50 & new*."

*At 50 feet, it looks new.

 

Sounds like "50&15" apply to you&me

 

In the last few years we have traded in a couple of cars. The first thing they do is run a CARFAX on it to see if it has been in an accident. If it has, you get nailed.

 

Terribly sorry to see your beauty damaged like that...

But just make sure you take it to a reputable shop and they can obtain factory paint from Toyota to match your colors. Other than your bumper, it doesn't look like they will need to replace the doors or panels, so it will most likely be repaired instead, but rest assured. With the proper factory paint color and a set of skilled arms, they can work true magic by blending the paint right into the non damaged areas of the side of your car so you can't even tell if its been repaired. Best wishes.

 

i feel your pain. my car is in the shop right now with similar scrapes from a driver drifting into my lane.
The prius apparently has some kind of magnetic force field that draws other cars towards causing all kinds of havoc.