I am sad to report that my Prius has been hit - hard - in the rear. I am curious to learn what others have experienced in terms of potential pitfalls in the repair and problems later that may have resulted from undiagnosed damage or things that simply broke down later as a result. Here are some details: Rear ended on the local way. It was a hard hit, but nothing happened to the rear bumper other than a joint dislocated and a little scratch. The guy's insurance promised to fix it. But my main concern is any potential pitfalls in the repair and problems later that may have resulted from undiagnosed damage or things that simply broke down later as a result. What other things should I check out???
You may want to contact the insurance company and inform them that the Hybrid Battery Pack, 12 Volt Battery and 12 Volt battery Vent Tube is located in the back. Request that the car be inspected by Toyota to see if there is any damage before you proceed with the repair. My '07 took a hit in the bumper with no problems. They replaced the bumper and it looked like new. You'll be fine!
Thanks for your suggestion. The guy that hit the car doesn't want to inform the insurance. He wants to pay for all the damages himself. Should I go with it or still inform the insurance? Also should I replace the bumper? There is nothing on the bumper; no dent, nothing but a scratch. Thanks.
So the guy, not his insurance company promised to pay? Was there an accident report? Anyone take pictures? I assume you got his driver's license number and all contact info, his license plate number.
I have't contacted his insurance yet. I took down his license number, contact info, and license plate number though. He's a city cop and he wants to pay for all the damages himself.
If there is no physical damage to the bumper, but a scratch, I would have it removed, remove old paint, prep, respray and oven dry. I would also insist on using a reputable shop of your choice, with at least eight years warranty on the paint. This way, if you have problems a few years down the road, like the clear-coat starts flaking, you can go back. Leaving a minor repair like that out of the insurance loop is risky, only if the guy doesn't flake out on paying. But, if he is a stand up guy, he probably realizes that the repair is going to be right at or less than his deductible. If he's a cop, he wants NO PART of this on his driving record...
Welcome to Club Inuendo... taking it in the rear. Been there, done that. The fix is probably ~$1,000 if the bumper cover does not require repainting... matching a finish with metal-flake is an iffy business, rarely perfectly achieved. There are issues here that are not immediately apparent: As to the bumper, it's not the visible bumper cover that's important. It's the crushable impact absorbant foam bits underneath that need replacement to ensure protection in the future. It is quite possible that the impact has distorted the rear hatch opening somewhat. This typically shows up near the top corners. This can lead to leaks, which results in water seeping down behind the interior pieces colleting in the spare tire well. The dampness can lead to corrosion at the 12V battery connections... not good. It is also possible that the seating area of your rear tail light assamblies have been distorted. Again, there's the possibility of water leakage past the gasketing and into the car. FWIW, I'd definately be having my insurance carrier handling this.
ALL STOP! I understand where the LEO is coming from but you need to find out things like whether or not an accident report has been/should be generated for this incident, and I would involve my insurance agent immediately. My principle concern would be documenting that something happened. I'm a little curious about the delta between your first post and the follow-up's where insurance company participation is concerned. It sounds like your car might have been whammed with very little in the way of permanent damage, and if you're SURE that this is the case then yeah.....you're still driving a car that hasn't been wrecked (or wrecked again) and LEO's driving record is still clean as well. Everybody wins! However (comma!) Let's pretend that LEO pays for damage and even pops for an inspection at the Toyota stealership. If your car goes TANGO-UNIFORM three months from now due to an undetected problems deep inside your G2 than you know what? No report.....no accident. If you don't write it down....it never happened. Me? I'd probably roll the dice and let LEO pay for the "wreck" and have the car inspected.......but I don't live in the Bay State (why don't they call it the Bay Commonwealth?) The laws requiring an accident report in Baston might be radically different than they are down here on the Redneck Riviera. Sometimes....you have to generate paper when the damages are as little as a hundred bucks, and so you might be breaking the law by keeping this incident/non-incident under the legal radar. Think of it as a jobs program for sniveling, bed-wetting attorneys. Good Luck! (...you might need it!)
When we were rear ended a year ago, then estimate was for $2400 - $2700 with the understanding that it could go up once they removed the bumper. Well final repair cost was $5800. My rear bumper was smashed in. See attached photo
I don't know about MA, but here in Cal any accident with damage over $1000 has to be reported to the state. You need to contact your insurance company, LEO or not, you need to report this, or your going to end up on the short stick! Are you OK? Back issues are a real pain, quite literally, you may want to consult an Accident Attorney. Tell him what's going on, what should you do. Usually first call is free! This just sounds wrong in all sorts of ways. Good Luck, I hope this works out OK for you in the long run!
I got hit about 30 in the rear. 70 year old guy texting. Never even looked up. Both bumpers and the rear absorber. Worst that happens to the car is they cannot match the paint even close depending on the age and color. My car is driftwood pearl and although the paint is perfect performed by top flight dealer b shop its not even close to matching the color. Car did much much better than me.
I had a similar incident a few years back - the hit was on the rear quarter panel on the passenger's side and I was worried about the vent for the hybrid battery so I went to the dealer. The estimate was about $1,000 and it wound up being more like $2,000 at the end. I'd recommend that you go through the other driver's insurance and bring it to a dealer with a good body shop - they will be best able to assess the damage once the bumper and other bits have been pulled off.
Don't quite get it? In my opinion you can't afford to be the nice guy here. You need the accident to be reported and you need insurance companies involved. Your car was damaged....any you really may not know how badly. You can't afford to do this "wink, wink" under the table.
So I got rear ended hard on the freeway and concerned on hybrid battery condition. Has anyone in similar situation found damage or experienced problems afterwards? Is there a sanity check test that shops can do to?
if you can find someone you trust, get em to check the car over to see if its bent underneath the bumper cover and if anything looks like its been affected. a good visual inspection is where you got to start. if the dealer is your only option, I hope they got a decent shop foreman and hybrid tech.
