Got rear ended and hit and run...

Geesh. Probably...

 

Wow! I had to go dig out my repair bill for my car-versus-deer incident....they replaced both headlights for $866 each...that's the highest MSRP I've ever seen for headlights. A "distance sensor" was $595 but a new A/C condenser was only $368. They broke it down on the last page...parts were $8,917 and labor was 3 sections (Body, refinish, mechanical) which summed up to $3,137.20

Sound like they may have WAY overestimated for labor IMHO....I ask a manager to double-check it for you.

 

Remember $20 sealed-beams? They never got glazed over either.

 

Yep those old glass lights NEVER had problems!!! (Even easier to scrap dead bug guts off them than today's plastic things.)

 

The car is worth over $30k. So, unfortunately, it is unlikely that it will be considered totaled.

 

It does not have to, but it would be less costly for it.

Salvage value would be what a junk yard would pay without the repair.

Considering that, there is probably a 50–50% chance.

 

I can go to any shop but they aren’t required to do OEM parts. After my last accident I will only be going to dealership body shop from now on. I went to a reputable shop but it was a nightmare advocating for OEM bumpers and the work had to be done twice because of it. Lesson learned.

 

It will show up more than "accident" on the reports. When I bought my dually it showed it got in a wreck and the front left fender war replaced. On my durango the reports had descriptions and pictures of the accidents. It definitely affects the price. I would absolutely make them give me a check for diminished value if they fixed it.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Ah, get the solar roof!

 

... but the beam patterns were quite poor compared to anything today. My last sealed beam car model had the single rectangular version, which was especially bad, driving me to add real fog lights to fill in some of the dark areas of the sealed beam pattern.

Even today's headlights getting poor IIHS ratings are still considerably better than those old sealed beams.

 

Could sealed beams, or similar, be reintroduced, and improved in those deficiencies? Would anyone want such a car, or are the majority too enamoured with the plastic sculptures that succumb to UV and cost over a grand USD apiece?

 

Dang sorry to hear that. This is the reason I pay the few extra bucks every month on the "gap" insurance if I have a car loan on the vehicle.

 

I’m sorry you’re going through this but I do think it’s nice you get a chance to upgrade and I am a tiny bit envious. I constantly wish mine was a Premium.

 

In theory, they could come back with all those deficiencies fixed. Even then, some off-road rally lights had much improved patterns, just not US-DOT approved for street use. I don't think DOT was ever interested in updating its standards to incorporate those improvements, but as least my local State Patrol was very accommodating.

In practice, I think the vehicle-maker pressures on the feds to drop the sealed-beam mandate had a lot more to do with product design, aesthetics, and aerodynamic streamlining than with beam pattern issues.

 

Maybe the BetaMax phenomena: a superior approach, but industry has moved in "another" direction.

 

Was thinking about getting one, so beautiful! Like the exotic russian I know. But then I saw a gen 5 with a bent fender, the console read: "TILT! Return to dealer and insert another $500!" Gave me pause..

 

ZAZ Zaporozhets ZAZ-965A?

 

Does your settlement cover the real transaction price to purchase, or are you limited to the MSRP?

Seems that a durable glass cover over a modern bulb would sidestep plastic glazing issues.

I remember $7 sealed beams, but also the downside of frequent replacement. I like halogen bulbs pretty well.

They throw more light, but I'm not sure they are better. I observe the weird phenomenon of people driving on 35mph and 25mph roads with their high beams on. I think people are on a sort of illumination treadmill on which the more bright LEDs they face, the more light they need to sense conspicuous illumination.

When I was younger and dumber, I used to cut through a winding road in a state park in the middle of the night with my lights off, only turning them on when I saw another car. Mere moonlight sufficed.