Again!! Second Prius to be Hit -- Back to the Same Repair Shop, I Guess

About four months ago, right before I was to pick up my new 2010, my 2007 Silver Pine Mica was sideswiped by a hit-and-run driver. It happened on the road, right in the middle of town, and the guy took off like a shot. The police never caught him, and I got stuck with the bill (well, at least my $500 deductible!).

Tonight, my 2010 got hit. Very different this time, because it was parked, it happened in the dark, and the driver walked up to my door, rang the bell and volunteered all of the necessary information. Nobody was hurt -- there wasn't even a danger here. Four months ago, though, the hit-and-run guy drove off at 50 to 60mph in a busy 35mph main street.

Still . . . My 2010 Blue Ribbon Metallic has quite a crunched left front fender. It is driveable -- at least at speeds of up to 35mph. It made one weird sound the first time I hit the brakes hard, but there were no rubbing sounds when I did tight turns with the wheel turned all the way left and then right.

I just can't stand the idea of being without my car. I expect it will be another week's time without the 2010!

Pics? All I have right now are a couple of shots from my iPhone. I pulled up next to a street lamp so there would be some light, but you can't see a whole lot.

 

Thanks, Derek.

The GOOD thing is that the woman who hit my car decided it would be better to walk up to my front door and let me know about everything.

I was just about to leave the house and drive to my office (yes, this late at night!), and I stayed just a couple of minutes too long. It was so dark on the street that I likely would not have noticed the crumpled fender until I returned home and parked in my driveway. I have lights in the driveway that would have highlighted the problem. At that point, I would not have known where the event happened, and I'd be out another $500 deductible.

Yes, it is terrible that the first guy sped off as he did -- in broad daylight, with witnesses and endangering people. But it is reassuring that the woman who did this (in the dark, no witnesses and no one threatened) decided to do the right thing.

 

I wish the crinkles were all due to distortion from the tiny little lens on the iPhone, but it really is from being hit.

 

The most obvious damage was to the one panel (the left front fender), but there also is damage to the bumper, the door and, most expensive of all, the wheel. The panel and wheel require replacement. The bumper may be salvaged, but they won't know until they take the car apart. I don't wish more cost on the woman who hit me, but a new bumper would cure the severe marks left by a previous "bump and run" who gauged the bumper and put a couple of creases in it.

The repair will be at a shop acceptable to both insurers and to me (unfortunately, I just had this happen three months ago to my 2007, and the same shop did a great repair job).

I have other fixes to be done at the dealer, so I'll ask them to check on the work, after the fact. If Toyota says there's a problem, I'll take it back or have the insurance company pick up the tab. There's a lifetime (limited!) warranty on the paint. The match on my Silver Pine Mica was flawless, so I'm not worried about the paint job on this one.

I'd be nervous, but based on my recent experience at this shop, I'm fairly comfortable.

Isn't it great that she did that? I know we should expect that kind of behavior from ourselves and others, but experience has shown that many people balk under such circumstances.

The vehicle? Some VERY large SUV whose bumper rode up over the tire. Something low down, however, took a slice of metal out of the wheel.

I agree with you on this. I had the insurance company confirm they would order a full alignment from the shop. I'll confirm with the shop that they can set the "zero point" (or whatever it is called) so that VSC and LKA can rely on it entirely. I've only had the LKA for 12 weeks now, and I forgot to mention that to the insurance claim person.