Huge Suckage...In An Accident With My PRius

Anybody know if the inverter coolant loop or engine coolant loop has a sensor for low fluid level? Probably does, not sure about the thermos loop if that is separate or part of the same engine coolant system.

Of course, the CVT will only provide warning of low lubricant level when the bearings start to howl.

 

What was the point of this comment? Sounds judgemental, as in, it's your fault for even being out there....

 

Sorry, but some job open 7/24, unless the building collapsed.
IE, if you work at the hospital as a nurse in an emergency room.

--Hilore

 

Oh wow, I would probably pass out on the phone when they told me the estimate. That's about 10x more than my current car is worth :blink:

 

I work in Tampa and luckily didn't have to go into work on Monday due to the company going to minimal staffing, but almost everyone else I know had to - offices were open.

On a side note - I had my last car (VW) fixed at the Kuhn body shop - probably the same Kuhn body shop you'll be at. It was about 8K of damage and took about a month as well. They did a good job.

 

I just shuttered when I read your report. Keep everyone posted. I am impressed at how well you are been treated by the insurance company.

 

Truly sorry to hear about that. Raw.

Most of all you're safe -- you didn't get that pole through your chest or up through the floor panels. I'm not joking about that. When I lived in Las Vegas a woman was killed when a vehicle in front of her on I-95 ran over and kicked up a pole much like you did. It went through her windshield and through her chest at about 80 mph.

I'm worried about deer. They browse through my backyard -- which is their old trail -- and I've had several close calls already in the first year alone. I can only imagine what a buck deer carcass under a Prius could do.

 

OOOOooooh,

That cracked case ! No good. SO SORRY.

there could have been dirt and water entering and mixing with the oil and making bad for the parts inside. With labor costs what they are they may replace the entire unit anyway, which I would prefer.

Sorry that you are without your car, been there-done that. On my second '05 now.

Wish you the best.

 

It looks like that stiffener plate got pretty bent out of shape too :-(.

It's incredible... that thing sliced the bottom of your car up like a hot knife through butter.

 

Oh s***, just as I feared. The magnesium CVT case is cracked and all the fluid is gone.

How long did you drive it (Miles or time) after you noticed the red puddle on the ground? Even just a few miles with no lubricant will gall a planetary gearset, gall/seize bearings, etc.

It would be the same as draining the gear oil out of a stickshift and going for a drive.

It looks like the car will need a new CVT at a minimum. I sure hope insurance picks up the tab on that baby.

 

If it's any consolation, Geico has been pretty good to me: they paid up for a total very promptly. And 2 strikes before you loose your good driver's discount in my experience.

C

 

NOOO THE BLOOD!!! NOT THE BLOOD!! *covers eyes*

 

hey look at that, that Toyota WS fluid is red just like old Dexron111 on the other hand new PSD time, and a bunch of hard parts underneath and the inner fender liner and possibly other pieces and bumper,etc. $14,000 yup easy.

 

Ick. Those injuries to the transaxle case may look small, but
they're fatal. There isn't much protecting any of that stuff in
the car -- the plastic up front won't do anything to deflect much
more than an acorn, and we can see here that the case casting is
pretty thin. Thicker skid plates would add weight, but would they
be worthwhile?? [If they were available, that is..]
.
_H*

 

Thanks for posting the photos, though they are painful to view.

Showed them to the engineer-husband. He grunted a few times, scrolled up and down, winced when he realized red stuff was splashed all over the undercarriage.

When he got to the dented and cracked case he said, "I think this puppy's dead." When he heard it had been driven after the Prius birling (log-rolling) incident, he declared it, "Long dead, and weiner-ed."

Sorry 'bout this.

 

Actually most transfer cases in 4x4's are magnesium too. There is a huge weight savings over iron, though as I remember the iron transfer cases didn't normally need a skidplate.

THe transfer case in my 1984 Ford F-150 4x4 is magnesium, so was the AutoTrak transfer case in my 2000 GMC Sierra.

Magnesium helps with saving weight, but it does NOT tolerate impact very well. Matter of fact, there is usually a tag or an actual cast-in warning on modern transfer cases: DO NOT USE IMPACT WRENCH ON FILL/DRAIN PLUG

Otherwise, not only would you strip out the threads, you could crack the case too.

So ... anybody feel like putting together a Prius skid plate? I'm willing to give it a shot.