How safe is car after rear end collision

If Geco is good with it, than so be it. Personally I would get it fixed, then wait 3 months and talk to the dealership about a trade-in.

 

Do you have pics of the car after the accident? Also, don't let the $$$ amount scare you into thinking the car is now unsafe. The cost of bodywork and repairs add up quick these days, even after minor accidents.

Many times, if you go to a well respected body shop, they will repair the car to be as safe as it was pre-accident.

 

Less than a thou in damages????

I think that the car is still "safe" to drive. Hard to tell without pix though.
These days? $1,000 won't even replace a rear bumper and get it painted.

I'd consider a few other things before we get to the safety of the car.
1. Soft tissue injury. How many days since the collision? Are you sure that there are no undiscovered frame and body issues with the passengers?? Close the loop on that first.
2. Depreciation. As soon as they placed the VIN # of your car on the accident report, you lost about 1-3 thousand dollars in retail value since it's now a "wrecked car." Selling your car now would be a lot like getting a date after admitting to a prior social disease. Yeah....they "fixed it" but.....
The fact that you're asking questions about the car's safety despite the fact that it appears to have been a very minor accident should loop you in on this little problem.
The Insurance company(s) aren't going to compensate you for this because it's the right thing to do. In their minds...protecting their investors...or inflating their profits are their primary concern, depending on how you look at it.
Figure out what the laws are in the PRC about "diminished value." There's about a 90-something percent chance that this collision wasn't (deemed to be) your fault.
You may have to get a sniveling, bed-wetting attorney to help you out with this, or maybe the threat alone will open some doors.

Reader's Digest version:
1. Yes. The car will still be "safe", given proper repair.
2. Make sure you or your PAX weren’t hurt and don't know about it yet.
3. This accident (will) cost SOMEBODY a lot more than $9330.00. If it wasn't your fault.....try not to be that "somebody." Get compensated.

Good Luck!

 

There are two, excellent, independent Toyota shops, Arts Automotive and Lucious Garage and I would ask them.

I have not seen the repairs but I don't like the damage I do see. The metal folds mean part of the energy absorbing sheet metal as already been used up. If those parts are replaced versus some sort of 'straightening' process, I would be OK but it is a unibody so I suspect it is not trivial. I do not do this type of work for a living and only have an undergraduate understanding of mechanics.

Now if Art's or Lucious say 'no problem,' then I have no problem. They have an excellent reputation.

Bob Wilson

 

It looks like you got hit hard but the car did its job and absorbed the energy of the crash like it should. If they are replacing the trunk floor pan you should be fine if the repair shop has a good rep. Make sure to get yourself checked out, I would not be that worried about the car once it's repaired any good body shop will stand behind its work.

 

What do the quarters look like? Folded up like the floor pan? Did it blow all the rear glass? Is the hatch folded? Kind'a sounds like a rear clip is needed if other parts were folded. Good to hear it protected the people inside. Prius is supposed to be a very safe car. Any idea on how fast the other vehicle was traveling? Were you stopped or rolling or?

Mike

 

Install some aero mods.
Gotta rebuild the boattail - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com

 

Sorry to add to your anxiety, but another concern I would have is, how safe is the HSD battery now, has it been damaged, is it leaking internally and so on ?

 

As one, who has been trained in structual engineering, I would not keep the car. No matter how well the car is rapaired, in another crash, it will NOT perform as well as one that has not been crashed. The repair changes all of the designed in "crush" characteristics of the original vehicle's design.

You can negotiate the "market value" of the repair plus approximately $3,000 in lost resale value due to the crash.

If you're not in the legal profession, I consult an attorney and have him or her write them a letter. Most likely, they will settle for what you ask for, if it is reasonable.

 

I had a similar incident with my Volvo and ended up suing the insurance company for depreciated value. A wrecked car, no matter how well repaired, loses a lot of value. Get that lost value included in your claim as soon as possible! Good luck. Rear end wrecks, especially with subframe damage, are no fun at all.

 

There are two issuses, here.

The standard in the law is that the damaged party "be made whole."

Will the car be as safe as it was, before the crash happened? This is related to the first issue.

Insurance companies have gotten away easy, since few claimiants understand what it means to "be made whole." Most claimiants only understand mainly personal injuries, because that's where the money is in tort liability cases.

A "cosmetic" repair, or even one that meets certain body shop or even "Toyota" certified standards, does not mean that the "crash worthiness" of the vehicle will be "as if the crash NEVER happened." The days of "overbuilding" the strength into any vehicle is over. Special heat treated and "formed" steel structures are made integral to the design of the vehicle to react a certain way in a crash. There have been virtually NO test done on a repaired vehicle, and if done, each one is different and will NOT project the performance of any "individually uniquely" repaired vehicle. Would you use a repaired bicycle or motorcycle hemet?

If repaired, the damaged party should be "made whole" and be reimbursed for the decrease in the "fair market value" of the vehicle due to the crash and the repair.

For me, I would only settle for the "high book value" of the vehicle. I would then purchase a new vehicle.

In a court of law, it is more likely than not, that the court would rule in you favor.

 

Many states also require the insurance company to pay sales tax on the settlement amount, but you may have to twist their arm as they may "forget" to mention this.

 

Agree with Bob. You need to get a second and maybe third opinion from a reputable dealer or independent shop that is not recommended by or connected with your insurance company. Whether your car can be repaired to the same level of safety as it was when new is questionable. Even if it is possible, it is questionable whether the repair shop will have the ability and/or dilligence to do it properly.

 

The first thing I'd do is to keep the car in the "as-is" condition and to consult an attorney. Once you've acquired an attorney, GEICO would know that you're serious.

They are most likely to avoid litigation than to settle for a three thousand dollars or so.

I'd go for walking away with a check for "high book value" with an extra $1.000 for title and tax fees for a new car on top of an interim car rental.

If you go to court, you are more likely to win, and GEICO know it. They're just hoping that you are "ignorant" and will settle for the minimum.

 

I had a very similar accident in my Subaru Outback. I did worry about the structural integrity of the car. But after a long talk with my body shop - in Oregon you can take a car to any shop you want - I chose to keep the Outback. The other guy's insurance compensated me for lost value, etc., and then sent me extra in final settlement. I don't remember the name of that insurance company - it was as unusual off-brand - but if I'm ever in another accident, I want the faulty driver to be one of their customers. I swear they went out of their way to just keep handing me money.

For what it's worth, my family put another 170,000 miles on the Outback afterwards, until my son totaled it in a front-end collision. It continued to be reliable and safe right up to the end.

All that being said, your situation is yours alone and you should not keep a car that makes you uncomfortable. I'm glad that you are working with a lawyer. But I thought you might want to hear another point of view as well.