Hi all, My brand new Prius C was damaged in a hit and run while it was parked. A total of $6-8 thousand in repairs is required. I'm wondering if this will have any effect on the fuel efficiency after the repairs. The worst thing is that the wheel axel was bent on one side and that the car needs alignment (steering wheel is not centered). The engine is fine.
Really just depends on how well the repair facility repairs your car. If they're good, you shouldn't notice anything, but cars are never the same after a wreck.
The automatic answer is the car should be as OEM after repairs by a competent AND consciencious repair shop. The truth is majority of repairs aren' up to assembly line and thus mpg can be affected. The ones we see usually have steering and suspensions tatren't the same as OEM. Sometimes the mpg is better because the suspension and steering are better than the factory, but more often not. After repairs the suspension and steering as well as the chassis should be checked in all the specs: 1. legth of wb left vs right side 2. diagonal measurement hub mouinting surface centers left vs right. 3. ride heights all 4 wheels 4. camber and caster all 4 wheels to spec 5. Toe front and rear to spec 6. steering angles on each front wheel with stering wheel angle, check ride heights at 20 deg angle, left vs right, all 4 wheels without passenger or driver as usual. 7. check weights on all 4 wheels are correct by references and total correctly. these will influence each wheel geometry so do first. 8. add same weight to each corner of the car and verify deflection is same front L vs R; ditto rears. 9. If the shocks or struts are involved in damage check shock action on a machine check, (we mostly just reoplace)10. we've often 'tilted' the car to determine lean characteristics left vs right compared to what we want it to be but then our springs and shocks are not really OEM but it does help to know what the chassis is doing as a unit and it wiorks for OEM though its probably only for fanatics. ( ie racing types) Most of these things you can do in your gararge and if it passes you should be as good as before the repair. good luck. ps with bent front axle, i.e. strut, hub etc it should have been completely replaced and alignment verified before you got it back. Likewise steering as it is fairly expected that the steeriing system in entireity was affected and must be checked after a bent strut / wheel.
When I park my 2012 Pruius 2, (Walmat Home Depot examples) I try to distance the car from other traffic. I am willing to walk a little further distance to avoid contact with other vehicles. I have been lucky. So far no scratches. To answer the thread poster, I think if the repairman gets the wheel alignment set properly you should get good MPG. I wish you the best of luck!
Thanks all! It finally made it to a Toyota dealer for repairs. I figured it would be in better hands there than in any other kind of repair shop. Mahout, if I were to do the repairs myself, I'd be converting my car into a Flinstones car.. I only know how to open doors and drive.. I still haven't figured out the radio/media system yet haha
My car wasn't affected by my accident, but no major parts were affected other than the tail light, rear bumper, and the rear quarter panel. I had mine repaired at my local dealer (where I bought the car from) and it looks so good only I know it was repaired (slight misalignment above rear passenger tire gap). I imagine it will be fine afterwards as long as the repairs are done properly. If you notice anything off, take it back ASAP. They should stand by their work. My dealer warrantees the work for as long as I own the vehicle. You may want to ask what your dealer's warrantee is for reference.
