Hello, My friend got into a accident with his 2008 Toyota Prius, he says it is out alignment and would cost $3,000+ to repair the body damage. A 70 year old man wasn't paying attention and he side swiped going 45mph. Is this worth getting fixed? If he would like to sell it in the future or should he fight and try to get a new Prius.
Will insurance pay to fix it? As long as its fixed by a competent shop, it doesn't look like he should have any problems with it or when selling it. It almost sounds like you're considering him scrapping it, which would be a waste. I personally would get the alignment fixed and leave the body as is, maybe try to pop out some of the dents myself. But that's just me.
LOL I don't think he could pop the dents himself, the dealership is going to take care of it and the insurance company for the guy who caused the accident will take care of it. Do you think it would cause reduction in resell price? If he wants to sell it in the future.
That damage is minor (relatively) from what Ive seen (much worse) and the insurance company still repaired it. Although, there are some variables involved such as mileage on the unit, etc. Depending on what state you live in, your friend might be able to file for "diminished value" and get a check from the insurance co. based on the hit on resale value he will take because of the crash. Do some google research or ask around, because that might be a good idea if its available.
I'm surprised the repair quote is that high. My accident damage was much worse and cost less. I'd recommend that he get a different quote elsewhere. I avoid the dealership for body work. Usually they just contract the work out to a body shop and keep some of the profit. Visit an independent body shop instead. I would definitely fix it--that's not bad damage at all. Good luck!
The damage is very minor. It looks like the door took most of the damage. There are many Prius parts floating around the internet, some sellers sell complete doors (if you're lucky, the same color too) for a couple hundred dollars. If you can't find it locally, Ebay might even have it. Just have it installed by a shop. LOL at the bandaid on the car door.
My Lexus LS400 was T-Boned, both doors were hit and the beam bent too. A private shop fixed it perfectly for $1500 cash. In this case, if the beam is OK, I believe the best deal is to find some body guy work at home. You may fix it for $500, and keep the $2500 in pocket.
I won't comment on the repair cost. We'll, I'd say $3000 seems reasonable, but I'm in Canada. Regarding the repair: it looks like they'd replace the rear door, and the remaining would just be filled and levelled. At least from the pics it doesn't look like the suspension is damaged. Post repair, you'd want to check door alignment carefully. And does it open/close easily?
