Hi everyone! I'm a newbie, not sure if my "car damage" question should be placed here, but my car was hit the past weekend. It's a brand new 2013 Prius I that I've had for 5 months now. 6000 miles. I love it to death (no pun intended). Excellent mileage (55-60 mpg). I was driving in the left lane of two-lane street, kid from right shoulder tries to do a u-turn across all the lanes - without looking - and hits me square in the front right side/ front bumper area. Air bags did not deploy. Passenger side door doesn't open either. You probably can't tell from the photo, but the white blob behind the smashed right low light was some container that leaked out all the fluid. Does anyone know what that is? What do you think are the costs to fix it? (Just starting to deal with insurance T-T) Thanks for your input in advance! Drive safely guys.
definitely looks expensive. I would let insurance deal with it. Another member had a similar fender bender, his estimate was $4800. http://priuschat.com/threads/had-an-accident.137740/
You did a U turn and he hit you? Hmmm. You mean you turned in front of him and he had no other option? Let the insurers deal with the repairs to yours and protect you against the other persons claim(s). Isn't it this sort of incident that you pay your insurance for? Just be grateful everyone is ok and your car did its job protecting you.
You're right Then it's the kids fault. Not sure what your rules are in the US, but I'd deal with my insurers and let them recover those costs from the other person. I'd want the car back 110%.
Pick your own repair shop, don't use the ones recommended by the insurance companies, you want the repair shop working for you, not the insurance companies.
Ughh... Body Work adds up so quickly. I'd think that is going to be fully repairable BUT pretty costly. If the accident wasn't your fault, I'd look into a "diminished value" claim. Your almost new Prius is now one that has been involved in a reportable wreck, and it will now have body work associated with it's past. Which can lower it's value in relationship to it's pre-wreck condition, even if fully restored. Good Luck.
That's the worst feeling, I felt it when I lost Skylis 1 at 5000 miles, another car slid on the ice and destroyed mine, which is how I ended up with Skylis 2. The "accident" process is the biggest pain in the a** you'll end up going through. You'll have a lot of questions, so be sure to keep an organized log of who said what about what. I assume that a police report has been filed. Tell your insurance company ASAP about the incident if you haven't already. In about a week, a claims adjuster should call you to confirm what happened and then send out an appraiser... this is the person who decides how much it will cost to fix the car, or if the repair costs exceed the value of the car.
Thanks The Electric Me and Skylis! The Electric Me: Yep, having all these costly repairs doesn't bode well for future resell. Skylis: Ouch! Unfortunately, police never came out because there was no "bodily injury." I did leave a report with the dispatcher - don't know how much that is worth though. Started the insurance process, adjuster says it's worst case 6K. Not total loss since the car is brand new ~22K. T-T Just hoping there won't be any damage to hybrid system. -crosses fingers-
The other corner contains all the expensive stuff. In NJ you can file the claim through your insurance or the other driver's if the other driver has been determined to be at fault. Some handle claims better than others. If you go through your insurance then file a claim with the other company for the balance on the rental & any time lost. Insist that the alignment is spot on and not just within spec.
Carfax will now reflect your car was in an accident, you want to claim diminished value, you need to protect yourself. If they fight you on this, its time for a lawyer.
