Prius got clipped

sorry man! just a guess, but it looks superficial. i'm thinking around $1,500.

 

Did the hit Do any damage to the suspension? Hard to tell if there is damage to the suspension from the pics, but still shouldn't be totaled. Tough luck. Find a good repair shop who can fix it right. Had a jag before my Prius. They never got it right

 

Looks cosmetic, pay your deductible I don't think they will total it. Good luck

 

About the same timeframe for me. It was one thing after another until I said enough was enough. The final straw was when the brake pedal went to the floor stopping at a red light . They routed the brake line around the brake. Eventually it rubbed through. After the shop fixes the Prius, perform your own thorough inspection.

 

That sounds similar to my hit, the rear cross beam was replaced, bodywork on that rear corner, bottom line was $3250. Just needed to pay the insurance deductible, didn't hurt too much.

 

that will definitely add, hard to say until they get in there.

 

Most often if you use the authorized repair facility that the responsible's insurance company recommends, you won't have to shell out any deductible $.
The damage to the rear suspension is going to be the straw that breaks the Camels back. If there is any compromise to the frame and/or unibody it might drive the cost up significantly. It really depends upon the other drivers insurance company. Studying your photos, it appears the the LR wheel has taken the brunt of the hit. That's not good.

 

It's nowhere near totalled, my 2 cents.

Front stoved in and air bags blown is totalled. Around $10,000 in damage.

 

Did it hit the hatch or the light? Was the wheel damaged?

The OE bumper -- is about $650 to replace and paint. The body work viable will get you close to another 1k. The suspension parts can add up and it will need to be put on a frame to confirm or adjust the unibody.

It has to be close to 4k .. and that with nothing major. I can't see it being totaled.

 

It all depends on what they find. I'm not saying they will total it if they find the unibody is damaged. It can be repaired up to the percentage of cost vs worth of car. Some insurance companies are reluctant to repair frame damaged cars due to liabilities. If it were me I would prefer that they total it in

 

What's all this talk of a deductible; the other driver was at fault.

Insurance companies are shady and try to cover that up by being extremely friendly. Here's what I would do:

1. Take the car to 3 different but expensive places to get a repair. You have the right to have the car repaired wherever you want at the expense of the insurer.
2. Take a cash payment for no less than the average cost to repair from those 3 shops, including the cost of a car rental for the amount of days it would take to fix it.
3. Take the car to someone who can provide a quality repair for less than the other shops.
4. Profit.

If the insurance company chooses to total the car, they will try to lowball the replacement value. Make sure the offer they give you will actually buy a comparable car at retail cost, including taxes and fees, and including the cost of a rental car. Then make them a counter-offer on buying back your totaled Prius, which they should be willing to accept a low price since they don't want the hassle of selling it at auction. Repair the Prius and pocket the difference that was paid to you.

Being hit by someone else is one of the few times you can profit if you work the system correctly. I once got more than double the initial offer that an insurance company made for my car when someone hit it. I had to do a little research and be persistent in showing the company a few comparables, but they eventually saw things my way.

 

I'm starting to see why auto insurance premiums are so high.

 

Redpoint5 -- Your way of looking at the situation is why insurance companies have to be proactive. The OP may using his own policy and be done with it.

Insurance companies can't force you to go to a particular shop, but they don't have to pay above what is "reasonable and customary".

Also -- many companies will not sell you the car ... it depends.

Taking the car to a dealer will provide an estimate on the high end. All shops negotiate with insurance companies -- they have to .. that's 99% of the business.

 

I'm not an adjuster, nor can I tell from the pictures whether the vehicle has frame damage.
But really in either case I would speculate it won't be totaled.

Your most important move now is to find a HONEST and qualified body shop.

 

What do you mean by "proactive"?

Using your own policy will result in a rate increase, which is why you don't want to make a claim. In fact, that's a big reason why I don't carry comprehensive or collision. Insurance is cheap when you don't have full coverage. I'm not likely to be the cause of damage to my own vehicle, and even if I am, the fix is likely to be relatively easy to DIY.

Heck, a neighbor recently smashed my rear light with the steel bumper of his truck, and I replaced it myself with a quality part I got on Amazon for $115. It probably would have cost over $500 to have a dealership make the repair. I didn't submit a claim against his insurance, because I know he would be paying for the repair many times over in increased rates.

The reason why "auto insurance is so high" is because cars aren't made out of steel anymore. The plastic "bumpers" and thin sheet metal costs a fortune to replace, and cars overall are more expensive as consumers demanded more features, and the vehicles became more complex.

 

I agree cars more complex and expensive , but I think you should consider the safety aspects of this. I owned at least 10 automobiles from the 50s, 60s, and 70s that were , as you say, mostly steel. But crashes with such non-yielding bodies caused severe "secondary collisions" between the car's occupants and the front dashboard, which injured or killed the people. The controlled crush zones of a post-2000 car reduce the G forces in that secondary collision, albeit at the expense of the bumper, fender , and frame components which all deform to absorb collision energy gradually. Having owned both, I would far rather have a modern car that prioritizes saving people.
(BTW, Those old steel cars also had stinking exhaust, dim headlights, handled abysmally as a rule, and had drum brakes so poor that they would fade at the end of a panic stop from 70 or above. They were so unreliable and wore out so quickly that many folks had trouble reaching 100,000 miles. So I have no longing for those models despite their crash resistance.)