Well I was making a left turn and a guy blows a red, so me and the Prius have no choice but to T-Bone him. It was a larger Buick... http://picasaweb.google.com/markzvo/PriusCRASH Is it totaled? The airbags did NOT go off (to everyone's amazement, a lot of people actually suggested something was wrong). All 3 involved are perfectly fine, I'd say I was going 20 when we hit. The car was driveable, I drove it about 6 blocks back to my work location for a tow. The interior strongly smelled of an oil-based chemical but there were no fluids leaking. It's an '05 with bluetooth/NAV/HID lamps (top package for that year) w/42K miles on it.
If everyone was fine then there wasn't enough deceleration (sp?) to trigger the airbags. They were probably functioning as designed. Bummer about the car.
Three coats of turtle wax and a good buffer, that'll come right out. Let us know what they do with it. We're always curious how much the repair bill comes on differing size crashes and if they total the car or what. My guess is that they'll fix it, about $9k... it's a guess... That side has a lot of bent up metal, but the biggies such as the hybrid system and motor probably have no physical problems, just a lot of the little stuff surrounding the motors is all going to need to be replaced. Glad ya came out of it fine, and also glad you tboned the buick rather than the other way around.
That's a pretty minor impact and it's best the air bags didn't deploy--they could've caused injury and would increase repair costs. Really really hard to know if the car is repairable or not...did the inverter or MG get damaged? How much frame damage and axle damage? I suspect they'll total it unless there is no frame damage and no damage to the components under the hood....but it is probably salvagable.
You won't believe how little damage it takes for an insurance company to 'scrap' a car. There are folks that make a good living buying cars that insurance Co's scrap out. The buyers put on the new replacement parts and sell them with salvage titles for about a 20-25% savings over a comparable non-salvage titled car. If I knew mine was on the way to the salvage yard, I'd FIND a way to get those pricy batteries back into my hot little hands. Hey! they must have popped out during the accident. Were'd they go! :^)
I'm anxiously awaiting a callback to see what the deal is. doubt there's axle damage, but I think the frame is all shifted to the right. I've heard that a lot of the decision to total a car is based on value, so if the car has a high value, they'll repair it.... only time will tell, when I know I'll let you guys know!
Your car looks very similar to mine a little over a month ago when it was totaled. I was going 40mph when someone ran a red light going 40mph and I tboned that car. My car was totaled with $14,500 worth of damage. It was an 06. In 10 months, the car depreciated $300 that is AFTER I had to use my appraisal clause with my insurance and hire my own appraiser. Hiring an independent appraiser was the best $300 investment I ever made. The pictures aren't great because I could only get to the tow lot after dark. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/29286...077479999vDRAfn
Two '05s with nav in two days! (and both with pictures posted on picasaweb, I might add) (The other is mine!) That front wheel looks pretty torqued to me, I'll guess it's close to totaled due to frame damage. Be sure to check with the insurance commision in your state. I just learned alot by reading what is required when they total a car. Also, they tell you your rights as far as negotiating a settlement. You can also get an estimate from a toyota dealer body shop, who will insist on Toyota parts only. Everyone else keep an eye out! Stupid Drivers must be targeting Prii! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MindSky @ Nov 21 2006, 09:55 AM) [snapback]352572[/snapback]</div> It can also be reasoned that they're more likly to scrap a high valued car since they can possibly make money back on the salvage.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(engunneer @ Nov 21 2006, 01:12 PM) [snapback]352580[/snapback]</div> Indeed, especially with a highly-sought car like a Prius that has relatively few parts available on the market, compared to most other cars. Consider when they repair your car, it is 100% money out of their pocket, but when totalling a car they can sell off the remaining "good parts" and pay for your new car with that, and likely cost them less than simply paying the repairs. The value of the car is almost (?) always less than the sum of the parts!
<_< Quote hill: "You won't believe how little damage it takes for an insurance company to 'scrap' a car." Problem with that is that all our rates go up when it a car is repairable and the insurance carries 'totals' it. Other factors become applicable: How much the "rebuilders" will pay for the damaged vehicle; the cost of a rent car during repairs; whether the insurance carrier can increase the premium on the car's owner; availability of OEM parts [NEVER, but NEVER, let them put 'after market' parts into your repairs!!] -- all to say, it's not a simple equation. I would confess that if it was MY PRIUS, I would want them to "TOTAL" it provided the settlement was adequate to replace it. Since we pay cash, the balance due is not a factor, but if you're "upside down" [car worth less than the balance due] the math might get 'v-e-r-r-y.....i-n-t-e-r-e-s-t-i-n-g.'
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(engunneer @ Nov 21 2006, 12:12 PM) [snapback]352580[/snapback]</div> I actually saw your post and gave Picasaweb a try, that part was not a coincidence, the accident unfortunately was. Still haven't heard anything back, I can't say I would be too upset if I had to get an '07 so I can get MP3 capability and that backup cam. We'll see. I'm just hoping it is as simple as possible if I do have to get a new car (no money down, same payments - it wasn't my fault).
Well I called the body shop just to get an idea, he said, so far it looks repairable, but he'll have to replace the front frame rails, and I should expect to wait EIGHT WEEKS! Holy moly... Any suggestions?
Hey sorry to hear about your crash. The good thing is that everyone is ok. I am actually on a rental myself due to another crash but mine wont take so long. I hope the time goes by fast. You can borrow my rental in the mean time
milwaukee, eh? traffic there is fun... 8 weeks seems like a damn long time for front frame rails. they give any explanation for that?
First of all I'm glad you're okay... 8 weeks sounds WAAAAY too long. I'd talk to another shop. 4 weeks maybe, but 8?!? Is the insurance company paying for a rental? PS I looked at ilove's pics. His car is MUCH more damaged than mindsky's. The bags alone are probably $2k in cost, plus theres a lot of torquing in the front end. I'd say Mind's is repairable.
The 8 week estimate came right from the Body Shop at the Toyota dealer I bought it from... have yet to talk to my Insurance Rep, who did look at the car today (waiting for that call tomorrow). I do have gap insurance, so even if I owe more than it's worth, I'm covered...
I wouldn't use the dealer's shop to be honest anyways, dealer shops have a steady stream of business coming from the dealer. Independent shops have to rely on their reputation and word of mouth to survive. They have MUCH more reason to do good work. 8 weeks is extremely long, believe me.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MindSky @ Nov 21 2006, 10:40 AM) [snapback]352526[/snapback]</div> Greetings, long time lurker here. Sorry to hear about your Prius. I love this site and all of the good people in here. Likely it is not totaled. I just wrecked my '06 pkg 4 with 1500 miles on it last month. I was driving at about 30mph when I hit the brakes and the air bags did not go off. The estimate came in at $8500 and is going up a little more, not sure how much yet. I fought for the insurance to total it, but they said "NO." The front is pretty twisted but the body shop says they have fixed worse. I was told that if the damage is less than 80% then they will not total it out. After waiting for insurance, parts, and repairs I should have my Prius back in about two more weeks. Here is my car . . . (I'm not trying to promote myself on eBay but its the only picture I have that isn't a huge file at the moment.) Make sure you file a claim for diminished value. They will not offer this to you, you have to ask for it.
They're putting the damage at 11K, but my insurance company said they're going to "proceed with caution." They are leaning towards a repair, they won't total it until repairs are around $15K. The big kicker is if the HSD is damaged or not, it's definitely shifted over about half an inch, but doesn't exactly look damaged. In Wisconsin, state statute dictates an automatic total if repairs exceed 70% of the vehicle's value... so I believe that's what my insurance company is sticking with, but like I said, they are using caution. Sounds like it's still up in the air. The Body Shop manager held firm on his 8 week estimate. Thanks for the tip on a diminished value claim... I'll definitely explore that!
