2004 in accident, looks bad but fared well

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by nannyandnutro, Mar 26, 2005.

  1. nannyandnutro

    nannyandnutro New Member

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    Just thought I'd share this picture with you guys. Thanks to a large truck slamming on its brakes, our Prius rear-ended a Cadillac. We still don't have a damage estimate but all the HSD parts appear to have remained intact. How bad does it look?

    http://www.geocities.com/macinleia/wreck.jpeg
     
    #1 nannyandnutro, Mar 26, 2005
  2. paprius4030

    paprius4030 My first Prius

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    Sorry to see your Prius like this, but it doesn't seem too bad.
     
    #2 paprius4030, Mar 26, 2005
  3. Sufferin' Prius Envy

    Sufferin' Prius Envy Platinum Member

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    Sorry to see your Prius like this, but it IS bad.

    That is never a good look for a Prius. :cry:
    Hummer- Yes. Prius- No!

    Did the airbags deploy?
     
    #3 Sufferin' Prius Envy, Mar 26, 2005
  4. nannyandnutro

    nannyandnutro New Member

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    They didn't deploy. It still ran after it happened, but I can tell the radiator was damaged badly due to all the coolant on the freeway. I remember getting over the initial shock of the impact and then chuckling at the "check engine" light being on. I just said aloud, "no smurf, maybe they can look into it at the next oil change". I'm driving a Chrysler Sebring in the meantime which, for a 20k car is very disappointing. It's got the Neon interior slapped on a large sedan. Can I say pisspoor on these forums? :oops: Nothing can compare to my Prius but this is ridiculous.

    Oh, and we're looking on the bright side here...all those rock chips will be gone once they replace the bumper/hood. :p

    Even better, Toyota's own shop is fixing my baby which takes a load off.
     
    #4 nannyandnutro, Mar 26, 2005
  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I think the hood crumpling is what makes it look worse than it really is. Looking at your bumper, it's just two dents and a scratch, otherwise it's fairly intact.

    Seeing that Toyota is fixing it, you'll have peace of mind that it'll be back to pre-collision state in no time :)
     
    #5 Tideland Prius, Mar 26, 2005
  6. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    So that's how you get that towing plug out!

    Seriously, I hate to see damaged cars, much less Prii. I'm glad to hear that everyone's ok. Hopefully the unstoppable seatbelt chimes reminded everyone to fasten up. Here are 50 points to help tide you over until it gets back from the shop.
     
    #6 TonyPSchaefer, Mar 26, 2005
  7. nannyandnutro

    nannyandnutro New Member

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    Wow...thanks! The claims adjuster asked specifically if I'd been wearing a seatbelt and I told her my car gets very angry if I don't so yes.

    Unfortunately, I already knew how to get that plug out since the car went haywire on me several months ago. Alas...

    Hopefully we'll know on Monday how bad it really is.
     
    #7 nannyandnutro, Mar 26, 2005
  8. Bob Allen

    Bob Allen Captainbaba

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    So sorry to see your banged up Prius!
    I've had two repairs done to my Prius: the rear bumper was replaced for a 1000 bucks, and a ding in the hood for 530 bucks.
    My guess is that the repairs will be about 5k. The thumb sized ding in my hood was caused by a flying rock off a truck; the indent was really visible, though, so I decided to get it fixed. Fortunately, the insurance paid all but the 50 buck deductible. The bill was 530 bucks. Given that your bumper (1000 bucks), the grill and the hood will need to be replaced, the repair cost will be steep. Hopefully, nothing serious happened to the engine compartment. All in all, your car probably did well. What was the speed of impact?
    It's amazing that Toyota can get that much cabin crash zone protection in such a small distance/space from the front bumper to the dash. Keep us posted. Many of us will be interested in your story since we don't really know the cost of maintaining these cars yet.
    Bob
     
    #8 Bob Allen, Mar 29, 2005
  9. nannyandnutro

    nannyandnutro New Member

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    Well, they came back with an estimate for me: $6400! They're going to fix it thank goodness but my rental coverage may run out before they get the parts in. The Toyota guy thinks two weeks minimum. Oh, get me out of this Chrysler Depression or whatever they call it! I drove our Camry for the first time in awhile last night and even at nearly 100k it was smoother, quieter, and just nicer than the rental which isn't even to its first oil change. Amazing.

    By the way, Liberty Mutual is by far the sorriest excuse for an insurance company I've seen. They had the GALL to leave me a nasty message saying, "since you can drive your car, you really shouldn't have a rental. And now you haven't signed authorization for the repairs even though we've had an estimate for days. Maybe you can return it until your car is being fixed?" First off, you can't drive a car without a radiator last I checked. I've told them that it's not driveable several times. Second, they were supposed to call ME with the estimate and fax a work authorization to me. It never happened, I had to make the call to even find out if it was a total loss. :cussing:

    The parts will be hard to find, but hopefully it'll get fixed up right. I'll keep you all posted.
     
    #9 nannyandnutro, Apr 3, 2005
  10. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    Aww, that sucks. Good luck getting it fixed up! Insurance companies make it such a hassle.

    My hubby bought an 87 camry last month (to replace his 88 camry) and at 200K it runs smoother than my old buick.

    May I suggest a mask for your new front end? That takes my mind off stone chips on the bumper and hood... and it's not too expensive compared to what Bob paid!
     
    #10 galaxee, Apr 3, 2005
  11. nevesis

    nevesis New Member

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    Ouchie.. I'm sorry.. Been in a similar situation myself, only all the damage was on the side (swiped a guardrail on an onramp loop - slippery roads). Took three weeks to complete, and the total bill was around $7500 ($250 deductible I paid, along with about $150 in rental fees). There were some engine parts that needed replacement, though I didn't think I damaged the engine compartment at all. Coolent container.

    Anyway, my 80/20 rental coverage up to $1000 was almost maxed when I turned it back in for my Prius. What did I get? A Chrystler Seabring convertible. Was nice to have a convertible for a change - but I agree. What a piece of [non-Prius]. I was glad to get rid of it. I'll be posting about my experience soon enough, with pics...
     
    #11 nevesis, Apr 7, 2005
  12. nannyandnutro

    nannyandnutro New Member

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    Something of an update:

    Just got a call from Beaman Collision and was told my baby is being re-painted today. The insurance company insisted that they replace a computer (he wasn't sure which) because the brackets were broken. I can hopefully pick Soyuz up on Friday. I'll be posting the list of parts replaced for the geeks out there.
     
    #12 nannyandnutro, Apr 18, 2005
  13. Robert Taylor

    Robert Taylor New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nannyandnutro\";p=\"78147)</div>
    State Farm costs a few bucks more than other automobile insurance companies but it is worth it when the claims occur, since they have some local employee's handling claims.

    However, you must keep a close eye on any claim with any company, no matter what kind of insurance you have. They want to keep costs down, you have to look out for your own interests. No one else is going to do that for you.

    I still wonder about that claim that the car was driveable with busted radiator components. This is the kind of idiocy that would drive me nuts.

    RE: Chrysler

    A rental Chrysler is about like all other Chrysler's, the body integrity is poor, these products have long been noted to have a set of rattles come along in short order. Nearly 15 years ago, the Caravan styled products nearly all got the same set of rattles in the same places. They all were in place by 25,000 miles.

    Toyota is the highest quality automobile manufacturer in the world, something no domestic producer can even get close to claiming.
     
    #13 Robert Taylor, Apr 18, 2005
  14. nannyandnutro

    nannyandnutro New Member

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    Re: 2004 in accident, looks bad but fared well-UPDATE

    Well, our beloved Soyuz is finally home. After three supplemental insurance checks, our grand total was....

    $11,600

    I felt like we bought the car all over again! A little more and they would have totaled it and we would be looking at a Scion. Not the worst thing in the world by any means, but not a Prius.

    I was going to share a list of all parts replaced but it's about 12 pages long. The most expensive one was the inverter at $3400. The headlights? Almost $300 apiece. I have to say we're very happy with the work performed by Beaman and their staff. Everyone was kind and respectful and the car looks/drives perfect. Heck, they even shined up my tires for me. My insurance company (Liberty Mutual) was snotty, disorganized, and a poor excuse for any company large or small.

    I'm glad this is all over!
     
    #14 nannyandnutro, May 11, 2005
  15. dreichla

    dreichla New Member

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    Glad to see your car is back, albeit a rather expensive reunion.

    Always remember the 3 second rule! :wink:

    Good luck and may this never happen to you again!
     
    #15 dreichla, May 11, 2005
  16. nannyandnutro

    nannyandnutro New Member

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    I'm aware of the three second rule and am usually the first to beat up on myself...but in this case there was nothing anyone could have done. This area of the interstate has barricades which make the lanes very narrow but passable. Unfortunately, some people decide that their car must be the one that can't make it through and they come to a complete stop! In the middle of the freeway! I doubt we were even going 35 mph, and then WHAM. The front end of my car fared the best I think because of the newer more advanced braking. I'm pretty sure the Caddy was a total loss. I never saw what happened to the truck. Thank goodness for deductibles, I guess!
     
    #16 nannyandnutro, May 11, 2005
  17. genalex

    genalex Member

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    The insurance issue may not be over.
    Wait to see if they punish you when you get your next renewal bill.
     
    #17 genalex, May 15, 2005
  18. nannyandnutro

    nannyandnutro New Member

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    Oh, sure..they sent me a new and much higher premium notice but I switched companies thanks to their ridiculous treatment of my situation. Don't ever use Liberty Mutual.
     
    #18 nannyandnutro, May 17, 2005
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