HUMU hit and run

Bummer. Here's hoping that the cops get lucky in this instance, and catch the scum that did this, and that either your car can be totally repaired or that you end up with a fine replacement Prius.

I'd be devastated if this happened to my Prius.

 

Bob -- so sorry to hear about this. What an awful thing to wake up to.

HUMU was the first Prius I ever rode in, at the PriusChat get-together over a year ago. You did such a great job making it a comfortable, friendly car -- it really does have a personality. That, as much as anything, clinched my decision to start the 8-month wait for a Prius of my own.

I know how something like this takes your whole week down. However, am very glad to know insurance will cover things.

And :guns: to whoever did this. Anyone with that lack of responsibility doesn't deserve the privilege of driving.

 

It's hard to hide that much front end (I'm assuming front) damage on the offending car, so it may turn up soon.

Much less paperwork when no one is in the car. Glad to hear you and yours are well.

So, if the body shop is so good...what color is Humu going to be when repaired? You could be the first Prius owner with Flint Mica! (This suggestion is of the "make lemonade" variety.)

 

Yet another reason to have a motion activated camera aimed at your car when you are asleep/away.

 

Be comforted in the knowledge that HUMU was loved and led a good and pampered life, and that we can all breath easier because of his/her existence.

If HUMU passes, carry that love forward to your new bundle of joy . . . which hopefully won’t have the gestation period of a human!

You are living the nightmare I had soon after delivery of our Salsa baby!

As a customer care policy, I feel Toyota Corporate should initiate a program where owners of high demand cars can get a replacement as soon as possible should their car be stolen or totaled - with insurance payoff as proof. If I were next on the wait list, I would be more that happy to let that poor soul cut in line - knowing that in the future I may find myself in the same situation and very thankful the program existed.

 

Hopefully the police will pulse bodyshops in the area, and notify of models that use that color (they should be able to identify the make if not the model from the chips). If the perp has his car fixed at a shop, maybe they can nab him.

 

Glad to hear the prognosis on HUMU and I'll add to the praise for State Farm as a highly satisfied customer.

Hope the cops manage to catch the jerk responsible.

 

Sorry to hear about your trouble, two weeks ago mine got hit on monday and the wife's got hit on friday. Both now fixed and l fully trust the shop that did it. Toyota body shop and do great work. HUMU will rise again!

 

Up on the sidewalk with rear-side damage, and all four wheels damaged? If all 4 wheels were damaged, I would suspect unibody frame damage. After all, how could the front tires be damaged if it was hit on the rear/side unless the tires were twisted from the car's motion and being restricted from motion by the curb?

I am impressed with the police doing so much farensics so they have something to prove if there are any leads.
See if the police do canvas local body shops. If they don't, you might want to hand out flyers to them regarding your search for the perp.

I always found State Farm to be ridiculously high, but I guess they justify it by taking extra care of their client.

 

GLAD to hear the updated news about HUMU, Bob!

I appreciate the update, and the information -- it's very helpful in case we find ourselves in a similar situation. Please let us know how the repair job went, and whether there are any problems down the line.

I also had another HUMU memory -- I know I spotted you and HUMU at least twice while driving around Seattle in March April of last year. Back then, there were so few Priuses in Seattle, a Blue Prius stood out -- and HUMU's unique style made me think, "Hey, that's Bob's car!"

 

Here's a few ideas to consider when working through your insurance claim and getting back on the road. I've been through this with Porsches (young and old) many times and I've learned a few things.

I agree with DanMan32 -- I just don't see how the could replace all four corners for $5700. I've had a lot of experience in repairing cars and working with insurers. Aside from the parts, labor, paint etc., there's also the depreciated resale value and the time you'll be inconvenience and perhaps driving a rental. $5700 just won't cover it and you'll be incrementally repairing and replacing parts on the car until it functions happily. There's going to be what is sometimes called "hidden" damage (which the assessor cannot discover because they cannot disassemble the vehicle and even a component that looks fine turns out to be damaged in some unpredictable way.)

I urge you to get another quote and have another repairer look very thoroughly into the damage. You're not required to accept the lowest or any quote for repair and you certainly don't have to work with a repairer nominated by the insurer.

If you take 15% off fair market value (which is still MSRP today) and adjust for mileage, condition and options, the replacement cost might average $25K and the claim will be at least $5K if these are only superficial repairs, then at least $3K in depreciation, then another $1K to rent an equivalent car for a month (assuming you take the car back at least once, say to get the alignment redone, to shake out any noises, rattles or other consequences...) and I'd adjust that $5700 to $10K as more realistic ... at least in California, for sure ... and suddenly the insurer is writing a check for around $15K on a vehicle with a $25K market value. You can work with the claims adjuster, if you so wish, to work out your claim. They would normally pay you the cost of sales tax etc. for a new vehicle replacement (assuming HUMU is basically a new vehicle) but you might "give up" that 10% (or whatever it might be in your situation) and say, look I'll take a pay-out write-off of $20K ... just to pick a number ... and they defray the claim by selling the salvage vehicle, which, if they're right, will get them a good number. And in balance, you get a new car (and it's easy to get a new Prius to any spec within a matter of two weeks these days) and you're driving a new car, fresh warranty and full resale value etc. etc. You might even close off any extended warranty or service contract to redeem for a pro-rated value etc. Ultimately, I always advise any customer "on the line" between significant repairs or a write-off, unless there's other factors, to take the write-off, work with the insurer on a fair claim pay-out and move on in a new car. Just in terms of vehicle integrity and safety (Will it be as strong the next time it gets hit? Is your family safe in a car that's repaired in a body shop instead of coming straight from the factory?) convenience and peace of mind, I prefer to see the customer in a new car ... and that's a pretty straight word of advice ... because I'd be making money on the repairs and won't see a dime out of them once they're in a new car!

My ... lengthy ... two cents' worth ... good luck whatever comes.


Cheers,

 

Sorry to hear about HUMU's hit and run. I am new to the forum and has no first hand encounters with HUMU, but HUMU seems to be well-loved by all.

Going thru an insurance claims process myself and am daily thankful that I have AAA insurance and am glad to hear you are happy with yours too.

Good luck with HUMU and hope you find the person who hit HUMU.

 

Wow! I just found the Prius Art Car thread. A few days ago Bob was describing his plans for Prius decoration.

Edit: It can be found at Any Prius "Art Cars" Out There?

So again...what color? Of course you are entitled to have the original color if you really want it, but do you? I'm not trying to be nosy, but polls on PriusChat have been second guessing color choices since forever.

 

I had the same thing happen last summer to my truck. About 10 pm while taking a shower to go to work, the wife came in and said someone hit my truck and took off. 3 days later I found the car without it's front end about 10 blocks from my house. The guy no doubt was dwi as he had several others on his DL history. It also looked like he may have broken his ankle but never got medical attention. To this day he thinks I have found him because his bumper and license plate fell off somewhere while driving away. Needless to say, I had the boys lump him up a little more with a fistful of tickets.

Stan J

 

Ugh,

so sorry Bob, Here's all my points.

It's great that you've got the best body shop in town working for you...

I too, have some concerns about more significant damage since the car was pushed up over a curb and all four tires took a hit. For peace of mind, you may want to go over this with your body shop and hear what their thoughts are.

The best,

 

Yikes, sorry about your bad experience Bob. Glad to hear it's all working out, and hopefully the perp who did this hurt themself in the process. I hope you get a chance to post some before/after pics once HUMU is back up.

-m.