Frame Damage in Maryland

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tlyke1983 @ Aug 21 2007, 04:01 PM) [snapback]499989[/snapback]</div>

If the frame is bent, there is probably no way to fix it. Sorry!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tlyke1983 @ Aug 21 2007, 07:01 PM) [snapback]499989[/snapback]</div>

It would be just as logical to give up driving completely.

You do have my condolences, however. We love our Prii, and this has to be a major bummer.

 

some frame damage can be straightened, but the cost of the repair/whether it can be repaired successfully is what will determine whether it's totalled.

our camry got plowed into when it was parked on the street one night, frame was definitely toast. we had to replace it. just around the corner from us, someone had the corner of their truck parked on the street clipped. the buick in front of them got scraped all down the side. and we live in a low traffic area... there are pricks all over the place, it's nothing to do with the car. trust me.

 

it probably can be repaired if its bent slightly, you can bring it to a frame straigthening shop for a slight pull, i have never delt with rear frame damage, but both my prius's ( salvaged) had front frame damage, and i took apart the frame in the front ( drilling spot welds ) heated it and straightened it, and then welded it back together from tthe holes from original spot welds. Both my prius's have perfect wheel alignment and no vibration issues. If your prius has frame damage past the rear wheel area ( protruding into cabin ) i suggest you total the car, usually this requires replacement of trunk floor and floor pans.

if you can get it repaired do it, it wouldnt change the driving characteristics ( of course unless it is not straighten to specs )

 

With unibody construction, as I understand it you don't have a frame per se. Only trucks and SUV's based on a truck chassis has an actual frame. With that said, I just got my Honda Element totaled from a rear end collision. From the exterior it also didn't look that bad and with the exterior panels taken off the initial estimate was $3400. By the time more was taken apart, it was nearly $9000 in damage. As I understand it, almost anything within reason can be fixed for a price but once you approach about 70% of the car's value they will total it, sometimes a bit less. The remaining working parts will get them much of the amount back so it becomes win-win for the insurance company.

The bigger questions you have to ask are:
1. don't necessarily count on everything they replace being new Toyota parts, especially since it's likely that since you were rear ended, you should be getting the other guy's insurance to pay (better for your rates and no deductible) but they don't care about your car, just getting you out of their hair.
2. you may get a mix of used parts and non Toyota parts depending on lots of situations and the state you live in
3. there's always the chance your car won't be what it once was in terms of driveability and safety regardless of what the body shop and insurance company claim
3. and most importantly, this will show up on CarFax and if it's a fairly significant amount of damage, you can kiss your car's resale value goodbye unless you sell it privately to an idiot

 

<div align="left"> </div>I have a feeling it's just bad luck, nothing more, nothing less. I was driving the easier to spot more visible car in July and got whacked by a Hyundai Elantra that looked like an accordian in the front with smoke rising. 20 year old girl, probably on her cell phone. Such is life. I had 7 payments left and was planning on giving my car to my daughter after the car was paid off. Now all my plans have had to be altered and I'm still not sure what all the fallout will be. Plus I'm without my second car (wife's Odyssey is ok but I hate that thing) cause the insurance company capped my loaner at about 19 days and by the time the check finally arrived and I put together an order the other day and now wait for my '07 Prius it will be like a good 2-3 weeks without a second car. Maybe you need to get a Escalade

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tlyke1983 @ Aug 22 2007, 12:37 PM) [snapback]500331[/snapback]</div>

Note to self: Don't drive in Maryland. Seriously, are the drivers that bad there?

Tom

 

dont worry everything will come back into its place, really, life is long live it happily.

i had a bad experience in maryland driving down to florida with a loaded 2000 lb trailer, a had a tire blowout on the trailer and no one would let me enter the right lane to exit, the rim ended up catching fire and luckily we stopped in time.

 

Everything happens for a reason. Is there a hidden message you're not hearing? I once knew someone who said she needed a vacation - she broke her leg and was out of work for 6 weeks. Doesn't make it any easier to deal with. I had a job I loved but got back problems and had to give it up. I was so depressed. Within 2 weeks my son was assaulted in high school and got two broken elbows and was in splints for about 2 months. And he is a drummer, so it was really difficult for him. But I got my answer to why that job didn't work out. I learned that I was exactly where I was supposed to be at that time. Be gentle on yourself - some things are just not in our control.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Neicy @ Aug 24 2007, 06:21 PM) [snapback]501761[/snapback]</div>

No, everything happens, but that doesn't mean there is any reason behind it. If you look long and hard you can often find reason, but it's the same thing as seeing animal shapes in the clouds as they float by. You see what you want to see.

Tom

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tlyke1983 @ Aug 22 2007, 02:47 PM) [snapback]500485[/snapback]</div>

Perhaps the bigger problem is multitasking in the car. When driving one's attention shouldn't be diverted by yakking on the phone--or any of the other thousand things people do instead of paying attention to their driving.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Aug 24 2007, 06:27 PM) [snapback]501765[/snapback]</div>

Exactly, that's the difference between happy and unhappy people, it's all in how you see things.

 

If frame damage couldn't be repaired there wouldn't be any such thing as a chassis bench which is used to pull the frame with the oposite force to the one that did the damage while a tech taps and heats until it's straight.
Prius like all modern cars is designed to fold around you and protect you, I wish my insurance would buy me a new car each year. My insurance has full new car replacement in the first 18 months if the car is a write-off.
If the accidents are someone elses fault you shouldn't even have an increase in premiums.
My sugestion if you want to put an end to the inconvenience is move house or go a different way. Don't run reds and don't stop driving the safest car around.

By the way, red, green, dark grey, and dark blue are the worst colours to see in poor light or if wearing cheap sunglasses. Yellow and white seem best.

Daimler-Benz say white is right
Daimler-Benz undertook research (before flourescent paints were used) that concluded that white was the easiest colour to be seen. White rated 86% in their tests while black, dark red and dark blue rated 4%.
From http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/fascinating-facts/...le-colours.html

From the same site
How conspicuous is the colour of your car?

According to Daimler Benz, the ratings for
colour ranges from white - at 86% percent -
down to black, dark red and dark blue at 4%.
White 86%
Light Ivory 71%
Aqua Blue 71%
Yellow 70%
Pastel White 67%
Off White 65%
Maple Yellow 58%
Signal Red 44%
Autumn Beige 38%
Carnelian Red 21%
Red Green 21%
Beige Grey 20%
Grey 17%
Blue 8%
Deep Blue 5%
Dark Olive 5%
Balck 4%
Dark Red 4%
Dark Blue 4%