Would hitting a couch qualify as 'appearance modification?'

Today I was driving north on the 5 just past the 170 merge and found, much to my suprise, some sort of furniture in the lane. It was new, still in the box (well, for the most part, as it was tumbling end over end because the tractor trailer in front of me just gave it a spin). I went from 65 MPH (I was on cruise control) to 45 very quickly and maintained control of the vehicle (I couldn't change lanes) as I gave the box/chair/couch? a glancing blow.

I now have a large scrape/dent along the passenger side fender (rather high up).

I filed a claim over the phone with the insurance company when I got home.

I'm going in for an estimate at the auto body shop on Saturday morning. It's the same auto body place that took care of my husband's Saab a few months ago, so I think they'll do a nice job on it. I'm hoping they can do the estimate and then I can just wait for the parts/paint or whatever to come in, instead of taking a rental for that period of time (which I'm guessing will be long).

I have only the BI package (no VSC) but found the deceleration to be very smooth and I never felt at risk of losing control. I was able to smoothly steer to the far side of my lane to avoid hitting the thing straight on, so I've gotta give the car props for that. It made a terrible noise though.

This is the first time I've EVER had an accident (if you can call it that, it is really rather minor).

I'll probably post some photos tomorrow.

 

That's mostly why I was posting. It's still drivable and not even that noticeable, so I'm not going to sweat it. I didn't even see the damage until I got home, when I pulled over on the freeway I was looking at the bumper and up into the wheel well to make sure nothing was obstructing the tire.

The important thing is that I didn't hit anyone else and they didn't hit me. That would have been unfortunate.

I just sent off my first payment yesterday ... sigh.

 

There ya' go!

I've decided that it's probably going to take them at least a month or two to get the fender part, so I've named my dent. Dent, Arthur Dent. (Points for anyone who gets the reference.)



I posted a couple of other views in my personal gallery.

 

I actually keep two in the lower storage compartment in the back! 8)

 

Update on fender work

I took my car in this morning to Modern Auto Body in Glendale, CA.

They're the place the dealers around here send their cars, so I figured they were pretty good. My husband had his bumper replaced there last year and it went well. They have an adjuster on site so it kind of streamlines the process.

They only gave me a verbal quote at the moment, they'll know more when I leave it on Monday.

The thing I hit was about three or four feet high and I kind of caught it on the corner. It was an oversized chair or couch that was still partially in its packing box. When I hit it, it was in motion (kind of tumbling/spinning), so I think I gave it a glancing blow and it struck my fender towards the high side and my front wheel (there's a big chip out of the plastic wheel cover and I think one of the clips that hold it is cracked).

So I'm insisting on an alignment, I'll probably request a new wheel cover and it looks like they're going to replace the fender panel. That will involve repainting/feathering the adjoining panels.

The fellow that gave me the preliminary estimate thought he could get the fender part in 5-7 days. I think he's nuts ... I asked him to check, he said his local guy didn't have it and he couldn't call his regional supplier until Monday. But I also think he didn't realize that this is the '04 model, which we all know is a redesign, and I think he thinks is the classic, which can use many Echo body parts. He kept telling me that parts of the car are made/assembled in the US ... I think I'll just have to keep on them about it.

My plan at the moment is to leave the car there on Monday for the immediate adjustment/alignment and let them find out that they'll have to wait for the fender (and probably paint match info) and then I'll go back and pick it up and wait until the parts come in. I haven't noticed any problems with the alignment, but the fact that the wheel cover is chipped and I know I ran over something ... I think just some cardboard, but who knows, I want to make sure I'm not doing any damage to my tires.

Total estimate at this time is about $1,000 plus the alignment. Estimated time of repairs, 1 day for alignment and then bring it back for 4 days of body work & paint. This is covered under my comprehensive part of my insurance and I have up to 6 weeks of rental coverage (though I'd much prefer to drive my dented car until the part comes in).

 

Update

I just got the formal estimate from the Modern Auto Body.

It'll be $599.61.

That includes:
-->Front End Alignment
-->Replacement of Wheel Cover
-->Remove/Repair/Install Rt Frnt Fender
-->Paint Fender & Blend into adjoining panels
-->Remove during painting - side mirror & door handle

They expect it to be done by the end of the week.

If anyone's interested, you can follow along with photos during the job.

So far I'm pleased. When I went in this morning the estimator, Freddy, was already familiar with the Prius (even though they've never had one actually in the shop) because they had a "new technologies" seminar. He also said that the technician he'll assign to my car just finished "Prius School" and was aware of all the new features and precautions to take because of the proximity of the fender to the electric motor and high voltage. There have been no unusual charges because of the model of car, despite some fears some have voiced about being charged more or being forced to go to special shops for standard work.

 

All Better Now

I picked my car up yesterday afternoon. From the time I dropped it off to when it was ready - 3.5 days.

They reported no problems with the car. They did an alignment but said that everything was according to specs and it didn't need any work.

The repair work looks very good, but I wouldn't call it excellent. I can, at some angles, see where the dent used to be. My husband can't quite see it, but believes that it's still in the memory of the metal. But you can see from the photo that it does really look like it used to. They did an excellent job of matching the color and feathering it into the existing panels. The only thing they reported being a problem was getting the new wheel cover on, which I guess they eventually figured out.

Final total was 623.85 (they though the wheel cover was cheaper in the estimate).

They also detailed the car, so it got a great wash including washing my floormats, so she looks just great. Unfortunately I think they left the car idling at one point because even though it came back to me with only 2 additional miles on it, because they had unhooked the electrical during their work, the MPG reset and said 3.8 MPG and I was missing a full 2 bars of fuel. I've driven 10 miles since probably averaging at least 45MPG and it still says 11 MPG.

See what you think:

 

Re: All Better Now

I couldn't bear to tell you. I felt I let you down ... it's always hard to have something nice and then ruin it.

Not sure where furniture on the freeway falls on the range of improbibility drive. Let's all hope it's the only time it ever happens to a Prius.

 

I'm not sure what "low" is.

It was covered under my comprehensive, and since it's been nearly 9 years since my last comp claim, the insurance company gave me no trouble with it. They just processed it without delay, I never even had to talk to anyone in person.

It's $500 for comprehensive and $240 for collision.

Seeing how they only paid for $123 of the repairs and another $110 for the rental, they got off pretty easy.

My error, I guess, was not finding out who dropped the couch in the first place - if I had a license plate or at least a description of the vehicle, I might have been able to get it covered completely by the other car. But when I first hit it and pulled over, I didn't think the scrape was that bad, I didn't realize it was a dent too, so I just continued on my merry way.

I keep my deductibles pretty high, because it lowers the overall cost my insurance and I've had so few incidents in my life. That choice has worked out well for me financially and I consider myself ahead of the game on that gamble.