Hi Guys,

Wednesday I was in a freeway accident with my fit. I was rear ended from behind by a much heaver SUV at about 60 MPH. This caused my car to spin uncontrollably and strike the median several times while being struck by another vehicle.

You'll be pleased to know that the car's cabin remained intact and un-squished keeping my family safe. Everyone else involved in the accident is ok too.

Because of the holiday weekend I have to wait till Monday to hear about my car. Here are some photos.

Does any one else have experience with this? Will my car be totaled?

Link
Picasa Web Albums - Matt - Wrecked Fit

 

I see the air bags did not come out. But given the value of a base fit, I'd think its possible.

 

Glad to hear you and the Fam are just fine. scary ordeal I'm sure.

I'll reserve my vote for now until I hear more but... how many miles on the fit? (and how old is it?) Base 09 fit is still selling new for MSRP of 15K so with a 1 yr old car, I'd assume the value to be 11.5K or more. is one of the rear wheels bent back? how about the front wheels? if so, you are looking at 3500 in suspension damage. body might be 4K including paint. there may be more, there may not be. Much more than that and you are probably looking at totaled.

~SB

 

From what I can see it doesn't look totaled.

 

i voted no as well. air bags didn't deploy right?

 

As long as the frames not bent or there are no major problems, it looks like pretty much cosmetic damage. Glad to hear you are all OK and that
no one got injured just sorry you had the accident. Hope you can find out and get back on the road ASAP

Cat :x

 

I think it will potentially be totaled. There are a lot of expensive and difficult to replace parts that are damaged, front and back. Good luck.

 

Looks like the frame may be bent in the front, I'm going to say, you should really attempt to get it totaled, it'll never be the same with that kinda damage.

 

I've had to deal with insurence company's several times. I've also had to deal with a vehicle getting totalled. Insurence rule of thumb to total a vehicle; is if the damage to the vehicle is greater then 50% the value of the vehicle. I'd kbb your vehicle to get an idea of how much your vehicle is currently worth, private party value. Then i'd see about getting some quotes from body shops in your area, get at least 5-6 quotes/estimates, to get a average idea of the estimated repair cost. If the vehicle is considered totalled, the insurence company will write you a check for the value of the vehicle, at that point you can choose to either keep the salvage (the insurence company will tell you how much its worth to them, and if you keep it they will subtract that amount from the check); or let them take it away. If the cost to repair is still less then the amount of the check, then you have the difference in your pocket to use as you please. Since the accident was caused by someone else, you can also claim re-imbursement for a rental car if its your only vehicle. I'd also go see a physician and get checked up in a few days especially if you experience any pain, and/or a chiropractor. My last accident distorted a disc which didn't really debilitate me until 2 1/2 years later, coughed while getting up, and next thing I know i couldn't stand straight up, was hunched over like a grandpa (at 26), and the worst part is, like 2 months earlier I signed the final release of damages to the accident. I t-boned another car doing 35-40mph (not my fault, I had the the right of way).

Glad to see that your ok, and glad to see your Fit did a great job of protecting you.

IMO the damage visable is probably in excess of 5-6k. 2500+ to fix the front end (+might need motor mounts), prolly another 1000 to replace and repaint that rear quarter, plus the cost of a new bumper and taillight & additional bodywork/paint for the rear. Then any hassles you may have to deal with to get the title re-issued, safety inspections/emissions, etc.

 

Also another thing to keep in mind - make sure the bodyshop that is quoting you is quoting you using OEM parts, not Certifit crap. Additionally, make sure they actually USE OE parts when repairing it. I would also highly advise not using a recommended body shop from a new car dealer, or owned by the same person. I see a lot of hack jobs come back from our dealer-chain owned body shop, even with $50k+ plus cars.

From what I see, they most likely will total it - but shop around. Chances are the higher quotes do the best work with the best parts.

 

This vehicle might be a total loss. If you look at the pictures carefully the body lines are moved, I expect the unibody has changed shape some. The hatch where it lines up with the lights is uneven, the body line where the hatch meets the roof is off, the hood is pushed up. Of course this is hard to tell from the pics but even if it is straight the combination of all the sheet metal, plastics and cosmetic damage, suspension and front end, despite the air bags not deploying, is very expensive damage. Extensive vs expensive is the problem. I imagine structurally the car is probably ok but the repair cost will be high. I have full coverage all of my cars except the 1979 Accord and the Fit is the highest cost, higher than my 2007 Toyota Tundra with 381hp.

I work at a dealer, these parts are expennnnnnnnnnnnnsive.

Best of luck, keep us posted.

 

Another thing to consider is the loss in value even if they repair it perfectly. This will knock thousands off the resale value, and carfax will have the records provided by either the police, insurance, or body shop (if not all three).

Don't accept their first offer without careful consideration. Everything is negotiable. If you're unsure, consult a lawyer. This is a lawyer's wet dream so you shouldn't have any out of pocket.

Also go to the ER and get checked out. You said your family was in the car? Don't be proud. The other guy's insurance will pay. At the very least go see your family doctor when his office opens on Monday.

 

There are several things to consider before determining if a car is a total loss.

1. The value of the vehicle before the loss.
2. The cost of repair.
3. The value of the salvage as it sets there now.

I will use even, round figures as an example. A car was worth $10,000.00 before the collision occurred. The cost of repair is $4,000.00. The value of the salvage as it sets there now is $5,000.00. It would be cheaper for the insurance company to repair the car because it would only cost them 4 to repair it. If they totaled it out they would have to pay 10 and would only recover 5, therefore being out 5 instead of the 4 it would cost to repair it. However if the value of the salvage was $6,000.00 it would be a toss up but most likely still considered a total as quite often once repairs are started additional damage is discovered raising the cost of repairs.

Go to the shop of your choice and have them write you a "tight" estimate. Have them leave nothing open if possible. Shop your car. What I mean is find out what it was worth before the collision. Keep in mind the asking price for a car is not necessarily it's value as the selling price is often less. Really do your home work. Check with dealers as far as value goes. Also check for sale ads. Be very fair in your mind what a realistic value of your car was. Don't let sentimental value enter into it if you can help it. If your car is a total loss and the company comes up with an offer you will be better prepared to know if their offer is a fair one. If their offer is not a fair offer you're in a far better place if you come up with example 1, 2, and 3 rather than just saying: "You're not being fair".

Also keep in mind a lot of money can be saved using used parts. In the insurance business that is referred to as LKQ (like kind and quality). There is nothing wrong with used parts so long as they haven't been effected by rust. It can go a long way in reducing the cost of repair. After all if you had a hood that was X number of years old, what's wrong with another hood the same age?

I retired from the insurance claims business a long time ago as a claims manager but I don't think their practices have changed much over the years.

Good luck. If I can be of any help pm me.

 

All of us 'cyberexperts' are making educated guesses. There are two questions which must be answered to know if the car is going to be totalled:
- Is there frame damage? This requires that the body shop measure various critical dimensions carefully, to determine if, and how much.
- Is there serious damage to engine or transmission? Certainly possible,but hard to tell from the pictures.
We can all take some comfort from the fact that, although the Fit is a very light car, it has considerable structural integrity and does protect its occupants well.

 

glad you and the family are ok! welcome to fitfreak and sorry about the car accident.

 

Do you know any good repair shops in your area?
Take it to the place that will charge the most / do the best.
Don't let them use body filler.
Demand OEM parts.
etc.
anyways, depending on the adjuster or whoever does the estimate will determine whats gonna happen.

imo: youre looking at roughly 10k damage so id total it

 

Since it isn't your insurance company, I'd highly get a collision lawyer. As much as people hate dealing with lawyers, the insurance companies are in it to screw the consumer as much as they can (even amongst themselves). In addition the lawyer can help you out by fighting on your behalf instead of you dealing with it all (you do get monetary compensation from the other parties insurance company for pain and suffering, etc).

 

Get a "collision" lawyer? You've got to be kidding. If the lawyer works on contingency he gets 1/3 of the settlement right off the top. If the case goes to court he gets 1/2. If he will work for you on an hourly rate that amounts to only "several" hundred dollars an hour.

The only good file for an insurance adjuster is a "closed" file and you don't close files by screwing over people.

 

Closed ASAP in a lot of cases. I've been a number of accidents and the insurance companies don't give a rats ass about you. They care about settling with the other side as soon as possible. You even said it for yourself,
"The only good file for an insurance adjuster is a "closed" file and you don't close files by screwing over people."
The sooner you can close a file the better, how do you get to that point? By going with a least common denominator route. People who are suffering don't like to fight insurance companies for what they deserve. I've dealt with insurance companies for years for being hit even though I have full coverage. They'll try to cheapen out with non-oem parts, not cover damage, etc. They're in it to make money, just look at any other insurance program, they want to make the most money by doing as little and paying as little as possible.

 

Sorry you had the obviously bad experiences you have had. I worked automobile claims for 25 years: 10 for State Farm and 15 for USAA. I never saw anyone on the company side treat people the way you describe. I did see a lot of people trying to screw the insurance company.