New Poster here, and just thought I'd pick you guys/gals brain. I recently was in an accident with my 2010 Honda Fit Sport. A very large Rock had fallen into the the middle of the road, but since I was going around a sharp curve at night, by the time I saw it, it was too late and I ran over it, with the rock distinctly hitting the cars undercarriage hard at least 3 times in different spots. I made it a few feet down the road before the oil lamp icon went on, smoke started coming out from the hood of the car, and I started smelling Oil and exhaust fumes. At that point I immediately pulled into an abandoned parking lot and shut off the car. On closer inspection a massive amount of Oil was leaking from the engine. When the tow truck came early next morning, I was able to see a bit under the car, and while I do not have much technical knowledge (as you can probably tell lol), there were multiple gaping holes in the bottom of the front side of the car where i'd expect the transmission and engine to be, the scratch guard (the metal plate in the center of the undercarriage) was also bent into triangular shape. Could be more damage, only got a brief look as the truck was lifting up the car, I also kind of suspect some exhaust damage, due to the smell, but maybe that was oil smell idk. But basically this large rock hit the bottom of the car and it hit it VERY Hard.

None of the air bags deployed, so there's that, but it's 6 Years Old now, with around 49-52 thousand miles. My insurance company is Allstate. So i'm just wondering what you guys think the likelihood of the car being totaled out is and how bad you think the damage could be in scenario like this.

Thanks in advance

 

Very interested in what Allstate has to say.

 

^I'll definitely update when I hear back, but i'm really trying to hear opinions so as to curb my exceptions on whether or not I should be hopeful that it won't be totaled.

 

I'm glad you're okay! I'm also very glad it was a rock in the road and not, say, a young child that you encountered.

It depends on what all is actually damaged, I suspect. If it's just the exhaust, oil pan(s), and splash shields or whatever they're called, then I would rather doubt the car is totaled; those are comparatively easy and inexpensive parts to replace.

If the frame or suspension components are damaged, or there's internal damage to the engine, then the chances of the car being totaled are higher, and—particularly in the case of frame damage—there's a good chance you'll be better off with a different car as the repairs could compromise the safety and alignment of your car.

What you smelled most likely was oil hitting hot exhaust components.

 

First off thanks

Couldn't really tell if there was any damage to the Frame or Suspension, but what i'm kind of worried about is internal damage to engine and transmission, since like I said there fairly big holes punched into the bottom of the car and pieces torn off.

 

Any followup on this? I'm betting it was totaled due to potential or confirmed engine damage due to running on low oil. When your oil light comes on, you have only a few pounds of oil pressure. Considering it was due to oil leaking out of the pan, within another few seconds I'll bet you had zero oil pressure. A few seconds of zero oil pressure can lead to a complete engine rebuild.

So....what happened?