Hello All,

I was shocked to learn my Fit had been totaled after what seemed a minor accident. I just wanted to share what happened, and maybe get advice about things I could have done differently (or things I might still do).

...

At four-way stop at the airport, I turned left, and the other guy (probably thinking I was going straight) slowed but did not stop. His sedan impacted my 2016 Fit on the passenger side, just forward of the rear wheel. We were both going about 10 MPH. No one was injured, I barely felt a thing.

The car seemed OK, except that part of the frame protruded towards the tire. I was at the airport picking up a friend, that I got after the accident. With the extra weight in the car, the tire began to drag on that metal piece, so I had it towed. That was the last time I drove it.

The other guy was from Canada, in a rental car his company had rented. I tried to file a claim through the rental company, but he had declined the supplemental insurance, and so I made a claim with his insurance instead. He denied liability, so I will have to pay the deductible up front, and I will find out later what percentage liable I am (if any) and thus if I actually owe the deductible.

It took about month to get through the rental company rabbit hole, to find his insurance, and hear back that he denied liability. Then I made a claim with my insurance and the car was taken to a body shop. The car was at the body shop for another 42 days before I was informed the repair cost had exceeded the value and the car was totaled.

The Fit was a 2016 EX automatic (CVT 4.5 L) with no added features, unless you include the all-weather mats. I drove it for work, so it was high mileage with just shy of 29,000 mi.

Geico sent me a "Market Valuation Report" done by "CCC Information Services Inc.". They valued the car at $15,245.00 (base) and $16,479.26 after taxes and DMV fees (this is in CA).

I owned the car for almost two years, and still owed around $14.8k, so I will get $1.8k or $1.3k (depending on the deductible).

The accident was in September. I'll sign away the car next week, now December, and I'll find out about the deductible in February, I'm told.

Once the 30 days of rental car from Geico ran out, the auto body shop picked it up for another 2 weeks until it was totaled... so I was car-less for one month, with a rental expecting to get a car back for 40 days, and now I'm abruptly car-less again. On a positive note, the rental company was seriously out of available cars, so for the first 30 days, I had a Ram 1500 (which I took camping and also hauled some lumber), and 10 days in hot red, brand new Camero.

The auto body shop said the parts that needed to be replaced were folded and welded at the seems in such a way that they were going to need to replace: the roof and the entire right side of the vehicle. They also found several electronic components that were damaged, and I think they said they damaged a visor taking apart the car. The initial estimate for the repair was $11k. That went up to $13k after about three weeks I think, and then to $16k in the sixth week.

At the moment, I can't say I'm too surprised. Basically all cars are uni-body construction. It seems to me that any damage is therefore frame damage, and not easily repaired. I'm glad the vehicle was totaled; now I can just go get a new one and move on. (I just wish it hadn't taken so long.) I am curious though... are other cars easier to repair? Would a Civic have fared any better in this scenario? Would a body on frame type vehicle have been better? (Does anyone make one that isn't an SUV?) Alternatively, I don't have any experience leasing; do you think things would have worked out better for me if I had been leasing? (It didn't make sense then because I was using it for work / high mileage, but I'm not doing that job anymore, so my next one could be a lease.) What do you think I should get next? (I wish I could afford that Camero!)

 

Sorry to hear about your loss. Glad you're okay.


As for getting another vehicle. Depends if you want another subcompact, or maybe something a little bigger? It's up to you.

 

How many shops have done estimates?

 

It doesn't take much of an impact to total a car these days, and many times it doesn't matter what kind of car it is. When you think about all the integrated electronics and safety features, damaged parts add up in a hurry, much less frame damage. Glad you emerged without injury.

As far as leasing....well, it's a personal choice, but it really only makes sense to me in one scenario - if you need to be in a new car every two or three years and don't mind not owning. The big gotcha in leasing is that when you turn your car in at the end of the lease, it had better be immaculate and free of damage, otherwise you're paying for normal wear and tear (door dings, worn carpeting and seats, etc.), because you'll be charged for that normal wear and tear. So if you can afford leasing and you want a new vehicle every 2-3 years, go for it. Otherwise it's typically more pocket-friendly to own outright.

 

sorry to hear. i didnt read your post in detail but sounds like Geico is a pita to deal with. i wouldnt want to deal with all that BS.

 

What an ordeal! We are all smarter because you shared your experience. Good luck going forward.

 

An accident is a random event. With random results. There's no way to really know how any other vehicle might of fared. Outside of speculating that if you were in a Monster Truck the damage might of been considerably different.

As far as should you lease or buy your next vehicle? That's also something that is kind of up to you.
I've never leased a vehicle, but it probably boils down to me, that my intent when I purchase a vehicle is to own it for as long as possible. I always project that I will own it 10-15 years or more....optimistically.
And from a psychological standpoint, when I write a check every month, I feel better thinking that money is going towards eventual ownership, vs. what is essentially renting.
But I could be totally wrong. I know for a lot of people, leasing IS what makes the most sense for the "ownership" experience they want. But that's all up to you, your personal preference and budget.
I think the longest I've owned any single vehicle has been about 6 years. So? Am I wasting money buying? Maybe.
But I always fear also that someday I'll be totally broke, and I want to OWN the vehicle. I call that my "Grapes of Wrath" Steinbeck approach.

 

I think the worst accident you can have is to the side of the car like this. If hit in the front or the back at least there's a chance that the bumper system might absorb the impact if it's low speed. Yeah the bumper and a bunch of plastic stuff will have to be replaced, maybe lights etc but that's still not too bad as long as the air bags ($$$) didn't go off.

I was looking at this YouTube video of a damaged Tesla. Interesting video because his damage is significantly less than yours - and yet estimated at a whopping $34K to repair - and the insurance company wasn't even interested in trying to repair it. They wrote the $94K car off.


P.S. Don't buy a Tesla!

 

Sorry about your luck! It's super easy to total almost any vehicle these days.

The only things that generally don't get totalled easily are full size domestic trucks. They are much less likely to get structural damage and parts are generally less expensive. The new aluminum bodied Ford's may be the exception.

I probably wouldn't even factor that into your decision making though. That's what insurance is for.

As for the long time delay, the way to avoid that in the future is to file a claim immediately with your insurance company. Regardless of fault, they will either pay or fix the car very quickly and then go after the other company for reimbursement. This is what we pay these companies for. Use them!

The wife was rear ended in our Fit. We filed the claim through our company and had a check for the repair the same week. They will collect it back from the other company since she was deemed at zero fault.

If you liked that Camaro, start your shopping there! There are massive end of year rebates/financing specials right now. See if you can get into one within your budget. The new Alpha platform they are built on is one of the best in the whole automotive industry.

 

But read the book about Musk's engineering efforts, very intriguing. He's shaping the future.

 

they took the windshield out ? holy cow the car looks ok until you see what the bodyshop did to "assess" the damage. Im sure its all pretty normal though, thanks for sharing story. PS i have a dash cam....i try not to drive without one so some idiot CANT say it wasnt his fault.

 

Outfitter- I feel for you as I lost my 2010 Fit in a similar accident in October when someone ran a stop sign. We are both lucky we were not hurt. I did get some minor bruising on my chest from the seat belt, but am otherwise fine.
My Fit had just shy of 60 K miles on it and was in otherwise excellent shape- a few scrapes underneath the front bumper and in the back. I will eventually get my $500 deductible back as the other person was given a ticket. However they told me it could take months.
I spent a good time complaining to State Farm that they were more interested in obtaining their own financial compensation before helping their customer. But I did get the initial settlement check very quickly. I was also angry at them since they never bothered to see if the other party had reported the accident, which they did not. I ended up having to report the accident and begin a claim with AllState.
42 days to determine it was totaled!! Yikes. It should have taken them less than a week.
I am shopping around now for other insurance companies. Someone recommended Geico to me, but now that is off the table after reading about your experience.


Good Luck to you. I ended up buying a new car (Honda HR-V) & now have a car payment. Just hoping I do not get into any accidents and this car will last a long time.

 

For anyone that has access, I can highly recommend USAA insurance. I was, thankfully, able to buy in as a youngster through a family member and make sure to maintain an account there of some kind at all times. They're not always the cheapest, but they've kept me happy for 30ish years.

 

Sorry you had such a time with the insurance. Things work differently here in Ontario. At the scene of a collision all you need to do is exchange information: Drivers Licence, Vehicle Registration and Certificate of Insurance. If the other party cannot provide valid documentation for any one of these then the police need to attend the scene as there will be charges. Other than that, you only deal with your insurance company. They deal with the other party's insurance and determine fault based on either the police report generated by the officer on-scene or from when you reported to the Collision Centre.

From your description of the collision I would say you will be assigned partial to full fault and will be out your deductible. What could you have done differently? At a four-way stop, the Right-of-Way should be given to the vehicle arriving and stopping first. And in the case that they arrive at the same time, the vehicle (in this case) that is not turning left.

Beyond that, both drivers are responsible to determine they can safely enter the intersection before starting up from a stop position. This means you need to do a left-centre-right scan to identify any other vehicle that may be a problem and then take a closer look at that vehicle to gauge movement, speed, change in speed, etc. This is what will tell you if the other vehicle is a problem.

You say the other driver is disputing your contention that he failed to stop and as there are no witnesses, the insurance companies will look at other factors to determine fault. And in this case, what they can determine is that neither party properly scanned the intersection before entering and that you entered into your turn when it was unsafe to do so.

As far as the car is concerned, you are fortunately that the cost of repair is enough to right it off and that the assigned value if more than you owe. It would never be the same if repaired.

 

My hit was hit similar to yours and it did not get totaled. I wish it did but it got a new quarter panel.

 

If he hit you, then he's liable. Your insurance company should go after the Canadian company rather than do the paying. How can he not be liable, since he drove into you?

 

I agree. He hit you and should bear the fault for the accident. Your insurance company should be taking care of everything, including dealing with his insurance company back in Canada.

 

If you turn left into oncoming traffic you would be liable. Whether it is partial or fully depends on what the other driver was doing and what you can prove.

 

op doesn't come here any more and Geico sucks is wat i got from this thread. id talk to jake at statefarm.

 

Had a claim with GEICO for minor damage and they were fabulous.