Wife Wrecked It

I would suck it up and pay the deductible and let a body shop repair your car. Also, if your air bags didn't go off, your air bag system probably needs to be reset and only the dealer can do that.

I don't know how Toyota does it, but Mitsubishi makes spare body parts (that bolt on) for a few years and then they sell the molds to other companies and the parts are eventually no longer available from Mitsubishi.

For a new car, you probably don't have any choice but to get parts from Toyota. The parts also don't come painted. So, unless you know how to paint, then you should just let a body shop do it. Your insurance might go up, but if your family doesn't have a history of a bad driving record, it might not go up at all, or it might only go up for a little bit.

Also, if you have a shop do the work, they have to warranty the work. A good shop will warranty the work as long as you own the car.

Hey the99contour, how much was the repair bill?

How do i make sure they will use OEM parts? How can I be sure they do?

-Ben

why did the woman stop in the middle of the intersection, you can argue that she was at fault for blocking an intersection.

Avoid dealers, but insist on OEM. Good shops won't use anything less, (they should be certified - I-Car, ASE Master) and my insurance carrier, for one, wouldn't either when I my car was hit and needed repair.

you could easily negotiate the deductible with the body shop. I was able to do it for the $500 for the van, which my wife rear ended, and damage was over $3500.

Elvis, it is your wife's fault. The invalid in front of her should not have stopped, but rules are you need to follow far enough behind the car in front of you to avoid such collisions.

Sounds like a low-speed collision though. My guess is that since it was with a small car, there is very minimal damage to the hood and bumper, ie. not buckled too much if at all, so inexpensive body work, maybe only $500.

Make sure your radiator fan is still working (mine broke in just such a collision), as well as the radiator itself. You may be able to replace the headlamp mounts on the cheap, OEM or other.

Bottom line: if you spend $700-$800 out of pocket without making a claim, you'll be ahead (your deductible and premiums will stay put).

Good luck.

Yeah, when insurance pays, the repair shop replaces everything but the steering wheel.

The hood is kinked. Doubt it could be fixed to the point where you couldn't tell. No damage to the radiator or fan. Bumper bounced back, but the foam inside is cracked.

If I didn't have insurance, I would probably fix it myself. Since the car is only two years old, I’d want a new hood--and to get one of those, and to get it painted to match, would be close to 500. Bumper covers, if I wanted one, are cheap. The foam is cheap. But still, I'd be out at least as much as my deductible.

I think I'll probably use the insurance company--make sure I get Toyota parts, and try to negotiate with the body shop to pay my deductible. My insurance agent says the insurance on my wife's car will go up 10-15% unless she is not at fault. Too late to keep them out of the picture.

From what the officer said " I have no idea why she would stop in the middle of an intersection!" We may have a chance at him calling it no fault, or the other lady's fault. But I know this is unlikely.

thanks everyone for your help!

Elvis, it is your wife's fault. The invalid in front of her should not have stopped, but rules are you need to follow far enough behind the car in front of you to avoid such collisions.

Sounds like a low-speed collision though. My guess is that since it was with a small car, there is very minimal damage to the hood and bumper, ie. not buckled too much if at all, so inexpensive body work, maybe only $500.

Make sure your radiator fan is still working (mine broke in just such a collision), as well as the radiator itself. You may be able to replace the headlamp mounts on the cheap, OEM or other.

Bottom line: if you spend $700-$800 out of pocket without making a claim, you'll be ahead (your deductible and premiums will stay put).

Good luck.

My car had $1230 worth of damage to the front end when a sunroof fell off a car in front of me.

Since it wasn't my fault (I avoided the frame, but got hit by the flying glass), my insurance went after the other drivers insurance company.

I didn't get anything fixed (it also was bumped up on the estimate to cover the deductible), I kept the money.

The money from the insurance was as much as I paid for the car on e-Bay!

My car had $1230 worth of damage to the front end when a sunroof fell off a car in front of me.Since it wasn't my fault (I avoided the frame, but got hit by the flying glass), my insurance went after the other drivers insurance company.

 

I didn't get anything fixed (it also was bumped up on the estimate to cover the deductible), I kept the money.

The money from the insurance was as much as I paid for the car on e-Bay!

Un-friggin-believable!

On a similar topic (insurance) one of these days I'm gonna visit a dentist pretending I have no insurance, get an estimate of a. what needs to be done and b. the cost; and then at the very end, tell the 'doctor', "oh sorry I forgot to mention, I just started working for the City, it turns out I AM covered. What's the damage now, 'doc' "?

(I suspect a. will increase ('Doctor': let me look at those X-rays again, oh it looks like there's a couple of cavities I missed; and b. 'Doctor': I mis-read the price list, the unit cost is actually 50% higher; but nothing to worry about, 90% is covered by your plan, you only pay a pittance out of your pocket. Merry Christmas!)

Let me guess: your 'rolla has ABS brakes, right? ABS perform poor in terms of stopping distance during slippery conditions. I wonder whether the accident could've been prevented without the ABS. I also wonder whether you have a claim against Toyota if you can prove the accident was mostly due to the ABS system.

tinto99 - funny you should mention that. Some time ago I went to get one of my molars looked at - I did have did insurance but I didn't recall if this recommended dentist was on my list. Turned out - I need to get a root canal (SUCKS) and would set back the insurance about $1800. Doctor finds out that insurance will not cover it at all - so price drops to $800 (so called college student discount).

Same deal with body shop guys and parts suppliers - be nice if everything was priced the same way - but they are in the business to make money, and if insurance is picking up the check - Cha-Ching. In the end - if someone gets in an accident - body shop guys get paid, insurance overpays for work done, and I get stuck with higher overall premiums because of this.

And he ends up looking like the hero since it's 'only' $800 instead of $1800. Total fraud, in my book.

Unfortunately, coverage or not, it is a zero-sum game, and the more these guys charge the higher the premiums charged by the Insurance co's.

Just as i was planning to puut the new stereo in---My wife just rear-ended someone in my 05. The lady in front of her stopped abruptly in the middle of the intersection just after they both took off from the light. The roads were slippery and my wife couldn't stop on time.Damaged bumper and hood, and the headlight mounts broke away. The KIA in front of her only suffered a scuffed bumper! She's not sure if the officer blamed her or not. Rear-ends are almost always the rear-enders fault, though.

 

Now I have to figure out where and how to get it fixed. Are Toyota parts better--should I go to the dealer? Also wondering if I can get a pre-painted hood and do it myself. (I’m capable of doing the work.) If it's my wife's fault, we have to pay a $500 deductible and our rates will go up.

What a bummer! My poor car!

Any advice on how to best deal with the insurance co, and/or where to get parts of i do it myself?

My '05 got wrecked last year and everything was replaced with OEM. OEM is better, non OEM should never be used on a car with a factory warranty as the non-OEM parts will not be covered under it and any damage they cause isn't covered either. Insurance probably won't want to use OEM, but that's too bad because you should not take anything less. Argue with them enough and they will cave. That is what I did, and I got a 100% Toyota car back.

The dealer is the last place you want to go to for parts, and as for getting pre-painted bumpers and hoods, not. My car had to have the hood, bumper, both headlamps, grille, radiator, radiator support, AC condenser and several other components replaced. In order to get the hood and bumper to match the fenders, etc, they had to blend the paint. If you don't blend, you'll have a hood and bumper that looks a different color from the rest of the car (that is unless your car is white). My advice is to bite the bullet, pay the insurance and get it fixed. Honestly your insurance should not go up much. My car had thousands of damage done to it when it had less than 3 thousand miles on it, and the car my Dad hit had damage done to it as well. Our insurance didn't go up at all. $500 is a small price to pay for 100% Toyota parts and professional work.

Why not the dealer? I ask because a deer just ran into my 5 month old '06 and I'm concerned about keeping my Corolla problem-free under the factory warranty and obviously I want to keep it all Toyota. Front fender, headlight, and hood got taken out. One would think the dealer would have the ability to match paint to original color, in my case silver, or let me rephrase this- a reputable dealer body shop should be able to match.

tinto99 - funny you should mention that. Some time ago I went to get one of my molars looked at - I did have did insurance but I didn't recall if this recommended dentist was on my list. Turned out - I need to get a root canal (SUCKS) and would set back the insurance about $1800. Doctor finds out that insurance will not cover it at all - so price drops to $800 (so called college student discount).

Same deal with body shop guys and parts suppliers - be nice if everything was priced the same way - but they are in the business to make money, and if insurance is picking up the check - Cha-Ching. In the end - if someone gets in an accident - body shop guys get paid, insurance overpays for work done, and I get stuck with higher overall premiums because of this.

If all the claims were legitimate and repair shops had fair rates, insurance costs would be more reasonable.

That would be to good too be true - and an idealistic expectation that doesn't exist.

Why not the dealer? I ask because a deer just ran into my 5 month old '06 and I'm concerned about keeping my Corolla problem-free under the factory warranty and obviously I want to keep it all Toyota. Front fender, headlight, and hood got taken out. One would think the dealer would have the ability to match paint to original color, in my case silver, or let me rephrase this- a reputable dealer body shop should be able to match.

The dealer typically does not do "body parts", they may sell lights and stuff like that but they are hideously expensive as they are replacement parts, not collision parts. Their bodyshop or any reputable bodyshop can get the parts and get them at a good price.

BTW, when my car was wrecked it was repaired by a Chrysler dealer's bodyshop and they used 100% Toyota everything to repair my car. I know this because I personally inspected the car and made sure every part was a Toyota OEM replacement. It really doesn't matter what reputable body shop you go to as for getting all Toyota stuff, it matters what the insurance wants to pay for. Fight them for all OEM parts if you have to it's worth it.

My car was a brand new '05 LE with 1200 miles on it when it was wrecked. I custom ordered and waited almost 4 months for that car, so needless to say I wasn't too happy.

Glad to hear you went to a Chrysler dealer. I'm considering a VW dealer just because it is AAA approved. They're ASE/OEM/I-CAR rated and all that. I was considering a Toyota dealer because of the TCCC business, but I tend to lean towards the AAA stuff- I've never gone wrong with them (auto/home insurances, motels, traveling). The insurance company insisted on OEM parts because of it being so new so there was no fight there. I appreciate the input, thanks.

Why not the dealer? I ask because a deer just ran into my 5 month old '06 and I'm concerned about keeping my Corolla problem-free under the factory warranty and obviously I want to keep it all Toyota. Front fender, headlight, and hood got taken out. One would think the dealer would have the ability to match paint to original color, in my case silver, or let me rephrase this- a reputable dealer body shop should be able to match.

The dealer typically does not do "body parts", they may sell lights and stuff like that but they are hideously expensive as they are replacement parts, not collision parts. Their bodyshop or any reputable bodyshop can get the parts and get them at a good price.

BTW, when my car was wrecked it was repaired by a Chrysler dealer's bodyshop and they used 100% Toyota everything to repair my car. I know this because I personally inspected the car and made sure every part was a Toyota OEM replacement. It really doesn't matter what reputable body shop you go to as for getting all Toyota stuff, it matters what the insurance wants to pay for. Fight them for all OEM parts if you have to it's worth it.

My car was a brand new '05 LE with 1200 miles on it when it was wrecked. I custom ordered and waited almost 4 months for that car, so needless to say I wasn't too happy.

Glad to hear you went to a Chrysler dealer. I'm considering a VW dealer just because it is AAA approved. They're ASE/OEM/I-CAR rated and all that. I was considering a Toyota dealer because of the TCCC business, but I tend to lean towards the AAA stuff- I've never gone wrong with them (auto/home insurances, motels, traveling). The insurance company insisted on OEM parts because of it being so new so there was no fight there. I appreciate the input, thanks.

Why not the dealer? I ask because a deer just ran into my 5 month old '06 and I'm concerned about keeping my Corolla problem-free under the factory warranty and obviously I want to keep it all Toyota. Front fender, headlight, and hood got taken out. One would think the dealer would have the ability to match paint to original color, in my case silver, or let me rephrase this- a reputable dealer body shop should be able to match.

The dealer typically does not do "body parts", they may sell lights and stuff like that but they are hideously expensive as they are replacement parts, not collision parts. Their bodyshop or any reputable bodyshop can get the parts and get them at a good price.

BTW, when my car was wrecked it was repaired by a Chrysler dealer's bodyshop and they used 100% Toyota everything to repair my car. I know this because I personally inspected the car and made sure every part was a Toyota OEM replacement. It really doesn't matter what reputable body shop you go to as for getting all Toyota stuff, it matters what the insurance wants to pay for. Fight them for all OEM parts if you have to it's worth it.

My car was a brand new '05 LE with 1200 miles on it when it was wrecked. I custom ordered and waited almost 4 months for that car, so needless to say I wasn't too happy.

Glad to hear you went to a Chrysler dealer. I'm considering a VW dealer just because it is AAA approved. They're ASE/OEM/I-CAR rated and all that. I was considering a Toyota dealer because of the TCCC business, but I tend to lean towards the AAA stuff- I've never gone wrong with them (auto/home insurances, motels, traveling). The insurance company insisted on OEM parts because of it being so new so there was no fight there. I appreciate the input, thanks.

Any dealer can do body work and use OEM parts. They may not be as familiar or have as much experience with Toyotas, but they may not be as expensive either.

 

What I'm trying to get at is credentials. Who does good work? Who's reputable? I'm aware anyone can do body work. Cost isn't an issue here thanks to insurance. Too many times I've seen a car back from body shops seeing things like painted over dirt, mismatched paint, spots missing paint, runs, mismatched body panels, thinking how can someone let this shoddy workmanship go by while claiming quality work and why you would let something back on the road with poor workmanship saying you did it. I want to try to avoid bringing a car back 2 or 3 times this time.