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Well, this happened.

15K views 96 replies 44 participants last post by  JeepXLC 
#1 · (Edited)





if you look in the 2nd pic, in the background you can see the poor mercury SUV on it's side.

the Honda blasted through the light. hit the SUV and then me. squished me into the car behind me.

thankfully no one was hurt. but ugh... I've only had this car 6 months, it's barely past 6,000 miles. i'm sick over it.

is there a chance that getting banged on opposite corners like this that the car is going to be out of square? i've been burned by cheap insurance repairs before and don't want to deal with any shoddy work on a performance car like this. any tips would be appreciated.

UPDATE 3/9/16:
Page 8: The car was totaled at over $18,000 in damages. almost exactly half of the value in body damage, and the rest in mechanical damage including front and rear cradles, steering, and frame damage.
Page 9: Pics of new car. spoiler alert... it's a challenger.
 
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#2 ·
Man that sucks!!! They'll likely total that. I'd bet over 15k damage....
 
#4 ·
Makes me sick to my stomach too. Even if they could fix it,I wouldn't want it. Glad your ok.
 
#6 ·
Even if they could fix it,I wouldn't want it.
this right here is my huge fear. that they'll try to fix it. i don't know if i'd feel safe driving this car at the speeds it was meant to be driven if they tried to repair all this.

i love my car dearly, but i'd honestly rather start over with another new one after this.


i appreciate the well wishes guys, i'm fine and everyone involved appeared to be too. the car felt extremely safe. and i was surprised at the amount of damage shown, given how light the impact felt.
 
#9 ·
When my 2011 was rear ended a little over a year ago the insurance was going to fix it ($18k estimate), I had another shop do an estimate (they were a Preferred shop for my insurance company) and told them I really wanted it to be totaled, so they were able to write it up for around $21k with likely amendments once they tore into it, at that point the insurance company totaled it and wrote me a check for around $32k.

Every insurance company uses a different formula, but it seems once repairs hit 60% or more of the vehicle's value then they are likely to total it.

Good luck and I'm glad nobody was hurt!
 
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#13 ·
Every insurance company uses a different formula, but it seems once repairs hit 60% or more of the vehicle's value then they are likely to total it.
kbb puts the private party value at $27,441 so 60% would only be $16,464. i'm starting to think it could very well be totaled.
 
#10 ·
that's my thoughts as well. if it was one end or the other then it could be repaired. but that rear quarter is part of the unibody and it's crinkled all the way to the wheel well. and on the opposite corner you can see the marks where the front wheel was pushed against the body on the body there.

there are some signs of some serious structural damage here.
 
#12 ·
no. but i was stopped. not sure if that changes anything in how they work. i saw the accident coming a mile away, and stopped to avoid it. but i wasn't far enough away. he used up all his crumple zones on the suv and slid the rest of the way into me and the idiot behind me was trying to go around me he hit me with no crumple zone left, and smashed the other end of my car into the door latch area of a sedan, another non crumple zone. so while the speeds were relatively low by this point, my car absorbed ALL the damage.

here's what my rear corner did to the person behind me.

that little streak of B5 on her door makes me sad.
 
#14 ·
I'm really sorry to see this. That looks totaled to me. Glad you're safe though.
 
#18 ·
i have gap insurance as part of the loan on the car. no worries there.

and yeah, it's a unibody car. the quarter panel is part of the "frame" of the car. that's why it being crinkled is a huge red flag for structural damage.
 
#22 ·
You make a good point. Go through your own insurance company. I just went through this process and started out going through the at fault parties insurance company, they low balled me of course. I called a public adjuster and he said that the other guy's insurance company is not contractually obligated to make me "whole" again, but my insurance company is. If you don't like what your insurance company offers, then you can get a public adjuster (at your own expense) and they will give you a fair valuation of your car.

My concern was if I went through my insurance company I would be penalized with higher rates, this was a false assumption on my part. It was the other guys fault so he gets the penalty.

Also, by law you can choose what shop to take your car to. You might have some influence in their estimate if you want it totaled, they might make the numbers work for you if you are close.
 
#23 ·
Not sure if 6 mo is new enough but contrary to the BS advertisements on TV, if you total a new car the ins. will give you full retail MSRP even if you got a deal on it in the first place.
Had it happen to a buddy and actually ended up money ahead - he had the car two weeks.
 
#24 ·
Man that sucks, glad you are ok. Looks like a total to me to as well. IF they do fix it, it sure won't have nearly the same value after that bad of damage. Another thing to consider is diminished value being such a new car if they do fix it.

I have not seen very many body shops that can bring something that bad back to "pristine' condition, at least around here anyways.
 
#25 ·
the at-fault driver and i both have the same insurance company, and no he doesn't have enough of it to cover, and yeah mine will have to cover the rest. i've already requested and been assured that all new factory original parts and paint are going to be what they fix it with. there will be no used or aftermarket parts. i had it go to a well reviewed body shop that is run by a Dodge dealership that has it's own performance shop, and the family is well respected among the local car enthusiast community. and that body shop is in the network for my insurance company so there should be no issues with the warranty coverage.

i'm still hoping for it being totaled just for the hassle of long term ownership of a wrecked car and the safety issues, but if they decide they can fix it, it's at least in the best place i think it can be.
 
#26 ·
Totaled, and I would accept nothing else, really.


Main thing: you are OK. It hurt to see those, I have the same car/color. Bummer, but the car did its job. Demand that it is a total. I had a Mustang that got squeezed like that. I pushed, they totaled it. I was glad. That is not a good way to pinch a uni-body.
 
#27 ·
Lots of great information on here from those that have been down this road before. I 100% agree; that thing is totaled and i too would accept nothing less and do everything in my power to ensure i got as much from the insurance company as i possibly could. I also agree with filing with your own insurance company. You should not and would not get penalized for a non at fault accident. Coincidentally, i just sat down with my insurance agent earlier today to review my policy and ask questions. Good to know as much as possible in case this ever happens and YOU are the one at fault as well.

Very glad to hear everyone was ok, though. Stay the course, there's a reason we pay so much damn money every month to these insurance companies. That reason is for situations just like this.
 
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#28 ·
By your posts, I see that you are in Florida. If I am not mistaken, for a vehicle to be considered totaled in Florida, the cost of repairs divided by the actual cash value would have to exceed 80%. For example, if the car has a cash value of $30,000 and repairs were $24,100, the ratio would be 80.3% and considered a total loss. Anything under $24,000 and the car would be repaired (in many cases). The appraisal of the damage, who does it, how they arrived at that number, etc. has to be shown if it is considered totaled.
Because of the car, I would hope that strong consideration goes into performance after the repairs. This may sway an appraiser to look deeper and identify issues that "may arise". Because this threshold is so high in Florida, for your sake I hope you get a good appraiser or someone that has a passion for muscle cars.
 
#30 ·
Thanks for that, and as a result I found this page.

When is A Vehicle Considered a Total Loss?

Florida uses the TLT (Total Loss Threshold) of 80%, other states have different TLTs while some use the TLF (Total Loss Formula) where it's a total loss if the repairs + salvage value are greater than the vehicle's value then it's a loss.

Good luck, OP! The TLF seems to work out better for consumers in many cases and states like Colorado and Texas really suck.
 
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#29 ·
i am doing the best i can to make sure that it's either going to be repaired to the highest standard of safety and performance, or not at all. i just got off the phone with the body shop. they know that they are only supposed to use mopar parts, and i have an appointment tomorrow to go down and talk with the body shop advisor to explain my concerns directly to him before the damage appraisal is started with the insurance company.

while cleaning out the car today before releasing it to be towed, i noticed a few of the body panel gaps have shifted. i'm going to make sure that is pointed out as an indicator of hidden damage.
 
#31 ·
thank you.

i didn't know they based it off of ACV. the ACV is a much lower value, from $21-$25k for my car, but the 80% bumps it right back up to $16-$20k required to be totaled.

man this is stressful.
 
#33 ·
Just prepare yourself for a good fight with the insurance company. Hopefully you will not have to have this dragged out, but remember one thing...........................You are insured, and the insurance company will work their hardest for the best resolve, for themselves.


It took me 7 weeks to get a fair settlement last year, when my sweetheart was flood totaled. The end result was good, but I had to fight for every single penny.


Needless to say, the "Good Neighbor" is not my insurance company anymore!


Best to you.
 
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