Wife/kid run off the road Friday afternoon.

2006 Charger
Hemi 5.7
low miles - 80k perhaps
Front frame is mangled all the way across the front
oil pan broke open
who knows what all is damaged.

Any guidance from folks that have had a car totaled or seriously mangled and fixed will be appreciated. Dealing with insurance company, etc.

No one injured, air bags not deployed, car "looks" fine bodywise.
All plastic under the engine was scraped off.
Wheels do not show any severe bends [dammit, the clear coat was disintegrating and new wheels would be nice[.

 

First and foremost, I'm glad no one was injured. Most insurers set a total loss threshold of about 80% of value. If it goes that high, I usually asked the customer if they wanted it pushed over the edge, as many do not want a car that has sustained extreme damage. Yours could be just a matter of a cradle and such, as it's hard to speculate without seeing. The insurer you are dealing with could be a little trick, as well, for some really take the cake when it comes to trying to bend over the customer. Good luck with the process.

 

Sorry to hear about that Chris. It's going to depend a lot on how much the estimate does out to. Low miles and overall condition doesn't seem to matter to insurance now, they only look at total fix costs. Chances are really good they'll write off an 8 year old car with that much damage. I just went through this with my 07 Sonata Limited. Much less damage than what you describe, but still 5k to get done. Body shop said a couple more large and it would have been in write off territory. The rest of the car looks like showroom, and only 68k miles. Best of luck, glad no one got hurt.

The air bags and accelerometer modules not activating may be the difference between write off and repair.

 

Glad no one was injured as the car is easier to replace. Tough call, but with the underside including the pan wiped out, I'd assume a total also.

 

Latest word is a mere $3-5k to fix it
hard to find anything with such low miles, so it looks like a repair.

Idiot driver that caused it got away

 

Sorry to hear about your family getting into that mess. I've never been in a situation like that where I was forced off road by someone. If there is no collision between the two vehicles would the person that caused the other motorist to go off road still be liable for their damage? Sorry if it's a stupid question it just popped in my head as I read your post.

 

Almost two years ago I was driving my 05 Toyota Corolla down the interstate. A Lawn truck with a trailer was in front of me when all of a sudden a large metal snow shovel type object comes flying what appeared to be straight for my face. I swerved to avoid it but then couldn't regain control. Ended up hitting the left side concrete guard rail perpendicularly. Luckily force was more forward and not directly into the rail. Airbag didn't even go off (surprisingly). Like you, I was just happy to not get hurt.

Actually drove the car home, got it inspected by a body shop. KBB said the car was worth about 5-6 (at least I thought). Body shop came back and said frame was slightly bent. Insurance cut me a check for 9k and said it was done. Didn't complain.

 

Good and bad news on the same day. Glad it's repairable and the damage isn't that high.

re: other driver. Goes to show how much values have changed over the years. Probably someone with no insurance, no license, or under-age joy rider, possibly stolen car that didn't have the stones to accept accountability.

 

Michigan is a no-fault state. Even if there IS a collision and you're NOT at fault, YOUR insurance company is responsible for YOUR car's damage. This keeps it out of the courts and means your coverage is not dependent on how much (if any) insurance the other guy has.

 

I younger version of me hit a 8" curb head on at about 35 MPH with the suspension fully engaged and the brakes locked. Hit it so hard I pushed the cross member back so it was titled forward. Drove that 71 Monte for many years after that and it didn't seem worse for wear. Replace the tires for sure. Idiot driver that caused it got away on this one too.

 

As I found out the (semi) hard way, "no-fault" isn't that simple...

[ http://blog.autoshopper.com/articles...-of-A-in-1989/ ]

Since the collision was in a parking lot (with nobody behind the wheel), no-fault doesn't count. Your insurance company can jam up the other guy's insurance for the repairs, even (or especially) when it exceeds the "normal" $500 deductible reimbursement.

[Mine didn't. *in strong Russian accent* CAR LIKE IRON!!]

Under normal two-drivers-into-each-other circumstances the party found to be at fault is responsible to pay the other party's insurance deductible amount, but only up to $500. So, if you have a $1k deductible on your car's policy, YOU eat the other $500, win, lose or draw.

You can then keep that up-to-$500 and do whatever you want with it, rather than repair your "damages" (which is what I did--or I guess DIDN'T--do), OR you can use it to "pay off" your deductible and get your car repaired on your insurer's dime.

In a case such as yours, the rules (usually) are that YOU are on the hook for the deductible if you want your car fixed. It's purely a matter of YOUR insurance repairing YOUR car, as there are no other parties' policies in play.

THAT is the "no-fault" bit, period.

Most importantly, though, is the fact that your insurance carrier has the right to increase your premiums after you file a claim. I know it's a sh1++y thing to do--especially in your case--but they can.

Oh, and they also have the EXCLUSIVE right to decide the life or death of your car once you've filed a claim. If they run the numbers and the sums go against your car's favor, your only options are to retract your claim and keep your unfixed car or get a check and lose your ride. No exceptions.

Thank God I was still in my home state of California when this went down...

[ http://blog.autoshopper.com/articles...h-an-81-model/ ]

...because there is NO WAY for that story to have happily ended were it to have had a change of venue into a no-fault state.

SO, I recommend sounding out your insurance company. Check what the threshold is for a claim big enough to raise your rates, then find out what they'd be raised to. Find out what THEY think your car is worth, and what THEY would consider "reasonable" repair costs.

I have Progressive insurance here in SE Michigan, and they're surprisingly forgiving when it comes to not kicking you when you're down regarding being hard a$$ed about raising rates and "killing" your car. Don't get me wrong; no-fault still sucks. But it might not be curtains for your car just yet.

Good luck.