Repair or total accident

Hi All, we got rear ended by a speeding vehicle and the driver side rear end got damaged including the bent wheel. The car had to be towed. Ignition was on but the car couldn’t move because of the bent wheel. Attached photos and wanted to get some inputs on if the car will be repaired or totaled. I know the insurance adjuster has the final say and it’s just waiting at this point for us. Curious to find out if anyone with similar experience can provide some details.



No way to tell without a close look underneath at the rear suspension and floor pan.
Year? Miles?

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Don’t have any other pics. It’s 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe sport with 70k miles

It makes no difference what anyone on the web says . Only the insurance adjuster can determine cost or whether it is totaled .

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Agree but would think the damage is at least in the 3-4,000 area. Usually if the damage is 70% or so of value, they will want to total. So is it worth more than $7000 or so? You simply get an estimate from the body shop and go from there. The bent wheel though may indicate hidden problems with the brakes, suspension, etc. if the spare is put on would it be drivable?

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Light damage, suspension and body are repairable.

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Cars.com says similar vehicles are in the upper teens and higher in the St. Louis area. I’d say it’s probably worth well over $7k. Insurance will probably opt to repair it.

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I cannot understand why people think you can post a few pics of accident damage online and get accurate answers on cost and/totaled from strangers on the internet. Nothing we say matters in the least…only the insurance adjuster standing in front of the car can say for sure.

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… and peering underneath the car when it is on a lift…

:thinking:

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Ins will fix that. No problem. From exterior view.

Looks repairable from where I’m sitting. If totaled, insurance company might sell or even give it to you, no harm asking if you want to do the repair on your dime. Make sure the fuel fill path from cap & fill-port to gas tank is carefully examined as part of repair.

The insurance company will not just give you the vehicle . If someone decides to keep it the amount that the insurance might sell it for will be deducted from the setlement price plus fees for towing and storage . Then the person has to pay to have it repaired , inspected for public road use and then have a salvage title . Full coverage insurance might not be an option then .

If the car is worth $14,000, none of this is relevant. Get an estimate and go forward.

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Yes, the car is easily worth 14,000$

Not sure if I understand it correctly. Can I know What do you mean by “ no harm asking if you want to do the repair on your dime” ? Thank you

He means that if the vehicle is totaled that you basically buy it from the insurance company then you either repair it yourself or pay someone to repair it . Just ignore that idea and see what the persons adjuster comes up with .

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Agree but its not that big a deal either for a total. Mine was totaled after hitting a deer. State Farm paid me the value after deducting $50 for me to keep the car. Fixed it myself. No problem with title or insurance. Agent just wanted to see it when it was done. Had it all done except for the pin stripe, so back on the road with full coverage again and went to Europe with the balance.

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I have only witnessed insurance adjusters assessing cars in the parking lot, never on a lift. They make a rough assessment; it is up to the body man to disassemble the vehicle and write a proper estimate.

The OP didn’t ask for an estimate, only if the damage seemed to exceed the value of the vehicle.

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The question was a general one… these are starting to appear here but on a couple of reddit mechanics forums I watch, people post these all the time.

Much like questions about plugging tires with screws in the outer tread band. Usually after a tire store said NO.

There is no expense to you for simply asking a question.

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