My daughter was rear ended in her 2016 Honda Civic Sedan by a car going >50 mph. The other driver actually hit her twice (pushed her forward and then hit again). The estimate on repairs is difficult to read but the rear panel was crumpled, the rear brace has to be replaced, both arms (left and right) had some damage (the right was twisted) and the spare tire well was crushed. The spare tire was damaged, the trunk buckled, both side panels, and the rear door windows (both sides) motors, plus other parts. The unibody will required to be pulled and squared. The damages don’t exceed total value and the other insurance company won’t budge. They are claiming she can’t even file a diminished value claim since the car was used. Our biggest concern is the safety of this car once repaired. How safe is a repaired unibody with back and both side arms that have has to be replaced/repaired. Is this considered major structural damage?
Yes.
This isn’t a fender bender.
I’d get rid of the car once I got it back.
Tester
Are you dealing directly with the other insurer? IMO you should go through your insurer. They know the business and will make sure you get a fair shake. Also, the damage assessment might grow after repairs are started. Consider this a preliminary estimate.
It is possible to repair the car to a state that is as safe as it was before the accident.
But I’d sell it after it is fixed, too. You will never know if it was fixed completely and correctly.
This is why I continue to carry collision coverage on even my older cars. I have to deal with only one company no matter what happens and it’s the one I am paying. They resolve the issue per our contract and then go after the other insured party to recover. I even get my deductible back as part of their settlement. I dealt with other people’s insurance companies for years. Always a battle.
Agree and I don’t like the idea of pawning it off on the next buyer. Quarter panels crashed, floor pan bent, etc. should be a total. Someone might restore it after that but would be sold with a salvage title.
Assuming you have liability only. They will mess with you any way they can. My experience was $1400 for repairs, they cut it down to $700 by using used parts.
We had full coverage on the car. The other insurance assumed responsibility and took over the claim. Their threshold for totaling a car is much less than our insurance companies is. I tried to get an answer today on if they were using factory parts or not but didn’t hear back. At this point, neither insurance company is backing down on repairing the car and they both claim the car will be good as new. Guess they don’t account for the fact that once we try to sell it, it will be fairly valueless.
Like I said, not a fender bender
Tester
Get an attorney. They will take it on a contingency basis. Nothing out of pocket to you.
An attorney to do what? The vehicle was damaged, the insurance company is paying for the repairs. Diminished value on an 8 year old compact car?
An attorney to tell the insurance company that either the car gets totaled or this can rapidly turn into an injury case. The attorney can also squeeze a higher settlement.
They will only install new parts if used are not available. For a 2016, they will choose aftermarket before oem.
This is when you find out how good is the company providing your insurance. Frankly, they don’t sound very good.
Diminshed value is well established compensation. But the magnitude of the difference diminishes rapidly as the vehicle depreciates. Still, there has to be a worthwhile amount here. Most people would consider that type of crash totaled. Certainly not equivalent to the average 2016 let alone like new as they are trying to sell the repairs…