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I was sitting in traffic (stopped) when a white work van drove into my car. As you can see, the Lexus took the brunt of the impact. The car is a 2013 with 111k miles on it. It was driving a bit funny when I took it to the dealer, so they told me they would give it a full once over when they work up the quote. I was wondering if it was because the exhaust was bent on the right side. Thankfully the driver's insurance has accepted 100% responsibility so I won't have to go through mine.
Now, my questions for you all. Do you think I have a case for diminished value? What do you think these repairs will run? In the back of my mind I was wondering if it was a total.
Thankfully, aside from a little wrist pain and a minor headache, I'm okay. Not sure if the car is though.
Last edited by itsthesong; 10-03-17 at 06:36 AM.
Reason: details added
I suspect that the lack of response is because, without both some professional knowledge and without taking things apart to see how much "hidden damage" there might be, any guess as to the extent of the damage could be far off.
In any case, I'll share a few thoughts. At a minimum, the bumper cover and bumper shock absorbers will need to be replaced. I would guess that the trunk panel will also need to be replaced. It may be possible to repair the quarter panel, but it could also be the case that new sheet metal will have to be welded in. The tail light assembly will need to be replaced, and it is likely that, if you have parking sensors in the bumper, some or all of them will need to be replaced, as will bumper mounting hardware.
Then, there will be the need for a good amount of paint work. The bumper and trunk will need to be refinished, as will the quarter panel. It appears that the car is Nebula Gray Pearl. Is that correct? If it is Nebula Gray Pearl, that is one of the easier metallic colors to match, but it may also be the case that the paint will need to be blended further into adjacent panels.
I would be surprised if the total repair cost is anything less than somewhere around $5000, but that guess could be way off, and, if it is off, I'd guess that the actual number would be higher.
Very sorry to hear about your car and of course, the important thing is that you are OK. I agree with Les' assessment (although the color looks like black to me), based on a previous rear-ended Avalon, I think that price sounds about right from what I can see in the images. In terms of making an argument for diminished value, I really don't know how to make such a determination, although it seems like you may have a fair argument. Based on the age and mileage, I do wonder if such an argument is going to be tougher to make though. I would certainly try, but I'm not sure how disappointed I would be if they denied it.
Very sorry to hear about your car and of course, the important thing is that you are OK. I agree with Les' assessment (although the color looks like black to me), based on a previous rear-ended Avalon, I think that price sounds about right from what I can see in the images. In terms of making an argument for diminished value, I really don't know how to make such a determination, although it seems like you may have a fair argument. Based on the age and mileage, I do wonder if such an argument is going to be tougher to make though. I would certainly try, but I'm not sure how disappointed I would be if they denied it.
Thanks - the color is deep sea mica (the blue). I will see what happens. It's been at the auto body shop for a few days, and they're taking it apart. I guess I will have my answer soon enough. If I get the car back, I just hope it drives the same. It was a fair amount of damage.
Sorry to see that. Looks like the trunk, bumper and rear quarter panel will need to be replaced, along with sensors, lights, shocks and such. It will probably run more than $5k I guess. Hopefully the frame has not been bent, and an alignment will show it.
Glad you are ok. The value of the car will be diminished of course, as it will show up on Carfax. You should definitely ask for compensation for that. I suggest you spend a hundred bucks and talk to a lawyer. The other guy's insurance company is not your friend, and if you were stopped, you had zero fault.
Regarding diminished value, you can submit a claim but don't expect to get too much.
If you were not at fault (which seems to be the case), don't worry about waiting for the other party's insurance. Go through your insurance and they will go after the other party's insurance to get reimbursed. This will speed up the repair process without raising your rates since it wasn't your fault, and ensure no corners are cut. Sometimes the other insurance will see where they can save some money, so even though they say they accept 100% responsibility, they might come in with a bid for repairing more parts rather than replacing or using aftermarket/refurbished parts rather than new parts. I have been involved in a few accidents that weren't my fault and this is what I did with no adverse effects.
Since the accident was in the rear and it looks mostly cosmetic damage, the car should drive the same. None of the important components or frame damage seem to be involved.
Regarding diminished value, you can submit a claim but don't expect to get too much.
If you were not at fault (which seems to be the case), don't worry about waiting for the other party's insurance. Go through your insurance and they will go after the other party's insurance to get reimbursed. This will speed up the repair process without raising your rates since it wasn't your fault, and ensure no corners are cut. Sometimes the other insurance will see where they can save some money, so even though they say they accept 100% responsibility, they might come in with a bid for repairing more parts rather than replacing or using aftermarket/refurbished parts rather than new parts. I have been involved in a few accidents that weren't my fault and this is what I did with no adverse effects.
Since the accident was in the rear and it looks mostly cosmetic damage, the car should drive the same. None of the important components or frame damage seem to be involved.
Considering the car is probably work 10k, I'm starting to wonder if it's going to be totaled. Good tip calling my insurance, theirs is starting to dodge me.
Considering the car is probably work 10k, I'm starting to wonder if it's going to be totaled. Good tip calling my insurance, theirs is starting to dodge me.
I've always thought that, regardless of whose fault the accident is, you are better off going through your insurance company. If your insurance company has to (initially) pay for the repairs, they will have a reason to work on their own behalf to recover the cost of the repairs, and, even if they don't immediately recover 100% from the other insurance company, the first money that they do recover will be used to refund any deductible that you had to pay.
Depending on how your ES is equipped and what its pre-accident condition was, its trade-in value could be as low as $10,000, but, if it is well-equipped and if it was in excellent condition, even with 111,000 miles, it could have a trade-in value of as much as $14,000.
Insurance regulations vary by state with regard to determining how much damage is required for a car to be declared a "total loss". In most states, it works out to be around 75% of the value of the car. In many states, a formula is used that is based calculating the cost of repairs plus the salvage value of the vehicle, and, if the cost of repairs plus the salvage value exceeds the value of the repaired car, it is declared to be a total loss.
Originally Posted by dchar
That damage looks closer to $10K to me.
Your guess could well be accurate. My $5000+ guess was based on the fact that, with rear end damage, there is less likely to be expensive repairs for hidden damage than there would be if the damage was at the front end of the car. But I wouldn't be at all surprised if my guess was quite low.
Sorry to read this and glad you are okay, which is obviously most important. To me it looks like the car will be totaled since the repair bill will exceed its value. You might want to have comparables ready with similar sales advertised on cars.com or other similar sites. That way you will be ready with it when they try to low ball the dollars due to you. They might also offer for some salvage person to come and buy the car from you for a preset amount, which they will add to the amount due to you. When the insurance adjuster arrives to check on the damage, you should make sure that all damage and driving issues are written down to aid in an honest assessment of the damage. Since this wasn't your fault, you are entitled to a rental car. If you are not using it, then you are entitled to some reimbursement for that too.
well first glad you weren't hurt badly in the accident.. I don't work in a body shop, but just from what I can see in the pics you posted, I think your damage will certainly exceed 5K... just from looking I would think you'll need a new rear bumper, right rear quarter panel and trunk deck.. and there's no way to tell what, if any damage was sustained underneath.. Probably looking at closer to 9 to 10k, and a lot of the cost will depend on if your insurance company lets the body shop use oem parts... with over 111 thousand miles on it I kinda doubt it, but what do I know. I can tell you that I rear ended a guy back in Feb... only damage to my car was the front grill and a complete headlight assembly.. Fortunately we were able to use Lexus parts ( which surprised me ) and the total bill came out to around 4900 bucks... as you can see from the pictures, the damage to my car was far less than yours... no sheet metal damage at all in my wreck... good luck with the repairs. Hope they come to a resolution that you're happy with...
A body shop can do an initial estimate that will be close to actual cost within an hour. Why is yours taking days to complete?
i left the car with them on Thursday night and they weren’t able to get it on the lift until Monday - then the estimator has been out with a personal emergency. Thankfully I’m in a rental paid for by their insurance.
So the estimate is in: $15,000. Needs a new exhaust, rear body panel, quarter panel, bumper, spare tire unit needs to be pulled out. Now we wait for the insurance. The guy at the shop doesn't seem to think they'll total it. Considering NADA trade is at 13,850, I don't see how it's not possible, but we will see. One thing is for sure, I didn't expect it to be this extensive! So much for thinking it would be a couple thousand! Ha!
So the estimate is in: $15,000. Needs a new exhaust, rear body panel, quarter panel, bumper, spare tire unit needs to be pulled out. Now we wait for the insurance. The guy at the shop doesn't seem to think they'll total it. Considering NADA trade is at 13,850, I don't see how it's not possible, but we will see. One thing is for sure, I didn't expect it to be this extensive! So much for thinking it would be a couple thousand! Ha!
Wow!
The question is whether the insurance company is going to accept the body shop's repair estimate as being accurate. If the insurance company does accept that estimate, considering the cost of the repair, the current value of the repaired car, and the fact that the front half of the car should have significant salvage value, it would be hard to imagine the insurance company not deciding to total the car.
10-01-17, 09:08 AM
Rear Ended - Need advice for my poor ES
