So anyone who lives in South Florida knows it’s been raining like crazy the past week or so. Well yesterday I was driving on the highway and suddenly hydroplaned going 60-65. Thankfully I didn’t hit anyone but I did hit a wall.

My question is I know it will be hard to tell without actually looking at it but just would like to know if the car is fixable and if so is it worth it. Debating on fixing it or getting a new one. Waiting on a few collision company’s to get back to me. Car starts up just fine everything works in car NO LIGHTS AT ALL.

 

Glad you're not hurt.
Is it repairable? Everything is repairable, for a price.

Is it a write off? For your insurance agent, yeah almost definitely.

 

Damn... yes, as firelizard said, glad you aren't hurt (or anyone else).

GS300? 400? How many miles? Airbags deploy?

Ultimately, I am with firelizard again, hard to see an insurance company writing the check to fix. Rule of thumb is 70-75% of the value. Perhaps there are things that can be salvaged - the wheels, aftermarket stereo, etc. that you could sell or save for the next one.

Good luck.

 

With the age of these cars I’d wonder if any one that has had an accident in the past couple of years didn’t get salvaged. Seems almost like an automatic salvage now a days

 

I’m glad you’re ok brother but slick Cosmo MuchoMacho tires while doing 65 during torrential downpour? Doesn’t surprise me that you hydroplaned. Budget tires range from mediocre to dangerous, but the reality is $250 for a set of shoes will never buy you the same quality, performance, longevity, and potential safety that, say, $600 will.

Based on the damage, it makes more sense buy another one. PLEASE don’t skimp on tires next time.

 

Yes no one was injured thank god. As to your question it’s a GS300. 289,XXX miles(Motor is new tho) and No airbags deployed

 

Not sure if it makes a difference but I had michelin sport tires in the rear..

 

If anything, mismatching the tires is worse.

 

Look at your car. Did it make a difference?

 

This will be totaled by insurance. No doubt about it, even if you had a low miles gs300/gs400. Honestly, most of the salvage titled vehicles I see for sale are super low miles. I don't know why because they have been repaired awhile ago, so it's like somebody bother to fix it, then just never drove it.

Insurance company will total this, then cut you a check, minus your deductible. The last few years, I have seen insurance companies WAY overvalue cars, and people are making money off wrecked cars. Then, you can either give it to them or buy it back. I don't know how they determine the back back cost, but it's usually super low. Anywhere from a couple hundred to 1K. they may go higher, but not for an older car. The engine in the gs300 alone is worth a bit, so if nothing else, you can probably car the car out for a lot. This car is highly sought after for the tuner kids, and you don't see them super often not beat on or raced and wrapped around a pole. At least here in the Phoenix area you don't.

Anything is fixable though, with enough money. Just need to ask yourself what your threshold is, money wise and time wise. If you have a shop do all or most of the work, you are going to throw the entire check the insurance company gives you at it to fix it right, maybe even more. If you do it yourself, you will save thousands. Your car will also require an inspection first before getting a rebuilt title. And depending on your state, some are more strict than others. I had a buddy here in phoenix that go rear ended in his Hyundai accent years ago, they totaled the car, but all he did was duct tape the rear bumper up to hold it better, and one of the taillights broke off, so he taped that back into place. Ran it through inspection that way, and it passed, and he got a rebuilt title. haha, what a joke.

 

Not really but hydroplaning isn’t something you can control. Whether it was brand new tires or not expensive etc. don’t think it would have made a difference.

 

Not to beat it into you, but it absolutely would have made a difference. Quality street tires have much greater resistance to hydroplaning. Mismatching Walmart crap with decent tires compounded the problem.

You also could have tried driving slower if you had felt the car stepping out on you before you lost control, which you probably did.

 

Not trying to pile on or make you feel worse, but maybe a bit of education would be helpful. Yes, better tires, and matched tires at all four corners would have helped. Just like snow tires are good in the snow, each tire manufacture makes compromises on things like cold weather performance, wet weather performance, dry traction, etc. for what they feel is best for each tire in their lineup. It is that R&D that you ultimately pay for, along with the rubber on the road. Each tire contacts the road in an area just a little bigger than the size of your hand, so yes - they make a huge difference.

Different tires react differently, so you get a natural imbalance before you even got to the rain.

Tire customers, like most other customers, want everything (naturally). A tire that lasts a long time, great in the rain, great in the dry, quiet, smooth ride, predictable handling, will never go flat, etc. all for $80 per tire. Unfortunately it doesn't work like that.

Tires are incredibly complex (thread pattern, depth, materials, belts, compounds...) and it's easy to take the less expensive option, but that's not always the best option. They may be fine 99.5% of the time, but in the end it's a gamble. All it takes is one panic stop, a sudden rain storm, emergency lane change and that .5% rears it's ugly head.

Spend some time comparing tires at tirerack.com - both their own reviews and customer reviews. They have millions of miles of testing to read about and can help tremendously when it comes to your next set of tires.

At the end of the day, even the most expensive tire can't handle every situation it could find itself in. That's where the driver comes into play, and you need to slow down for the conditions.

You are safe... chalk it up to experience and learn from it

 

Yea to each and owns about the tire part. But I do agree with the slowing down part I should have been going 50.. I was going 60-65(speed limit)

 

Yea that’s kinda what I was trynna say I guess. That no matter how expensive the tires are the situation was what mattered. Even tho having all the same tires would have helped.