Heavy Car Body Damage

[Billybob]

A drunk driver rammed the rear end of my daughter's parked 2005 Honda Accord Friday night. Fortunately, she wasn't in it.

The damage was concentrated on the left rear of the car. Damage extended from the rear bumper (destroyed) to the rear driver's-side door.

The insurance adjuster and body shop estimate that there was ~$5000 worth of damage and are asking her to authorized the repair.

I haven't seen it - she's in LA and I'm at the other end of I10.

I'm a little bit concerned about this type of repair. Will the car be structurally sound, will it drive as well as before the crash (it was the best non-luxury car I've ever driven)?

What should we be concerned with, and what types of questions should she ask the body shop?

[mikebw]

I would make sure that the insurance company has some sort of satisfaction guarantee, where if you are not satisfied with the repair they will make sure it gets done right without costing you any extra.

If the repair does not yield a structurally sound car then it was not done correctly in the first place.

[datbeme]

No advice for you here, but even if all goes smoothly with the repairs, I'd think she'd have a very difficult time selling the vehicle later. It will greatly impact the resale value. Doesn't seem fair.

[M A V I C]

Who picked the repair shop? I would find a Honda/Acura enthusiast online forum for the area and see who they recommend.

If it's done right, it should be structurally sound and everything should work the same as before.

Hopefully someone in CA can chime in about this, but in WA we have what's called Diminished Value which means “loss in value due to your property damage" and you have the right to recover that value from the offenders insurance co.

[ztirffritz]

The big selling point of the Accord is the resale value. With the damage done it probably won't sell for as much. I'd ask for the Blue Book value and try to replace it.

[Filliam H. Muffman]

It really depends on how deep the damage goes. Bumper gone and bent quarter panel is fine.

Frame damage so that the top or bottom of the door frame, or door latch is moved more than a half inch - total the car because the crumple zone has been compromised. They might be able to get it to look straight, but it will crumple like tissue paper the next time it is hit.

It has been a long time since my last bad accident. I had an early 1970's Japanese car and the first repair shop could not straighten the frame because it was too strong. They kept snapping the bolts that held the tabs they attached to the chain to pull on.

[olnacl]

I concur with ztirffritz although I don't know if that's even possible.

It's always bothered me that once a vehicle is damaged the potential resale falls by as much as 50% and all the insurance companies do (at best) is provide restitution generally based on some inferior body shop estimate using knock-off parts, leaving the owner with inconvenience and considerable monetary loss.

I wish you and her the best of luck.

[cbelt3]

I'm also with the rest of the participants. With "unibody" Construction the concept of 'frame repair' has fallen totally by the wayside (except for trucks and a few notable large passenger vehicles). Once you get damage that goes past the bumper (and sometimes even then.. the bumper mounts get shoved in ) or dents and dings, you've compromised the integrity of the overall structure.

Yes, there are body shops who claim to 'straighten' the whole body. But as we all know, once a metal vessel is compromised, its actual strength is less than its design strength.

One other aside.. be SURE that they don't do the 'half and half' solution that some shops do.. literally cut the car in half (or 2/3 + 1/3) and graft on the missing parts. Those are typically recipies for complete and utter disaster.

[deckeda]

M A V I C wrote:
Who picked the repair shop? …

Absolutely key! I've NEVER allowed the other party to pick the shop. And whose insurance wants to do this? Hers or the drunk's? Even though he'll pay, have her get her insurance over to look at it. She can always make a claim through her ins. and have them duke it out with the other company.

I'm very skeptical of damage up to the rear of the door from a rear-end collision. I'd want that door perfectly right still, not even a slight ding or catch or extra noise when it opens or closes.

I lost a car this way. Banged up from behind, door shut but with a slight "catch." Every place I went said it was totaled, and that was just from looking underneath the car. Car drove great still.

[Winston]

In my experience all the body shops and insurance adjusters us the same software to price a repair. I have found that I get the same estimates from different body shops. If you decide to go with the repair, find the shop with the best reputation you can.

I did damage to a car of ours which sounds similar. Backed into a horizontal section of a barrier by a pole, just above bumper height. Wasn't going very fast, but it crumpled the side of the car up to the bottom of the "c" pillar just behind the rear door. Did not damage the door or the door frame. The body shop I normally use gave an estimate similar to yours, but said the car was totaled because of its age. I got it repaired somewhere else for about 2/3 of the cost. In retrospect I should have pushed the first shop on it because my insurance would have covered it and I think they'd have done better work. But I was annoyed with them because of telling me it was totaled.

Bottom line: if you have confidence in the repair shop the repair should be fine. But I'd definitely have her ask about structural issues as others have suggested.


Good luck.

- Winston