Wrecked NB question :(

Hi all... it's been a sad couple of days here! I decided to back out into
the road and was promptly hit by a lovely Jeep Cherokee! The rear passenger
quarter panel is blown to bits. The tire was busted... back 'bumper' is
busted ... My hubby put the spare on then drove off to test it out. He
said it is a mess!!! He said it may have "bent the frame". He described it
as going sideways while driving straight! YIKES!

I know I'll have to have a body shop do an estimate and all. But I'm
wondering if there's even any hope! She doesn't look like she's totaled,
but will they be able to tell for sure and fix it properly??

I'm just wondering if anyone has had this experience?

Thanks!

Robin

"Terry Thompson" > wrote in message
...
> Hi all... it's been a sad couple of days here! I decided to back out into
> the road and was promptly hit by a lovely Jeep Cherokee! The rear
> passenger
> quarter panel is blown to bits. The tire was busted... back 'bumper' is
> busted ... My hubby put the spare on then drove off to test it out. He
> said it is a mess!!! He said it may have "bent the frame". He described
> it
> as going sideways while driving straight! YIKES!

Either a bent frame or at least the right rear suspension is bent enough to
cause the car to not track straight.

> I know I'll have to have a body shop do an estimate and all. But I'm
> wondering if there's even any hope! She doesn't look like she's totaled,
> but will they be able to tell for sure and fix it properly??

Hopefully it's not a bent frame. If not, it's probably not totalled but
still might have $ignificant damage. Remember that "totalled" means that
past a certain point in terms of $$$ it makes little financial sense to fix
for the insurance company and therefore "totalled" doesn't necessarily
equate to "damaged beyond repair". If it costs $15K to fix a car worth
$18K, then it's probably "totalled" even if those $15K repairs are
physically possible to perform. Good luck!

Would you want to drive a car that has been that badly damaged? Accident
cars are never quite right ever again.... and their crash structures are
definately screwed up.
"Matt B." > wrote in message
news:gbEHd.4658$hu.1031@fed1read01...
> "Terry Thompson" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Hi all... it's been a sad couple of days here! I decided to back out
>> into
>> the road and was promptly hit by a lovely Jeep Cherokee! The rear
>> passenger
>> quarter panel is blown to bits. The tire was busted... back 'bumper' is
>> busted ... My hubby put the spare on then drove off to test it out. He
>> said it is a mess!!! He said it may have "bent the frame". He described
>> it
>> as going sideways while driving straight! YIKES!
>
> Either a bent frame or at least the right rear suspension is bent enough
> to cause the car to not track straight.
>
>> I know I'll have to have a body shop do an estimate and all. But I'm
>> wondering if there's even any hope! She doesn't look like she's totaled,
>> but will they be able to tell for sure and fix it properly??
>
> Hopefully it's not a bent frame. If not, it's probably not totalled but
> still might have $ignificant damage. Remember that "totalled" means that
> past a certain point in terms of $$$ it makes little financial sense to
> fix for the insurance company and therefore "totalled" doesn't necessarily
> equate to "damaged beyond repair". If it costs $15K to fix a car worth
> $18K, then it's probably "totalled" even if those $15K repairs are
> physically possible to perform. Good luck!
>

"Rob Guenther" > wrote in message
...
> Would you want to drive a car that has been that badly damaged? Accident
> cars are never quite right ever again.... and their crash structures are
> definately screwed up.

That's true. If this NB is that badly damaged, you might actually want to
hope that it is found to be totalled.

Call your dealer. Ask who does good quality collision repair. The call
them and make an appointment.

They will jig up the car, and measure the "frame" (no such thing on your NB)
and tell you what work needs to be done. Then call your insurance adjuster
to have them agree with the body shop.

NOW evaluate.

Plastic bits don't bother me. Neither does the sideways bit. What would
bother me is doors not closing properly, Broken body welds, and someone
trying to drive a wrecked car. Tow the sucker. The life you save may be
your husband's.

It could very well be the end of your beloved Beetle, but take heart, it did
it's job. Look forward to the repaired vehicle (it is very possible to
do.), or buying a new one with a large downpayment, er, insurance check in
hand.

-Don



"Terry Thompson" > wrote in message
...
> Hi all... it's been a sad couple of days here! I decided to back out into
> the road and was promptly hit by a lovely Jeep Cherokee! The rear
> passenger
> quarter panel is blown to bits. The tire was busted... back 'bumper' is
> busted ... My hubby put the spare on then drove off to test it out. He
> said it is a mess!!! He said it may have "bent the frame". He described
> it
> as going sideways while driving straight! YIKES!
>
> I know I'll have to have a body shop do an estimate and all. But I'm
> wondering if there's even any hope! She doesn't look like she's totaled,
> but will they be able to tell for sure and fix it properly??
>
> I'm just wondering if anyone has had this experience?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Robin
>
>

i've been driving repaired written off cars ("totalled") for years. as long
as the car has been properly repaired by someone who is competant and
experienced, it is perfectly safe.


"Matt B." > wrote in message
news:dlJHd.4702$hu.1411@fed1read01...
> "Rob Guenther" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Would you want to drive a car that has been that badly damaged? Accident
> > cars are never quite right ever again.... and their crash structures are
> > definately screwed up.
>
> That's true. If this NB is that badly damaged, you might actually want to
> hope that it is found to be totalled.
>
>

Not according to most people I've talked to in the auto industry, they will
tell you it only looks safe. Most will tell you the safety cage itself has
absorbed so much energy in the first crash that it won't hold up properly in
the next one.

To each his own opinion tho.
"Nathan Lucas" > wrote in message
...
> i've been driving repaired written off cars ("totalled") for years. as
> long
> as the car has been properly repaired by someone who is competant and
> experienced, it is perfectly safe.
>
>
> "Matt B." > wrote in message
> news:dlJHd.4702$hu.1411@fed1read01...
>> "Rob Guenther" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > Would you want to drive a car that has been that badly damaged?
>> > Accident
>> > cars are never quite right ever again.... and their crash structures
>> > are
>> > definately screwed up.
>>
>> That's true. If this NB is that badly damaged, you might actually want
>> to
>> hope that it is found to be totalled.
>>
>>
>
>

one that's been pulled straight, then i'd agree, but the one i've got
(sorry, had - it kinda met it's death last week - conrod thru the block) was
"medium" drivers side corner, and had the inner wing and suspension turret
and chassis rail completely replaced. then jigged. it will have been in
exactly the same state after the repair as when it left the factory.
definately safer than some of the rotboxes you see on the road!


"Rob Guenther" > wrote in message
...
> Not according to most people I've talked to in the auto industry, they
will
> tell you it only looks safe. Most will tell you the safety cage itself has
> absorbed so much energy in the first crash that it won't hold up properly
in
> the next one.
>
> To each his own opinion tho.
> "Nathan Lucas" > wrote in message
> ...
> > i've been driving repaired written off cars ("totalled") for years. as
> > long
> > as the car has been properly repaired by someone who is competant and
> > experienced, it is perfectly safe.
> >
> >
> > "Matt B." > wrote in message
> > news:dlJHd.4702$hu.1411@fed1read01...
> >> "Rob Guenther" > wrote in message
> >> ...
> >> > Would you want to drive a car that has been that badly damaged?
> >> > Accident
> >> > cars are never quite right ever again.... and their crash structures
> >> > are
> >> > definately screwed up.
> >>
> >> That's true. If this NB is that badly damaged, you might actually want
> >> to
> >> hope that it is found to be totalled.
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>
>

Most likely yes. As long as the passenger cage is fine, you are probably
fine.

I know of a shop that specializes in resorting beyond repair cars - the
result looks fantastic, but some of these frankensteins are actually two
cars (never the lower parts; but like roof,doors,pillars of one car/lower
body of the other... both accident cars, so the good parts are made into one
car).... One example is a GTI "337" looks like a mint condition GTI, drives
straight etc etc... blown to 300+ HP at the wheels... I'd never sit in it
after he told me what happened to the original two donor cars... His next
big project like this is an Audi A6 wagon that was slid into a pole at over
60kph+ on the side of the car (B Pillar caved in)

His main customers are just people who need tuned cars (they do engine
buildups mainly) but he seems to like making these accident wrecks live
again on the side for himself, and for people who want cheap but fast winter
beaters.
"Nathan Lucas" > wrote in message
...
> one that's been pulled straight, then i'd agree, but the one i've got
> (sorry, had - it kinda met it's death last week - conrod thru the block)
> was
> "medium" drivers side corner, and had the inner wing and suspension turret
> and chassis rail completely replaced. then jigged. it will have been in
> exactly the same state after the repair as when it left the factory.
> definately safer than some of the rotboxes you see on the road!
>
>
> "Rob Guenther" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Not according to most people I've talked to in the auto industry, they
> will
>> tell you it only looks safe. Most will tell you the safety cage itself
>> has
>> absorbed so much energy in the first crash that it won't hold up properly
> in
>> the next one.
>>
>> To each his own opinion tho.
>> "Nathan Lucas" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > i've been driving repaired written off cars ("totalled") for years. as
>> > long
>> > as the car has been properly repaired by someone who is competant and
>> > experienced, it is perfectly safe.
>> >
>> >
>> > "Matt B." > wrote in message
>> > news:dlJHd.4702$hu.1411@fed1read01...
>> >> "Rob Guenther" > wrote in message
>> >> ...
>> >> > Would you want to drive a car that has been that badly damaged?
>> >> > Accident
>> >> > cars are never quite right ever again.... and their crash structures
>> >> > are
>> >> > definately screwed up.
>> >>
>> >> That's true. If this NB is that badly damaged, you might actually
>> >> want
>> >> to
>> >> hope that it is found to be totalled.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
>

Did the air bags go off? I've found out that for vehicles over 3 years old
(or not a high-value car) that if the air bags go off the insurance people
routinely write off the car. In the case of a Dodge that I wrecked, the air
bag damage was over $6000 on its own.

As is pointed out, you don't have a frame on that car. It is a "unibody"
like 90% of the cars on the market (100% of compact cars). It's basically a
metal box with tires and a motor. If they can make it "square" again they
you're all set.

One can fix any car, no matter how bad the damage. However, the value of
your car will probably be eclipsed by the repair costs, and therefore it
will be written off.

Tim Wohlford


"Terry Thompson" > wrote in message
...
> Hi all... it's been a sad couple of days here! I decided to back out into
> the road and was promptly hit by a lovely Jeep Cherokee! The rear
> passenger
> quarter panel is blown to bits. The tire was busted... back 'bumper' is
> busted ... My hubby put the spare on then drove off to test it out. He
> said it is a mess!!! He said it may have "bent the frame". He described
> it
> as going sideways while driving straight! YIKES!
>
> I know I'll have to have a body shop do an estimate and all. But I'm
> wondering if there's even any hope! She doesn't look like she's totaled,
> but will they be able to tell for sure and fix it properly??
>
> I'm just wondering if anyone has had this experience?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Robin
>
>