Accident - Got hit from behind

[CapeOne]

Depending on the situation, it’s actually not “as big” an expense as it appears.
Book value before accident: $35k
Repair cost: $21k
Salvage value at auction: $6k (ish)

Since (repair + salvage) was less than book value, they chose to fix it. BUT here’s the screw job ...

Book value after accident: $23k

Good point regarding diminished value but your 34% drop ($35k down to $23k) seems extreme. That's reaching "salvage" or "rebuilt" title territory which wouldn't apply in your case. Just curious where you got your post-accident value figure from.

 

[SimoRAV]

Well. Here's my plan if mine gets wrecked. I've read here and TM that it can take easily 6 months or more before a well-wrecked Tesla is fixed. Talk to my insurance company - an the other insurance company.. Either my insurance or the other will be paying for a rental. I am sure they know it takes a while - months to get a Tesla fixed. Do they want to pay for months of rental car for me? I will try to get them to give me a lump sum settlement for just the rental car part separate from the accident. If I can, I can use it for a down payment on a used Tesla to drive while mine is in the shop.

If they total mine, then I can use the used on and trade it in. While mine is wrecked and in the stop, I am pausing insurance on the wrecked one. Sure don't need it sitting in the shop.

Then, find a used one maybe cheap one. Maybe at an auction. Maybe buy a used Tesla trade-in from Tesla before they sell it to the auction. Find one, and buy it with as little down as I can, maybe the cheapest I can find, or maybe one like I have before it was wrecked. Be flexible. Drive it and make payments until mine is fixed. In the mean time, work on making the used one better looking and nicer looking than it was when I bought it. Clean it. I am going to try to sell it months from now for at least what I bought it for. And when I get mine back, if its not good, I am going to sell or trade it to get back where I was before. Not going to try and cheat anyone, but put my energies into still driving a Tesla while I wait on repairs.

Once I am back in a Tesla, I can let my insurance company and/or the other insurance company figure it out, fight it out, but I am now in a better position versus at their mercy to give me what they want to give me because I am no longer in a rush to settle so I can find another car.

If it's the other party's fault, make sure you get paid for all the time (irreplaceable) and expenses as a consequence. The other insurance will attempt to low ball you, but resist! Going to all the effort to locate a replacement... And an ICE rental? Really? An equivalent rental, i.e. a Tesla!
Just my 5¢ worth.

 

[dmurphy]

Good point regarding diminished value but your 34% drop ($35k down to $23k) seems extreme. That's reaching "salvage" or "rebuilt" title territory which wouldn't apply in your case. Just curious where you got your post-accident value figure from.

I'm actively trying to sell the thing, so that's actually the highest valuation I've gotten across Carmax, Carvana, Vroom, KBB, and 2 dealers. Most are offering $17-19k right now. For a vehicle I paid $55k for in 2018. It's crushing. 100% clean title. TMC special: First person to offer $25k gets the keys!

A late model vehicle with "Collision w/ front end damage & airbag deployment" on its Carfax, in the era of COVID, with a depressed car market, and Hertz dumping tens - if not hundreds - of thousands of vehicles on the market .... worst possible timing.

 

[SammichLover]

in the era of COVID, with a depressed car market, and Hertz dumping tens - if not hundreds - of thousands of vehicles on the market

It isn't just Hertz, they're just the ones in Chapter 11. All the car rental companies are shedding significant portions of their fleet. Ok chance of a rebound at some point as their new vehicle purchases are halted too, so at some point the direction reverses and they drop below historic levels of reselling. Until then used vehicle prices, and even new ones, are going to be in the toilet.

That's before the chances this all leads to a big wave of defaults and repos of personal vehicles.

You'll definitely not get any good price from a middle-man, as they'll be looking to keep their inventory under control, too, so as to minimize riding the prices down.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

Still no verdict, but cleaned out the car today and got the flash drive..
"Let's go to the tape."

Did the driver seem in anyway to be drunk or on drugs? I would like to think the police checked that. That's the most reasonable explanation for some of the stupidest driving I've seen in a while.

 

[CapeOne]

I'm actively trying to sell the thing, so that's actually the highest valuation I've gotten across Carmax, Carvana, Vroom, KBB, and 2 dealers. Most are offering $17-19k right now. For a vehicle I paid $55k for in 2018. It's crushing. 100% clean title. TMC special: First person to offer $25k gets the keys!

A late model vehicle with "Collision w/ front end damage & airbag deployment" on its Carfax, in the era of COVID, with a depressed car market, and Hertz dumping tens - if not hundreds - of thousands of vehicles on the market .... worst possible timing.

Definitely unfortunate timing. I think the current market conditions have a lot to do with the value drop and it's not just the previous accident. I've just never seen a professionally repaired car with a clean title lose 34% in value simply due to its accident history. I’m not sure what trim level your Enclave is or what options it has but looking at KBB right now, even a top of the line 2018 Enclave Avenir with AWD and all options, average miles, and no accident history adjustment has a trade value listed at under $28k.

It's a good time to be buying a car but not a good time to be selling or trading. Hopefully the market will turn around a bit in the coming months. Anyway, good luck.

 

[qingshan]

Did the driver seem in anyway to be drunk or on drugs? I would like to think the police checked that. That's the most reasonable explanation for some of the stupidest driving I've seen in a while.

That type of driving has a name - HUA (acronym, not flower)

 

[mattack4000]

You got rear ended, is there really any discussion?

 

[dmurphy]

Definitely unfortunate timing. I think the current market conditions have a lot to do with the value drop and it's not just the previous accident. I've just never seen a professionally repaired car with a clean title lose 34% in value simply due to its accident history. I’m not sure what trim level your Enclave is or what options it has but looking at KBB right now, even a top of the line 2018 Enclave Avenir with AWD and all options, average miles, and no accident history adjustment has a trade value listed at under $28k.

It's a good time to be buying a car but not a good time to be selling or trading. Hopefully the market will turn around a bit in the coming months. Anyway, good luck.

Well, for anyone playing along at home and wants a great vehicle - it's a 2018 Enclave Premium AWD fully loaded. 25k miles. SurroundView 360-degree camera (Tesla needs this!), Rear camera mirror (Tesla needs this!), towing/hauling package, CarPlay (Tesla needs this!), etc. Only reason to sell it is to get into a Model X; were it not for my burning desire to be an all-EV household, we'd just hold onto it for a long long time. Which, unless I get a bite now, is what's gonna happen.

Thanks for your kind words - I agree; the 34% drop is excessive but I think a lot of that is market-related. Sure, some damage related but it's just been a nightmare of a grind since October. 4 months, a body shop bankruptcy, parts delay due to GM strike and $21k later, it was fixed ... then Covid hit.

 

[Relayer]

Fwiw, we think the other owner's insurance had lapsed. We're going through ours.
They said the shop appraisal is in (didn't say what it was), and now they are sending their rep to take a look.

Sounds like the shop might've said "totalled" and the insurance company wants to check it out themselves??

 

[SammichLover]

Did the driver seem in anyway to be drunk or on drugs? I would like to think the police checked that. That's the most reasonable explanation for some of the stupidest driving I've seen in a while.

"Guy with no license..."

Or he just habitually drives like this, which would line up with at some point getting his license yanked.

Fwiw, we think the other owner's insurance had lapsed.

Ugg.

 

[Akikiki]

Crossed fingers for you. What are you hoping for?

 

[dmurphy]

Fwiw, we think the other owner's insurance had lapsed. We're going through ours.
They said the shop appraisal is in (didn't say what it was), and now they are sending their rep to take a look.

Sounds like the shop might've said "totalled" and the insurance company wants to check it out themselves??

Best of luck! I really do hope for your sake it is actually totaled. If it's even close to the line, that's the better outcome ....

Keep us posted, please. We feel your pain over here!

Mind me asking who your insurance company is?

 

[TLLMRRJ]

Fwiw, we think the other owner's insurance had lapsed. We're going through ours.
They said the shop appraisal is in (didn't say what it was), and now they are sending their rep to take a look.

Sounds like the shop might've said "totalled" and the insurance company wants to check it out themselves??

Totalled would be awesome. Unless it's a collectible car or has some irreplaceable sentimental value, you always want the car to be totalled. If you don't believe me, just look at the outcome from dmurphy above.

You have to watch out with body shops because they want to fix the car. Sure they can charge something for looking at it even if it's totalled, but they often will try to hide damage costs to get the insurance company to start repairs. Then, once the repairs are well underway, they will surprise the insurance company with more damaged that they uncovered after they started working and ask for more money. Then the insurance company will be in a bind because they still have to pay for the repairs that were already done. So if they total it, they lose twice. I had that happen to a car that I was going to sell anyway by a body shop I thought I could trust, and it sucked for me. I would have been much better off financially and effort-wise if they had totalled it.

 

[Akikiki]

I obey the law. I would never think of leaving the house without my driver's license in my pocket. And my pucker-factor would damage my driver's seat if I didn't have insurance when I put the car in drive. I simply can't comprehend how the police don't lock people up and leave them in jail when they are caught with NO driver's license and insurance. There's no excuse acceptable. I say to them get a bicycle, ride the bus, walk. I don't care. Don't drive.

The way this country is moving anyway, I wonder if we will get to a point that mandates actions when there's a situation like the OP had. The driver had no insurance and "his GF's car is not insured". Will we/We will be permitted/required to gather 5 people in a van, or station wagon with two-shovels and a bag of lime. We drop by the house of the guy with no license and take him for a short ride. Six of us walk into the woods and five come back. Doesn't need to be the standard, doesn't need to occur often. Just needs to be known that this is the reward for doing stupid/reckless stuff. And of course, I am just kidding. (I'm a redneck, some of us don't make sense.)

 

[mattack4000]

Here is a tip. Max out the rental coverage on your car. With my insurance, they have to pay $2000 max. They would value your 4 weeks repair with a Tesla after seeing that.

 

[needp3d-]

On the bright side, it's $2000 cheaper now

 

[trm2]

Fwiw, we think the other owner's insurance had lapsed. We're going through ours.

The other party’s insurance may still be active because of COVID. Insurance companies are not cancelling policies for nonpayment right now. Now that doesn’t change a whole lot, but your insurance will go after theirs.

You have to watch out with body shops because they want to fix the car. Sure they can charge something for looking at it even if it's totalled, but they often will try to hide damage costs to get the insurance company to start repairs. Then, once the repairs are well underway, they will surprise the insurance company with more damaged that they uncovered after they started working and ask for more money. Then the insurance company will be in a bind because they still have to pay for the repairs that were already done. So if they total it, they lose twice.

that just isn’t how estimates work these days. I could show the OPs picture to one of our claims adjusters and they would have a very accurate estimate in minutes.

 

[Art138]

I had similar damage but not nearly as bad. Tesla was backed up with appointments for 8 months; entire rear quarter panel and bumper had to be replaced. Insurance referred me to several shops bit most said they did not work with aluminum and electric cars. Finally found a Ford collision repair shop ( new F 150s are aluminum ) and found they have done many Tesla’s. Mine was parked next to an SUV and the driver cut the turn too soon. The collision center did an excellent job and one will not be able to tell there was damage except for the car fax. I was out 500 dollars ...total price to fix 8,500 dollars. Not your average Camry getting bumped in a parking lot; stay away from soccer moms with huge SUVs. And the Person did not have the courtesy to leave a message....just left.

 

[Relayer]

We have Amica, the other car had Progressive.
Progressive did say a recent lapse wouldn't mean they're not covered - but they could not locate the policy by VIN or by the policy number on the police report (which apparently had a couple of extra digits)?
Another example of "how TF is that possible?!"
Either way, we're letting our company figure it out. I'm just ticked it's taking this long to get word on status. We can't do anything until we get word. If it's gone, I want to order another Tesla, stat!