How much damage will total my car

[zkdreads]

Originally Posted by daveagogo1

If it isn't a total i'd push for it to be. That pillar will result in a Frankenstein job. Sucks OP. where was this at? I'm in Tampa area too.

i agree. you have frame damage. tell them to cut you a check and pick another one off the lot!

[clg_98ta]

Ouch... that had to hurt!! Hope you both are OK

[upflying]

Except for the a-pillar the damage doesnt look to bad. The fender was simply peeled off, structure underneath looks pretty good.
RF fender, hood and bumper cover is all you need. Then there's that pesky a-pillar.
Put me down in the minority, I think it is repairable.
If the insurance totals it, that car will live again as a rebuilt salvage title.

[motorhead]

I wrecked a car where the A-pillar took a hit like that and the car got totaled without the airbags deploying. The car was only two years old with less than 11,000 miles on it. I would be amazed if it got repaired, but you never know. I also had a head on, on a one and half year old car with under 8,000 miles on it, that took $24,000 to repair when it was all said and done, and the jackasses repaired it. I didn't see that car for over three months.

[rjacobs]

Airbags blowing dont necessarily anymore lead to a total loss. That used to be the case, but not so much anymore since they are MUCH cheaper.

I had FAR less damage(at least to the eye) to a 3 month old Subaru WRX STI and it was totalled. 17k in damage(t boned into A pillar)+150 days of rental car($4500)+possible transmission issues($7000 for a new trans installed at Subaru) since one wheel locked while the other 3 turned. Sticker on that car was around 37k. The adjuster in that case said when it gets close monetarily that its a judgement call. Also dont forget to bring up diminished value in the overall equation.

[SSDan]

OP - be wary of bravado talk. Read posts 26 and 27 - that is how it works. That A pillar is repairable. But the big question is how much will the total repair cost be. Just judging on the photos - I think it would be close to a total loss and you should work with the insurance adjuster with that in mind. IMHO I wouldn't want the car back and would approach it that way.

Remember start the conversation in a civil but firm way. Don't draw lines in the sand right up front. Stay firm but don't loss your cool. Why am I saying this. I handled thousands of wrecked cars as an adjsuter. I always appreciated working with car owners who were polite but firm and worked a little harder to help if there was a gray area or a little wiggle room that would help. I didn't feel quite that way for the blow hards who thought they knew my job better than me and jumped on me as I got out of my car telling me what I was going to do. Most of my peers were the same way. Just my 2 cent FWIIW.

[v6sonoma]

The damage to the A-pillar tells me it will probably be totaled. I don't think an insurance company would want to risk that one. Pretty crazy damage you have there. Glad you both made it out alive.

[midnighter]

Totalled, start picking out a new one.

[BlackinBlack]

Originally Posted by Camaro/ss/rs

Just put a ZL1 front bumper on and you will be good to go....

I LOL'd a bit as that seems to be the answer here when anyone gets front end damage.

To the OP. Car looks totaled. Glad you are OK and I hope the recovery is short.

What insurance did the bus have?

[Ringo64]

Totaled... Never a good sign when there is structure damage plus air bag deployment

Hope you feel better and this doesn't affect you down the road!

[Mr. iNCREDIBLE]

general rule of thumb is air bag deployed or more than 60% of the value in repair costs

though some insurance companies may be lower or higher than 60%, depending on the company, but 60% is a general guideline

[myold88]

Originally Posted by SSDan

OP - be wary of bravado talk. Read posts 26 and 27 - that is how it works. That A pillar is repairable. But the big question is how much will the total repair cost be. Just judging on the photos - I think it would be close to a total loss and you should work with the insurance adjuster with that in mind. IMHO I wouldn't want the car back and would approach it that way.

Remember start the conversation in a civil but firm way. Don't draw lines in the sand right up front. Stay firm but don't loss your cool. Why am I saying this. I handled thousands of wrecked cars as an adjsuter. I always appreciated working with car owners who were polite but firm and worked a little harder to help if there was a gray area or a little wiggle room that would help. I didn't feel quite that way for the blow hards who thought they knew my job better than me and jumped on me as I got out of my car telling me what I was going to do. Most of my peers were the same way. Just my 2 cent FWIIW.

Your correct but usually these cars with extensive damage are at body shops. Some shops are great to work with re constructive total losses but many are just pushing to repairing, not totalling cars.
As an adjuster also, I can tell you nightmare stories of the "difficult" shops who will push for repairing
these cars regardless of the extent of the damage. I agree that wherever the car is located, It's
important to let your insurance co &/or adjuster know what YOU would like to do.

[CamaroHolland]

Originally Posted by BlackinBlack

I LOL'd a bit as that seems to be the answer here when anyone gets front end damage.

To the OP. Car looks totaled. Glad you are OK and I hope the recovery is short.

What insurance did the bus have?

The school Bus was self insured.

[SSDan]

Originally Posted by myold88

Your correct but usually these cars with extensive damage are at body shops. Some shops are great to work with re constructive total losses but many are just pushing to repairing, not totalling cars.
As an adjuster also, I can tell you nightmare stories of the "difficult" shops who will push for repairing
these cars regardless of the extent of the damage. I agree that wherever the car is located, It's
important to let your insurance co &/or adjuster know what YOU would like to do.

Fair enough. Like we all tend to do - I was speaking from my perspective and frame of reference.

I wrote my own estimates. I did not rely on what body shops had to say. If my estimate took it to a total loss level or close to it then I pulled the trigger and totaled the car. If I felt it was repairable and the right thing to do then I first sold that position to the owner and then had the car moved to the shop of the owner's choice and then negotiated with the shop on an as need basis.

Sorry OP to clog up your post with extra details about the clains adjusting process. But hopefully you find it helpful to have some extra knowledge. The best of luck to you. I can only imagine how bad I would feel if my pride and joy looked like yours. :( Good luck and I wish all to turn out right for you.