Uhaul attacks my imiev

[luvmymiev]

UNBELIEVABLE! Uhaul truck had a crushed cab. Everything works and I drove my i home. Nonetheless they will likely total my car. New tires and wheels put on 3 days before. :evil:

 

[kiev]

Oh that's a shame, sorry to hear it. Where are you located? There's no way to avoid idiots in uhauls...

 

[wmcbrine]

I'm the pessimist on these things, but I don't think that will be totalled. I can't even see any damage in that pic. I'm sure it's all scraped up, though.

 

[JoeS]

Ouch! Thank you for the (painful) photo. Whatever you do, don't let this car get away if the insurance company totals it, as some of us don't mind driving around in beater cars. Do keep us posted on the progress, and maybe post another photo.

 

[luvmymiev]

Roof, rear quarter panel and rear hatch got it. Private repair estimate is $4300. We will see what the Uhaul insurance people say. I have 50,000 miles on it.

 

[Don]

I have 50,000 miles on it.

. . . . and you just now found us? Where have you been??

I think they'll fix it - It's all cosmetic. If they choose to total it, I would buy it and get it fixed myself if I were you

You must love it if you waited until 50K to buy those nifty wheels! - What are they and where did you get them?

Don

 

[luvmymiev]

Many life changes have kept me preoccupied. I have lurked a bit, but did not have time to contribute. I "found" this forum again when I decided on the wheels after a pothole got one of mine. I did not see them mentioned so I was going to post about them. Then this Uhaul thing happened.

https://www.tirerack.com/wheels/res...EV&autoYear=2012&autoModClar=ES&package=false

 

[Don]

Cool! - Tire Rack now sells wheels to fit our cars!!

I'm 95% sure you can find someone to fix your car for less than $4300. If that's what they agree to pay you, I think you'll be in good shape. Pretty sure you could get a good repair for more like $2500 to $3K at a good shop. It didn't break either of the panels of glass (thankfully) and they will weld little studs on the panels and use them to pull out 90% of those dents. A little body filler and a good paint match and you'll never know it was damaged

I *like* the wheels - Gives the car a whole new look, doesn't it?

Don

 

[JoeS]

...and they will weld little studs on the panels and use them to pull out 90% of those dents. A little body filler and a good paint match and you'll never know it was damaged...

Hmmm, how hard is it to detach or remove the headliner for access to that roof from the inside? Since the metal is so thin I think it could easily be reshaped. BTW, you know what Australians call a Body Shop? Answer: Panel Beaters.

 

[Don]

They have a tool that welds a little wire 'stud' onto the body panel in the bottom of the dent - You can weld on 10 or 15 of them if you need in much less time than removing interior components. A little slide hammer pulls the dent, you cut off the welded wires and grind them flush. In less than 15 or 20 minutes, 90 or 95% of the dents are gone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKtft6xJdII

I think that's a $100 Harbor Freight tool they're using here - Body shops have a professional one that works even better. The days of taking a car apart to get to the backside to beat the dent out are pretty much gone - This is much faster and easier

Don

 

[jray3]

Ouch, what a bad luck acciDent! I'd encourage you to do the buyback if they total it. That's the flipside of our low valuations, quick to total out, and super-cheap to buy back. I'd put the old wheels/tires back on just in case, but negotiate down to $2500 or less. The last fixable-looking auction car I saw went for $1800. Our i-MiEV replaced a 1992 Civic that was twice-totalled and twice bought back, and I got more money from insurance the second time than the first time five years earlier, knowing the game better!

Cool! - Tire Rack now sells wheels to fit our cars!!
I *like* the wheels - Gives the car a whole new look, doesn't it?

Indeed! The link didn't work for me but the fronts are selling for $115 and rear wheels for $120- that's better than OEM salvage alloys. Wonder how the weight compares?

Here's the link where I found 'em.
https://www.tirerack.com/wheels/res...iEV&autoYear=2012&autoModClar=SE&package=true