How bad is the Damage? Totaled?

[RedCharger2012]

On Saturday, April 20th,I was hit in the intersection by a Taxi making an left hand turn. The police on the scene instantly placed the taxi driver at fault. This is the damage done, do you believe it will be totaled? How much do you think repair costs will be? It had to be towed away(obviously lol). Its a 2012 with less than 13k on it. Geico is going to look at it tomorrow. Just want to know what to prepare myself for , alot of people are saying it's totaled. Check engine light was on as well after this.

From other people I spoke to,(insurance hasn't looked at it yet), people are saying between 7-10K in cosmetic damage alone that you can see in the photo. What do you guys think?

[skip68]

Welcome to the site.     there are some guys here that have the "new" Charger but it's mostly dedicated towards the older classic Chargers.  I think chargerforums is the site for new chargers.   But by all means stick around.   Actually, we have several members with the new car.   Sorry to see that happen.   Did you get smacked by the airbag?     I'm no expert but it doesn't look totaled to me. 

[areibel]

I'd say it's not totaled either, but they body shop will want to do a thorough check out for the dreaded "unseen damage".  The check engine is probably a sensor that got trashed from the damage, but until you'd get it up in the air to see if it tweaked the frame you really can't tell if there's anything more than sheetmetal and broken plastic. 

[Cooter]

It all depends on how upside down you are in that thing, how much book value/resale value is, and how far you want to go with totaled to decide what the insurance company will do. IF it's worth more than 10K, then it's prolly not totaled.

[Aero426]

A 2012 with that low miles and no bags deployed will be repaired.

[RedCharger2012]

I always been a Charger fan (new and old). Figured this would be the opportune moment to come around after this incident.

Shockingly the AirBags never deployed. Was a pretty hard collision. Taxi driver claimed he never saw me coming through the intersection, cop said "So your didn't see a big bright red effing charger coming your way? Yea me either" 

I always hear that "once a car has front end damage it never rides the same", if this is repairable, I hope I don't go through that phase of "it not feeling right". I would have to add some upgrades to make it feel "special again".

[Brass]

Upside:  It probably would've been more money to repair if the air bag deployed.

Downside:  Since it didn't, that would leave me with an uneasy feeling – couldn't trust it to deploy in the future if needed to.

[Aero426]

I always hear that "once a car has front end damage it never rides the same", if this is repairable, I hope I don't go through that phase of "it not feeling right".

Being in the collision business, I can tell you that while the damage is more than what you can see, it is also not what would be called severe.  Should be no problem and the car will drive fine.     The air bag systems are pretty intelligent.  If it was not functional at the time of the impact, the computer would have flagged it.    It will be ready to go when you get the car back.

If you are talking to body shops,  ask them if they use some kind of electronic measuring system.   Also ask if their technicians are I-Car Gold Class certified.     Not sure what part of the country you are in.  

[Baldwinvette77]

i've seen a 7 year old Lexus with heavier damage than that (both airbags went off) get repaired and is back on the road, im no expert, but it should be fixable

ohyeah another thing a friends 300c got bad front end damage (much worse than what you have pictured) he got an aftermarket grille, headlights and i think a bumper too, simply because they cost less than new dealer parts you may want to check out some aftermarket offerings, stock or custom, they may save you a bit.

[69charger2002]

I always hear that "once a car has front end damage it never rides the same", if this is repairable, I hope I don't go through that phase of "it not feeling right".

Being in the collision business, I can tell you that while the damage is more than what you can see, it is also not what would be called severe.  Should be no problem and the car will drive fine.     The air bag systems are pretty intelligent.  If it was not functional at the time of the impact, the computer would have flagged it.    It will be ready to go when you get the car back.

If you are talking to body shops,  ask them if they use some kind of electronic measuring system.   Also ask if their technicians are I-Car Gold Class certified.     Not sure what part of the country you are in.  

If the air bag system is so smart, why didn't it deploy???  just messing with you. To the OP, it doesn't appear to be totalled to me. If it was an 07, probably, but not being a 2012

[RedCharger2012]

Lol.

cool I appreciate all of you guys concern and input. I'll be sure to keep you guys posted on the update as soon as I get one.

I even considered If i get it back to just get it painted a whole new color at this point just to feel like it's something new 

[NJRBros]

Looks pretty similar to my accident.. Car ran a stop sign making a left turn and police put other driver totally at fault. My airbags didn't deploy either and my check engine light was also on afterwards. Obviously, since it's a 2005 Jetta, the parts are definitely cheaper than yours will be, but we got quoted 4k. Since we had the resources/know how to repair this at our home, we repaired it for a little more than half of that! We even replaced the radiator support, fender, bumper, grille, hood, and more misc. with OEM parts!   Everyone including the tow truck driver told us it was totaled. However, there was absolutely no damage to the engine and the engine light was able to be reset. I guess it came on because the airbox cover popped off and smothered the intake ??

Anyway, unless there is serious unseen/engine damage, I'd doubt it's going to be totaled.
Good luck!  

[JB400]

Unless the substructure got bent, it's not gonna be totaled.  Of course, if it is totaled,   2nd gen maybe 

[GL0169]

Thank God  you weren't driving a real charger 

[ws23rt]

Looks like my 09 challenger after hitting a dear. No air bag deploy. no structural damage. $7500 repair and like new.

[ottawamerc]

I wouldn't worry about the air bag not deploying and therefore being defective. The new generation systems determine the severity and point of impact and deploy if necessary, also word of caution even if the bags do deploy some have the ability to re inflate with a second charge. Air bags are life savers and dangerous items at the same time. Hope your Charger get massaged back to its proper shape, great looking car  

[Nacho-RT74]

you don't have to worry, no need to find Goodmark or AMD panels yet, neither repro grilles or headlights... still factory parts available on these days for those

[JB400]

you don't have to worry, no need to find Goodmark or AMD panels yet, neither repro grilles or headlights... still factory parts available on these days for those

I read in Mopar Muscle, they bought a roof for a new Challenger for $300 from the factory.  Wish the classic stuff was that cheap.

[472 R/T SE]

That don't look too bad especially since the bags didn't pop.  I've always been told the bags tend to sway the opinion one way or the other.   Glad no one was seriously hurt, after-all, that's what really matters.

The State Farm adjuster that came out & looked at my wife's truck actually told me that if SF didn't total it that I should ask them if I could get some kind of guarantee that the new bags will deploy again in case of another accident.  Didn't have to worry about it, SF cut us a $14,8k check.  Dude on the phone said he couldn't remember the last time he cut a check for that much for a stock '03.

[jaak]

A 2012 with that low miles and no bags deployed will be repaired.

I agree.


Another thing to keep in mind (especially if you are not at fault), be sure to hit their insurance company up for depreciation. I never heard of that until someone told me. Years ago a lady pulled out in front of me and I was driving an S-10 I had only had for 5 months. I told the insurance company I wanted to be paid for the depreciation of my vehicle, they set up an appointment with an appraiser. Got my truck fixed AND got a check for a few hundred dollars (800, IIRC) for the depreciation. I think the amount depends on what the vehicle is worth and how much damage had to be repaired. Its worth asking about, because even if you vehicle is repaired correctly, like new....It will always hurt the resale value because it has been wrecked.

Jason

[RedCharger2012]

never  knew about the "Depreciation" part, that makes alot of sense! I will def bring it up to my lawyer once I find out the car is not totaled. Still no verdict.

[472 R/T SE]

Yeah, I'd be all over that depreciation issue with a rig so new.

Is that an R/T?  Are those factory wheels?  Got any pix of it not crunched?  It looks like you de-molded it?

[bill440rt]

I always hear that "once a car has front end damage it never rides the same", if this is repairable, I hope I don't go through that phase of "it not feeling right".

Being in the collision business, I can tell you that while the damage is more than what you can see, it is also not what would be called severe.  Should be no problem and the car will drive fine.     The air bag systems are pretty intelligent.  If it was not functional at the time of the impact, the computer would have flagged it.    It will be ready to go when you get the car back.

If you are talking to body shops,  ask them if they use some kind of electronic measuring system.   Also ask if their technicians are I-Car Gold Class certified.     Not sure what part of the country you are in.  

2x 
There is definitely some frame damage there. Whether the frame rail will need replacement will be determined once the car is torn down at the body shop. In newer cars, frame rail replacement is much more common than you think simply due to the type of metal they are constructed from. Depending on the severity of damage to the frame rail, some manufacturers require it be replaced vs repaired. Now, whether the body shop will adhere to this is yet another story...
Like Aero said, just make sure you choose a reputable shop. Make sure it has modern equipment and their techs are properly trained.
The car looks definitely repairable.

[RedCharger2012]

it was an SE , not a RT or Hemi 

Rims were factory, only thing I changed was the speaker system and added tint.

[aussiemuscle]

Taxi driver claimed he never saw me coming through the intersection, cop said "So your didn't see a big bright red effing charger coming your way? Yea me either" 

well, if you don't look, then technically he didn't see you. i'm amazed people struggle to see my bright orange Falcon. (if their vision is that bad, they shouldn't be driving).

[RedCharger2012]

 TOTAL COST OF REPAIRS                      $ 7251.74

12 Days to fix.

[Baldwinvette77]

is 12 days what you were told? might want to add another 8 days to that, i've never heard of anyone get their car back from a body shop exactly when promised 

[hemi-hampton]

12 days is possible but depends on where you go & how busy they are, if parts are in stock & if not have to be ordered & waiting for parts to come in could take 12 days. At least where I worked.  LEON.

[UH60L]

I'd total it and then go buy a '69, but then I never would have been driving that sedan in the first place.......

Taxi driver was right, he didn't see a red charger coming.......

[Nacho-RT74]

12 days is possible but depends on where you go & how busy they are, if parts are in stock & if not have to be ordered & waiting for parts to come in could take 12 days. At least where I worked.  LEON.

take it to OverHaulin'

[RedCharger2012]

geesh,yall are not fans of the newer chargers at all I see 

[JB400]

Not everyone is, but some of us are   Performance wise, I consider the new car worthy of the nameplate.  Chrysler has stuck the nameplate on far worse.

[jaak]

Not everyone is, but some of us are   Performance wise, I consider the new car worthy of the nameplate.  Chrysler has stuck the nameplate on far worse.

Me too. I'd love to have a newer model SRT-8 in the garage by the 69.

Jason

[Nacho-RT74]

Being is true I'm not a fan of the Chagnum ( nice car simply wrong name ), Is just my opinion, however not trying to be ofensive, but kinda ironically joking, that you are overacting on this... COME ON!!! is a new car with replacement parts everywhere still from Mopar dealers, insurance available and you thought that was totalled ? you have to see and watch some restore project around and still coming to life about what could be REALLY considered TOTALLED

[Green71R/T]

Remember 12 days means 12 work days.thus 2 1/2 weeks.

[Dino]

When I was in collision I'd get anywhere from 2-4 days to fix something like that, depending on structural damage and/or drivetrain damage.  I'd probably keep the car until the bodyshop had all the parts, I wouldn't want my car sitting in a bodyshop for a week with all that crap around.

[70moparman]

Thank God  you weren't driving a real charger 

[FJMG]

I have a feeling that if it was an srt it would have been written off. My wife bought a wrecked 06 srt8  in 2010 with less visible damage than that (no straightening or welding required) and the ins. appraisal came in at $22,000. Up here, just the purchase price of the hood, front bumper cover and lower valence would have reached  $7500, srt stuff is expensive to buy new. The local government mandated insurance provider Has found that they can make more money selling a write-off than collecting premiums on the repaired vehicle.

[Silver R/T]

It doesn't look that bad. That's why theres frame machine in body shops. They'll pull out frame to like new condition and replace all the sheetmetal as needed and you'll be on your way.

[ACUDANUT]

I'd total it and then go buy a '69, but then I never would have been driving that sedan in the first place.......

Taxi driver was right, he didn't see a red charger coming.......

That's funny...True-dat.

[Silver R/T]

It's Magnum sedan. I think body shop should be able to get parts for Chrysler product. If I'm working on someone's car I;ll usually tell them 2-3 days longer than what I think it would take, just in case I run into something.

[RedCharger2012]

WELL THE STORY GETS ANOTHER TWIST! (sorry for Long post!)

I got a call this afternoon saying that my charger was ready for pickup (4days early) so I head up there. They give me the key and tell me go look at the car and see how it looks (no insurance rep or body shop rep etc came out there with me) so I look at the car , work looks good. But i get a gut feeling SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT. I open the back door and see the engine cover sitting in my backseat, next to random part still in wrapping with nuts and screws in the bag. I'm like WTF is this. The guy comes out and says "Oh that is just an old part, we dont need that (referring to the engine cover) and starts walking away with it and says "You know what, pop your hood let me check and goes OH thats where it goes" . So im thinking this is a disaster waiting to happen from here on forward. I'm like whatever I just want my car back, so I go and pay my deductible come outside and start my car. The "windshield washer fluid" light comes on, I press the button and no liquid comes out. i go inside and tell them. They hand me a full bottle of fluid and say sorry, we will charger it to the body shop, have a nice day. I'm already getting pissed at this point. I get in my car and drive 4-5mins down the road and temperature guage goes all the way to H and sits there and than just shuts off entirely. Check engine light comes on and so does a red lightning bolt.The car was smoking and smelled of something burning. I call them and bring the car back immediately. They said "oh an air bubble did that, we just have to burp the car, these aluminum engines do that". I flip out, grab my rental keys off the counter and the guy says "we will check your car in the AM". I called my Geico Damage Rep and left him a voicemail stating that I don't trust them, I don't want them(this bodyshop) touching this car anymore, I don't want the car and I feel that my safety and trust is compromised at this point. I'm looking forward to that conversation tomorrow when he calls me back.

Photos of lights:

[JB400]

Well, that sucks big time.   Sorry to hear that has happened to you.  Hope your insurance agent will make things right.  Best of luck

[ACUDANUT]

Damn, talk about quality control.  Keep us posted. 

[hemi-hampton]

Sounds like most of the body shops I've worked at. LEON.

[marshallfry01]

Since it got that hot I would make sure it didn't crack a head/block or both.

[GPULLER]

Your car should have been inspected  before you were called.  I work at a body shop and always test drive a vehicle after a repair like yours. On a test drive the heat and A/C should be checked to make sure they are working properly.  
After the vehicle is cleaned up for delivery I double check coolant, trans and power steering fluid levels missed compound if buffing was done or any parts or tools left in the vehicle.
Sorry to hear you had a bad experience, someone defiantly dropped the ball at the shop.