We had a lot of snow today so the road were icy. I just left work and was going about 40 miles an hour on a road with 4 lanes plus a center. All the sudden I see something happen in the opposing lane and suddenly an SUV skids sideways into my lane. For a split second I thought I would miss him, but I hit him dead center on the passanger side - left a perfect imprint of my front end about half way into his vehicle. It turns out that some kid in a jeep pulled out of a driveway and hit him, which knocked him into my lane (the kid driving the SUV that I hit was 17). Amazingly no one was hurt, but I am pretty sore from seatbelt and my neck is sore too. Of course my air bag went off.

The whole front of my car is smashed - the battery was leaking acid and my drivers side rim was bent pretty bad (which surprised me). Both my doors were very hard to open.

I found a pic on the forum of another TL that was in accident and mine looked alot worse. I think his was totaled so I am praying that mine will be. I already talked to Allstate.

http://img55.imageshack.us/my.php?lo...=Accident3.jpg

I know the TL is highly rate in front collisions and I think it really saved me from some bad injuries.

BTW, I had my computer bag it the trunk, but I couldn't get it open because the electrical system was out - any ideas how to do this?

 

I'm glad you're not seriously hurt from it. It could be a lot worse.

Can't help you with the trunk though.. sorry.

 

can you reach it throught the back seat arm rest?

 

Wow. I never thought about not be able to open the trunk if the electrical system is out.

Sorry to hear about the accident.

 

im sure that that if u bring it to the dealer they have an over ride system that they hook the car up to something and control the buttons...or did u try thru the arm rest pass thru and use a hanger to flick the switch inside the trunk in case u get locked in

 

I have a very large plastic case in my trunk that takes up most of the space, so even if I tried going in through the passthrough I wouldn't be able to do anything. The car is sitting at the tow truck garage until tomorrow. My Acura dealer (Grand Rapids, MI) doesn't have a body shop, so I am not sure what I am going to do. I just pray that they total it.

Anyone get have there TL totaled???

 

There is a way to open the trunk via the back seat. Open the center armrest trap door. Reach in and feel along the top.ceiling - under the rear dash. There is a rubber pull-tab (best way I can describe it) that can be used to trigger/open the trunk.

I beleive the reason I know about this is from reading it in the manual....

 

I think you're right. It's for safety reasons in case you're kidnapped and thrown in the trunk. It's sad that kind of precaution has to be taken, but it's smart by car companies.

 

it's actually designed for kids or people accidentally lock themselves in the trunk for playing or whatever reasons when nobody's around. people actually died in there in the past. i guess it's useful in your mentioned situation if the kidnapper is really that dumb.

 

The safety release you are all taking about is on the trunk itself. Open your trunk and look at the inside by the hinge (on the part that is now in the air) - it is a fluorescing yellow thing (so it lights up in the dark). Maybe there is two of these in the car - one of them being near the passenger seat... but that is news to me.

 

TheNip73 is correct. there is info on manual too.

 

People, manual is your guide.

 

Sorry about the accident. I am very happy to see that the TL kept you safe. Glad you are OK.

 

Thanks for the info, I did manage to get the trunk open when I went to the storage lot today.

I have pics and will post them as soon as I figure out how.

 

This an 05 with Nav, 23k miles. The drivers side suspension looked really messed up. The dash on passenger side looks like its pushed forward about an 1.5 inches so I suspect there is more than meets the eye. The driver side tire hit something so hard it actually has gouges in the metal. The driver door has crease that you can see in one pic.

Here is the question for everyone - Totaled or not?

Please argue amongst yourselves. I am thinking they will fix it, which will depress me to no end.









IMG]http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/mkempa/DSCF0200.jpg[/IMG]

 

Always sad to see a totaled car. All that matters is that you and the other drivers are ok.

 

I guessing they will try to fix it.
If you price the used car on Kelley's Blue Book, a 05 TL automatic with 23,000 miles in excellent condition (before the crash) would be worth $25,375.

The repair bill would need to be close to or exceed $25,375 for the car to be considered totaled.

 

I didn't mean totaled, I meant damaged. But, for totaled, doesn't it need to be 50-75% of the value depending on the insurance company?

But, he said that even the inside was damaged with the dash pushed forward 1-2 inches. That seems like a lot more damage than we are thinking. though, I would like to hear what they end up doing with the car.

 

grab a hammer and start banging on the car until it looks like totaled

I definitely don't want that much damage to be fixed especially something inside looks not right.

 

Frame damage is what would KILL the car cause it is hard to fix. If the dash is way off then there must be some good frame damage which will probably total it. I would press for totaling, and hopefully it will go your way.

 

I got my bumper fixed about 6 months ago. I had the whole bumper cover replaced. With labor and hardware it came to $600. It was not much work. When I look at this, I think damn, there could be 20K worth of damage when you factor labor into it.

The adjuster will look at the car earlier next week. The women I spoke with at Allstate says if the damage is extensive then they will have to put it on lift to see underneath (I assume they will do this). I will have the Acura dealer look it over and tell me what they think. What do I do if the two don't agree? There must be mechanism to reslove this.

 

You are correct. Thanks for pointing that out to me.

According to an article on Yahoo site, the range can run from 51% - 80% of its actual worth.

http://finance.yahoo.com/insurance/a...otals_Your_Car

So depending on the insurance company the repair bill will need to be:

51% of 25,375 = $12,941.25 TO
80% of 25,375 = $20300.00

 

Generally you can go to an arbitration; however, if you push Allstate enough, they may just total it. Especially if it is close to the cost of totaling, but not quite there.

 

Think of the insurance company as your enemy at this point. The insurance company is going to go the cheapest route.
Ask Allstate what the percentage of the worth for your car to be considered a total loss.

Depending on the damage estimates, your car may meet Allstate's definition of total loss. On the other hand, you may have to fight to get the car totaled.

If your Acura dealership said it will cost X and Allstate says it will be Y (huge difference). I would not be surprised since most dealerships are going to cost more than independent body/paint repair shops.

Start asking friends and co-workers for recommendations of an auto repair shop.

I remember a friend of mine that had their show car totaled by another driver. The insurance company refused to include some of the document (receipts) add-ons to the car. My friend told their insurance rep that since the accident occurred that they had pain in their back and neck. The insurance company can either hand her a check for X or she will start sending them the medical bills.

They gave her the check that afternoon for X.

 

Ins companies are evil bastards once they have to pay out. Good luck!

My ins company refused to pay for some of my add-ons to the car. They are now paying out the ass in medical bills (not by choice though )

 

I had an accident last year trust me it is totaled. if it is not I would sell it after it is fixed asap that car has frame damage.

 

Dashotgun,

Knowing that your car was totaled after seeing that picture gives me hope that mine will be too. Who was your insurance company? Did you buy another Acura?

I am toying with buying a new BMW 3 series, although I need to drive one to see if it is too small, and to see if can live up to all the hype. After reading Car and Driver for the last 20 years, I expect driving a 3 series to be better than the first hit off the crack pipe.

 

I have amica which is a great ins co. I got the identical acura to the one I lost. I have 6500 miles on the new one and not a rattle or problem. i love the features and the looks of the car. Also it save my life as the accident involved being broadsided by a Tahoe going at least 55 mph (probabaly faster he lied). BMW are nice a friend has an m3 which is a phenomenal car but it is in the shop a lot ( 6 times in the shop recently to replace clunking front struts.) They do handel well but are more expensive when you outfit them comparatively to the acura. I can give up the handeling part of the equation as I just got this for christmas . You can see the acura in the picture in the garage on the left.