pknap

I had the unfortunate luck of being hit by a gun who spun out. Witnesses and responding trooper said it was his fault as it should be.
Has anyone ever been involved in an accident in which the Air Bag went off? Do you repair the car and keep it, sell it after repairs and go for a diminished value claim of the driver at fault?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

depends on how bad the damage is.

the air bags are meant to go off.
doesnt mean that the car is bad because the air bags went off.

your insurance adjuster will come by and give estimates on the car.
at that point; is when you should make a decision

potmilkz

imo.. once air bags go off usually car is totaled..

but this is not always the case.. post pics of damage and we will let you know our advice.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^wrong.

in an OLDER car where the value of the car is worth less than the airbags, yes.

I presume the value of the 4G is still of $20-30k.
airbags cost about 1000-1200 dollars.

if his vehicle is valued at lets say at least $20k
they're not gonna total that vehicle because of air bags alone.

Mr Marco

PaulAWD

Just make sure you take it to a shop with a good reputation. It will be fine and you would most likely never know it was ever in an accident. Any good body shop will have a lifetime workmanship warranty. Sorry to hear about your accident.

Devil Dog 21

My wife just wrecked my 2010 SH-AWD TL before Thanksgiving. The front driver's side airbag deployed and there was some other damage to the front of the car. Repairs cost right around $5k and the largest Acura dealership in the city just offered me $24k for my car which according to them was $1k less due to the wreck. They said they would obviously have to disclose the information to the potential buyer but because there was no frame damage it could still be certified.

Make sure you go after a diminished value claim with the insurance of the person at fault, and get your repairs done at an Acura Collision Center if possible. Keep good records and decide what to do after you get your car back. Personally, I'm waiting for the TLX to come out and will probably trade my TL in at that point.

Good luck!

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

queens207tl

I never really understood how the value of a car goes down in a car accident with no frame damage. You pretty much get new parts and the car is repainted. Especially when dealers make a big thing about a repainted cars. For example, a 2010 TL gets into a car accident. The body shop change the quarter panel and repaints the panel. In addition, he paints the entire car to match the new paint. To me, I would think that car would look better than another 2010 car whose paint is probably beginning to fade. I would think the newly repainted car would be worth more.

btw.. what is a diminishing value claim? Sounds as if you can go after the person for the difference in value due to the car accident. Is that correct?

Yumcha

Well said.

Yumcha

And to the OP: sorry about your car...welcome to the forum.

potmilkz

well this is why i have asked for pics of damage.

air bags deploying usually means that it is more than just a simple front end collision.. not for all cases, but usually..

what i was told from the insurance company awhile ago was that if the cost of the repair is 70-75% of the cash price of the car, then it will be considered totaled.


in this case, the op didnt state where the damage is.. so we will have to wait

in for the pics.

stars_fan

The airbag lists for 805 so it's not that big of an item.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

a little front end collision could cause the airbags to deploy.
thats what they are made to do.
DEPLOY.

not trying to be an ass or anything.

VQPower37

after a big wreck, IMO the car is never the same ... i would probably go after dimished value, sell the car, and get into something new, just because you dont know if the next time it will crash the same way if you need it too ... im sure some do not agree with this ... hence i said IMO

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^it depends on the damage.

DID You know that MOST every single piece is replaceable?
that means if its damaged; it gets replaced with a new piece.

Most of the time; you wont even know that it has been in a wreck.

How do I know?
I wrecked my car.

-alignment is spot on.
-frame alignment is spot on.
if some one didnt know my history got in and drove my car; no one would know it has been wrecked.

pknap

I have the pictures but the site is asking for a URL to access them. Sorry, just have them in jpg format.

Here they are.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/29/34358578.jpg/

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/28/frontdw.jpg/

HeartTLs

iTrader: (5)

Damage doesn't look too bad. Change the grille if tabs are broken, bumper, fender, repaint/blend the front 1/2 of the car (from front doors up), replace the airbag. Maybe that headlight too if it's scratched up, which you may or may not want to do depending on how bad it is and whether or not you INS company will replace it with a OEM one. Wheel/suspension/frame seem fine.

Edit: that car definitely isn't totalled.

pknap

Just had the Travelers Ins. appraiser come by and finish his estimate of $5700 and change as the wrecker was pulling up. The car will go to a shop recommended by a lawyer friend in the Seattle/Tacoma area. Keep you updated on what the shop estimates.

oc48bound

The damage doesn't look bad but it's what you can't see that could be a problem down the road. Front end components, even if they are replaced, could cause the vehicle not to drive "quite the same". The CarFax report will also likely show that the car was in an accident and that the airbags deployed. Obviously, you are going to get the car fixed so once it is fixed you can see how it drives and then decide. Sorry to see this, if you like most of the people on this site you have a special connection to your TL and it sucks when someone f@@ks that up.

listrats

Matching paint is never the same as having the whole car painted at the same time. Removing panels and putting new ones on is never the same as the first time the car was put together...Not saying its something you cant live with but of course accidents are only going to take away value from a car, not add

Devil Dog 21

Most people would not buy a car that had been in an accident for the same price as one that hadn't. I would ask the seller for a discount due to damage that could possibly have gone unfound and unfixed. I do agree that that theoretically a car with all new parts and paint should be valued higher due to them being new.

A diminished value claim can be filed by the party who is not at fault for the loss of value in their vehicle caused by the accident. Most insurance companies will try to fight paying it though.

I have been considering trading in my car for this very reason, but after having it back for a month it drives perfectly. We'll see how the car is doing in a few months.

Agreed.....so far.

C8N

I agree with you but the problem is not all repairs are the same.
If you assume that the shop... or even the previous owner did everything correctly without cutting corners, I think that's a big mistake.

PaulAWD

Keep in mind that auto body repair shops don't make money by not fixing all the damage done in an accident. Shops make 20% replacing parts and 65% repairing parts. If there is damage under the bumper or fender you better believe the tech and shop wants to fix it and get paid. If the insurance is involved and the shop gets paid to replace a part and doesn't they can be suspended and/or lose that insurance companies work. That can easily be $50k to 100k worth or sales for the year and there isn't a good shop out there that would take that risk. Any car not totalled in an accident will most likey be just as good if not better then pre accident condition if repaired at a good repair shop.

Chilinout

Pknap ... Sorry to hear about your
misfortune. I think it all depends on how you feel about it after you have the car fixed. Anyone who is a car enthusiast would not feel good about about having damage to their car knowing subconsciously that its been damaged. I think once you get it back you'll know better how you feel about it. As many have said some people shy away from a car that has been in an accident especially if it had an airbag deployment. People assume for the airbag to go off that it was pretty severe front end damage which is not always the case. It just has to be enough impact to set the sensors off.
I would keep pictures and the receipts of the repairs from a reputable repair shop to show a potential buyer if I were selling private party in case they asked about it and let them decide for them selves if they would want to buy it. Clearly you may not get as much as if it were not in an accident. Good luck to you... Glad you are okay!

Glashub

Sorry for your pain. I'd say contact the NRA or Obama since it was a gun that spun out. Try to remember that guns don't cause car accidents..people do.

pknap

The damage and repairs amounted to a little under $9,800. Stay tuned for the Diminished Value claim...

LawnPro

Woah.......$ 9800 is quite a lot, does that price include both front air bags?

pknap

Just the drivers side went off. The invoice states that restraint system was a little over 2K.

potmilkz

see what i mean by airbags costing alot.

just because its priced at 805 online doesnt mean it doesnt cost a grip to have the shop install it... 2k for front driver air bag.. lol seems about right for a body shop to quote.

Mr Marco

Sorry to hear the news. I actually felt a tear forming when I saw the pics. Hope everything goes well for you.

weather

I feel almost the same when I see your avatars (lol) Where do you get these pics anyway...they crack me up!!

HigdonTL05

My 3G was hit last oct, and was totaled. labor cost made up around $3,000 of the $9,500 estimate. My front airbag,passenger airbag and side curtains went off. Oh and they would of had to change my front drivers seat because some of the airbags blow out of the seat. Potmilkz is right about airbags $$$$$

yrmed

Glad you are okay. Good luck with repairs!

pknap

The appraiser came back with a Diminished Value Claim of almost 10K. Now the lawyer will go after the at fault drivers insurance to claim the amount stated in the DV claim.

The car has been repaired with all OEM parts. Looks and feels like it did before the accident.

potmilkz

dayummmmmm

AtotheZ

Woow! The car's value diminished 10k cuz of this? Let me know when you wanna sell it lol

JoeChege

Doesn't one need a new dash if the passenger side airbag go off?

PaulAWD

Not these days. Older ones did and sometimes broke the windshield too but now you just pull the delated one out and drop in a new one.

VQPower37

jeez 10gs ... i would prob get the 10gs and trade the car, cuz i doubt the trade in value will be hit by 10g as well, and you can get into something newer ...