hovbuild

My b-inlaw had a 13 that he crashed twice. He claims both time were about the same and seemed fixable but after the second the ins co totaled the car...His body guy told him most Japanese cars are very expensive to fix stating they are meant to crush on impact protecting the occupants. This guy said it is very common to see them totaled instead of fixed. Anybody else experienced this?

lumpulus

Well, my G/F was hit front end offset at 40mph(so 80mph impact) and there was no question of a total, but the passenger compartment was solid...she got bumps and bruises and a chipped tooth from the airbag throwing her hand up. Fault was with the other driver(bending over to pick up dropped phone) so she sued and got new car plus damages.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

insurance companies look at the value of the car.
if the repair cost more than a certain amount of the value, they will total the car.

the insurance company deemed that particular vehicle(NOT all RDX's) with that specific monetary damage, totalled.

this doesnt mean the car is bad.
it can be fixed.
the insurance company just doesnt want to pour money into it.

matter of fact; the insurance company will sell it to an auction house/junk yard and some one will pick it up for A LOT Less than what its worth and fix it.

mrgold35

The insurance company might have taken into account the first accident and both incidents might have cost them more for repairs compared to just to total out the vehicle.

My 06 TSX was hit by road debris from a city dump truck and it caused +$6200 worth of damage (city low balled me and I let my insurance take over the fight) and then my son rear ended a car at a stop light a year later and cause another +$6500 worth of damage. The insurance guy told me he was over the limit and the car might be totaled out. I paid about $800 extra out of pocket to keep it under the line and got the TSX fixed.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

also ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL cars are designed to do this.

not just Japanese cars.

But is very easy to fix.
your BIL's insurance company just didnt want to spend the coin on fixing it, and rather just pay out.

ceb

Correct. All modern cars have crumple zones and that makes for fairly expensive repairs - but - each insurance company has a threshold - if the cost of repairs exceed that threshold then the car is totaled. While that % is close-hold and varies by insurance company, the rule of thumb is if the costs exceed 65-75% of the pre-accident value then the car is totaled.

This has nothing to do with the RDX or with Japanese cars. FWIW, crumple zones were first used by MB and Japanese cars were fairly late to the game.

Whenever you start looking at replacement instead of repairs (replacing an airbag instead of straightening a fender for example), you can see the costs adding up quickly.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Ceb always has my back!

bovicious

THIS...

(I worked for an insurance company for over 4 years as a damage adjuster)

hovbuild

Instead of getting my information from my mother in-law I found out the car was hit in the first accident in the rear left quarter. This was fixed by the dealer. The second one was in the right front but when at a different body shop it was discovered that the rear repair was not done right ( damage to the drive line and diff), so with the combined cost to do again the ins co totaled it....The dealer will be held accountable by the ins co for shoddy and fraudulent repairs.

markAZ

We had the opposite experience with one of our cars a while back. The damage was extensive and the estimate was very close to the value of the car. I wanted them to total it but they went ahead and fixed it. In the end it cost them almost $1000 more than the car was worth. Think about it...if they total it, the body shop doesn't get the business to fix it. Don't know why the adjuster went along with it.

HondaGuy347

Just wait until the 2016 redesign if they do the jewel eye LED lights. Finance guy at my dealer claims they're ~$2300 a pop (at cost not markup). Damage them both and you're at $5k before you touch a single other thing.

OTOH, they're now a warranty item versus HIDs and halogens that are "oh it burnt out? No warranty son".

panamera125

I have a pretty hard time believing that though. If a 2016 ILX costs about $27k base, it would be more than impossible for headlights to account for about 20% of the cost of the car. I'd bet they're probably $750-1000 each to replace, which is more than what it actually costs to make.

ceb

There is a significant difference between the cost of a part when built and the same replacement cost. Many are legit costs (shipping, warehousing, labor) and the markups. Manufacturers don't make a lot on new cars. The profit is in repairs and spares.

That $27k ILX would cost 75k if you built it using parts from the dealership.

I do know that the headlamp housing for an RL is in the $1600 range before bulbs. Any Jewel Eye damage would most likely require a whole new assembly, so the $2300 could well be close. What does the JE assembly for an RLX or MDX cost?

CybrRdr

Well my 2014 RDX was listed as totaled. It was more serious then a fender bender though. The RDX was t-boned. The estimate cost to repair was $22,000 by the adjuster. I think it was worth more to them as salvage parts to be honest with you.

HondaGuy347

According to Edmunds, single row jewel eye is $1400, RLX double row is $2500:

Expensive Jewels - 2014 Acura MDX AWD Long-Term Road Test

panamera125

Wow, very interesting, I'd have never imagined that. No wonder Honda only puts LEDs on the Accord Touring (that I know of), they're expensive!!

Virginia_Mark

LEDs have been around a long time now, the cost of those lights, if indeed they are 2300 a piece is strictly markup. A good example is the backlight in your TV, which is where the LEDs were actually used. For a year or two they cost more, then they dropped below the standard incandescent backlight bulbs.