[EURO] Working airbags

[Tobster]

I waited 3 years to buy my Accord Euro.

I had it for 4 weeks.

It had it's 1000 km service last Friday.

On Sunday afternoon:

http://www.users.on.net/~haldanespencer/dents1.jpg
http://www.users.on.net/~haldanespencer/dents2.jpg

While I was turning right from the main road to the side road of a T-junction, a bloke in a BA Falcon turning right from the side road completely failed to see the bright red car directly in front of him.

These weren't the types of photos I intended to post of my car!

At least I know the airbags work -- and I reckon they saved me from knocking my head. My wife in the passenger seat ended up more sore than me.

The car had to be towed because the suspension was all broken.

Seemingly it looks much worse than it is. I wasn't sure how much that corner of the car had been shoved (he got me right in the wheel which is better than in my door!) or how much damage to the mechanicals might have happened. I was almost hoping it was a write-off so I got a new car, but it can be fixed. It's a good repairer with an excellent reputation (I phoned a mate who used to work in the industry while at the side of the road!) and I trust his opinion -- but I probably won't have my car back before the end of February. He doesn't use third-party parts for any repair either...

I think I wasted my time washing it that morning!

BUGGER!!!!!!! :(

[Butso]

stuff that . i'd push as hard as i can for a write-off ! . seriously i would not like to drive that thing after repairs knowing its suspension has been given a good hit . =(

[djcloud]

sorry to hear that man...it hurts to see another euro in this condition. I know it won't be the same after it's been repaired...but heck..try to get a write-off if you can, u got nothing to lose, but knowing the insurance company, they'll do anything to repair it. good luck...

[Tobster]

stuff that . i'd push as hard as i can for a write-off ! . seriously i would not like to drive that thing after repairs knowing its suspension has been given a good hit . =(
I thought that at first, but I'm feeling more comfortable with it now that I've been through the car with the repairer.

A car won't be written off until the damage bill gets to 75% of the car value -- or it just can't be repaired.

The suspension mounting area is all OK. This was what worried me most.

I'll end up with
all new suspension on that corner,
a new wheel,
tyre will be checked -- if it's not OK, then new tyre,
new door panel
new front quarter panel
new front bumper
new headlight
new roof lining (curtin airbags took that out!)
replaced curtin airbag
replaced seat airbag
seat has to be fixed up (bag splits it open)
new steering rack (if it needs it)
and any other respray or fixing that's needed.

I thought it might be getting close to replacement value, but seemingly it's not as bad as I suspected -- and I know this bloke isn't dodgy and doesn't do things on the cheap.

[jonolee]

i'd push for write off....that looks really nasty, looks like the wheel is just sitting on the ground rather then attached tot eh car

[accordoholic]

A write-off would be nice just purely because the suspension and that whole steering will probably be not the same when repaired.

BUT guys, be realistic.......there's no chance for that to be a write-off so don't waste time telling Tobster to push for one.

I've seen worse where wheels fallen off and needed to replace brake disc and whole heap of other things and still does not get written off. The main thing is to make sure the chassis is lined up properly, with suspensions and steering adjusted to as close to stock as possible. Just remember even picking up the car after it's being repaired, you can still return the car to fix if you do find there is still problems. And if they still can't solve it, take it somewhere else until its fixed. And don't leave it too late so the insurance company have no excuse claiming that you damaged it after the repairs.

Bad luck Tobster.

[hotout]

sorry to see your baby like thatTobster, btw how much use was the curtain and side airbags?

[Sulley]

i share your pain. I crash my auto lux 05 when it had 1200kms on it.
it was 4 weeks hold. I was going straight on the main road and this lady from the opposite side wanted to turn right just as i was crossing the Junction.
I've got pretty much the same damage as you but on the other side of the car. Air bags popped out and all.

her insurance covered my repairs, i pushed for a write-off but never got it.
total repair cost came out to $24000.

[industrie]

yeah bad luck dude...if i were you i would sell the car when its fixed...and get another one..sure you have to lose some money...good luck with the repairs...bloody fords :thumbdwn:

[BiLL|z0r]

yeah bad luck dude...if i were you i would sell the car when its fixed...and get another one..sure you have to lose some money...good luck with the repairs...bloody fords :thumbdwn:

I agree with accordoholic here, be realistic guys. I'm sure he doesn't have thousands of dollars sitting around to loose on depreciation and go buy a new car. If you read the first post he said it took him 3yrs to buy the car. So I'm sure he, like most of us don't have money to waste on a new car all the time.

Sad to see your car banged up that way. At least you and you're wife are ok which is all that matters. Cars can be replaced, people can't.

btw, after it all happened did you go off ya nut at the other driver? When I bought my new lancer 4-5yrs ago and just finished doing most of it up, some fool in a 4wd ute backed into me and I flew off the handles at him since I'd worked so hard to get it.

[kleung]

Tobster,

Sorry to see your misfortune. The other guy probably needs his eyes checked.

You seem to have found yourself a good repairer that you trust - that's important.

Demand nothing less than absolutely perfect repair job.

You might want to see if you can screw a hire car out of the other party's insurance as well.

Another consideration - does the other party's insurance offer lifetime warranty on the repairs? Does your insurance offer that?

Good luck with the repairs.

Ken

[ECU-MAN]

dam , thats just wrong.

glad to hear your OK. did just the side airbags go off, or did ya get the hamburger with the lot.


your misses looks pretty upset in the reflection of the door in the top photo.

hope it all works out for you, hope you get it back on the road sonner than later.

[jamchen]

man sorry to hear such upset thing happened to u and ur brand new euro lux...
yeah i would convince to have a written-off but be realistic... its very hard as the insurance company will try to fix it as much as they could before declear a total-loss...
just make sure everything will be fixed to ur satisfication and the steering and suspension will be as good as they were...
just like the saying my parents always told me...
" Driving is not only to avoid ourself to hit someone... but also to avoid someone will might come to hit you.."

[PERTH_EURO]

there is no way that should be a writeoff.

The repairs will be fine, you're in with the guy doing the work, u and ur wife are ok... cant ask for much more, your car will be fine :thumbsup:

(BTW its still sad to see)

[Omotesando]

OH GOSH! :(


I hate that so much.. when car is still quite new and someone else is so careless.


Sometimes I swear when another car is just about to hit me (or have hit me) I wanted to steer it to an angle so that it hits something else and it'll become a write-off, during that split second decision... but I'm afraid I'll misjudge and kill myself as well or got the car damaged more, but still not a write off!


DAMN...!!!
GET SOME NEW WHEELS OR KIT, make yourself happier :)

Anyway, its great to hear that you and your wife are both fine.

[Thorn2004]

Damn that hurts! Same color as my 05 milano red luxury, I would cry if that happened to my car so I can imagine how you and your missus are feeling :( As long as you are both ok then everything else is fixable!

How did the car react with the airbags etc? Did it help much?

[Tobster]

Thanks for everyone's responses.

We're still a little upset about it -- but it's happened, so there's no point in worrying about it. So much for parking well away from other cars to protect my doors!

The seat airbag and the curtin airbag went off, but not the steering wheel. Interestingly, I don't think his wheel airbag went off -- but I couldn't see anything past my pretty pink curtain! My wife had mild whiplash, some bruises from the seat belt and it turns out she has a hairline fracture in her elbow where she banged it. I was just a bit sore and my ear was stinging from the airbag (it knocked one of the lenses out of my sunglasses) -- so, yes, I reckon the bags do make a difference, and they're definitely worth it.

Previously, I don't think I would have paid for extra airbag options; now I definitely would. Not only do they stop from banging your head, but (if your windows weren't tinted) I imagine that in a bad accident, they'd stop you from being covered in broken glass.

You think that you're a good careful driver, but sometimes things just come out of nowhere that you can't do anything about. It's just bad luck...

I didn't go off at the bloke because he was pretty shaken up and very apologetic -- it doesn't do anything to help the situation and just makes it all the more uncomfortable for everyone. Interestingly, when I went to the police station to report it, she asked, "Was he old?" -- I reckon he was late 50s-early 60s -- and she told me that he was involved in an accident just 2 months before!

At first I hoped that the damage was extensive enough for them to write off the car. Going through it with the repairer, I feel much less worried about the car not being the same. I think of it this way: so long as the chassis and all the mounting points haven't moved or been weakened then it shouldn't be a problem. It's stock panels and suspension components that are going back into the car, so there's no reason for the car not to be just as it was.

The repairer guarantees his work (and he even brought up the fact that anything he does has to be up to Honda's warranty standards), and the insurance company guarantee the work, so I'm not so worried about it being a cheap dodgy job -- and I'm picky!

Like I say, sometimes things happen that you just can't do anything about -- and I'm just glad it wasn't any worse. At the end of the day, as much as I love it, it's still just a car...

[Thorn2004]

Thanks for everyone's responses.

We're still a little upset about it -- but it's happened, so there's no point in worrying about it. So much for parking well away from other cars to protect my doors!

The seat airbag and the curtin airbag went off, but not the steering wheel. Interestingly, I don't think his wheel airbag went off -- but I couldn't see anything past my pretty pink curtain! My wife had mild whiplash, some bruises from the seat belt and it turns out she has a hairline fracture in her elbow where she banged it. I was just a bit sore and my ear was stinging from the airbag (it knocked one of the lenses out of my sunglasses) -- so, yes, I reckon the bags do make a difference, and they're definitely worth it.

Previously, I don't think I would have paid for extra airbag options; now I definitely would. Not only do they stop from banging your head, but (if your windows weren't tinted) I imagine that in a bad accident, they'd stop you from being covered in broken glass.

You think that you're a good careful driver, but sometimes things just come out of nowhere that you can't do anything about. It's just bad luck...

I didn't go off at the bloke because he was pretty shaken up and very apologetic -- it doesn't do anything to help the situation and just makes it all the more uncomfortable for everyone. Interestingly, when I went to the police station to report it, she asked, "Was he old?" -- I reckon he was late 50s-early 60s -- and she told me that he was involved in an accident just 2 months before!

At first I hoped that the damage was extensive enough for them to write off the car. Going through it with the repairer, I feel much less worried about the car not being the same. I think of it this way: so long as the chassis and all the mounting points haven't moved or been weakened then it shouldn't be a problem. It's stock panels and suspension components that are going back into the car, so there's no reason for the car not to be just as it was.

The repairer guarantees his work (and he even brought up the fact that anything he does has to be up to Honda's warranty standards), and the insurance company guarantee the work, so I'm not so worried about it being a cheap dodgy job -- and I'm picky!

Like I say, sometimes things happen that you just can't do anything about -- and I'm just glad it wasn't any worse. At the end of the day, as much as I love it, it's still just a car...

Regarding the elderly driver of the other car, maybe he should be sent to do a driving test or at least a refresher course? Especially if this is the second accident he has been involved in in 2 months!

You are right, there is nothing you can do about it, unless you park your car in the garage and never take it out there is always a chance something like this is going to happen no matter what precautions you take! I try to park well away from everyone at shopping centres etc but in regards to driving in traffic there isn't much you can do.

I was almost involved in an accident on the way to Geelong last weekend, I was minding my own business traveling in the right lane when this big 4wd decided it was going to merge into my lane without checking his blind spot, well he was merging right where my Euro was! He got half way across, I had to veer to the right and almost onto the grass and jumped on the horn, he moved back to his lane really fast and put his arms up in the air in appology. Can you imagine the damage a 4wd of that size would have done if he clipped me? That made my heart beat pretty fast so I can imagine what you were going through actually being hit!

[chosen_one]

Toby,
Gees mate, sorry to hear about and see the pics of your car. What a byiatch. Oh well it happens I suppose, but it's not nice when it does. At least you and the missus are ok. Who are you using for a repairer?

[civiceg9]

What Insurance company are you with?

[TypeG]

4 weeks old and the car got hit ........ i can feel you
make sure the work is done properly

[Tobster]

Who are you using for a repairer?
We're using Allan Doyle's at Holden Hill. He's been around for years and has a good rep. They're a Quality Endorsed company and have a 3 year warranty on their work. Allan himself was doing the assessment and went through the car with me. A mate (both he and his father have worked in the industry for years) suggested that the best ones up our end of town were Doyle's and Kersbrook. Doyle's is just down the road from my wife's work, so it was more convenient.

The car's insured through CUNA Mutual (through the Credit Union) who are new in Australia, but so far it hasn't been a problem. They also warranty the repairs for as long as I own the vehicle and it remains insured through them. The bloke who hit me is insured with AAMI, so there shouldn't be any problems there either.

CUNA were happy for me to pick who I wanted to repair it (no multiple quotes required because they're not paying). The repairer does an assessment, and apparently CUNA insist on sending their own assessor as well -- which slows things down, but you get a second opinion. I don't know if AAMI will send a rep too. Either way, it's just easier to go ahead and get what I want and let the two insurance companies argue it out (rather than me arguing with AAMI) without me paying for anything...

[tamero]

You may want to look at an Authorised Honda Repair Centre, I know in Victoria Courtney and patterson Honda in Heidelberg has got a body shop. Then you can assure all honda parts will be used. no after market stuff.