Well, a day ago my family and (Wife and Daughter) were out for a quick little spin to get some air.

Was driving down a main road here in Orlando, FL and low and behold a guy pulled out from a 4 way intersection. We hit pretty good, no air bags luckily but my right front wheel fell off along with something else that made a big "bang" when we tried to move the car.

The cares spun around and both hit on the back left/right quarter panels as well. I'm expecting the car to be totaled out but not 100% sure.

 

Whether or not its totaled Mike, the most important thing is that you and your family are OK. Vehicles can be repaired much more easily than people, trust me on that.

Keep us posted, and if you or any of your family members start feeling effects of the accident, please seek medical attention.

So sorry to hear your night our ended up the way it did, but your HHR did its job.

 

Thank you, we are all safe for sure.

Considering the impact, nobody in our vehicle (or the Corolla) was hurt. Airbags did not deploy and we didn't get a call from OnStar but none the less everyone was safe.

Unbelievably, nobody was found at fault since there were no witnesses that stuck around so the accident was ruled a No Fault by the police.

Still waiting to hear from Esurance today, hopefully they can speed this thing up as both I and the other drive share the same insurance company.

Not sure how the whole insurance thing works or if they will just send me a check to purchase another vehicle but without a car I'm kinda screwed. :-)

Anyone have any info they can share on how the process works and what will happen if they determine the car is fixable/totaled?

 

Gotta say I have been there...

But like in my case, your HHR did what it was designed to do!! It sacrificed itself to keep you and your family safe and protected. That is what counts the most..

Happy to hear that you are all OK...Cars can be replaced!!!

 

From looking at the photos, its probably repairable, especially since there was no SRS deployment. Check your policy for "Rental Car Reimbursement", usually its something you have to pay a few dollars for, but some insurance carriers include it as standard. As to what made the thud/thump, you've probably got a broken lower control arm on that R/F corner.

Get a copy of the police report, and call them or the DOT and see if there is a traffic control camera at that intersection. Even though there might not be a "human" witness, there may be a camera that caught it, thus helping you prove "fault" and making the accident the liability of the other party.

Expect to get a call from an adjuster, probably they'll want to see the vehicle wherever its located, if the determination is made to repair it...you have the legal right to have the work done at a shop of your choice. Never let the insurance company dictate the terms of the repair, insist on new parts where applicable, not "pattern" parts.

If they declare it a total loss, expect a check for the value of the vehicle based somewhere between average retail and "book" value. You can dispute this too, plus its a good idea to be there when the adjuster looks at the vehicle.

 

I would not have the vehicle repaired, it simply wouldn't make sense in this case IMHO.

The drive axle appeared to be busted and when we heard the big bang, wuite a bit of smoke came up from the engine... not sure if the adjuster will catch this.

With the vehicle only worth about $10k or so, paint alone would probably be $3k. LOL

I don't have rental, never checked the box. :-(

Hope to get a check soon.... daddy needs a new ride!

 

Looks repairable to me, at least seeing it from Oregon....unless something major is busticated inside. You're high on your paint estimate, Mike. I'm seeing maybe 16 hours, at $50/labor and $30/hr materials, that's $1,280. Could be a bit more....

 

x2, x3, x4

 

x 5, Bummer Mike !!!

 

If your good friends with your body shop tech have them write up a estimate for after market parts and then see if their Chevy Dealer will match after market in order to get you new GM metal. The hood, fender and head light and yes even the bumper is covered by this program. The rear 1/4 will have to be new no matter what. So I don't think it will be totaled out.
Good to hear that you and your Family are safe.