Why Was My Car A Total Loss???
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ivinsfan
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7 to 10 days would be generous but our OP didn't mention that perk. I think they like to be one and done with a check when they total something.
VanWinkle
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A branded title is a vehicle that has been totaled and rebuilt- deducts 20-25% from retail value depending on the quality of repair. Salvage title is a totaled vehicle designated for parts or sale to a re-builder.
VW
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OP
Midpack
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I do have rental car coverage with Geico. However, it's $30/day until your car is repaired and returned OR when the car is declared a total loss. Geico offered to pay through Monday (the car was declared totaled Fri), but I took the rental back today.
Oh, I did, I paid over MSRP for the first time in my life!!! And I may have to wait at much as a month, never had to wait like this either.
The Outback was an OK car, but I won't buy another Subaru - Hondas and Toyotas are just better cars IME, unless you actually need Subaru AWD (that was nice in Chicago). Bought a 2022 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Limited - looks like a nice ride with more bells & whistles than ever. Had planned on a Tesla Model Y next, but they're not even available until next May due to a waiting list. And I wouldn't buy a Model Y until it was guaranteed to have 4680 batteries, one piece front and rear castings, and painted somewhere other than Fremont CA.
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teetee
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I am not sure about Honda's quality in recent years. I would only choose from Toyota, Mazda, Lexus for ICE cars if I had to choose a car today.
This is a bad timing to have to replace your car. The lesser car you get the better in finance perspective but if money is no subject then enjoy the freedom of choice.
I used to be a big fan of Honda, having bought three CR-Vs in a row. But DW had an HR-V that she loved until the transmission spontaneously disintegrated earlier this year while on the highway. Just five years old. She replaced it with a Toyota Venza and is ecstatic with it.
RetiredHappy
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I respect that everyone is different but we absolutely love Subaru and won't ever go back to a different brand of cars. Subaru has the highest brand loyalty amongst consumers.
https://www.jdpower.com/business/pr...u ranks highest among mass,%) and Ford (53.9%).
We are on our 4th Subaru and looking forward to 5th, 6th, 7th....
aja8888
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My DD and husband have a 2022 Hyundai Tuscon Limited Hybrid and they love it. The model has been updated for 2022 and it's about a foot longer than the 2021 Tuscon we have. Beautiful car, the 2022!
MC Rider
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Auto body and paint work has gotten crazy expensive. Going on 3 years ago, I dented in both passenger side doors on my Kia Soul, duffed up the body slightly behind the doors, and 1 wheel. I barely clipped a parked car, while trying to pull to the curb, doh! 
Car drove just fine, it did not look that horrible. The put on a refurbished wheel, and new outer skins on the doors, not whole doors, A little more body work and paint.
It was well over $4,000, wow! Insurance paid. I don't suppose prices have come down since.
Car drove just fine, it did not look that horrible. The put on a refurbished wheel, and new outer skins on the doors, not whole doors, A little more body work and paint.
It was well over $4,000, wow! Insurance paid. I don't suppose prices have come down since.
OP
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Midpack
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DW has a 2019 Accord Hybrid and it's been flawless so far, just like the 4 other Honda's we've had before (Element, CRX, Prelude, Civic) and the 3 other Hondas in our family...
MC Rider
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Then there was my 2008 Accord V6 with the extended 8 year warranty that they gave after a class action suit for an issue that could require replacing piston rings etc. Mine was past that time when it had a problem, and I bought it used so first I know of the issue was the check engine light and poor running. Cost me over $900 and a month in the shop, The dealer was good enough to give me a loaner Civic for all that time, although they did not have to. Piston rings or engine disassembly were not required.
I learned blind faith in Honda or Toyota or any brand is a bad idea that may bite you. Research your vehicle of choice. I coulda shoulda woulda have saved myself money and headaches.
I learned blind faith in Honda or Toyota or any brand is a bad idea that may bite you. Research your vehicle of choice. I coulda shoulda woulda have saved myself money and headaches.
MC Rider
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Different gen car I think. The issue seemed to be in the the VCM. Variable cylinder management. Not dissing Honda, or anyone. It was a really nice car.
My current bike is a Ducati. Not known for reliable, particularly.
Just for power and sweet handling.
My current bike is a Ducati. Not known for reliable, particularly.
Just for power and sweet handling.
Andre1969
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My Granddad bought a '53 DeSoto Firedome from his brother-in-law, in 1978. It had been the BIL's mother's car, bought new. She had a heart attack while driving it and hit a parked car. The car went into storage. Eventually she passed away (not sure of the ultimate cause), and when the estate was settled, Granddad bought that car for something like $200. I can remember it, as a kid, looking pretty bad. The driver's side fender was smashed in pretty bad, and the hood was pushed in, and buckled. The bumper and grille were messed up. And the impact was enough to slightly buckled the fender on the passenger side.
That summer, Granddad took me with him to a junkyard near Culpeper VA that had a ton of old cars. He found another '53 DeSoto, and was able to get the hood, driver's fender, bumper, grille teeth, and probably a few other odds and ends, for about 90 bucks.
Granted, he still had to put all that stuff on himself, and would have needed to be painted, but still, ninety bucks?! Even with inflation, that's only around $375 today.
Back in the early 90's, one of my friends managed to snag a guardrail, pulling out of an entrance, with his '78 Malibu, and it tore into one of the back doors. Punctured it, actually, tore a hole in the sheetmetal. I found a back door off of a similar-vintage LeMans in the junkyard, for 50 bucks, and I put it on for him. His Malibu was navy blue with a light blue interior, while this LeMans had been a pale yellow with a buckskin interior, but the interior pieces were easy enough to swap. The car looked like crap for a bit, with a yellow door on a navy blue car, but eventually his wife got tired of it and bought a can of blue spray paint, and went at it.
Cars have certainly come a long way since those old days, and are much safer, economical, etc. But sometimes I do miss the cheap-to-fix aspect of them.
That summer, Granddad took me with him to a junkyard near Culpeper VA that had a ton of old cars. He found another '53 DeSoto, and was able to get the hood, driver's fender, bumper, grille teeth, and probably a few other odds and ends, for about 90 bucks.
Granted, he still had to put all that stuff on himself, and would have needed to be painted, but still, ninety bucks?! Even with inflation, that's only around $375 today.
Back in the early 90's, one of my friends managed to snag a guardrail, pulling out of an entrance, with his '78 Malibu, and it tore into one of the back doors. Punctured it, actually, tore a hole in the sheetmetal. I found a back door off of a similar-vintage LeMans in the junkyard, for 50 bucks, and I put it on for him. His Malibu was navy blue with a light blue interior, while this LeMans had been a pale yellow with a buckskin interior, but the interior pieces were easy enough to swap. The car looked like crap for a bit, with a yellow door on a navy blue car, but eventually his wife got tired of it and bought a can of blue spray paint, and went at it.
Cars have certainly come a long way since those old days, and are much safer, economical, etc. But sometimes I do miss the cheap-to-fix aspect of them.
OP
OP
Midpack
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
There are lemons and horror stories with any make/model - but how common they are consumers can’t know based on anecdotes (individual stories). The only gauge we have is Consumer Reports or other broad based independent sources. YouTubers are not always the best sources, you have to be a little discerning.
That said, I had a bad experience with a Volvo 850GLT, they (then Ford) outright lied and cheated me out of $1400, so I’ll never look at a Volvo again regardless…
That said, I had a bad experience with a Volvo 850GLT, they (then Ford) outright lied and cheated me out of $1400, so I’ll never look at a Volvo again regardless…
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teetee
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One source that consistently helped me to determine the reliability is https://www.carcomplaints.com/
In the modern year Honda CRVs (2015 and newer), there have been more complaints comparing to that of Toyota RAV4 with similar annual sale figures.
Good reputation take many years to earn. Toyota has their kaizen model down and keeps their streak but Honda is not doing well. I like their smaller cars (Fit, Civic, Insight) but these models have their down years (except the Insight which has too few sales to establish statistical significance). Honda killed Fit for 2021 in favor of SUVs. It does not improve their reliability after they spent a couple of years struggle getting the mexico workmanship into acceptable range. The impression I get is that Honda is not thinking long term, which separates Honda from Toyota.
I used to own a pre-2000 Honda Accord and it had a good reliability but in broad overview of Honda, all the early 2000 auto transmission issues and then the engine/brake issues after 2008, electronic issues after 2012, oil dilution in their turbo engines after 2017 are just too much. It is like they need someone with a good knowledge on which area can be trimmed on quality without costing consumer big money to fix.
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I’ve found the best thing to do is find a site dedicated to the car you’re looking at. For example, I’m on a GM truck site dedicated to all GM trucks. I have a GMC Sierra 1500. There is a forum dedicated to that model. There are a couple issues with the truck and there is plenty of discussion about those issues. I’ve done the same with my Impala and Equinox. Lots of other good information on those sites too. Of course there may not be a site for a particular vehicle but if it there is, it’s worth looking at. These are especially good when they do a significant change to a model. For example, in 2019, GM total revamped their pickup line. Right away, a couple issues popped up on the site. I bought a 2021 and while I’m still nervous about one of the issues, it seems that the others have been corrected.
Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
During my university days, I worked a summer for a body-shop jobber (we supplied automotive paint, body filler, windshields, rocker panels, sand-paper, masking tape, etc. etc.) I got to know several of the body shop guys. I got to watch (over several days) a master-body-repairman refurbish a wrecked (new) car that had been within $25 of total (Keep in mind that a new car was maybe $3500 back then.) The guy straightened the frame (you remember cars with frames, right?) He filled in missing metal, replaced a bumper, sanded and painted everything. I couldn't tell the car wasn't new when he finished. It was a work of art what this guy could do. I sense that many of those skills are now a memory. YMMV
teetee
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I believe it still exists just not something we see everyday. Experienced mechanics can earn large by picking the right wrecked cars from auctions and do it the right way and make videos from it.
Here is an example that I can spend a couple of hours just watching and appreciating the process:
https://youtu.be/AXqs-0yV7u4
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OP
OP
Midpack
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
DW got run off the road in her Audi TT almost 20 years ago, the damage was extreme, she hit a small tree and a speed limit sign post.
I had no idea what to expect, but LM decided it was worth fixing. It was a 2 year old $41K car when new. It cost $22K to fix, but they let me choose the body shop, and it was a good one. It looked and drove as good as new after, and we kept it for several more years. When we traded it in at a dealership, we got the same trade in $ as a non-accident car. Evidently the dealer couldn’t tell, and they didn’t ask.
Another reason I was very surprised to find Geico didn’t choose to fix my Outback for $13K (their estimate)…
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My car was totaled in May - and it was the seatbelt package that did it in.
I was willing to pay extra if it could be saved, the car had sentimental value, but the repair shop said they couldn't get the seatbelt package, there was a shortage in parts for used vehicles, it might be months before it came in; it might be never.
I was willing to pay extra if it could be saved, the car had sentimental value, but the repair shop said they couldn't get the seatbelt package, there was a shortage in parts for used vehicles, it might be months before it came in; it might be never.
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If they wrote an estimate for $13k that was likely a preliminary initial estimate and once the vehicle was torn down and the repair process was underway they would almost certainly have found additional damage. They may have observed some expensive items that weren't obviously damaged but from their experience may turn out to be once the repairs began.
The ins. co. will also look at the expense of a rental which could be well over a month with a big job and with current supply issues could be indefinite in some cases.
If this was a liability claim with another insurance company they will also take into account a possible diminished value pay-out.
They will also look at the salvage value (the value of the vehicle in its total loss state) in making their determination of whether to total a vehicle or not. Depending on the make/model year and type of damage etc. the salvage value could be $10k or more which they will offset against the settlement on their end.
And finally, with extensive damage and the potential for unknown electrical, suspension, etc. problems arising once the repairs have been completed the adjuster may factor in repeated returns to the repair facility in their determination to proceed with it as a total if they are on the fence due the other factors.
The ins. co. will also look at the expense of a rental which could be well over a month with a big job and with current supply issues could be indefinite in some cases.
If this was a liability claim with another insurance company they will also take into account a possible diminished value pay-out.
They will also look at the salvage value (the value of the vehicle in its total loss state) in making their determination of whether to total a vehicle or not. Depending on the make/model year and type of damage etc. the salvage value could be $10k or more which they will offset against the settlement on their end.
And finally, with extensive damage and the potential for unknown electrical, suspension, etc. problems arising once the repairs have been completed the adjuster may factor in repeated returns to the repair facility in their determination to proceed with it as a total if they are on the fence due the other factors.
SecondAttempt
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I got in a wreck on the way to work a few years ago. It was my fault. They had changed the traffic lights at an intersection with poor visibility so that as you come up a hill rounding a corner all you see is green for turning until close to the intersection where you see the red for straight through. There were numerous similar accidents after mine and now baffles have been installed to address the situation. But I own that it was my fault. I admitted fault to the cops on the scene, got a minor ticket for running a red light. I am extremely thankful that no one was hurt!
The damage to my car was just to the passenger door. I assumed the insurance company would just replace and repaint the door and that would be it. Side curtain airbags deployed as well on passenger side but no one but me in the car driving. The damage seemed pretty minor. But in talking with cops on the scene they told me to expect it to be totaled because the door damage could have impacted one of the structural members in front of or behind it and insurance companies are wary of the potential liability in a future crash.
Like you, they cut me a check much higher than I expected. I had bought the car as a used rental car about 5 years earlier and they totaled it for about $1000 less than I paid for it. So I got to use the car for 5 years for $200 per year. Not bad in my book.
I don't know what damage you suffered but apparently once the passenger compartment is structurally compromised, it's a goner regardless of the cost of repair. This actually makes some sense to me.
The damage to my car was just to the passenger door. I assumed the insurance company would just replace and repaint the door and that would be it. Side curtain airbags deployed as well on passenger side but no one but me in the car driving. The damage seemed pretty minor. But in talking with cops on the scene they told me to expect it to be totaled because the door damage could have impacted one of the structural members in front of or behind it and insurance companies are wary of the potential liability in a future crash.
Like you, they cut me a check much higher than I expected. I had bought the car as a used rental car about 5 years earlier and they totaled it for about $1000 less than I paid for it. So I got to use the car for 5 years for $200 per year. Not bad in my book.
I don't know what damage you suffered but apparently once the passenger compartment is structurally compromised, it's a goner regardless of the cost of repair. This actually makes some sense to me.
