Hi Friends,

Yesterday was involved in a 5 car front to back collision .. I had braked by literally standing on the breaks and managed to stop the car with barely an inch left between the car in front of me, but before I could heave a sigh of relief, a car rammed into me from behind whose impact pushed the car forward and it rammed into the car in front. Luckily there was no one injured, but my beloved logan (which brought me safe and sound from my trip) took all the beating. The car from behind was a low nose one (old daewoo ceilo) and it lifted my cars boot. On taking the car to the dealer, he gave me an informal estimate of the following:

Front Bumper : 4000/-
Head lamp: 4000/- (only right front is cracked)
Bonnet: 6000/-
Right Fender: 2500/-
Rear Bumper: 4000/-
Back Panel: 1500/-
Boot Flooring: 12000/-
Boot hinges: 2000/-
Bonnet Hinges: 1500/-

if in case the following are damaged then:
Radiator: 12000/-
Condenser: 7000/-
Fan Motor: 8000/-

My car took the most damage as rest of the car managed to stop before hitting, but due to the car behind me everyone collided. Astonishingly the car behind me didnt looked damaged at all and its driver quickly cleared the scene with his car before i could speak to him.

Wanted to confirm from you whether these prices are correct. The dealer said that on plastic parts, I will have to pay 50% and on metal parts I would be charged 10%.

For a formal estimate, he would charge me 10% of the estimate amount if I dont get the work done from him. Is this the norm? The car has not yet completed its first year.

Thanks

+1.

There should be a minimal or no charge for preparing the estimate. There's no way that its going to be 10%.

What insurance company? You can complain to the insurance company as well.

I would suggest that you take the car to a different dealer if this one is acting funny even before starting the work.

Hey Man,

Really sorry for the accident.

I think there is no charge for giving an estimate. Speak to the Insurance company and register your case if need be

Hi Friends,

This is the estimate he gave me, He is not charging me for the estimate after I argued with him but are these part prices correct? Does a Bumper cost 6150 Rs? And does the head lamp cost 4000 Rs?

Parts
Front Bumper 4000
Front Member 3000
AC Gas – (Kept Open (KO))
Rear Bumper 4000
Back Panel 2000
Flooring (Repair)
Bonnet Hinges KO
Both HeadLamp 8000

Labour
Front Bumper R/R 150
Front Bumper Paint 2000
Bonnet R/R 150
Bonnet Repair 600
Bonnet Paint 2400
Radiator KO 200
Condensor KO 200
Fan Motor KO 200

Rear Bumper R/R 150
Rear Bumper Paint 2000
Back Panel R/R 550
Back Panel Paint 500
Flooring R/R
Flooring Paint 500
RH Fender Repair and paint 300+1600
Front Cross Member 400

here are the pics ... http://picasaweb.google.com/vimalmenon/LoganCrash?authkey=Gv1sRgCJKbyN-OoP64Og&feat=directlink

Thanks for your help.

Hi,
From the pics it does not seem that there will be any damage to the radiator, Condenser or Fan motor. So no question of AC gas refill. Why do u need to replace both the head lamps? Only the right side one is broken.
From the pic its not clear if the fender got displaced or bent.

For the prices m not sure as the prices fluctuate a lot.

They try to get as much from the insurence as possible and this is why we have to pay so much
It is only a little bit of damage to both bumpers and the bonnet and one light and a bit of work above the back wheel arch
talking about the bonnet just look how it did its job and absorbed the impact and folded on impact absorbing the forces ....................
under the bonnet there will be NO damage
send us a under bonnet photo mate

i really doubt that the radiotor or condesor is damaged, have you checked for any visible damage on the inside??? PLEASE check with another dealer/service station. I think he is taking you for a ride.. Can u please tell me which dealer u went to? since you are from Mumbai, i guess i could guide you..

Hi Friends,

Thanks for ur help, the dealer told me he had Kept Open, the condensor, radiator, Fan motor and AC GAS, he said in case it is damaged or if the GAS leaks out, it would be covered in the same insurance claim. Visually the condensor, radiator and fan motor has no damage. He wont charge money if it is not damaged. Also he said that the left headlamp's hinge is broken and hence he is replacing it, when i said just only to replace the hinge, he agreed to it. The dealer is G3 Motors Nerul.

I forgot to take under bonnet and under boot pics.. will take it surely when i go to the dealer next.

Also wanted to know since my insurance is also expiring, is it worth to pay 4500 Rs. extra and to go for a 0 dept insurance policy, where in I wont have to pay any money for insurance claims? (is this true?)

That is probably cashless insurance right?

Something which is kept open will definitely be opened up fro extracting extra money my friend. Don't give loose balls to these dealers. They are always on their heels.
If your insurance is about to expire, then first renew it by taking the advantage of no claim bonus. After then you claim insurance for your car. Surely if the car is still drivable in the present condition.

From the pics it doesnt seem like the radiator would have been damaged.

However, just check behind the radiator air dam (honeycomb structure on lower portion of the bumper). During a similar accident, while my bumper buckled (so nasty that I did not feel like taking a snap also) my radiator survived. However I noticed much later that the structural member which is a part of the chassis and extends further that the radiator had bent slightly.

I havent got that repaired due to the high cost that will be involved and keeping in mind the kind of usage I'm going to have. And am running fine since the last 1 year.

Make sure you get to physically see all damages that are refered to by the service advisor. make judgement only after you see.

50% on rubber and plastic parts is ok but why 10% on other parts. I remember when I claimed insurance I paid only 50% fro rubber and 500 claim charges, nothing else for a 12000 bill which they sent to insurance company.

50% for plastic and rubber parts and 10% for metallic parts due to the depreciation, they said if the car is less than 6 months old then there is no depreciation, since mine is more than 6 months old and less than a year they take 10% depreciation.