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Many states (not sure if Texas is one of them) have laws that say if the repairs to a vehicle exceed a certain percentage of the market value of the car, the insurance company must declare it a total loss. Absent of this law, the decision is left up to the insurance company internal policy. Since you have two carriers to deal with (that is if you carry collision coverage), get the best deal that works for you. Glad you were not injured.
I would not want to own a car which had the airbags deployed. It is a very complex system and challenging to repair. Time for a new Vette, hopefully paid for by the clown who ran the light!
I had a 6 mo old GMC truck same thing guy ran a red light and I hit him broadside I was going 30 mph the drivers bag deployed. the front end was smashed to the windshield, no frame damage the truck was fixed good as new drove it 230,000 miles !!!! (it was 6 mo. old I know)
Most insurance companies have a threshold of 70-75% of the value of the car beyond which they call it a total. So essentially if your car booked for $10,000 (just a round number for an example) then the repairs could not exceed $-7000-$7500 before the consider it a total loss.
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Originally Posted by thisMSGgood4me
The airbags deployed because it was a front end collision at more than 5 mph. Having said that, it may still be structurally sound with only body damage. Until it's examined thoroughly, there's no way to say definitively whether it's totaled or not. The damage on the surface looks bad, but it may not actually be as bad as it looks. Just have to be patient and await the insurance company's decision after they've had a chance to look it over.
Hey everyone. Yup I'm okay, thanks for everyone's concern.
To the person who asked if I was in Texas and if it was frost on my car, yes to both questions.
When the passenger airbag deployed it cracked the dash as well. My passenger door isn't opening because of the way the fender is bent. I was able to get the police report today after work and I'm taking it to the insurance company first thing in the morning. Here are some more pics of the damage. The HUD bezel was already crack but it flew off with the impact and the air vent up there cracked as well
My money is on being totaled. I would not want it after repaired. There are so many sensitive electronic parts in these cars that if you fixed it, you would probably end up with dozens of electronic glitches for the rest of the life of the car.
There is what the insurance company calls actual cash value. When it's totaled they give you that amount based on make, year, model and mileage. My experience is you can buy the salvage from them for 18% of the actual cash value. Thanks to Carfax everyone will know it was totaled and will have limited value after being restored
....Have it checked at a frame shop to see if anything was bent/twisted on the frame, if yes, then it's a total. Sorry to see this happen to your car. The insurance company will consider the costs to repair, versus the cars book value and will make their call. Depending how attached you are to the car, you will have the option to buy it back after settlement if you so desire. Hard to assess the real damage by just a picture, but I'm willing to bet the insurance company (depending on company) will call this a total.
I had an accident with similar damage, except mine was focused more on the driver's side. They were going to fix it, but my body shop said they couldn't comfortably repair the frame and to replace the section was going to cost too much money. Even a light impact will cause a bend in one of the side rails that isn't noticeable at first with the naked eye. Anyway, they totaled it and I bought it back. Ended up making a good chunk of money parting it out. I'd suggest doing the same if you have the time and resources to do so.
I have a 98 GMC Sierra that isn't worth much, but it's in good shape and is an excellent runner. Couple years ago it got pounded on pretty good with hail and I settled for less to prevent a total loss then had the truck repaired. Same deal now, I swung a motor into the side of the bed and was able to make a comprehensive claim. I again settled for less than the total out threshold and I'm going to get it fixed with money to spare (and submit pics to State Farm so it's still covered in the future). In my case, I'm avoiding a truck payment as I drive the wheels off this thing and plan to do so for many years to come. Your situation likely differs, but the above is still an option. My damages have always been cosmetic though, never biffed the frame around but I wouldn't hesitate to have my frame pulled either. Those thin hydroformed rails are a different ballgame though.
01-27-2016, 04:46 PM
Sorry about your loss!
....Have it checked at a frame shop to see if anything was bent/twisted on the frame, if yes, then it's a total. Sorry to see this happen to your car. The insurance company will consider the costs to repair, versus the cars book value and will make their call. Depending how attached you are to the car, you will have the option to buy it back after settlement if you so desire. Hard to assess the real damage by just a picture, but I'm willing to bet the insurance company (depending on company) will call this a total. 
