[VoltenRock]

Been struggling with what to do with my car after an accident. My poor Volt was smashed by a distracted driver doing 75 who hit my passenger rear and drove UP the side of my car.

Bottom line--over $9K in damage, half new parts, other half paint/repair work. The work order is 12 pages long, but highlights include replacing:

Rear Axle
Wheel
Wheel Hub
Quarter Panel, rocker panel
Taillights, bumper, etc.

It's been back in the repair shop a few times for WATER in the taillights (ugh--seems to be fixed now), and some BAD settling paint. Mechanically, I've been happy (no alignment issues, vibrations, rattles, etc.), but I'm not impressed with the paint work and some of the "finer" details--like making sure the parts are flush and line up. I keep finding issues and getting them to fix it.

Anyway, the car is relatively new and just got out of the bumper-to-bumper warranty. I like to keep my cars a LONG time but have been debating dumping it for another new Gen 1 (yes, there are some around). I'm concerned about issues cropping up for the remainder of this car's life.

SO, should I be concerned? Anyone else go through an accident like this and keep the car for a long time? What would you guys do?

 

[Off Oil]

I've had both good and bad experience with accident repairs. In one instance the work was done by a Chevy dealers body shop, and you would never know it occurred years later. In another instance issues started happening in 6 months, so it really depends on the quality of the repair. This was with a body shop set by the insurance company, and the work was cheaper in cost and quality. Personally for that level of damage, I would get rid of it and replace it with another just to reduce the potential future risk. Since you are already finding problems, it would lead me to believe your repair job is the latter.

 

[DonC]

I don't see the harm in waiting at this point, especially if you were considering a used used Volt that might come with its own set of issues. However, since you're talking about a new Gen I, if you can get the pricing right it might make sense. It might even make sense the repairs.

 

[garyg]

under damage disclosure laws, it is very likely your car will take a hit in value. possibly quite large. one time, I got the insurance company to admit this and write a cash check along with the repair for loss of value. after that one time they wouldn't do it the same way. instead they said if I sold the car within a year they would offer a loss of value compensation. after the one year expired, it was over. I usually make the practice of using the compensation for loss of value. if you keep the car for several year, the effect certainly goes to nearly zero unless the car shows signs from the repair.

I would see if the insurance company of the driver who ran into you offers any type of compensation for loss of value. There are a lot of people who will no longer buy your car in the short term after a damage disclosure of this size.

 

[VoltenRock]

I would see if the insurance company of the driver who ran into you offers any type of compensation for loss of value. There are a lot of people who will no longer buy your car in the short term after a damage disclosure of this size.

Thanks, I took care of this and cashed the DV check this weekend. I was waiting to settle this before deciding my next move.

I had the work done at a Chevy dealership so if I do a deal with them, they might "own" their repair work and give me a half-decent trade-in. The problem is that they don't have any NEW Gen 1s. Maybe if I get an online quote from another dealership they'll do a dealer-to-dealer trade for whatever I negotiate. I just think I'll do a better job making my own deal than relying on a dealer middleman to negotiate it for me.

Of course, I'm not going to do any deal if I get hosed on a trade-in or whatever. At that point, it's worth just playing it out and seeing what happens longer term.

I like the looks of my Volt and unfortunately can't replicate it with the current stock available in the few remaining new Gen 1s. I thought about jumping to Gen 2, but to get the same options I would need to spend a whole lot more than I can. Plus, I'm very very familiar with Gen 1 now and don't feel like dealing with "getting to know" a new generation car and all its quirks. I don't feel like my time with Gen 1 is up yet.

 

[Joe67]

Been struggling with what to do with my car after an accident. My poor Volt was smashed by a distracted driver doing 75 who hit my passenger rear and drove UP the side of my car.

Bottom line--over $9K in damage, half new parts, other half paint/repair work. The work order is 12 pages long, but highlights include replacing:

Rear Axle
Wheel
Wheel Hub
Quarter Panel, rocker panel
Taillights, bumper, etc.

It's been back in the repair shop a few times for WATER in the taillights (ugh--seems to be fixed now), and some BAD settling paint. Mechanically, I've been happy (no alignment issues, vibrations, rattles, etc.), but I'm not impressed with the paint work and some of the "finer" details--like making sure the parts are flush and line up. I keep finding issues and getting them to fix it.

Anyway, the car is relatively new and just got out of the bumper-to-bumper warranty. I like to keep my cars a LONG time but have been debating dumping it for another new Gen 1 (yes, there are some around). I'm concerned about issues cropping up for the remainder of this car's life.

SO, should I be concerned? Anyone else go through an accident like this and keep the car for a long time? What would you guys do?

Anytime I've had a vehicle with that much damage (twice) I sold it as soon as I could and replaced it. They are NEVER the same. Common items are rattles, air/water leaks, rust, alignment issues, etc etc etc).

 

[Raymondjram]

It all depends who did the repair work.

I had a 1995 Buick Regal Limited (my past posts included it in my signature) which suffered a rear end collision in October 1996 from a Ford Econoline van (bigger and heavier) who didn't stop after I did. The collision crushed my Regal's bumper and trunk, and the rest of the impact force from the heavier van pushed my Regal against a stopped Subaru. The Regal's front end climbed over the Subaru's rear, smashing its trunk, too. The Van was so badly damaged that its engine was pushed into the cabin and was undriveable. But the Regal and Subaru were still driveable. Apart from the trunk and rear bumper (and scratches on the front bumper), the rest of the Regal suffered no physical or mechanical damage, nor was I or my passengers (my sister and my wife) harmed (we were just shaken), thanks to GM for the very strong "W" body.

I returned the Regal back to the dealer since it had the full cover insurance bought through the dealer. They had their own repair and body shop, so I left the Regal with them. After a week, the Regal was repaired. The job was so perfect that only I knew where the new trunk ended and the original body line began. Not even my wife could see the difference!

Since the repair was so well done, I never told anyone else that my Buick Regal suffered a rear end collision. And I sold the Regal last year (December 2015) after 21 years of excellent service (19 years after the collision) with no residual effect. The new owner still doesn't know about the collision and will never find out!

So my point is that if the repair was done by a "cheaper" shop, the results will not be the perfection expected. My dealer has their own list of recommended and expereinced repair shops that do their job almost flawlessly, since the same dealer may have to sell the repaired vehicles when they are traded in.

My recommendation to all GM vehicle owners is to ask their own dealers who are their recommended repair shops, then use those shops after the warranty expires, but still covered by your insurance, even if they cost more! The insurance company may recommend a "lower cost" shop, but they want to save money, and do not care if you lose later when trying to sell the repaired vehicle. So the next time, take the Volt to the dealer and let them do the repairs. The extra money spent for the repairs will be recovered at the end of your Volt's ownership.

"An extra penny spent now is a extra dollar recovered later".

 

[jbakerjonathan]

I once owned a 1965 Porsche 365SC Cabriolet that was rear-ended in the first few months of ownership. I later sold the car to a private party, acknowledging the accident, to scrape together a down payment on a house. I claimed the loss of value between what Edmunds valued the vehicle and the price I got for it on my income tax return for that year. You might be able to do the same, if the tax rules are still the same.

Because of the extent of the damage, I feel that it would be prudent to trade in the vehicle or sell it privately and get yourself a new Gen 1. You certainly would be eligible for the $7,500 tax credit and you might be allowed the loss against what you owe in taxes. Food for thought.