Ballpark Repair Costs

alias no.9

My wife was rear ended earlier, nobody hurt but looks like a decent amount of damage under the surface. There's a ripple in the boot floor so I'm thinking it's going to end up ballpark €5k on a 221 Sportage, had something similar cost about €3k on a Primera about 20 years ago and slightly worst cost €7k on a Scenic about 10 years ago but not tuned into current costs so maybe €5k is a bit low as an estimate?

Whatwicklow

Ripple, floor and 221 reg indicate a higher than 5k bill to me.

alias no.9

Yeah, it certainly isn't an underestimate. Insurance claims process has been started because the guy responsible was being totally unrealistic about the repair cost.

McGrath5

Glad that nobody was injured. Yeah let the insurance sort that one out, such a new car will likely come with a hefty repair bill far in excess of €5k.

bazz26

Near impossible for anyone here to give even a ballpark figure, even with pictures it would be impossible to know what damage has been done underneath especially from a rear ending, that is not visible from the outside. You need to bring it to a body shop to get a proper appraisal and estimate of repair, your going to have to do that as part of any insurance claim anyway.

Girl Geraldine

buckled floor pan? That's wrote off mate. Forget repairing it. That's scrap now.

Technically it can be repaired, but nobody will want to buy a structurally crash damaged but repaired car. The resale value will be next to nothing.

i wouldn't even bother going to repair shops, or having any dealings with the man or any repairer.

Tell your insurer what happened, and let them deal with it. This is what you pay them to do. Get a courtesy car off them and then buy a replacement car.

GavPJ

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120471983#Comment_120471983

How can you tell it is scrap or have you seen the car?

You know you can replace most panels in cars? The front and rear

of cars are designed to crumple to absorb impacts and for repairs

to be carried out.

kdevitt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120472039#Comment_120472039

They're designed to crumple easily to protect the occupants - not to make them easy to repair. I don't think anyone is going to make a reasonable estimate of the costs here without seeing exactly whats needed.

Girl Geraldine

Sure, you can. But the value of the car plumets as soon as it has had that kind of repair.

And that sort of repair needs very specialised skills and procedures to ensure it is done properly. Cost of that usually means economic write off.

Also, there is never any gurantee that it is done properly. Is the car body aligned right? Have proper corrosion prevention been applied to the repair? Will that corrosion protection be as effective as the original, or will it be eaten up with rust in 5 years?

No-one wants to be taking on those uncertainties. That is why repaired cars are worth much much less than the undamaged equivalent.

Cars are designed to crumple of course. That is good. But they are also largely designed to be expendable once serious structural damage occurs. Most crash repair shops and main dealers simply aren't equipped or experienced enough to undertake that type of work.

For these sorts of rebuilts, it is mainly the domain of project cars, or highly valueable or rare classic cars that are worth the time and money to do this type of highly skilled and expensive repair.

Lil Fred

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058292022/ballpark-repair-costs

‘bout tree fiddy

alias no.9

It's going through insurance anyway, it will be properly checked by professionals.

I posted here as a sanity check before telling the guy responsible that we were going to to claim against his insurance and use the insurers approved repairer because despite his offer to pay himself, I believed he was massively underestimating the cost of the repair and wanted to avoid future conflict when it comes time to pay the repair bill.

Ljmscooter

How's the wife's neck

bazz26

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120472156#Comment_120472156

If the other party's insurance company accept liability then you can decide where it gets repaired. You don't automatically have to go with their insurer's "approved" repairer if you don't want to.

GavPJ

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120472123#Comment_120472123

Protect the occupants and pedestrians and you are 100% correct. Nobody on here is going to get near

the cost of repair without seeing detailed photos. I've had a few insurance assessors pass claims for repair

on cars just by photos. But asking on the internet is a big no. :-)

Girl Geraldine

Doing that kind of repair, or anything where the structure of the car is damaged, on a Kia sportage isn't economically viable.

On a high end Merc or BMW maybe, just maybe. Kia Sportage, absolutely no. It's for the knackers yard.

Iseedeadpixels

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120472171#Comment_120472171

Ah look one of the reasons why premiums are so high 🙄

bazz26

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120472300#Comment_120472300

Ah Jesus would you stop now.

Dirty Nails

This car wasn't long escalating from a €5k nudge to a total write off. In the next opinion we'll be told that the rear seat is in the glove box :)

GavPJ

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120472397#Comment_120472397

I hear ya man!!! I might make an offer on it and repair it myself if folk are condemning it!!!

GavPJ

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120472399#Comment_120472399

And instead of a mouth it has 4 arses!!!!

GavPJ

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120472300#Comment_120472300

Can I ask you how you have come to this conclusion?

Girl Geraldine

Because the value of the car pre accident might be, say, € 25,000 probably. The repair, depending on severity of the accident could cost €10,000.

Now you are down to € 15,000 net value.

Then you have the resale value which will take a massive hit because it is now a damaged repaired car. Manufacturer will probably do a bunk on the warranty claiming they are not standing over it cos crashed and repaired. There is another hit. Lets say the value halves again. So now the net value of the car on resale market with all things declared is down to €7,500. Then you have the insurers costs for legal fees, engineer reports, assessors and so on. Easily will eat up most of the remainder.

So the insurer would be better off to declare the car an economic write off, make a payout to you to replace the car, and send the Sportage to the knackery.

Girl Geraldine

Nobody repairs everyday cars that have structural damage. They are nearly always write offs.

Crash repairs generally are only cosmetic stuff, broken lights, bumpers, external body panels. When the chassis is damaged, the repair takes far too much time and money to make it worthwhile.

kdevitt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120472629#Comment_120472629

You have to be trolling at this stage.

Girl Geraldine

Sorry but do you understand the complexity and expense of doing structural work on car? A modern car.

The realignment of the body requires special equipment to ensure everything lines up 100% perfect. The welding is also specialised, as is re-doing the corrosion protection.

A deformed car structure even if fully realigned may have induced strains elsewhere that could affect the safe handling. Modern cars have hundred of sensors, accelerometers, radars, cameras, instrumentation & telemetry, data networks and so on. If one of them, or the part of the car it is mounted in is slightly out of alignment, even if it is not visible to the naked eye, it could cause incorrect readings which could affect the handling and safety perfomance of the car. They car might even throw up error codes because of something being outside of the normal range. A hybrid or EV will have HV electrics in it which will need another specialist to come and work on.

The days of one lad panel beating something back into shape and getting it going are long gone. All this work is very specialised in different ways meaning for a major repair, you'd probably need three or 4 different specialist technicians in to do the job.

GavPJ

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120472802#Comment_120472802

I wouldn't bother replying to them chief.

You know the saying about arguing with an idiot in public........

kdevitt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120472928#Comment_120472928

Yeah it'd be hard to know where to start anyway! :D

Dirty Nails

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120472620#Comment_120472620

Thats a lot of hypothethical probably & maybe's that you're using to support your opinion.

2022 Sportage is a €40k car all day long,if you can buy them at €25k,I'll take all of them you can get.

Depreciation on a damaged repair used to be 10% of the estimate,it has to be declared on resale but no major effect on its value. Even using your imaginary estimate without actually seeing the car - it's still only €1000

Ljmscooter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120472372#Comment_120472372

serious question of concern,

, the floor has been concertina by all accounts, im sure she would have felt some impact no ?

Iseedeadpixels

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120473038#Comment_120473038

He literally said nobody was injured.

Dirty Nails

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120473038#Comment_120473038

He said a ripple,not concertina. It was a different poster that wrote it off.

Dirty Nails

Just as a perspective look at Mechanic Jack on FB or Youtube.

See the **** those lads are doing.

XsApollo

Following this, make sure you keep us updated OP wether the insurance company write it off or not.

I’m thinking the insurance company will write it off also.

I wouldn’t be happy getting that car back after a repair, especially if there are ripples on the boot floor.

newmember2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120472171#Comment_120472171

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120472372#Comment_120472372

If the collision was only earlier today, I'd be contacting the insurance company and monitoring my wife's health over the next week.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120473026#Comment_120473026

Who is paying €39k for a wrote off Kia when they can buy a straight one for €40k?

Dirty Nails

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120473270#Comment_120473270

Where did you see that it was written off? Too many dreamers on this thread that didn't even read the opening post.

My point still stands re the depreciation & that's fact. It's all down to what damage is really on it when it's assessed by a professional.

Hotblack Desiato

@Girl Geraldine Why are you deducting the repair cost from the value of the car? The OP will not be paying for the repairs.

Girl Geraldine

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120473091#Comment_120473091

I know the page, I see the stuff that is done on Mechanic Jack and Mechanic Steve and the like.

It looks like amazing work, and they really get it looking good. It makes for good TikTok fodder But...

1. It is china and the cost of labour is really really cheap.
2. Even though it looks good, I wouldn't like to be in any of those rehashed cars in a crash - they could fold up in any sort of unpredictable way, or split apart along dodgy or corroded weld seams.
3. He doesn't and cant re-galvanise the car - maybe not an issue in dry China, but in irish climate any cut or weld seams will just be a magnet for rust and corrosion. And you don't know until you have a gaping hole or the NCT picks it up. Painting or any of these Rustoleum/Waxoyl things aren't worth a shít - galvanising is the only way.
4. There is no NCT or interest in safety in china - it is a totalitarian communist dictatorship

Anyway, OP I would be interested to hear back the outcome of this.

I would be most suprised if the insurers don't write it off to the knackery.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120473333#Comment_120473333

Let me rephrase.

Who is paying €39,000 for a crash repaired car when they can buy a straight one for €40,000? This damage will most likely show up on a history check, therefore devaluing the car.

Dirty Nails

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120473822#Comment_120473822

Absolute disgrace what they're fixing. That stuff should be recycled in to bean cans. Especially in China where cars are cheap & over 30% of the worlds cars are manufactured.

Dirty Nails

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120474009#Comment_120474009

At least we're past the write off senario. I'm not sure if it doesn't fall in to one of the write off categories that it's even recorded.

Anyway,there is a customer for everything & as little as €1k speaks if its properly repaired. Depreciation on damaged repaired stuff isn't near as high as people seem to believe. If that answer doesn't satisfy you, my best advice would be to take it up with the insurance companies :)

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120474890#Comment_120474890

Yeah I’ve done a lot of history checks and some will say “Damage alert, written off”, and some will just say “Damage alert”. So I assume it will be recorded in some way.

I don’t know, me personally I couldn’t see anyone paying that close to retail for a damaged car. Unless they didn’t know about the damage. Maybe I’m wrong, fools and their money.

Ljmscooter

If Ur in China then please don't use them little pillows for a while. It will just aggravate the wife's whiplash.

alias no.9

A brief update, it's been up on a ramp and checked over, I knew it was going to be a pretty big job and it is and that's before anything lurking underneath might be discovered.

We've been strongly advised to send it through the main dealer for repair. Even though they won't be doing it themselves it's to have them stand over the repair as the manufacturers representative. While it looks to be repairable, it may be better if the dealer were to recommend it not be repaired because of the extent of the damage, if they're not willing to stand over any repair we will be pushing for it to be written off.

The one small chink of light is that everyone that was in the car is perfectly fine, car absorbed the impact and protected the occupants.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120472629#Comment_120472629

You're very, very wrong with that blanket statement. Huge amount of structurally damaged cars are repaired (safely) and returned to the road.

This isn't 2008, cars are expensive and people don't just throw them away.

If the insurer writes it off, it will go to an auction and almost certainly end up back on the road afterwards anyway.

XsApollo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120478657#Comment_120478657

100% go through the dealer, it’s practically a brand new car, with 7 year warranty?

how does a repair or accident like that affect the warranty? Check with the dealer.

rust warranty also ? I dunno if that’s a thing these days, but check that also.

Dirty Nails

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120478657#Comment_120478657

Don't know where you're getting your info but......

Main dealer & manufacturers representative standing over it has flown right out the window. Neither has main dealer or bodyshop any input in to whether it's repaired or not other than doing an estimate of repair. Insurance assessors & insurance company has final say. Unless assessor deems it to be Cat C or D it'll be repaired. Like wise insurers may demand it goes to one of their authorised repairers for estimate.

alias no.9

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120478804#Comment_120478804

You may have a point if it was a claim against my wife's own policy, it's not, it's a third party claim. My wife is entitled to chose the repairer, it's not unreasonable to use a main dealer on a nearly new car. if the main dealer as the agent of the manufacturer recommend it not be repaired, the insurer have to give significant consideration to that. They can seek to recover their costs by selling the salvage to someone else, but that's their problem.

colm_mcm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120471983#Comment_120471983

Would ya stop!

Dirty Nails

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120478856#Comment_120478856

You might have choice of repairer but that's where it ends. All the dealer/bodyshop can do is try to hike the estimate but the insurance assessor (in some cases from both insurers) has to inspect the car & pass the costings. Main dealer might have a better chance of a higher estimate just because he has a big sign over his door.

You don't have to take my word for it,but I spent long enough at it to know.

mickdw

With crippled boot floor, I'd imagine the insurer will pay out for a total loss on it and sell it on to the trade.

That is generally more economical for them.

Otherwise, 10k upwards repair. Owner in a hire car for God knows how long. Depreciation of damaged car, risk of unsatisfactory repair or repair cost escalating mid job.

If they do the total loss then claw back the salvage value from trade, they work out with a quick solution, no further risk or unknowns, happy customer etc. And little difference in costs.

Nobody is saying it can't be repaired but most likely not repaired and returned to owner.