I wonder if this is totaled. The car wouldn't stay on after the accident. It would start and immediately shut off. Do you think this is fixable? No airbags deployed.

 

Three things tell me when a car is titalled:
1) Repairs exceed bike value of car
2) Frame damage
3) Insurance company says so

 

Tough to tell from the pictures but looks like the damage was "above the bumper" which means maybe no frame damage. Any damage to the rear of the car?

Either way, whether it is totaled or not is up to the insurance company...just depends on whether they feel it is worth repairing. I have seen cars that don't seem to be totaled and the insurance company totals them.

 

Pretty good chance....
I know a couple of mini's (gen1), including my mechanics ( back when r53 were new), That were totaled out from a hit above THE BUMPER....simply put...so much chance of internal damage if the top of the motor got Wacked...cheaper to write a check and sell the car for salvage....remember body shops do body work cheap... But mechanical parts are $$ and less estimatiple...

 

What Zippy said. It's probably on the edge and will likely depend on what mechanical items got whacked. From a body work perspective only it looks fixable.


What determines whether it will get fixed or not is the actual cash value of the car (ACV in insurance terms) vs. the gross appraisal value (GAV).


ACV is influenced by year, mileage, condition, and original equipment. Original equipment factors in less and less as a vehicle ages, and none of the aftermarket equipment makes any real difference. Having strong comps in your local area helps and you may have to look for similar cars with sold pricing to justify a higher ACV.


GAV can be lowered by using recycled parts. The insurance company will only use good quality parts and if you think about it, it's replacing like for like: you had x year old hood, insurance will get you a used OE hood that is x years or less.


Most cars get totaled when they are between 70 and 80% GAV to ACV. Regardless or repairable or total loss, you will want a high ACV. If it's a borderline total and you want the car back, you need to let the shop know that so they work for you. They will expand the search for recycled parts and won't pad the estimate. They only get paid if the car gets fixed, but sometime hundreds of dollars get added to the estimate and a fixable car gets totaled. If you don't want it back, let them write all new parts and someone will buy it as a salvage branded car and put it back on the road.

 

Body looks easily repaired, cheap to repair but if the engine was damaged, that's about 50% of the car's price..

 

If the engine starts but stalls out it could be as simple as a vacuum leak. Since minor hidden damage to oil and cooling systems could cause big problems it would be best to do a full inspection before trying to start it again.

If the front frame rails are intact I would definitely keep it, no matter what insurance says. From the pic no serious structure damage shows. No airbag deploy implies the hit wasn't that hard.

 

It's an easy fix and the starting problem maybe a hose came off or has a hole

 

Thanks guys, I will have an update hopefully tomorrow.

 

I bought a 04 Cooper S that had hit a deer, paid a whole 2200.00 for it, all damage was above bumper and limited to radiator/support, intercooler and air intake and a couple of sensors. Replaced most of parts from guys on this forum and after market hood etc. Cost me around 2000 for all parts and had the hood etc painted by a friend. No damage was to frame or engine. Pelican Parts and RockAuto were my go to for most parts. Hope this helps.

 

I got in a wreck in october. I was hit in the left rear on the freeway and it spun me around and I contacted a semi with my front. My side airbag deployed. my rear suspension was bent from the initial contact. I got totaled. they gave me $8500 for the car with 200K on it. My front end looked just like yours. The plastic pieces on top of the engine were shattered as was the mass airflow sensor on the front under the intercooler. after the impact my car would not start as it went into safety mode. Later in the same day after I had my car towed to my house not a shop. I replaced the sensor and it started right up. I bought my car back from insurance for $1400. As soon as I got my money deposited and before the rental car was up. I had the rear suspension replaced and aligned. Over the next few weeks I had sourced all the parts I needed to restore the interior and had the airbag system reset. Currently my hood is replaced with one I found on craigslist and I am ordering a GP bumper. I go into paint in 2 weeks. I will have my car totally restored and upgraded for under $5000. and have $ left for when I need an engine.

If you are handy you can source the parts yourself. I got the majority of mine here, ebay, and a local wrecker. doing it youself will let you fix your car and walk away with full pockets. you are paying for your labor rather than the body shops.

Does the car electrics work? there is an explosive battery cable at the battery. it will explode with a frontal impact to prevent an electrical fire. It may need to be replaced.

 

Sorry Dude! I have nothing to offer but tears.

 

$7400 in repairs and they are not going to total it. At this point I wish they would.

 

Not sure what the number is in your state but just guessing a 70% or so of the value and they usually total it. Is your car worth more than $11k to replace? I am really surprised it wasn't a total. Airbags would have made the difference for sure.

 

What year and mileage?

 

I would say they would fix it but ask them who covers the reduced value after they repair it instead of totaling it. My Mini was hit worse in the nose
in front of the front wheel from the side. It even bent the frame. Car only had 18K on it and it cost 22k to fix it. It was fixed right and the car runs perfect just as before. It has been wrecked and the trade in value is 4K less even with no airbag deployment. If you had an airbag deployment you will take an even bigger hit.

 

He said the car is worth 11,300. He still had not thrown in the fog lights. Still hoping he calls me and that it is totaled.

 

2006 Cooper S, 73000 miles