My Totalled(?) RX-8
 

Well, Im sick to death about my accident.

Waiting at a Red light for it to change. But apparently the woman in the F150 truck wasnt paying attention and skid to a stop but not before slamming into my rear end. FFS. What the hell was she doing?

Her skid marks were 30 feet. 20 feet before impact and ten feet after. She knocked me about 20 feet forward into the car in front of me, Not much damage up front but the rear is a mess.

I have no trunk now. The rear window blew out. And the roof has a buckle in it. Also the gap between the left rear quarter and the back door has closed up a little.

I have no pictures yet as it just happened this morning. Will post em later.

Question. Sound totalled? It looks pretty bad to me. Can they rebuild the back end of the car without replacing the rear clip? Anyone experienced rear enders? And the results?

Please help me. I dont want a patched up RX-8. I think they should total it. Any suggestions?

Well, it's not really you call whether they total it or not. They told me in NJ that if the damage is greater than 75% of the value of the vehicle it's totalled. What I wonder is that do they have a higher price to compare that to (such as the blue book) than they use when they say your car is totalled and it's worth $XXX and hand you a check.

Beware, you may be in limbo for a while

Take pix, judging only on your description, I think that car is totalled. Find out just how much damage constitutes a "totalled" car from your insurance company.

That sucks... sorry. You should PM Aratinga- she was rear-ended on a highway and your description sounds a lot like her pictures. I know hers was in the shop for months... I would push your insurance company to total it.

Good luck...

Sorry to hear that. Given you're here I'm assuming you're okay.

WTH is with 8s being accident magnets?

I would think that if the roof is buckled, then there might be some frame damage. I don't know if that constitutes a totaled vehicle, but it will probably never be the same if there is frame damage and they decide to fix it. Also, how many of your airbags deployed? Those are very costly to reset, and if you have significant damage elsewhere, this can often put the car over the 75% mark. The airbags in my previous vehicle were $3500 to reset per airbag. I don't know if the RX-8's airbags are that expensive, but I know mine has 8 separate airbag logo locations, so I am sure they can add up really quickly. Call the "Texas Hammer" Jim Adler! LOL. Good Luck.

Sorry about the accident. Glad you're ok.

Aratinga's thread was already mentioned, check it out. Also, look for silvereight's thread. He wasn't rear ended but the insurance company would not total the car and the expenses of the repairs actually exceeded the original purchase price (and there were more hidden damages even after the repair was supposedly completed). The insurance company finally gave up and totaled it and gave him a check to buy a new one.

Gosh, sorry to hear that but I'm glad you are OK!!!

When there is (and if there is) frame damage the car is NEVER the same and trying to sell it with previous frame damage will be very difficult. If the insurance company tires to play with you make sure you bring that up.

A car with frame damage is as good as dead...will they care, not sure...but FIGHT for it because we don't pay for insurance to be played around with by them.

I work with insurance claims...the more evidence, details, etc you give...and the better argument you make...the better chance you have to have a good decision.

Sorry again...

And... ? :)

Glad to hear the damage was to your property and not you personally- things can always be repaired or replaced.
My son experienced a similar accident in a Toyota Solara, in that most of the damage was done to the rear of the vehicle. I then learned of a technique that body shops sometimes use to repair such damage. They call it a "tip and tail". Essentially what is done is that they cut the car in half behind the front seats, and weld a new back end to it. The more I considered this type of repair, the less comfortable I became with it. I couldn't help thinking that if the car was ever involved in another accident, it could split open at the welded seam exposing the occupants to real danger. I let my insurance company know, in no uncertain terms, that this type of repair was unacceptable. A few days later the insurance company totalled the car, and delivered to me a big, fat check.
My advice is to stay informed as to how the insurance company intends to have the car repaired, and if they recommend the "tip and tail", don't accept it.
Best of luck in getting back in an 8 soon!

Man, that really sucks. Just be glad you weren't hurt. That's the important thing.

At least we know the 8 is pretty good at protecting the driver when rear ended.

You will be entitled to benefits through her insurance company such as loss of use and rental car. For your sake, I hope the car gets totaled and that you have gap coverage if there is a deficiency.

At least you can still get good deals on leftover new '04's. Maybe it will work out for you.

I thought so- just giving you shit :D

First and ForeMost I hope you were not hurt in anyway at all.

Sorry to hear about what happened.

The lady was probably on the phone, right?

:eek: Women!

So sorry to hear about your accident. Find yourself a body shop who will work with you on this.

After being disatisfied with 2 body shops who wanted to get the body work and insurance check instead of worrying about my needs and safety, the 3rd one I went to (found through personal references) worked with me. They helped to identify what Mazda considers the 'structural' components in the repair order.

I insisted that structural (unibody) components needed to be replaced EXACTLY as they came from the factory (ask them about the kinds of welds they will use and whether it is exactly the same as factory specification - then ask them whether they can guarantee for the life of the vehicle that their welds will perform and hold up the same as the factory welds). In order to meet my repair requirements the repair estimate was quite costly, and my car ended up being declared a total loss.

Good luck.

If the insurance company totals out your car they will only pay book value, which may be less than what you owe on it. You eat the rest. They are not required to pay the full cost of replacement. Whether you bought or leased it, find out what your current payoff figure is.

first of all if the frame is damaged and needs repair, check to see if its massive frame damage, and if they want to repair it, dont take that bullshit, NO VEHICLE ever ran smoothly after the frame was repaired. my friend's rsx type-s got rear ended by his own retarded friend, it wasnt even that much damage but the frame was affected and they pretty much totaled it because of the small frame damage.

note* frame damage = total it (dont take bs from insurance company)


also friend bought an old 94 old civic dx and when he bought a body kit for it, the front bumper didnt fit, of course we knew the title wasnt clear and it had one accident, and guess what the rear bumper didnt fit, golly, we should have known. *plus the rear bumper looked a bit off anyways* so we had to somewhat bend the fiberglass just a bit to make it fit. It did fit but it was close to being perfect or even accurate at the most.

and no it wasnt the body kit because the front and sides were snug at best.

Sorry about your accident. Same thing happened to my GF 2 years ago, a white F150 driven by a 16 yr old slams into her rear while waiting for the red light to change. The F150 didn't even bother to brake. It was as if the light was green and the lane was clear for her. My GF's car was thrown into the intersection almost 30 ft. It took her a few seconds before she realized what just happened and sped up to pull over to the next curb to avoid blocking the intersection.

Geez, there should be an IQ requirement for vehicles that are truck or SUV in category. All stupid drivers I've seen for the past years drive huge vehicles.

Valpac, sorry to hear your red suffered the same indignity mine did. Here's a couple pix of mine:

https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...chmentid=23700
https://www.rx8club.com/attachment.p...chmentid=23701

My insurance company refused to total mine; the repair bill came to over $16,000, the repairs took over five months, and now that I finally have the car back it's not worth jack $hi+ valuewise. It does drive every bit as well as it did new, though. It'll just never be worth anything on resale or trade-in.

You mentioned having some front-end damage as well, and this actually may be your saving grace -- that may make yours a total. Because I managed to avoid hitting the person in front of me when a pickup truck slammed into me from behind, my front end was untouched, my airbags weren't deployed, and my repair bill did not meet the 85% of retail value minimum to be a total. Also, my roof did not buckle; if yours did, that's another factor in your favor towards a total.

If your car looks anything like mine did (and it sure sounds like it) you definitely have frame damage. Your rear frame members will need to be cut off and replaced. Your carbon fiber driveshaft should be replaced... it's not designed to withstand a hit from the rear. Your rear quarter panels will have to be sawn off below the door and through the C-pillar and replaced. DEFINITELY have the estimator include new motor mounts for the engine; mine were sheared off by the impact (engine stays still while car body is shoved violently forward).

Also be sure you have yourself checked out by a doctor. I ended up having two herniated spinal discs in my neck.

I hope the dimbulb who hit you had insurance. Mine didn't. My own insurance company had to pay for everything.

:( So sad Aratinga. I saw those photos earlier and nearly cried looking at em. Now I have a car that is eerily similar. Mine is slightly different in that she hit me a little left of center so the leftside damage goes past the gas cap pushing sheet metal into the tire. Also cant see into my trunk cuz it's closed up completely. Plus my muffler was pushed down and in and the bumper was detached
Gauging by your pix, my damage looks a little worse, if thats possible.

No air bags went off in mine either. Did your seat break? My seat broke back into the rear seat.

I am still amazed at the safety of this car though. And other than being showered with glass anyone sitting in the back seats would've be fine.

I wonder if that is why they didn't total it out -- since they had to pay for it (vs. other driver's insurance company). At 85%, should we ask who you are insured with?

I suppose you could sue the other driver for stuff like loss of use or diminished value but that is many times a losing proposition. I suppose if you had major medical bills such that an attorney wanted to take your case, you could get some reimbursement besides the medical bills - but then a lawyer will take their cut, leaving you with not much.

That is what I hate about the insurance process - there is so much liability in these kinds of accidents that fall into a gray area, where insurance won't cover it and where you are lucky if you as an individual can recover it.

- - -
valpac: something you may want to do is review any repair estimates with a fine tooth comb. All 3 of the body shops I worked with missed items, and also had less expensive substitutions. For example, one of my headlights was broken, and 2 of the shops' repair order called for the less-expensive headlight assembly (vs. a xenon which was on the car). In another repair order, I found where my wheel replacements were going to be substituted for some 3rd party wheels, and I had to insist they replace them with Mazda factory wheels - which were $200 @ more. It helped me alot to play an active role in understanding what all needed to repaired vs. replaced too.

I called the local Mazda Body Shop. He said once the appraiser lets you know what they plan on doing with the car, tow it over to him and he will go over the car with a fine toothed comb. If the car is not totalled, he said there is usually a "differential" which could make the estimate "total". We'll see. I have to wait for the appraisal first.

And as far as playing an active role, I'm gonna be all over it.

Local Mazda Body Shop said that sometimes happens but they would not do that on a 2005 but would use factory oem parts all around. He said they would strip the car to determine all that was needed for a complete repair. This will usually drive the cost beyond what the initial appraisal comes in at. I can only hope. He also said to be wary of any repair that takes less than a month. Damage that extensive takes a month or longer to repair.

I am SO sorry to hear what happened to your baby!

I hope you get checked out by a doctor just to be absolutely certain. My brother got in a car wreck last year, felt totally fine but a week later his shoulder was KILLING him. It's been a year and he's still rehabbing the thing.

Alright everyone, here's what I've learned from this thread: If you get rear ended, HIT THE GAS and mess up the front end of your car as well! You can always claim that you were "pushed" forward and it'll certainly guarantee that the insurance company totals your RX. :eek:

Please keep us posted on how this goes.

I've posted about all of the above in various places here on the forum (it's an ongoing saga)... but the basics are:

• I was hit by a truck owned by the City of Pasadena, CA, and driven by a city employee;
• Cities are "self-insured", which means that in California they can basically tell you "too bad" even when they are 100% liable, as in this case;
• You only have six months from date of accident to file a claim against a city, which they will routinely deny;
• I was rear-ended in July '04, got my car back from the body shop the last week of December '04, filed my claim with the city in Feb. '05, and the city hasn't even bothered to respond;
• My insurance company, USAA, declared the City of Pasadena "an uninsured motorist" because Pasadena has ignored all their requests for subrogation;
• I have an attorney and am attempting to collect from Pasadena for the loss of use of my car, my medical bills, and diminished value, even though my attorney has told me that diminished value is almost never paid in California.
• I tried to trade my RX-8 in on another car after I got it back, and even though Carfax doesn't list the accident, somehow the dealership knew the car had been wrecked and repaired; they weren't interested in taking the trade unless they charged me over $2000 for it.