Got smacked

[Zeitgeist 13]

The wife was returning from her weekend yoga training in Seattle and got rear-ended by a hydroplaning vehicle, which in turn forced her into the vehicle in front. It's impounded up there and I haven't seen it yet, so I don't know the full extent of the damage. She said there were no fluids leaking in front. I cannot adequately express how much we love this van. I hate that it's 60 miles away and I'm at the mercy of others to determine the final outcome. Grrrrr

Here are the pics. Thoughts?

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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[Scottn59c]

What's most important is that your wife is okay.

If she was rear-ended, she won't be at fault, which is good. Hard to say if anything was damaged internally in the front, but seriously doubt it. You're out a bumper guard and fog light up there. It looks like the driver's side fender is pushed in a bit too. In the rear, you're out a bumper guard too, and there's some body damage to the hatch, probably enough that body shops are probably going to want to just find a new one rather than repair the existing one.

I wouldn't think insurance would declare this kind of damage a totaled vehicle. But they could, and if it was mine, I'd buy it back from them as a salvage title and then fix it myself. Hell, those bumper guards might clip right back in with a little coaxing, and you might be able to bang the damage out of the hatch yourself.
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Farfignewton!

[Zeitgeist 13]

The real nasty twist in all this is that the guy at fault didn't have any insurance, so we'll be just dealing with our own insurance to be made whole again. Bummer. I will definitely be either fixing it myself, or buying it back if totaled.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[Abscate]

I think you will be fine Casey.

There is beacoup crash absorption in these cars and that saved your steel stuff.

Love that blue and glad she is ok, most important!
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.ssS!

[IdeaNerd]

I'm glad your wife is OK too! Sorry your van got hit, though!

Good she had the foresight to take picture on-scene.

The damage looks repairable to my (not a bodywork professional) eyes. Did the airbags deploy?

[gakali]

If you're in a place where the 50% of "book value" repair policy is in force it may very likely be deemed a write-off (guaranteed that this would be a write-off where I am). If that were the case the buy-back scenario may be a good option and you could actually come out ahead if you play your cards right.

Hatch and rear bumper cover are finished by the looks of it. Front cover and front and rear re-bars may be better off replacing as well. If you can source out some used parts and find a body shop that will give you fair price this repair should be easy.

What a bummer but at least the wife is ok.
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Why do it? Because you can.

1999 Eurovan
2003 A4 Avant 1.8T Quattro
1992 W201 190e 2.3 Mercedes
2006 W220 S600 V12 Twin Turbo 5.5 Mercedes

[Zeitgeist 13]

The airbag question was the first I asked her on the phone; no, they didn't trigger. She indicated that there's some kind of clunking from the front end when she pulled over on the shoulder, and that the tow driver thought something was dragging like a parking brake. From the looks of it I can't see any reason why the impact would cause those symptoms. The van is still up in Seattle so I haven't had a chance to explore the damage.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[markcm2]

We are up I-5 in Bellingham and recently had an even less severe rear end accident in our 2000 Audi A4 wagon (again no one was hurt)

The cost to replace the hatch and rear bumper and match paint was over $3000 so our car was declared totalled by the insurance company Geico and we were paid out triple what we had invested in it (they even gave us credit for receipts from work I'd done), then we bought it back for $500, re-aligned the bumpers and went back to driving it with almost no noticeable difference. Geico was really good to us and fast, we didn't have to do anything and a payment was deposited in our account promptly.

The impact shocks in the bumper completely saved the car, there was no impact to the body/chassis and it was estimated the car that hit us was doing 30-35 while our car was stopped in traffic. I'm impressed.

The downside is that unrelated to this, our insurance went up 16%; when I called and complained they told me its because the cost of repairs are so high that everyone's policies are going up.

[Itsamoto]

Lousy luck - but it is really good to know that nobody got hurt. Things can be replaced, and in your case things can be fixed!

The problem is the inconvenience, negotiating, etc -- all due to an accident that your not at fault for. It burns! I would hedge this is a write-off (based on similar experiences)-- but hold out for your money, and absolutely buy this back as those bumpers are basically plastic shells that just bolt on -- as long as you haven't sustained damage to the rear quarter panels, or the frame is bent -- I would say its likely very DIY fixable. Bumpers and even the front fenders are "bolt-ons". You already live in the hotbed of vans, but if you need to, Alpi's in Surrey has a techno blue GLS to get your parts off of: http://www.alpiseuropean.com/gallery.php?id=972&gallery=3

This is something of topic that pertains to all of us - because these vans while old, are very dear and likely valuable to us, their cult-like owners. They're "older" cars that aren't quite classics, and still awesome/useful/comfortable to drive around. I daily a GLS, and I know it would be written off instantly for something as light as "hail damage".

Anyhow - the downside to buying back the car is it will have a "rebuild" title and ding the resale value a bit -- but that's not a problem if you already planned on driving another 5-6 years until your ID-Buzz arrives, right?

[Zeitgeist 13]

[markcm2]

[Zeitgeist 13]

We're not entirely sure, but the initial assessment from the insurance company is that the van is repairable. My concern now is that they will insist that we use a repair facility on their approved list, as opposed to paying us the amount of the estimate and letting me do the work. I don't like letting others work on my rigs.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[Scottn59c]

That's good news!

Don't worry, the choice of who repairs your van is yours (see linked article below). You might even consider just getting an estimate, collecting a check after the adjustor checks out the van, and doing the repair yourself. I did that for my wife's Honda a couple of years ago, and came out with some extra cash.

In the end, you should be able to walk out without a salvage title, and hopefully with a van that looks and drives just as good as before. Keep us posted.

https://www.angieslist.com/articles/do-you-have-use-body-shop-insurance-company-recommends.htm
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Farfignewton!

[kamzcab86]

Bummer... such a nice-looking van! Certainly looks repairable to me, but I'm no expert.

Side note: Uninsured drivers have a special place in Hades...

[Zeitgeist 13]

Well, the direct deposit arrived before the assessment report. They gave us close to $3k minus our $.5k deductible*. Seems kinda low, but that's what a USAA approved shop said they'd repair the thing for, so I'm not sure if we have a way to counter their offer. We're having it towed down to my shop in a couple days so then I can strip it down and document any items not listed in their assessment. I'm currently trying to locate all the parts to do the work myself.



*(It turns out that our deductible for an uninsured motorist is only $100, so they refunded us the remaining $400)
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[Zeitgeist 13]

Does anyone know whether the early '92-'93 three piece rear bumpers can be used on a late model van? What materials are they made of?
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[Otto Stick]

Don't know about the bumper fitment but a heads up on the front fender,around the wheel arch the fender is bonded on. I had one side pop right off and the other side took a little more effort! Good luck.

[Joshwa]

[markcm2]

[Zeitgeist 13]

Thanks guys, I assume you're both referring to Ben. A buddy of mine here in Oly regularly fields calls from him about his own stash of T3 parts and experience, so I know how to get a hold of him. It's good to know that he has late model parts around. The van is supposed to be towed to my shop today, so I'll tear into it and post an update.

The family drove up to Poulsbo yesterday in our crappy rental minivan, and all four of us craned our necks wistfully as we drove past a pristine late model silver Weekender cruising up I-5. We really miss that van.
_________________
Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?