Minor damage - more than meets the eye

Aka-none said:

You don’t seem to have good luck with other drivers and your cars

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What are the odds?

gaskiller said:

Guess if you want the car to be perfect you pay 30k, or just bend the aluminum back and apply sealant. Would such a small crack affect crash worthiness?

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That looks like pretty significant assisted rapid disassembly.

victoryroad said:

What are the odds?

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Well in your case apparently really good. Remind me not to park or drive near you.

The way I see it, if reversing slowly into a curb did that, it’s not that much of a “ crash structural defect”

gaskiller said:

Guess if you want the car to be perfect you pay 30k, or just bend the aluminum back and apply sealant. Would such a small crack affect crash worthiness?

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In this case, you have 3 panels that all converge and join at that corner. There are also crumple zones in that area that are meant to disperse the load that direct that energy in very specific directions. The problem is that if the factory fastening systems (rivets/bonding adhesive) are disturbed, stretched, or cracked, the panel strength is now compromised. You now have an unpredictable energy load path that will behave differently than how the car was designed, and subsequently crash tested.

So while costs (repairs and premium hike) are definitely important, no shop with half a brain is going to take on the legal liability of doing a non-approved repair and sign off that the car is good to go. Here's a great example of what can happen when a shop deviates from factory procedures:

Andrew@CCRC said:

In this case, you have 3 panels that all converge and join at that corner. There are also crumple zones in that area that are meant to disperse the load that direct that energy in very specific directions. The problem is that if the factory fastening systems (rivets/bonding adhesive) are disturbed, stretched, or cracked, the panel strength is now compromised. You now have an unpredictable energy load path that will behave differently than how the car was designed, and subsequently crash tested.

So while costs (repairs and premium hike) are definitely important, no shop with half a brain is going to take on the legal liability of doing a non-approved repair and sign off that the car is good to go. Here's a great example of what can happen when a shop deviates from factory procedures:

Texas auto body shop owes $31.5M for incorrect repair tied to fiery crash

A Texas jury on Monday found John Eagle Collision Center’s incorrect repair liable for much of the severity of the crash of a 2010 Honda Fit, and awarded the couple injured and trapped inside…

www.repairerdrivennews.com

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The article you cited reinforces my decision to never to buy a used car, even a CPO from a dealer, you never know the real history.

I don’t care if I spend an extra 30-40k..I’m always buying NEW. Even for my kids.

Aka-none said:

You don’t seem to have good luck with other drivers and your cars

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The first accidents I have ever had. I have driven my MB CL55, Audi A6, RS4, A8, BMW 650i convertible, Porsche GTSs, tracked and cruised for three years my factory ordered 991 Turbo S, and over three years in my lucid AGTs with no accidents, but yes I have had very bad luck with two rear end collisions.

gaskiller said:

The article you cited reinforces my decision to never to buy a used car, even a CPO from a dealer, you never know the real history.

I don’t care if I spend an extra 30-40k..I’m always buying NEW. Even for my kids.

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I once bought a brand new Honda of the dealer's lot.
Two weeks later, while cleaning the car, I discovered an invoice from a body shop repairing the bumper.
This was not disclosed to me.
So a new car sometimes can still be a problem.

EVCar said:

I once bought a brand new Honda of the dealer's lot.
Two weeks later, while cleaning the car, I discovered an invoice from a body shop repairing the bumper.
This was not disclosed to me.
So a new car sometimes can still be a problem.

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Yikes….that’s first.

But exponentially less likely with a new car.

I recently hit a thrown tread from a semi truck on I-40 near Albuquerque. The visible damage was a minor separation of the front fascia from the lower air dam and some scuff marks on the side of the fascia. I called Lucid service and asked for a few pointers on snapping the two plastic parts back together. They were shocked at the suggestion and told me that it had to be repaired at a certified body shop.

My insurance company sent me to an "approved" body shop to get an estimate and the shop told me, after looking at the car, that they could not provide an estimate. They did not have any manuals, pictures, repair procedures, etc. for a Lucid Gravity. My insurance company had me take a bunch of pictures and send them to an appraisal site who came back with a $1,700 estimate and I received a check. The body shop in Scottsdale, AZ came back with an estimate as something just under $9K after taking the car apart and making a list of required parts and labor.

Of course, my car is 430 miles away in the shop and I'm hoping to get it back within the next couple of weeks or so. Since there was no other vehicle involved, I'm assessed blame for the accident (could not swerve due to other traffic) and I expect a hefty increase in premium next year and the following 3-5 years. At least I have credit card points so I can fly back to Phoenix when my care is ready for pickup. My wife and I will both go and stay in Sedona for a while, may be Flagstaff, and then home. The more direct route is slim on charging due to the 4,000 foot increase in elevation. It was a piece of cake for the drive southwest.

Thanks for the original post which let me see what's involved in repairing these cars. We have two of them and love them both!