Salvage Value?

[The Critic]

https://www.copart.com/lot/58205952/2022-toyota-highlander-platinum-ca-antelope

The preliminary estimate of $18K was enough to result in a total loss. What do you think the salvage value is?

 

[atikovi]

$15-20K. It'll be out on the streets of Lagos before Christmas.

 

[92saturnsl2]

That was a total loss?

I agree with the above, $15-20K. Definitely repairable, they hit something up high it appears, the bumper isn't even crushed in. Got the drivers side pretty good, the gap between the fender and drivers door panel would scare me, probably some structural damage in that area.

 

[The Critic]

That was a total loss?

I agree with the above, $15-20K. Definitely repairable, they hit something up high it appears, the bumper isn't even crushed in. Got the drivers side pretty good, the gap between the fender and drivers door panel would scare me, probably some structural damage in that area.

It was a total loss. The insurer had the vehicle sent directly to copart for the estimate.

The impact was with a smaller passenger car at a moderate speed. Judging by the position of the engine in those photos, I am fairly certain that the frame rails were damaged.

 

[GON]

The biggest thing I see is the non-deployment of the front or side airbags.... hmmmmm....

 

[atikovi]

The biggest thing I see is the non-deployment of the front or side airbags.... hmmmmm....

Ran into the back of a lifted pickup at 10-15 mph.

 

[nthach]

Ran into the back of a lifted pickup at 10-15 mph.

Yea, and for the bags to blow, one or more impact sensors has to be triggered along with the accelerometer in the airbag/restraints ECU. Hitting a lifted truck or the “guard” beam of a semi won’t set off the sensors to blow the bags. An impact of that speed with a equal or smaller car of equal bumper height should blow the bags.

Just more reason to ban or restrict lifted trucks on public roads IMO.

 

[GON]

Yea, and for the bags to blow, one or more impact sensors has to be triggered along with the accelerometer in the airbag/restraints ECU. Hitting a lifted truck or the “guard” beam of a semi won’t set off the sensors to blow the bags. An impact of that speed with a equal or smaller car of equal bumper height should blow the bags.

Just more reason to ban or restrict lifted trucks on public roads IMO.

There is ZERO information to verify, validate, or accredit the Highlander hit a lifted truck.

May be as simple as a low-speed collision that incurred a worst-case scenario damage. All speculation.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

What is CA's total loss threshold?

It's also possible that insurance didn't think a shop could procure the parts needed to repair it.

 

[92saturnsl2]

There is ZERO information to verify, validate, or accredit the Highlander hit a lifted truck.

May be as simple as a low-speed collision that incurred a worst-case scenario damage. All speculation.

Look at the damage. It's clear that it hit something up high at a rather low speed.

This vehicle has dual stage airbags, it does not take much speed to set the lower stage off, and if the bumper had been crushed it's almost a guarantee.

This vehicle hit either a semi trailer rear end or a lifted pickup. I'm going with lifted pickup. You can see the level it hit, right above the driver's fog light. As they swerved right (assuming a rear end collision which this looks to be) it pushed the drivers side in further.

 

[GON]

Look at the damage. It's clear that it hit something up high at a rather low speed.

This vehicle has dual stage airbags, it does not take much speed to set the lower stage off, and if the bumper had been crushed it's almost a guarantee.

This vehicle hit either a semi trailer rear end or a lifted pickup. I'm going with lifted pickup. You can see the level it hit, right above the driver's fog light. As they swerved right (assuming a rear end collision which this looks to be) it pushed the drivers side in further.

92S,

That is simply a guess/ speculation on your part. There is ZERO information to verify, validate, or accredit the Highlander hit a lifted truck or a semi trailer. How about the car was in a garage with wall mounted shelves and the driver went forward instead of reverse, the driver thinking they were pressing the brakes but instead was flooring the gas.

We can speculate/ guess all day long. We can't make a single assumption to what happened whatsoever, and to say as fact either a lifted a truck or a semi-trailer is whacky.

 

[nthach]

Look at the damage. It's clear that it hit something up high at a rather low speed.

This vehicle has dual stage airbags, it does not take much speed to set the lower stage off, and if the bumper had been crushed it's almost a guarantee.

This vehicle hit either a semi trailer rear end or a lifted pickup. I'm going with lifted pickup. You can see the level it hit, right above the driver's fog light. As they swerved right (assuming a rear end collision which this looks to be) it pushed the drivers side in further.

I’ve seen cars run into buses out here - with the newest low-entry buses(vs European low-floor buses) whose bumpers and passengers aft of the rear axle are at the same height as the average car/CUV. In some cases, the bags on the car aren’t blown - despite the two most common low-floor bus models in the US(New Flyer Xcelsior and Gillig Low Floor) using an angled side impact shield akin to a car’s side impact beams that should crush the car hitting it.

 

[GON]

I think the most critical comment in this thread was from Slacktide BIGTOG

"It's also possible that insurance didn't think a shop could procure the parts needed to repair it.".

The Highlander is near new, 6k miles. If the parts are not available, the exposure of cost to the insurer may be indefinite. Maybe the insurer preferred to lock in the "loss" cost based on factors outside just the cost to repair. Maybe the time to repair is a new factor in the math for insurance companies.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

Gentlemen, I am guessing that the owner had "gap value coverage" on his policy and does not want this vehicle back. I agree in that there has to be some hidden structural damage otherwise. With no deployment of airbags this is appearing to be repairable but there is something else here that we are all not aware of as for as damage assessment is concerned.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

I just looked at 360 vehicle view. The drivers side front wheel appears to be "toe'd in" at the bottom.....not sure if this real world or not but appears so in the view. If the suspension was damaged hard enough to cause a failure at the attachment point, then this could be why it was totalled,

Most insurance companies do not want to assume future risk on catastrophic damaged suspension or steering components.

 

[atikovi]

Most insurance companies do not want to assume future risk on catastrophic damaged suspension or steering components.

Risk of what? They pay a repair shop to fix it. The shop assumes the risk if they do a poor job.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

Risk of what? They pay a repair shop to fix it. The shop assumes the risk if they do a poor job.

The insurance company has the biggest risk of all......loss of future premium business from an existing policy holder. The shop gets the "comeback" cost and aggravation. The insurance company eats additional costs (maybe softs ones) from a customer who is not satisfied, and most likely will change companies at the end of the premium cycle.

New customer acquisition costs are huge for all insurance carriers given the competitive nature of the business......ever wonder why there are so many commercials for car insurance? Just think if you got the Allstate Deep Voice Guy, Flo and Jamie from Progressive, The GEICO Gekko, and the Hip young State Farm Agent all in the same room making a pitch. Besides their personalities there is little differentiation among their product offers.

 

[atikovi]

loss of future premium business from an existing policy holder.

News flash. Insurance companies don't want policy holders that wreck their cars. Driver will be lucky if his insurance doesn't get cancelled.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

News flash. Insurance companies don't want policy holders that wreck their cars. Driver will be lucky if his insurance doesn't get cancelled.

I think this is true in only states or regions of the country where there are high populations of high risk drivers. GEICO certainly understands this and is pulling coverage in some of those areas.

Most companies will do what they can to keep an insured if they can after they pay a claim in order to recoup the losses that they have covered.

Trust me, they do not want to lose a customer after only paying a single claim, even if that claim is a total loss. They know the risk of the time value of money equation on the insured and continued leverage of premiums from a captive or existing customer.

 

[CKN]

In my state literally every other pickup is lifted-thinking that the Highlander hit a lifted pickup truck is not very "wacky" to me.