Warning to Vibe/Matrix owners

My son had what appeared to be a relatively minor crash last week. Hit on
the right front, while making a left turn from a standstill, police
estimated him at under 5 mph, other car (taxi .... what else?) at about 20
mph. Damage appeared confined to right front, and a couple of dings down the
side (slightly bigger than parking lot stuff)

Result?
All passengers tossed around but OK, bags deployed, front strut and CV joint
shattered completely, the whole front end moved sideways about 4-5 inches
........ 2003 Vibe written off as total loss. I was shocked at the amount of
damage, and even more so at the declaration of "not worth fixing".

Glad our son's OK; energy absorption is obviously good, but car is
apparently designed as "disposable". Wife liked the car, but absolutely
will NOT get another.

duh.

"Chris" <an.other@not_here.ca> wrote in message
news:s_Kje.6745$Wp.858667@news20.bellglobal.com...[color=blue]
> My son had what appeared to be a relatively minor crash last week. Hit on
> the right front, while making a left turn from a standstill, police
> estimated him at under 5 mph, other car (taxi .... what else?) at about 20
> mph. Damage appeared confined to right front, and a couple of dings down
> the
> side (slightly bigger than parking lot stuff)
>
> Result?
> All passengers tossed around but OK, bags deployed, front strut and CV
> joint
> shattered completely, the whole front end moved sideways about 4-5 inches
> ....... 2003 Vibe written off as total loss. I was shocked at the amount
> of
> damage, and even more so at the declaration of "not worth fixing".
>
> Glad our son's OK; energy absorption is obviously good, but car is
> apparently designed as "disposable". Wife liked the car, but absolutely
> will NOT get another.
>
>[/color]

Chris wrote:
[color=blue]
> My son had what appeared to be a relatively minor crash last week. Hit on
> the right front, while making a left turn from a standstill, police
> estimated him at under 5 mph, other car (taxi .... what else?) at about 20
> mph. Damage appeared confined to right front, and a couple of dings down the
> side (slightly bigger than parking lot stuff)
>
> Result?
> All passengers tossed around but OK, bags deployed, front strut and CV joint
> shattered completely, the whole front end moved sideways about 4-5 inches
> ....... 2003 Vibe written off as total loss. I was shocked at the amount of
> damage, and even more so at the declaration of "not worth fixing".
>
> Glad our son's OK; energy absorption is obviously good, but car is
> apparently designed as "disposable". Wife liked the car, but absolutely
> will NOT get another.[/color]

The fact that all occupants came out OK is a good reason to actually
consider another Matrix/Vibe. My folks were in a similar accident in a
Chevy Celebrity which had no airbags, and despite a few cuts and bruises,
they were OK. The car was also written off despite that most the damage was
confined to one front corner.

If you are more concerned with the extent of possible damage than with the
safety of the occupants, then perhaps you should consider a Hummer.

20 mph is a major not a minor crash! Huge about of energy, especially from a
heavy taxi. The car did what it was designed to do.

richard.

On Sat, 21 May 2005 14:21:13 -0400, "Chris" <an.other@not_here.ca>
wrote:
[color=blue]
>My son had what appeared to be a relatively minor crash last week. Hit on
>the right front, while making a left turn from a standstill, police
>estimated him at under 5 mph, other car (taxi .... what else?) at about 20
>mph. Damage appeared confined to right front, and a couple of dings down the
>side (slightly bigger than parking lot stuff)
>
>Result?
>All passengers tossed around but OK, bags deployed, front strut and CV joint
>shattered completely, the whole front end moved sideways about 4-5 inches
>....... 2003 Vibe written off as total loss. I was shocked at the amount of
>damage, and even more so at the declaration of "not worth fixing".
>
>Glad our son's OK; energy absorption is obviously good, but car is
>apparently designed as "disposable". Wife liked the car, but absolutely
>will NOT get another.[/color]

ALL cars are now designed as "disposable", thanks to airbags.
Wonder why your insurance rates are so high?

The airbags alone are $3,500 - $5,000 to replace right off the top,
and the passenger-side bag probably broke the windshield as it
deployed, another $500. If the crash tripped side airbags it ripped
up the seatcovers and/or side trim panels during deployment, those
have to be replaced, too.

Same thing for ballistic seatbelt retractors, they have small
explosive charges in them to tension the slack out of the belts before
you start moving forward. If your car has them, they have to replace
all the seatbelts and retractors - there's another grand or two...

If the car is more than 2 or 3 years old, it doesn't take long
before the repair bill is larger than the salvage value of the car.

A lot of that is labor.

--<< Bruce >>--

--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net.

yes,plus the 5mph of the matrix plus most speeds are understated in police
reports.

"Richard" <rfeirste at nycap.rr.com> wrote in message
news:118v0nd9pkdpb61@corp.supernews.com...[color=blue]
> 20 mph is a major not a minor crash! Huge about of energy, especially from
> a heavy taxi. The car did what it was designed to do.
>
> richard.
>[/color]

My 2003 Matrix took a very light hit on the rear bumper, didn't touch
the back door thankfully. A new bumper cover and rear spoiler (under
the bumper) cost $1400 including paint matching. I couldn't believe
it... fortunately it was not my fault and didn't impact my premium.

Good thing to know you care more about car then your son. :(

On Sat, 21 May 2005 11:21:13 -0700, Chris wrote:
[color=blue]
> My son had what appeared to be a relatively minor crash last week. Hit
> on the right front, while making a left turn from a standstill, police
> estimated him at under 5 mph, other car (taxi .... what else?) at about
> 20 mph. Damage appeared confined to right front, and a couple of dings
> down the side (slightly bigger than parking lot stuff)
>
> Result?
> All passengers tossed around but OK, bags deployed, front strut and CV
> joint shattered completely, the whole front end moved sideways about 4-5
> inches ....... 2003 Vibe written off as total loss. I was shocked at
> the amount of damage, and even more so at the declaration of "not worth
> fixing".
>
> Glad our son's OK; energy absorption is obviously good, but car is
> apparently designed as "disposable". Wife liked the car, but absolutely
> will NOT get another.[/color]

On Sat, 21 May 2005 15:36:25 -0400, "Len Zelinski" <googla@gmail.com>
wrote:
[color=blue]
>yes,plus the 5mph of the matrix plus most speeds are understated in police
>reports.[/color]

Not to mention that everything expensive is up front, a corner
collision absorbs all of the impact with drive train and engine
parts..

The airbags might be some the most expensive individual parts to
replace.

In article <118v0nd9pkdpb61@corp.supernews.com>,
"Richard" <rfeirste at nycap.rr.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
> 20 mph is a major not a minor crash! Huge about of energy, especially from a
> heavy taxi. The car did what it was designed to do.
>
> richard.[/color]

I'll second that. Try walking unaware into a wall. That's about 2 or 3
MPH. At 20 it's a big hit.
--

Eddie <no@spamatall.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
>Good thing to know you care more about car then your son. :(
>[/color]

Now now...no need to get nasty Eddie...I think he was just
surprised at the amount of damage from a light collision (which
it was) but cars now are built to protect the driver/pax more
than to withstand damage (which I agree with btw). I suppose
that's why they take such a large amount of damage...built like a
tank?, naw...sounds ok to me, much easier to replace a few
thousand dollars in machinery than your wife/brother/child etc.
(I know first hand), my wife lost her life while sitting beside
me 22 years ago this coming fall.






[color=blue]
>On Sat, 21 May 2005 11:21:13 -0700, Chris wrote:
>[color=green]
>> My son had what appeared to be a relatively minor crash last week. Hit
>> on the right front, while making a left turn from a standstill, police
>> estimated him at under 5 mph, other car (taxi .... what else?) at about
>> 20 mph. Damage appeared confined to right front, and a couple of dings
>> down the side (slightly bigger than parking lot stuff)
>>
>> Result?
>> All passengers tossed around but OK, bags deployed, front strut and CV
>> joint shattered completely, the whole front end moved sideways about 4-5
>> inches ....... 2003 Vibe written off as total loss. I was shocked at
>> the amount of damage, and even more so at the declaration of "not worth
>> fixing".
>>
>> Glad our son's OK; energy absorption is obviously good, but car is
>> apparently designed as "disposable". Wife liked the car, but absolutely
>> will NOT get another.[/color][/color]

--


-Gord.

"I'm trying to get as old as I can,
and it must be working 'cause I'm
the oldest now that I've ever been"

"Chris" <an.other@not_here.ca> wrote in message
news:s_Kje.6745$Wp.858667@news20.bellglobal.com...[color=blue]
> My son had what appeared to be a relatively minor crash last week. Hit on
> the right front, while making a left turn from a standstill, police
> estimated him at under 5 mph, other car (taxi .... what else?) at about 20
> mph. Damage appeared confined to right front, and a couple of dings down
> the
> side (slightly bigger than parking lot stuff)
>
> Result?
> All passengers tossed around but OK, bags deployed, front strut and CV
> joint
> shattered completely, the whole front end moved sideways about 4-5 inches
> ....... 2003 Vibe written off as total loss. I was shocked at the amount
> of
> damage, and even more so at the declaration of "not worth fixing".
>
> Glad our son's OK; energy absorption is obviously good, but car is
> apparently designed as "disposable". Wife liked the car, but absolutely
> will NOT get another.
>
>[/color]
An almost identical accident happened to a friend of mine in his 3 month old
Passat. With the same result - the insurance company totaled it. As with
your vehicle, the drivetrain was severely damaged, but barely any damage
beyond the B pillar. The car's safety design did its job, though - no one
was injured.

doug

Now you know why the insurance premiums for small FWD cars are so
high and the are so deadly. LOL


mike hunt




Chris wrote:[color=blue]
>
> My son had what appeared to be a relatively minor crash last week. Hit on
> the right front, while making a left turn from a standstill, police
> estimated him at under 5 mph, other car (taxi .... what else?) at about 20
> mph. Damage appeared confined to right front, and a couple of dings down the
> side (slightly bigger than parking lot stuff)
>
> Result?
> All passengers tossed around but OK, bags deployed, front strut and CV joint
> shattered completely, the whole front end moved sideways about 4-5 inches
> ....... 2003 Vibe written off as total loss. I was shocked at the amount of
> damage, and even more so at the declaration of "not worth fixing".
>
> Glad our son's OK; energy absorption is obviously good, but car is
> apparently designed as "disposable". Wife liked the car, but absolutely
> will NOT get another.[/color]

I am agreeing with you 100%. It's one of my pet peeves. People that walk
away from an impact, but then complain about how the car should have held
up better. A friend in a Toyota truck, smashed into a Chevy truck, going 50mph
at point of impact. The Chevy ran the stop sign. The Toyota's frontend
was crumpled in and bashed up, but the driver walked away. And it's
an old truck with no air bags. They truck did it's final job and
protected the driver, who now has another Toyota truck.

Oh, and with help from and body guy and a lot of extra parts, the
smashed up Toyota is back on the road and is my daily driver now. Best
truck I have ever owned.



On Sat, 21 May 2005 15:37:42 -0700, Gord Beaman wrote:
[color=blue]
> Eddie <no@spamatall.com> wrote:
>[color=green]
>>Good thing to know you care more about car then your son. :(
>>
>>[/color]
> Now now...no need to get nasty Eddie...I think he was just surprised at
> the amount of damage from a light collision (which it was) but cars now
> are built to protect the driver/pax more than to withstand damage (which
> I agree with btw). I suppose that's why they take such a large amount of
> damage...built like a tank?, naw...sounds ok to me, much easier to
> replace a few thousand dollars in machinery than your wife/brother/child
> etc. (I know first hand), my wife lost her life while sitting beside me
> 22 years ago this coming fall.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>[color=green]
>>On Sat, 21 May 2005 11:21:13 -0700, Chris wrote:
>>[color=darkred]
>>> My son had what appeared to be a relatively minor crash last week. Hit
>>> on the right front, while making a left turn from a standstill, police
>>> estimated him at under 5 mph, other car (taxi .... what else?) at
>>> about 20 mph. Damage appeared confined to right front, and a couple of
>>> dings down the side (slightly bigger than parking lot stuff)
>>>
>>> Result?
>>> All passengers tossed around but OK, bags deployed, front strut and CV
>>> joint shattered completely, the whole front end moved sideways about
>>> 4-5 inches ....... 2003 Vibe written off as total loss. I was shocked
>>> at the amount of damage, and even more so at the declaration of "not
>>> worth fixing".
>>>
>>> Glad our son's OK; energy absorption is obviously good, but car is
>>> apparently designed as "disposable". Wife liked the car, but
>>> absolutely will NOT get another.[/color][/color][/color]

Chris wrote:[color=blue]
> My son had what appeared to be a relatively minor crash last week.[/color]
Hit on[color=blue]
> the right front, while making a left turn from a standstill, police
> estimated him at under 5 mph, other car (taxi .... what else?) at[/color]
about 20[color=blue]
> mph. Damage appeared confined to right front, and a couple of dings[/color]
down the[color=blue]
> side (slightly bigger than parking lot stuff)
>
> Result?
> All passengers tossed around but OK, bags deployed, front strut and[/color]
CV joint[color=blue]
> shattered completely, the whole front end moved sideways about 4-5[/color]
inches[color=blue]
> ....... 2003 Vibe written off as total loss. I was shocked at the[/color]
amount of[color=blue]
> damage, and even more so at the declaration of "not worth fixing".
>
> Glad our son's OK; energy absorption is obviously good, but car is
> apparently designed as "disposable". Wife liked the car, but[/color]
absolutely[color=blue]
> will NOT get another.[/color]