Hard to say, how many miles are on it? Also, consider that nice used cars today are worth 30% more than a year ago. A good used hybrid XLE is hard to come by. Pictures of the damage?

 

It had 73,000 miles on the odometer and the inside was clean. The body was also straight before the crash. here are a few pictures:

 

It had 73,000 miles on the odometer and the inside was clean. The body was also straight before the crash. here are a few pictures:

View attachment 339511 View attachment 339512 View attachment 339513

 

"Do you folks think the damage valuation is high enough to make my vehicle a total loss?"
I'm guessing totaled.
Let us know how it comes out.

 

I sure looks like it was a great car. Unless there was drive train or frame damage, it just doesn't look like 9K damage. Did the body shop break down the costs of repairs?

 

Yes, the suspension was damaged as well as the drive axle, wheel bearing hub and lower control arm. The rack makes a loud grinding noise when turning the wheel. I think that is on the replacement list as well.

 

A Subaru Impreza was doing an illegal passing maneuver on the right hand side emergency shoulder of Interstate 5 near Bellingham, WA in Whatcom County. Where the shoulder narrows as the highway crosses a creek, he immediately pulled into the far right lane of I-5 and struck my vehicle. I am assuming I was in his blindspot. His Subaru's front end crashed into the passenger door and hit the wheel. I was holding on the steering wheel hard, even though the impact jerked the steering wheel hard enough to bruise my hand. I was able to release the cruise control and allow the vehicle to slow down while holding the steering wheel at a 35 degree angle which was the only way to allow the vehicle to drive straight. My left arm is also bruised up while my wife, who was sitting next to the door that got hit, is recovering well from the soft tissue injury she received. After the State Police made the collision report and stayed with us to make sure we were mentally and physically prepared top go on, I drove the car home 300 miles to my home in Clark County along I-5. The car hops as it does right turns and the wheel bearings are groaning on the right hand wheel assembly. Geico, the other driver's insurance has already said I am not at fault and they are paying all costs for the vehicle and medical. I guess everything being equal, the car saved us from serious injury and didn't rollover or perform any dangerous maneuver. It is sad to see the Camry go, but she did save our lives.

 

FYI, a teenager totaled my 2010 Prius and he had Gieco too. I did not like the way it was handled, and in hindsight, I should have gotten a lawyer. Good luck. Hope you and your wife recover. My advice, be sure you both see your doctor to document your injuries.

 

Yes, we saw the Doctor right away. So far Geico has been good to us. I have been keeping the lawyer threat under my sleeve for now. Thankfully, we have recovered greatly since out accident last week. I don't intend to settle the medical claims with them until we are both 100%.

 

According to KBB, your 2012 Camry Hybrid XLE with 73,000 has an approximate retail value of about $13,300. If the quote to fix is $9000, it's probably going to be totaled by the insurance company.

The repairs are going to cost roughly 70% of the car's value- and most insurance companies will total a car when the percentage is that high. Some insurance companies consider a car 'totaled' when the damage is 50% of the car's value- although there are some that apparently won't total it until the 80% threshold. I'm not sure about Geico.

I suppose it's just a waiting game until the insurance adjuster makes the determination.

Sadly, it just doesn't take a lot of damage to run up expensive repair bills after an accident these days. Given the price for parts and how much good repair shops charge for labor, insurance companies often choose to total a car rather than repair it- especially if the repair estimate is a high enough percentage of the car's worth. Once you start the actual repair process, it's pretty easy to find additional things that need repairing or replacing once the repair process starts- and that can be an expensive adventure.

Wishing you good luck getting this resolved. It looks like you kept in in really nice shape before the accident. Hopefully that will result in a higher than average payout if it is totaled. If the inside is a clean as the outside- demand a high payout from the insurance company. State Farm paid me full retail when someone ran a red light and totaled my 2016 Accord. Their initial offer was lower- but I had done my research and knew what the car was worth, and could prove that it was in excellent condition before the accident.

If they do repair it- if it were my car I'd take it to a trusted independent mechanic and have them inspect the repair- especially regarding the suspension, steering, and stuff like that after the repair is complete. I'd hate for you to sign off on the repair- and a few thousand miles later you find that it wasn't repaired properly and now your tires are wearing unevenly or something like that. By then, Geico will consider the matter closed and sometimes repair shops make it hard for people to try and have that stuff remedied. Most will say that their repairs are guaranteed- but often the fine print in their warranties leave them lots of opportunities to avoid accountability.

 

I know a body shop in Paterson, NJ that can do that for appox. $3k no problem, why can't you find a cheaper specialist?
Get a quote at "PATERSON CAR EMPORIUM" 973-333-4944 send photos and compare with your quotes.
good luck!

 

Just to give everybody a an update, Geico's local adjuster still hasn't gotten around to looking at the vehicle. It will be at least five more business days before he can. After that, they will spend another five business days evaluating the damage. I have no idea why all of this needs to take that long. In the meantime my retired father-in-law is lending me his Dodge SUV while all of this nonsense gets sorted out. This morning, upon hearing Geico's excuses and delays, I put down a refundable deposit on a RAV4 Hybrid at my local dealer using Costco's auto buying program. The RAV4 won't be even fully built until July 21st. Hopefully, by then I will know Geico's decision.

 

Sorry to hear that Geico is dragging their feet on your settlement. Don't be surprised if they offer you a small "quick settlement" on your injuries too, but they will want some ridiculous document where you need list every every surgery you ever had and every car accident you were ever in. If this happens, push back!
What I had to ultimately do was get my insurance company to go after Geico thru a process called subrogation. Looking back on it, I wish I had consulted a lawyer.

 

If they are going to drag their feet this much, demand a rental car while they figure out what they want to do. It is not acceptable to expect you to go that long without a drivable car or a settlement check. Often the additional expense of paying for a rental will speed up the process, especially given the price of rental cars these days.

Why on earth would Geico have one of their appraisers spend FIVE DAYS looking at the car? Are their appraisers that good at milking the clock for overtime hours?

Is it the appraiser that is going to take that long- or the bureaucracy at Geico that will take that long to process the appraiser's findings before they make a decision? Either way- if they are going to drag their feet- demand a rental if they already admitted that it's the other guy's fault. $100/day might speed up the process a bit.

I would have demanded a rental as soon as it was official that the other guy was at fault and he had valid insurance.

 

Charlie- get the best settlement you can and get another vehicle.
Reasoning is if the wreck is repaired you'll need to have it gone over after the repair by a good body shop and hybrid tech to verify the repairs.
Added to that is the older hybrid battery and resale value if wanting sell later.

Sounds like you have to funds for another vehicle. Take the loss and enjoy your new RAV4.

 

Update,

The body shop called me today. Apparently, the Geico Adjuster who looked at my car turned in a repair sheet for a low ball estimate of $7,000. In his sheet Geico wanted to use aftermarket parts and not replace the front/right wheel as avoiding some other repairs. The body shop told me they a writing a rebuttal estimate that says that in no emphatic terms they will only use Toyota Manufactured Parts and why certain repairs must be done or the vehicle will not be roadworthy. Geico did not mention any of this to me. I am going to wait until Friday and call them. I am also talking to my insurance company tomorrow and see what they can do. They body shop is an approved/preferred repair facility for both State Farm and Pemco. They say they have never seen such an incredibly underhanded operation by the Geico Adjuster. They wouldn't speculate as to Geico's motives for the lowball bid. I am assuming $7,000 is the maximum the repair can be for the vehicle's value before the State Requires a reconstructed title/total loss branding for the vehicle.

 

I'm not surprised. Typical Geico maneuver. Next, they will call you and offer $2000 for your medical claim if you fill out their forms. I suggest you contact your insurance company about this or get a lawyer.

 

I just talked to my State Farm Agent. She said that wait until Thursday that way the body shop get a chance to sent the rebuttal. After that, they will get involved and use my policy to make a claim against Geico.

 

Update #3

Seems like getting my Insurance Company involved sped things up a bit. Geico determined through retail listings, that a well equipped Hybrid XLE, like my car is, worth a little above $16,000 in my area, Seattle and Spokane WA Metro regions. With this information, Geico agreed to authorize the repairs of my vehicle. Originally, they claimed the vehicle was worth less than $13000. All of the Toyota Manufactured Parts arrived today and the bodyshop is getting them prepped for paint. There is no frame damage to the vehicle, but along with all of body repairs, additional items made the repair bill go above $9000. After the body shop is finished their repairs, they are sending the repaired vehicle to my local Toyota Dealership for a four wheel thrust alignment and a hybrid system diagnostic check. Any hybrid defects will be repaired at Geico's expense. The bodyshop says the car will be done in two weeks, pending the dealers workload. Geico still is complaining about minor items with the bodyshop like why both headlight assemblies need to be replaced. Also, the right shockstrut assembly is completely unusable due to damage. It seems, the replacement parts from Toyota are upgraded in many ways over the components originally installed in 2012, thus making the left hand shock strut installation incompatible. Toyota says the undamaged left hand shockstrut assembly needs to be completely replaced with a new strut assembly. The Geico Adjuster is arguing on why only certain parts can't be replaced rather than the whole assembly on the left hand side. With everything in the final stretch, I visited my local Toyota Dealer and cancelled the Rav4 preorder. They cheerfully returned my deposit cheque and mentioned that I should keep them in mind if I change my mind and decide to trade in the Camry.

Finally, the bodyshop has been taking extensive photographs of the vehicle damage before and during the repairs. They are going to give me a digital and paper record of the damage, itemized repair bill and warranty for their work and separate documentation from the Toyota Dealer. Hopefully having such documentation will keep my vehicle's value from plummeting due to the major accident.

 

Update #3

Seems like getting my Insurance Company involved sped things up a bit. Geico determined through retail listings, that a well equipped Hybrid XLE, like my car is, worth a little above $16,000 in my area, Seattle and Spokane WA Metro regions. With this information, Geico agreed to authorize the repairs of my vehicle. Originally, they claimed the vehicle was worth less than $13000. All of the Toyota Manufactured Parts arrived today and the bodyshop is getting them prepped for paint. There is no frame damage to the vehicle, but along with all of body repairs, additional items made the repair bill go above $9000. After the body shop is finished their repairs, they are sending the repaired vehicle to my local Toyota Dealership for a four wheel thrust alignment and a hybrid system diagnostic check. Any hybrid defects will be repaired at Geico's expense. The bodyshop says the car will be done in two weeks, pending the dealers workload. Geico still is complaining about minor items with the bodyshop like why both headlight assemblies need to be replaced. Also, the right shockstrut assembly is completely unusable due to damage. It seems, the replacement parts from Toyota are upgraded in many ways over the components originally installed in 2012, thus making the left hand shock strut installation incompatible. Toyota says the undamaged left hand shockstrut assembly needs to be completely replaced with a new strut assembly. The Geico Adjuster is arguing on why only certain parts can't be replaced rather than the whole assembly on the left hand side. With everything in the final stretch, I visited my local Toyota Dealer and cancelled the Rav4 preorder. They cheerfully returned my deposit cheque and mentioned that I should keep them in mind if I change my mind and decide to trade in the Camry.

Finally, the bodyshop has been taking extensive photographs of the vehicle damage before and during the repairs. They are going to give me a digital and paper record of the damage, itemized repair bill and warranty for their work and separate documentation from the Toyota Dealer. Hopefully having such documentation will keep my vehicle's value from plummeting due to the major accident.

Well, I'm glad that there's been some movement on your car. I hope that the repair shop that you are using does a good job of repairing the damage. I'd go through the car with a fine-tooth comb before signing anything that indicates that you are accepting the car back and that you are satisfied with the repairs. It would probably be a good idea to do a really detailed test drive on a variety of different road surfaces before signing off on the repair. It is nice that the repair shop and the insurance company will have them give the car's hybrid system an inspection after the repair is done.

My guess is that while a potential buyer in the future might take comfort in having the documentation and pictures of the repairs... your car is still going to suffer in terms of value because of the accident... especially due to the extent and cost of the damage. While it doesn't appear too badly at first, the fact that it rang up at $9,000+ is going to be a turn-off for many buyers. Present market excluded, there are generally tons of Camrys available in the used market- and there are almost always clean examples with clear Carfax reports that would demand a higher value than a car that's been subjected to $9,000+ in damages due to an accident.

You might want to look into a diminished value claim. Laws vary by state, so you might want to do some digging to see if it's worthwhile.

 

The bodyshop texted me this morning and we picked up the Camry before closing time. The vehicle looks immaculate inside and out. Just by sight, I still can't tell where the new paint ends and the old paint starts. The invoice from the Toyota Dealer gives detailed information for the wheel alignment. The front right wheel was damaged so badly that they replaced it and remounted the old tyre. The Dealer's report includes a post-inspection sheet detailing the items that need to be corrected like my 4/32 tread depth Michelins and that my cabin filter was a recommended replacement. I drove the vehicle along the Interstate and several rough city roads. The car tracks very straight, hands off on all surfaces. The steering seems much more precise. The front suspension is much stiffer than the original shocks. In many ways, the car no longer drives like a 2012 Camry and more like my neighbour's 2018 Honda Accord. Overall, the bodyshop did great work, even though there were battles with Geico. Hopefully, this is the last time this old beauty sees the bodyshop while under my ownership.