Should I be worried?

[Jarratt]

My wife was driving our Mache home the day b4 a long-planned two week road trip. That ended when a car crossed the highway (w/o the light) and took out the front end of the car. I got to the scene b4 the wrecker. I got a pal who owns the best body shop in town to meet me there. He was able to get the wrecker to tow the car to his lot and is dealing with the insurance company. He says he can fix the car which is our strong desire. The insurer, predictably, wanted to declare the car a total loss and send us a check.

We did not have the keys to the car when the wrecker towed it. The wheels were locked during two pulls totaling less than 50'. My question is do I have to worry about damage to the motor(s)?

Just so you know, my wife's CT scan did not reveal any internal injuries or broken bones from where she slammed into the steering wheel. She's tough and is recovering. We're both in our mid 70's and don't heal as quickly as we once did. Interestingly, the airbag in the steering wheel did not deploy though one of the lower cushioning ones did.

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[GT-Papa]

So did your wife t-bone the other car? Or did the other car make impact on the side of your car? How fast was she traveling at the time of impact?
If this was a frontal impact, hard to believe the airbag didn't deploy.
So glad your wife was not seriously injured! Once again proving that the Mach-e is a tank.

 

[RickMachE]

It is highly unlikely that dragging the car less than 50', slowly broke anything.

The tow truck driver was POORLY TRAINED. The wheels should have been put on dollies, no dragging.

 

[Tampamike]

I wouldn’t worry about the car at all. Take the check and get a new one that wasn’t wrecked. I would, however, worry about your wife. Glad she’s ok but keep an eye on her and make sure she sees her doctor. Some of those injuries pop-up later or don’t heal as fast as you’d like.

 

[Tosh]

It was 2 months after my wreck that my injuries made themselves known. That night of the crash I was discharged from the hospital ER and sent home. 20 years later, I am still "recovering".

If my Mach E were to have it's front end "taken out" I would not be trying to have it fixed. As much as I love the car, I would never feel OK about driving it afterwards.

 

[GreaseMonkey]

Insurance declaring a car a total loss is a GIFT. Take your gift and run with it.

 

[Jarratt]

Insurance declaring a car a total loss is a GIFT. Take your gift and run with it.

Thanks for your response.

I've assumed that the check they would write is far below our equity in the vehicle and that we would have to come out of pocket a great deal to buy a new car. If I'm wrong, I'd appreciate an education.

The car is fixable. It won't cost us a penny to get it repaired. They'll even pay for a rental. I'm clearly missing something.

Thanks again

 

[corradoborg]

Thanks for your response.

I've assumed that the check they would write is far below our equity in the vehicle and that we would have to come out of pocket a great deal to buy a new car. If I'm wrong, I'd appreciate an education.

The car is fixable. It won't cost us a penny to get it repaired. They'll even pay for a rental. I'm clearly missing something.

Thanks again

When cars used to be built like trucks - body on ladder frame - they could take a lot of damage that was repairable and, as long as the frame was straight, you could 100% rebuild the car to factory standard.

Modern cars - including the Mach E - have unibody frames and crumple zones, and simply can't take the kind of beating that older cars could. These features make them far safer to be in during an accident. But they also make the cars more "disposable." What looks like minor damage can be far more than skin deep and can cause all kinds of problems that will never be correctable.

If it was strictly the car's front end that was damaged, then at least the HV battery shouldn't be an issue. But you didn't answer the earlier question about whether your wife T-boned the other car or if the other car hit your car from the side. If you want accurate opinions you'll need to provide details like those, and, preferably, some photos of the damage.

My first Mach-E was rear-ended and was repairable. The rear bumper cover and other parts were replaced. But I've seen other Mach-Es that looked like they only took about the same amount of damage as mine that were totaled. It doesn't take much.

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