Ballpark Repair Costs

Near impossible for anyone here to give even a ballpark figure, even with pictures it would be impossible to know what damage has been done underneath especially from a rear ending, that is not visible from the outside. You need to bring it to a body shop to get a proper appraisal and estimate of repair, your going to have to do that as part of any insurance claim anyway.

How can you tell it is scrap or have you seen the car?

You know you can replace most panels in cars? The front and rear

of cars are designed to crumple to absorb impacts and for repairs

to be carried out.

Sure, you can. But the value of the car plumets as soon as it has had that kind of repair.

And that sort of repair needs very specialised skills and procedures to ensure it is done properly. Cost of that usually means economic write off.

Also, there is never any gurantee that it is done properly. Is the car body aligned right? Have proper corrosion prevention been applied to the repair? Will that corrosion protection be as effective as the original, or will it be eaten up with rust in 5 years?

No-one wants to be taking on those uncertainties. That is why repaired cars are worth much much less than the undamaged equivalent.

Cars are designed to crumple of course. That is good. But they are also largely designed to be expendable once serious structural damage occurs. Most crash repair shops and main dealers simply aren't equipped or experienced enough to undertake that type of work.

For these sorts of rebuilts, it is mainly the domain of project cars, or highly valueable or rare classic cars that are worth the time and money to do this type of highly skilled and expensive repair.

If the other party's insurance company accept liability then you can decide where it gets repaired. You don't automatically have to go with their insurer's "approved" repairer if you don't want to.

Doing that kind of repair, or anything where the structure of the car is damaged, on a Kia sportage isn't economically viable.

On a high end Merc or BMW maybe, just maybe. Kia Sportage, absolutely no. It's for the knackers yard.

Ah Jesus would you stop now.

I hear ya man!!! I might make an offer on it and repair it myself if folk are condemning it!!!

Can I ask you how you have come to this conclusion?

Nobody repairs everyday cars that have structural damage. They are nearly always write offs.

Crash repairs generally are only cosmetic stuff, broken lights, bumpers, external body panels. When the chassis is damaged, the repair takes far too much time and money to make it worthwhile.

Sorry but do you understand the complexity and expense of doing structural work on car? A modern car.

The realignment of the body requires special equipment to ensure everything lines up 100% perfect. The welding is also specialised, as is re-doing the corrosion protection.

A deformed car structure even if fully realigned may have induced strains elsewhere that could affect the safe handling. Modern cars have hundred of sensors, accelerometers, radars, cameras, instrumentation & telemetry, data networks and so on. If one of them, or the part of the car it is mounted in is slightly out of alignment, even if it is not visible to the naked eye, it could cause incorrect readings which could affect the handling and safety perfomance of the car. They car might even throw up error codes because of something being outside of the normal range. A hybrid or EV will have HV electrics in it which will need another specialist to come and work on.

The days of one lad panel beating something back into shape and getting it going are long gone. All this work is very specialised in different ways meaning for a major repair, you'd probably need three or 4 different specialist technicians in to do the job.

Yeah it'd be hard to know where to start anyway! :D

serious question of concern,

, the floor has been concertina by all accounts, im sure she would have felt some impact no ?

He said a ripple,not concertina. It was a different poster that wrote it off.

Following this, make sure you keep us updated OP wether the insurance company write it off or not.

I’m thinking the insurance company will write it off also.

I wouldn’t be happy getting that car back after a repair, especially if there are ripples on the boot floor.

Who is paying €39k for a wrote off Kia when they can buy a straight one for €40k?

@Girl Geraldine Why are you deducting the repair cost from the value of the car? The OP will not be paying for the repairs.

Let me rephrase.

Who is paying €39,000 for a crash repaired car when they can buy a straight one for €40,000? This damage will most likely show up on a history check, therefore devaluing the car.

At least we're past the write off senario. I'm not sure if it doesn't fall in to one of the write off categories that it's even recorded.

Anyway,there is a customer for everything & as little as €1k speaks if its properly repaired. Depreciation on damaged repaired stuff isn't near as high as people seem to believe. If that answer doesn't satisfy you, my best advice would be to take it up with the insurance companies :)

If Ur in China then please don't use them little pillows for a while. It will just aggravate the wife's whiplash.

You're very, very wrong with that blanket statement. Huge amount of structurally damaged cars are repaired (safely) and returned to the road.

This isn't 2008, cars are expensive and people don't just throw them away.

If the insurer writes it off, it will go to an auction and almost certainly end up back on the road afterwards anyway.

Don't know where you're getting your info but......

Main dealer & manufacturers representative standing over it has flown right out the window. Neither has main dealer or bodyshop any input in to whether it's repaired or not other than doing an estimate of repair. Insurance assessors & insurance company has final say. Unless assessor deems it to be Cat C or D it'll be repaired. Like wise insurers may demand it goes to one of their authorised repairers for estimate.

Would ya stop!

With crippled boot floor, I'd imagine the insurer will pay out for a total loss on it and sell it on to the trade.

That is generally more economical for them.

Otherwise, 10k upwards repair. Owner in a hire car for God knows how long. Depreciation of damaged car, risk of unsatisfactory repair or repair cost escalating mid job.

If they do the total loss then claw back the salvage value from trade, they work out with a quick solution, no further risk or unknowns, happy customer etc. And little difference in costs.

Nobody is saying it can't be repaired but most likely not repaired and returned to owner.