Originally Posted By: ABursell
Originally Posted By: 2010Civic
Another thing to consider is when the damage took place. If it was crashed a few months prior it is likely that all of the bugs haven't been worked out since fixing it. If a car was in an accident 5 years and 60,000 miles ago there is a good chance that car is just fine.
Now if it happened a few months ago when the value is $8,000 and the insurance company is only willing to pay up to 50% of the value, well that is still $4,000 worth of damage.
I cannot see a scenario in here where a bumper cover results in the car being declared a total loss.
You might be surprised. Using a more likely cap of about $3000-3500, and I wouldn't be entirely surprised if front-end damage hit that figure. Keep a few things in mind:
1 - Fusion front ends are not cheap. A few months back, I priced out a replacement chrome grille and found out that it's actually 5 different parts, amounting to over $800 new (and not even genuine Ford new stock). This was only the grille itself. Genuine ford headlamp assemblies run over $300 each side, for another $600-700 if you have to replace both.
2 - Many insurance companies will not repair many parts of damaged cars with anything but genuine OEM new parts. This adds up quickly.
3 - Front end impacts often will affect multiple safety systems, like air bags, seat belts, bumpers, etc..
When you combine the above, even a moderate front end impact which only actually causes impact damage to:
Front bumper cover moulding(s) - ($200+ for aftermarket / 3rd party)
Grille assembly ($800+ for aftermarket / 3rd party)
L & R side headlamps ($600 - 700, easy)
bumper assembly (Somewhere between $200 and $350 for aftermarket)
radiator ($112 on RockAuto for a Motorcraft part)
.. can very easily stack up to $2000 for aftermarket parts alone, never mind labor and potential need for genuine OEM parts. Even if the insurance company capped out at $3500, I wouldn't be at all surprised at a front end collision being a potential write off in the OP's referenced car.
On the other hand, if I had access to a suitable donor car, such as at a junkyard or from CL, I suspect I could fix the above myself for under $1000 and be 100% roadworthy.
For comparison - Back in 2008, I had a 2001 Ford Taurus which was hit from behind and pushed into the car in front of me. The rear bumper barely looked damaged at all (although it was most likely in the "should replace" category), the front right quarter panel metal was ruined, and my right side headlamp broken.. plus a few other (mostly cosmetic) damages.
Despite the fact that it was 100% roadworthy, and did suffer any drivability issues as a result, the insurance company stopped counting at just under $2400. They wrote me a check, and I bought it back for about $180.