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Old 4th November 2013, 14:22   #16
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re: My Fiat Punto 90Hp Accident: Head-on collision with a Tree

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Old 4th November 2013, 15:42   #17
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re: My Fiat Punto 90Hp Accident: Head-on collision with a Tree

Sorry to hear about your fortunate and unfortunate situation on this diwali. The damage doesnt seem to be big if the engine or associated parts are intact. Its not a total loss damage but the overall bill can be somewhere ~2L. Most probably you may have to shell out their processing charges (may vary according to the total amount, but a cap will be there) + scrap value for the changed parts + all the consumables, most probably the total amount will be within 5-6K. If you can have a good contact with the surveyor, ask him to charge as much consumables in the labor (this component is a variable and is a general term where the service center makes the max profit)
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Old 4th November 2013, 16:44   #18
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re: My Fiat Punto 90Hp Accident: Head-on collision with a Tree

Quote:
Originally Posted by gopikb View Post
TheHkrish, Very sad incident to happen. But be thankful to God that you and your family is safe and sound which is most important. You will lose some money from this incident which you will always earn back in time. So dont worry and move on.

Looking at the damage, it looks extensive. Not sure if you should go for repairs or claim full damage and buy yourself a new car. See what the service adviser from FIAT has to tell. I am sure there are many experts in team bhp who can guide you on the recovery process.
Thanks Gopi, The Car is in Mysore now, I would have to go there tomorrow to know how things are..

Quote:
Originally Posted by sandeepmdas View Post
Saw the pics and read your write-up.
I know the time is not appropriate for questions like this, but is the tree still alive? Poor thing...

This is not a sad occasion IMHO. You two should celebrate your "second lives". You can start by having a talk with your insurance guys and go for a new car. No need to waste your time thinking which car should that be.

Me too drive a GP.

Thanks Sandeep, First thing I did after the accident was stopping at corner stone for tubs of Ice Cream. Yeah the tree is still there it appeared to be in dormant state for quite some years . The tree only had the stem ( Before & After Accident). Locals said some months back a truck smashed on to the tree and went back a couple of meters due to the impact.

I am not sure if the car would go on Total LOSS, because engine didn't seem to be hit from a glance . Didn't dare to try to open the bonnet.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tabrez View Post
Sorry to hear about this & glad that you & your missus escaped unscathed. This is a testimony of Punto's built quality & reinforce's the faith we hold in FIAT.

(Me: soon-to-be a proud Punto owner)
Tabrez, Thats a wonderful decision. Thanks for the wishes.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MilesAndSmiles View Post
Unfortunate accident, but glad to hear you are all safe and did not suffer injuries.

FIAT RSA was supposed to take the vehicle in a Flatbed FOC to the nearest FASS or for 100kms, which ever is less. Wonder why they asked you money for this?
Thanks Miles&Miles. That guy was simply bargaining.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DRIV3R View Post
Sad to see your beauty damaged, but at the end you walked out of the incident and that is what matters.

BTW, Fiat RSA offers towing free for 200kms. Seems like the towing guy pulled a fast one on you. Escalate this and get refunded.

Car can be repaired too, it's not a total loss from the externals.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DRIV3R View Post
Just learnt that RSA towing is free only for breakdowns and not accidents.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DRIV3R View Post
Zero dep meaning, no depreciation on plastic/glass/fibre, and hence 100% coverage.

Thanks DRIV3R for the kind words. I was in no mood to Haggle so we used a bolero to pull the car. And I sure hope I made the right decision to go for Zero Dep.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ninjatalli View Post
Pity you had to go through this experience. All the best and cheer up!

The main frame of the car doesn't seem to have any damage - the front part of the car has gone for a toss! But I seriously doubt if this car might be pushed for total loss. Good you have zero-dep insurance - by the rules you won't be paying a penny (apart from the basic processing charges ~1-2k).
Thanks, ninjatalli for the kind words.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rameshnanda View Post
Unfortunate. But, good to know that you all are safe. Punto indeed is built like a tank. Here's the link of another accident that happened to my friend last year.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...es-family.html

Are you not covered under free RSA? As said by DRIV3R, towing is free up to 200 kms. One of my friend availed this service 40 kms. away from Salem. His was 2010 Linea and the car was towed to True Sai Motorss, Salem. He didn't pay a penny.
Thanks Ramesh, Mine was very similar to your friend's experience in a way because my car is hardly 2 months & 4931 KM old...

But any day Punto is as best as I can get in my mind for a sturdy car.
I didn't know the rules but as driv3r quoted, it seems to be for break downs.


Quote:
Originally Posted by vijaycool View Post
Good that both of you came out unharmed and punto took all the bruise. Looks shell is undamaged and it can be repairable. Time and again I am seeing only Fiats airbag is deployed in the event of collision.
Thanks Vijay, nothing else moved other than the collapsible steering column.


Quote:
Originally Posted by kdp95 View Post
Its indeed a sad occasion but you should be glad as you don't have any other loss except monetary.

About the insurance, even if you have zero-dep insurance, i think you may have to pay 50% for the plastic, glass and fibre parts in addition to the processing fees, correct me if i am wrong.
Quote:
Originally Posted by shankar.balan View Post
You have been blessed with a new life this Diwali. Glad you bought the fully loaded Grande Punto with all safety kit.

Zero Dep Insurance should look after you so be sure to politely and firmly push all the necessary buttons to ensure that they honour the commitment.

All the best!
Thanks kdp95 & shankar.balan

Quote:
Originally Posted by vindrider2626 View Post
Happy to note that the two of you escaped unhurt,the damage does not look extensive. and no way it is going to be total loss.The damage can easily be repaired and, once again drive safe in future.
Thanks Vindrider, even I hope so.


Quote:
Originally Posted by sdp1975 View Post
The car seems to have taken the impact well given the speed of 60+ and a head on collision.

A zero dep insurance should cover it all,but look at the finer print in your insurance for exclusions,if any.

You will have to depend on the SA for an estimate, but by the looks of it the bill will be heavy but not a total loss case - assuming the engine is intact.
Thanks sdp1975.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ::CMS:: View Post
Sorry to hear about your fortunate and unfortunate situation on this diwali. The damage doesnt seem to be big if the engine or associated parts are intact. Its not a total loss damage but the overall bill can be somewhere ~2L. Most probably you may have to shell out their processing charges (may vary according to the total amount, but a cap will be there) + scrap value for the changed parts + all the consumables, most probably the total amount will be within 5-6K. If you can have a good contact with the surveyor, ask him to charge as much consumables in the labor (this component is a variable and is a general term where the service center makes the max profit)
Thanks CMS for the kind words. I am OK with anything other than exorbitant, to get my baby back on his wheels.


--------------------

Guys, thanks a ton for all the kindwords. Team-Bhp always make us feel that we are not alone in these kind of dreaded situations.

I have one nagging question. The car right now is in Mysore, as I am in Bangalore ( kind of 180KMs one way).

Do I need to tow the car to Bangalore so that I can have a better monitoring on the work?

Is it advised to tow a car to Bangalore in this condition ?

What might be the total cost to tow it on a flat bed to Bangalore from Mysore ?
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Old 4th November 2013, 17:36   #19
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re: My Fiat Punto 90Hp Accident: Head-on collision with a Tree

Sad to hear about the incident and see the snaps of the Italian beauty :-( Anyways by this time you will be feeling blessed as you both got a second life.

Though the damage is extensive, I don't think the insurance company will agree to write off the car. The good thing is you have opt for Zero depreciation policy so you will be able to claim almost all amount which you spend for repairing the car.

Hope you have already recovered from the shock. All the best.
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Old 4th November 2013, 18:09   #20
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re: My Fiat Punto 90Hp Accident: Head-on collision with a Tree

Hi Hari,

Glad to know that you and your family are safe. It's definitely a new lease of life had it not been for the safety equipment and the build quality of the Punto.

Hope you are able to restore the car to it's previous level of safety and comfort and good luck with the insurance claims. Since you had zero dep policy, I'm guessing you'll have a lot lesser to worry about, but do share your experience on how it all gets resolved over time.
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Old 4th November 2013, 18:19   #21
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re: My Fiat Punto 90Hp Accident: Head-on collision with a Tree

TheHkrish, don't worry dude. From the photos, it looks like your GP can be repaired and brought back to old glory. My 2 cents : I dont know your car's IDV, but If your insurance provider gives you either total loss OR repair option, then understand from him clearly how many days company'll take to transfer the amount. Some amount (around 20K maybe, from Maruti experience) may be deducted as processing charges. And, from your ASC, how many days they'll take for full repair. If its more than 3 months, then maybe major damage and you might consider a new car.
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Old 4th November 2013, 18:35   #22
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re: My Fiat Punto 90Hp Accident: Head-on collision with a Tree

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheHkrish View Post

Everything was good until, 12 PM .
My wife was the driver, she took the steering seeing that I had been driving from 5.30 AM.
Nothing to do with this particular accident - but next time, don't keep driving till you are tired & then handover the steering to your wife. Instead, you drive for 3 hours, let her take the wheel for 1 hour, and then you takeover again.

Do let your wife know that accidents like this happen to many people - make sure she doesn't lose confidence in her driving skills.

"It was not your fault"
"I would have done the same thing"
"You did quite well actually"

can help!

Quote:
We suddenly saw an alto and Bike overtaking well in the left line ( Where we were coming), upon pure instincts she maneuvered the car to further left.
Luckily or Unluckily for us it was a grassy patch of the road with a big tree on the left.
Yeah, not sure if it was lucky or unlucky. An alto is a lot "softer" than a tree - so damage to the car (or risk of injury to you two) would be lower. But then, single vehicle collisions are "better" than two vehicle collisions, because then you might have to face extra issues (injuries to other parties, legal issues etc).

Quote:
The next few seconds were quite animated , I felt that I had been inside a real video game.
Been there, done that!

I got the "video game" feeling too when we were involved in a similar incident a few years back.
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Old 4th November 2013, 21:39   #23
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re: My Fiat Punto 90Hp Accident: Head-on collision with a Tree

Thanks for the wishes and responses, but I have a question yet unanswered

The car right now is in Mysore, as I am in Bangalore ( kind of 180KMs one way).

Do I need to tow the car to Bangalore so that I can have a better monitoring on the work?

Is it advised to tow a car to Bangalore in this condition ?

What might be the total cost to tow it on a flat bed to Bangalore from Mysore ?
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Old 4th November 2013, 22:00   #24
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re: My Fiat Punto 90Hp Accident: Head-on collision with a Tree

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheHkrish View Post
Thanks for the wishes and responses, but I have a question yet unanswered

The car right now is in Mysore, as I am in Bangalore ( kind of 180KMs one way).

Do I need to tow the car to Bangalore so that I can have a better monitoring on the work?

Is it advised to tow a car to Bangalore in this condition ?

What might be the total cost to tow it on a flat bed to Bangalore from Mysore ?

I too had the same issue; my car was under repairs in Myosre Mandovi motors.

Link to my accident story

I had a frank one-to-one talk with the body-shop in-charge about repairs required and timelines; I took contact numbers of all people involved including Mandovi Motors workshop manager. I used to call them regularly (every 3 days) and push.

What I felt is, repair cost wise Mysore and Bangalore will be same (ASC will charge same rate for spares and labor).

But when you personally go to the workshop and see work progress, then:

1) Repair process is hastened considerably (I know I would have got my car delivered 15 days earlier if my car was in Bangalore, I could have monitored the progress)

2) No head-aches about what condition your car is lying in the workshop. On the downside, I have seen friends getting really depressed seeing their banged up car in the workshop for months.

So, if you are sure about the quality of the work in Mysore ASC and dependability of the people in that workshop, then no issues. But personally, I feel you should tow the car to Bangalore and repair here. No idea about towing cost though, but better to get a flatbed instead of a crane-tow as this is a long distance with lots of speed-breakers.

Last edited by n_aditya : 16th January 2014 at 09:06. Reason: paragraphed your post for better readability
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Old 5th November 2013, 14:26   #25
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re: My Fiat Punto 90Hp Accident: Head-on collision with a Tree

Sorry to see the car like this, but it did a fabulous job of protecting you & your wife. End of the day, that's all that counts. Cars come & go...

Since you have zero-dep coverage, you can totally rest easy. Someone I know paid merely 4K out of pocket on a bill of 8.5 lakhs (link).
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Old 5th November 2013, 16:05   #26
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re: My Fiat Punto 90Hp Accident: Head-on collision with a Tree

Hkrish, it hurts to have your can damaged (new or old, yours or anyone else fault). However good to see you taking it in the right spirit. Your experience just proves the value of safety features in vehicles.

Hope your car is back in shape soon.
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Old 5th November 2013, 17:30   #27
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Re: My Fiat Punto 90Hp Accident: Head-on collision with a Tree

Sad to see a car in this state. You are lucky that the alto didn't get involved in the accident. Had that happened, it would've been worse.

My two cents:

1. Accident-As the word itself says is just an accident. so just move on. I myself have been through this "video game" experience and I also know of my friends who lost confidence in driving after such incidents. make sure the trauma don't get the better of you.
2. How much ever attached you are to the car...remember-Its just a machine. Seeing the photos, it seems repairable.not a total loss. Get it repaired.
3. Bangalore and Mysore will not be a big difference with respect to cost and quality. (Urs cars have a good track record if not bad). IMO you can continue with the repair at Urs.
4. Towing charges was around 50Rs per kilometer a few months ago (it may be higher now). Doesn't justify the effort IMO. Unless you want to sit in the service centre till it is completely repaired. One or two visits shouldn't bother you I guess.
5. If any parts are not available, get the part numbers and if possible source it from Bangalore service centres. Thereby you can get the work done faster.
6. An FIR or an acknowledgement form the police station is enough for the insurance claim. there won't be anything else that will complicate the claim process

All the best
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Old 5th November 2013, 18:06   #28
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Re: My Fiat Punto 90Hp Accident: Head-on collision with a Tree

Thank God(& Fiat, perhaps) for the second bout of life. The car seems to have taken the impact pretty well.
Take care of yourself and wifey.
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Old 5th November 2013, 19:04   #29
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Re: My Fiat Punto 90Hp Accident: Head-on collision with a Tree

The solid Punto was rated 5 out of 5 stars in Euro NCAP crash test rating. Your car seems to have absorbed the impact well.

Good part is nobody was hurt and you had Zero Dep insurance cover but just pray for part availability at your Fiat workshop.
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Old 5th November 2013, 19:21   #30
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Lucky you. Though as they say, God helps those who help themselves. Buying a car with air bags and using the seat belts certainly helped save your lives.

The sad thing is that despite such well publicised incidents, there will be idiots who do not bother to wear seat belts. Agree with what @smartcat said - such things happen and ensure that your wife does not lose confidence while driving long distances.
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