[Gannu_1]

Really sorry to hear about this Karan. :( But glad that both of you were alright. I am sure she'll be patched up and will hit the roads soon. Really appreciate you coming forth and sharing the experience here.

As for the airbags not inflating, I think the crash sensor in the front may not have sensed the impact. If it did, the damages to your wallet would have been worse (with no zero dep.)!

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by Tanveer_2558

In the end, No one injured, You'll have your car back soon and everything would be like before

This. All things considered, I'm happy the car performed as it was designed to. Even if my bank account might be all the poorer for it, health is wealth and utterly priceless.

Originally Posted by Tanveer_2558

Things looked worst at first when i saw the car too! Was probably inches closer to a total loss!

I don't need to tell you how worried I was about precisely that at the outset, TS. You know it fully. Without popping the hood, I couldn't judge squat and just hoped the car gods were on my side. You haven't a clue how happy I was to hear you say that the engine was untouched. Thanks a ton for stepping up to the plate like a real bro and checking out the car for me. I owe you one, big time. You know it.

Originally Posted by Strella

Sorry to hear about the mishap. The good thing is that there was no injury to anyone. Hope the car is back fast and up and running like new.

Thanks Strella. Yes, the safety of us two occupants was most important of all, all things considered. Rest assured I'll leave no stone unturned to have the car back on the road in tip top condition.

Originally Posted by R2D2

Man! I feel for you. I hate to see even a scratch on my car and to see this was painful. Hope you get your car back in shape soon. And yeah, thanks for sharing this, we're with you man.

Thanks R2D2. After preliminary chats yesterday, I'm optimistic about getting the car back into shape, but I'll have to wait till tomorrow to learn my fate. Fingers, eyes and laces crossed, I'll be fine as will the car, relatively speaking.

Originally Posted by graaja

Oh man. That hurts. Thank God you and your wife are totally safe. I can totally understand how bad you should be feeling. Hope everything is resolved soon, and you get your car back in perfect shape. Though the car has taken a beating, the most important thing is you are safe. Take care mate!

Cheers, graaja. Without a doubt, I’m happy the car committed temporary seppuku to keep us safe, even if my accountant will feel otherwise. But I don’t listen to that fool anyways.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Don't bother. I've said this before as well for similar accidents. Just looking at the front you can see the front horizontal beam is intact with minor distortion. The sensor is located on the perpendicular beam where this horizontal beam is bolted on. The perpendicular beam needs to be deformed for the sensor to go off.

Thanks for the explanation, clears things up tremendously Vid, saved me a painstaking Google search too.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

And you are lucky airbags did not go off. For such cases the belt which is the primary system works. You need a lot more force for the airbags to deploy.The bill with airbags would have been more and the airbags also cause cause minor injuries when deployed.

The realisation of the airbags inflating the bill (no pun intended) struck me much later, as did its potential to cause some damage due to its explosive nature. Some passerby’s wondered as to why the airbags didn’t deploy, I’m just glad (in retrospect) that it didn’t.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Sad to see the car in such a state and after reading you don't have zero dep, this is going to be very heavy on the wallet for you. My commiserations. Hope to see the car as good as new back on the road ASAP.

That it will be, for sure. It’s an expensive lesson learned, but one that will stick with me for life for sure. Thanks for sending kind words my way.

Originally Posted by iron

Where you able to click pictures of the damage done to Creta?

Did it have a Bullbar or something ??

Thanks iron. That would be a no on both counts. I was too busy figuring out next steps to take a photo of the creta, but it would need a new tailgate (could be repaired), a new bumper for sure and the exhaust below was dislodged slightly. Nowhere near as bad as the damage I’ve got. The car thankfully had no bull bar.

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Really sorry to hear about this Karan. :( But glad that both of you were alright. I am sure she'll be patched up and will hit the roads soon. Really appreciate you coming forth and sharing the experience here.

Thanks Gannu. I’m also happy that the car kept us safe, and the wife was all praise for the car since she claims she didn’t feel a thing. That she was belted up helped certainly.

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

I am sure she'll be patched up and will hit the roads soon. Really appreciate you coming forth and sharing the experience here.

As am I, buddy. As am I.

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Really appreciate you coming forth and sharing the experience here.

Believe you me, it was painful writing this out here, but a small part of me felt I had to do it, for the greater good. It is what it is, gotta be honest about it, is all.

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

As for the airbags not inflating, I think the crash sensor in the front may not have sensed the impact. If it did, the damages to your wallet would have been worse (with no zero dep.)!

Yes, absolutely true. To say the damages would have been worse would be an understatement. Anyways. Let’s wait for VW to call me before I understand the nature of the blow to my wallet. I’m braced for impact.

[DeKay]

Maybe,
The Creta was going pretty quickly before it braked, and when it did, the driver did it emphatically, as you would, which caused the rear overhang to momentarily rise. It was in this instant that you crashed into it, making your car look like it hit something that sits much higher than a Creta.

The Creta doesn't have rear disc brakes. So the bulk of the braking job lies with the front two wheels.
Makes sense to me when I think about it.

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by DeKay

Maybe,
The Creta was going pretty quickly before it braked, and when it did, the driver did it emphatically, as you would, which caused the rear overhang to momentarily rise. It was in this instant that you crashed into it, making your car look like it hit something that sits much higher than a Creta.

The Creta doesn't have rear disc brakes. So the bulk of the braking job lies with the front two wheels.
Makes sense to me when I think about it.

Sounds quite probable, fits in with my theory that the car somehow got wedged in to the Creta's rear. Makes sense that the Creta would have raised a bit on braking too since it's a FWD car with the bulk of the weight towards the front. Ah well. C'est la vie.

[Tanveer_2558]

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

I don't need to tell you how worried I was about precisely that at the outset, TS. You know it fully. Without popping the hood, I couldn't judge squat and just hoped the car gods were on my side. You haven't a clue how happy I was to hear you say that the engine was untouched. Thanks a ton for stepping up to the plate like a real bro and checking out the car for me. I owe you one, big time. You know it.

Yes, I could totally feel it, Even when i was walking towards your car i saw how much the bonnet was raised, I almost lost hope, The impact had reached the engine it seemed, Only on closer inspection we could see it was probably half or an inch left for the engine that saved us, Days will pass by quickly don't worry, When you called me KK i could feel you were going to tell me something bad, I felt it, Its the bond of our friendship that we share man, We will get the car back in an even better shape it was before and start planning our drives soon!

[sawnilrules]

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

All of those plans came crashing down this Saturday when the car was involved in a fender bender that broke my heart. I’ll let the picture below do the talking for me on this one occasion.

Ouch that hurts bro. Just today I was thinking its being long we haven't caught up and was just planning to ping Tanveer, and I stumble upon this. Gosh, nothing turns a good mood off seeing our beloved possessions in this state. I have myself gone through a similar feeling during an incident with my Honda City, where the entire rear quarter of the City was mangled.

However glad to know you n wifey are absolutely scratch-less & fine. I am sure VW will be able to get the car back to its original shape pretty soon.

How much of an impact did Creta have? or was it that because the rear of Creta got lifted, the Jetta jutted straight beneath it thus causing a little impact on it?

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by sawnilrules

Gosh, nothing turns a good mood off seeing our beloved possessions in this state. I have myself gone through a similar feeling during an incident with my Honda City, where the entire rear quarter of the City was mangled.

Absolutely man, feels like you've lost a loved one. The wifey felt likewise too, maybe I've awakened the car nut in her.

Originally Posted by sawnilrules

However glad to know you n wifey are absolutely scratch-less & fine. I am sure VW will be able to get the car back to its original shape pretty soon.

So am I buddy. It's only a question of time till she's back on the road.

Originally Posted by sawnilrules

How much of an impact did Creta have? or was it that because the rear of Creta got lifted, the Jetta jutted straight beneath it thus causing a little impact on it?

The Creta got away very lightly in comparison man. The scenario is exactly as you said, the Jetta arrowed into the gap below the probably raised Creta, causing the damage you see. The Creta will only need a new bumper, some work on the tailgate and tightening job on the rear exhaust, of which one nut had come loose. Nothing as compared to the damage on the Jetta really.

[Mission_PGPX]

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

The Creta got away very lightly in comparison man. The scenario is exactly as you said, the Jetta arrowed into the gap below the probably raised Creta, causing the damage you see. The Creta will only need a new bumper, some work on the tailgate and tightening job on the rear exhaust, of which one nut had come loose. Nothing as compared to the damage on the Jetta really.

been there, done that 2 years ago. my friend, sitting on passenger seat was struggling to put seat belts on somehow. I draw my eyes to help him for a second, the fuel tanker ahead of me stopped because of a buffalo in front of him, bang, the speed was in 20s. Damaged front bumper, logo, grill and a dent on bonnet. The car was very much drivable still and drove to work and back about (220 kms) with damaged bumper. 72000 was the repair bill, they changed both headlights as well. fortunately i was holding zero dep policy and got away with only 2K and lost NCB.

I know how it feels, not having her in best shape, but eventually you will get over it.
Now, realistically, i dont know what your policy covers but i can list the parts to a certain extent:
1) Headlights
2) entire bonnet - (trust me, pay the salvage charges, but get a new one.) 3)Paint on bonnet
4) Repair bumper
5) sensors and other instrument check
6) grill and logo

How much is the estimate by VW workshop? any idea how much insurance will cover?

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by Mission_PGPX

How much is the estimate by VW workshop? any idea how much insurance will cover?

Let's see man, I'll find out today. Fingers, eyes, laces and everything else crossed, it won't knock me out.

[nevinfrancis]

Sad to read about this one. Your very interesting initial ownership review was one of the reasons that prompted me also to buy a Jetta - that too a black one.

Before that I had a Polo and it had also met with a similar fate like your Jetta - but the mistake was all mine - I rear ended a transport truck and the damage was very similar to what your Jetta has suffered. But I got it repaired and I think it costed a shade under 1.5 lakhs back then.

Its really heart breaking to see your beloved car like this, pray that you get her back on wheels as quickly as possible

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by nevinfrancis

Sad to read about this one. Your very interesting initial ownership review was one of the reasons that prompted me also to buy a Jetta - that too a black one.

Before that I had a Polo and it had also met with a similar fate like your Jetta - but the mistake was all mine - I rear ended a transport truck and the damage was very similar to what your Jetta has suffered. But I got it repaired and I think it costed a shade under 1.5 lakhs back then.

Its really heart breaking to see your beloved car like this, pray that you get her back on wheels as quickly as possible

Thanks Nevin, it gladdens me greatly to hear that I essayed a role in nudging you towards the Jetta. It really is a gem of a car. If VW had a 6 cylinder engine option on offer, I wouldn't look beyond them when the time comes to upgrade.

Sad to hear about your Polo, but you did move on to bigger, better things! I'm counting the days off until she's back with me, it's only a matter of time now.

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

Thanks Nevin, it gladdens me greatly to hear that I essayed a role in nudging you towards the Jetta. It really is a gem of a car. If VW had a 6 cylinder engine option on offer, I wouldn't look beyond them when the time comes to upgrade.

Sad to hear about your Polo, but you did move on to bigger, better things! I'm counting the days off until she's back with me, it's only a matter of time now.

Really heart breaking to see this :(

How much is the estimate and how much you reckon will insurance pay ?

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

Really heart breaking to see this :(

How much is the estimate and how much you reckon will insurance pay ?

I'll come to know of my fate on Monday. It's not going to be pretty, but I'll just have to grin and bear it. Will keep you guys posted once I get to know.

[iliketurtles]

It’s been quite a ride in the last 2 weeks since the Black Mamba got defanged. 'Tis but a flesh wound for the Black Knight.

Well, clearly not. Long story short, after quite an agonising wait, the hombres at the Volkswagen workshop got back to me with a whopper of an estimate that totals up to, in as much as it doesn’t matter, Rs. 7 lakhs. Given that I didn’t opt for a zero dep policy (I could clobber past me for that), I know I was staring down the barrel of a very big gun on this one.

Of that bill, I would have to foot about Rs. 3 lakhs. Hearing the sound of me smashing a pair of bangles on the walls and wailing, the kindly workshop manager made it a point to mention to me that this is a preliminary estimate before they open up the car and that this could even go down by a little bit depending on whether the car gods only want to see me skewered slightly or roasted completely over a spit.

I have of course given my go ahead to get the work done because it is what it is, one can only play the hand you’ve been dealt (or maybe not, don’t take my word for it, I’m terrible at all card games). But from this (very expensive) ordeal, let me try and distill some learnings to ensure you aren’t brought crashing down to earth.

Distractions are dangerous

Focus. Don’t mess with your phone while driving. Don’t allow your passengers to consume your attention. Don’t try to figure out if that cloud looks more like a penguin or a dragon. Don’t turn for a few seconds to glare at the fool that cut in front of a pair of cars, lest you rear end the car ahead of you. Eyes on the roads at all time people, if you need to eyeball that pretty young thing at your 10 o’clock, pull over and do so in a leisurely manner.

Zero dep = zero worries

I cannot stress this enough. Get yourself a zero dep policy whenever you get the opportunity to do so. If like me, you believe that you’re a safe driver that hasn’t been in an accident in years or ever and that an accident simply won’t happen to you, that’s all well and good. But a zero depreciation policy gives you the kind of safety net that transfers all your worries in the eventuality of you needing to claim insurance onto the insurer. So don’t worry, be happy. Laugh at the insurer while he cries sees the size of the bill, don’t be the schmuck doing the crying.

Be courteous

Your mileage may of course vary, but I have seen that being polite, personable and yet firm is all doable at once. The Creta I rear ended insisted I pay up for his damages, which I quickly said no to. I believe that over the course of our chat, the Creta owner took a softer stance and was more understanding, perhaps only because I was as gentleman-like with him as possible at all times. No shouting, no cuss words, no shifting of the blame. Just good old fashioned courtesy and common sense. Heck, he even dropped me to a rickshaw later once we were done and displayed little to no rancor towards me. That’s a tiny win in my books.

Keep your friends close, keep your company service guys closer

My initial worry was that the car would be classed as a total loss, and my initial chats with the VW guys reaffirmed this. I put my case before them, asking them to do the best they could (from a price and work perspective) and to please not class this as totaled, since it was absolutely repairable. Friendly Team-BHP’ian and buddy Tanveer batted for me as well, helping me out along the way. So yeah, always helps to keep those relationships alive.

Get some perspective

My wife and I are safe. Poorer, but wiser and safe. That’s the key thing, always. Sure, she’ll have a few less Jimmy Choo’s in her wardrobe and she might have called me a few things beginning with Choo, but that’s all in a day’s work for me.

If you’ve read this far, you might be interested in knowing that I am considering set up a GoFundMe page with all donations being completely tax deductible under Section 36DD.

1 donation = blessing, so make sure you get yourself some blessings when that goes live. Peace out. Drive safe.

[ethanhunt123]

I am blown away. 7L !!!!! Thats almost 35% of a new Jetta's price. Did they give you a rough break sheet of the estimate ?