Team-BHP - My Fiat Punto 90Hp Accident: Head-on collision with a Tree

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- - My Fiat Punto 90Hp Accident: Head-on collision with a Tree (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-safety/143868-my-fiat-punto-90hp-accident-head-collision-tree-4.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheHkrish (Post 3285547)

Even after all the sweet talk by them saying we would do the best work , and they showed me another punto almost in the same state. But when I saw the welding done and all , it didn't impress us. By then my wife was Adamant saying that , the car had to be moved to Bangalore. And I felt that was the right thing to do.

I can relate to that feeling.
Thank god and your guardian angel that you made it safe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheHkrish (Post 3285547)

That was the end of another day,picked up an auto to leave us in Bellandur and left.

With the experience you had, you have done the right thing by getting it to Vecto.
From my guess you must have spent around 10K for the towing which is nothing compared to the peace of mind.

Quote:

P.S: If any of us are wondering for what the TUMBLR stands for this , I know I was thinking over my head. But finally it saved us ( Our Tumblr, not the one Bruce Wayne drives )

I don't mean to hurt you...but on a lighter side, after the accident, your car looks pretty much like the Batmobile with the centre portion caved in :D

Again I'm sorry If this hurt you

Sorry to read that mate, I remember reading a similar article where a couple were trying to be adventurous lot and tried to cross an unmanned railway crossing in bangalore. They were on a Fiat palio and luckily they survived without a scratch.

So will you upgrade yourself to a Fiat Punto Abarth which is expected shortly or would it be another Linea?

Think you might have to wait for the estimate and the insurer to revert in case they want to declare this as a total. Do you see damage to the chassis & Apron as well?

Quote:

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand (Post 3285940)

With the experience you had, you have done the right thing by getting it to Vecto.
From my guess you must have spent around 10K for the towing which is nothing compared to the peace of mind.

I don't mean to hurt you...but on a lighter side, after the accident, your car looks pretty much like the Batmobile with the centre portion caved in :D

Again I'm sorry If this hurt you

Spot on , Hemanth . Regarding the caved in clap:.
Doesn't hurt a bit buddy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaxTorque (Post 3283974)

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.

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

Its not yet a total write off , Thanks bro

Quote:

Originally Posted by amolpol (Post 3283997)

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.

Thanks Amol, I was kind of following of your go anywhere kind of policy but not with Thar but with my little tumblr. Worked out almost well till we crashed it. Had clocked almost 5000Kms in 2 months.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ankan.m.blr (Post 3284008)

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.

Thanks Ankan, I did follow your advice close to heart. Pulled by Punto to Bangalore. I have to admit even though I am feeling lighter on my wallet it feels a lot better to know my car is somewhere I can trust.

Quote:

Originally Posted by smartcat (Post 3284020)

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! :)

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).

Been there, done that! :D

I got the "video game" feeling too when we were involved in a similar incident a few years back.

Thanks a Ton Buddy.

I did try the quotes on spot, didn't work then. But that being said now she is feeling a lot better. She is the one monitoring Team-Bhp comments now thanks to you and our fellow petrol-heads.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 3284686)

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).

Thanks Rush for the assuring words, the bee in the pudding is these fellows doesn't have cashless claim with Oriental Insurance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpksuhas (Post 3284791)

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.

Thanks Suhas, on the day before our Wayanad trip I was planning a Thekkady trip reading your travelogue anyway it seems we have to wait for anonther couple of months

Quote:

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand (Post 3284868)

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

Thanks Hemanth, As I mentioned I towed the car on a flat bed all the way to Bangalore. It was more of thinking with Heart Decision. EMOTION is anyway a fiat trait right buddy ?. Yup it did cost more than 10k .

Quote:

Originally Posted by Utopian (Post 3284888)

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.

Thanks Utopian, of course Fiat is one beautiful half in saving our life and god the Major Half in our survival. Almost everything other than the engine have gone for a toss. But we are still in tact because of the above mentioned characters.

Quote:

Originally Posted by .anshuman (Post 3284933)

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.

Yes Anshuman, thats what I am thinking about as well. I am OK even if the car takes a little longer if the workmanship is intact.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hayek (Post 3284951)

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.

Thanks Hayek, I had to answer Gazillion mouths to the question "Why FIAT" and "a hatch costlier than Dezire ZDI ?". Now all I have to do is point them to this thread. And about those who doesn't want their formals ruined because of seat belts we can only wish them good luck.
My better half is on a far better spirit after reading our fellow t-bhpian's comments

Quote:

Originally Posted by ayadalam (Post 3284973)

Totally agree with all the points mentioned. Glad that our fellow BHPian is safe and lives on to educate more people who think that the safety features can be compromised on.

The incident reiterates the importance of safety features in our cars and more importantly picking up a car that has a solid build.

A few lakhs of rupees saved is no comparison to the lives that would be saved or any physical injuries that would be suffered.

I guess incidents like these should be grouped together and be part of an educational article in this site that can serve as an eye opener for anyone who think is invincible.

Drive Safe,
Andy

Thanks Andy, there are threads already like seat belts saved my life , I don't think we in Team-BHP needs further education on safety regards. We had been educated as much as we can by seeing experiences like mine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdma (Post 3284978)

Thumbs-up to your spirit for getting over the episode quickly :thumbs up.
In my personal opinion it is good to have the car back in Bangalore so that monitoring is undoubtedly better due to accessibility.Since there is some major work involved , I guess it would take weeks before your tumblr is back home and it would save the hassle of frequent shuttling between the two cities.
One point that I am literally scratching my head on is how can we get this car onto a flat bed surface for the transportation , because the car is not in a position to be driven up/down a ramp.
Sorry to end up with a question instead of answering to your question :confused:.

Thanks Pdma, I did bring the car to Bangalore. The car is supposed to take more than 2 months to get back in shape. They used a 9k Winch to pull the car, it was hooked near to front wheel as my towing hook had gone for a toss.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drlmtukkar (Post 3284986)

There is no doubt that fiats are built tough n well. Enjoy your second life n all thanks to fiat. I have used 3 fiat cars over the last 10 years n they were n are all solidly built. I own a 4.5year lines with 94k in the odo n not a single squeak or rattle yet. Where as my friend who bought a sx4 around the same time as me says its a rattle box with 43k on the odo . kuddos to fiat.

Thanks Drlmtukkar, if the car had to be scrapped ( It is not :) ), we would have gone ahead and book a linea. Nothing else satisfies us now. Fiat have another couple of fans for life.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nitinbose (Post 3285008)

Glad to know you're both safe! The car's definitely a well built! I second the point on safety features to be included in Indian cars - atleast airbags!

Thanks Nitin, it should be given at lowercost and should be made as mandatory as the seatbelts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sansvk (Post 3285277)

Really glad to hear you and your family are safe.
Not sure how experienced a driver your other half is, but I am always reluctant to hand over the wheel to any one on 2 lane roads especially on village roads and when driving my vehicle. Its not about me showing I am a better driver, its more to keep everyone safe. You would probably be the best judge of your vehicle, knowing the braking distances and handling better than anyone else.

Thanks sansvk, We would be taking care of it next time :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by nidhin0816 (Post 3285363)

Happy to know that both of you walked away with minor bruises.

Punto is definitely solid in build quality and this incident once again reinforces faith in FIAT's product quality.

Looking at the damages i don't think the insurance company will agree for a Total loss.

Its not a total Loss scenario buddy, the estimate had come over 3 lakhs though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ank.nsit (Post 3285407)

Glad to know that you both are fine even after such a bad incident.

Those stupid alto driver & bike rider would have carried on as if everything was normal. They would again do such stupid acts & will again harm someone else.

It feels really sad having to face such an incident/hassles/pain because of some other moron, while that moron will continue to be a danger to our roads.

Hopefully everything(including your car) will get back to being normal soon.
Do share your repair experience at the FIAT. Have heard a lot of stories about issues of FIAT's parts availability at the showrooms.

Thanks buddy, Hope they have also learnt a lesson for life regarding Lane Discipline. I would scribble it here whats happening with my little tumblr.

Quote:

Originally Posted by damanshaheed (Post 3285440)

Hey TheHkrish, thank God that you and your wife are safe and the car took the brunt of it. I can sympathize with you as my swift also had a bad crash last month and in my case too my wife was driving. It actually is very frustrating when you end up crashing because of someone else's fault. You have mentioned that it is a 2-month-old car and with the zero dep insurance, you will not have to pay a single penny out of your pocket. Happy and safe driving bro.

Thanks damanshaheed, Hope you are OK, with the crash. We call them better half for a reason right. Even thats what I am thinking ( abt Zero Dep policy).

Quote:

Originally Posted by srikrishna717 (Post 3285452)

I think you both are lucky to escape unhurt and should be thankful to God. This incident will remain in your minds for some time to come you will see yourselves observing more caution every time you drive !
Nice to know Punto is built so solid, Get what you can from your insurance claims and move on to a new car buddy!

Thanks Srikrishna, Punto was so solidly built nothing major was damaged. Even though the estimate came in 3 Lakhs range.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sawnilrules (Post 3285479)

TheHkrish- Its good to know that you and your family is safe. And indeed Fiat's are tanks built to last. They use much better quality sheet metals even compared to VW.

May be I can help you a bit in answering your insurance related questions, as we have two things in common. 1- Accident 2- Zero Dep Policy. Also, coming to your second question and answering it first, is it worth to get your car to Bangalore from Mysore? If you intend to pay regular visits to the Service Center in Bangalore where your car is being repaired, get it, otherwise leave it. Also, have a look at comparing the cost of driving it down from Mysore to Bangalore when the car is ready, viz a viz cost of towing it on a flat-bed. Whatever feels cheaper and convenient, go ahead with it.

Now about the Insurance Claims

It is important to get an FIR from the local police station where the accident had occurred, and importantly, since we have comprehensive insurance policies, make sure that they mention, no external person was injured in the accident apart from the occupants, if that be the case. Otherwise, you can have a sudden by-stander who can come and claim that he was injured due an accident with your car. And you may have to settle his bill separately, as the same may or may not be covered in the insurance policy.

Know, a Zero Depreciation Insurance ensures that it covers everything, be it glass, plastics, rubber, head-lamps, tail-lamps, absolutely everything, the only value that you have to pay is the Insurance Claim Charges which are usually nominal and the charges for clips that are used to fix bumpers, oil changes if required,etc

When I had met with an accident rear-on, A jeep had come and banged into me from behind, while I was waiting at the signal, following parts were changed in my car. Boot, Rear Bumper, rear C-pillar, Cross Section of the running board and taillights. My overall bill was INR 1,07,960 including the labor charges, part charges, bumper coloring, etc. However, I just payed INR 3,650. Out of which INR 1500 was insurance claim fee and remaining were for those clips and sundry activities.

Don't worry, your machine will be back to its gleaming glory soon. Take Care.

Thanks Sawnil , I did check out a couple of Polo TDIs to see punto seems to be a bit more sturdy than the rest. I would be going back to the police station this weekend to have an acknowledgement sheet from them as you said. Good to know that you are safe from that accident.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jignesh (Post 3285504)

Hello Friend,

Relieved to know that both of you are absolutely safe & there are no serious injuries. Accidents happen & most of times we have no control over the incidents.

As far as insurance claim is concerned, since you have a zero depreciation cover & the car is just two months old, practically everything will be covered, except from mandatory claim deduction (which will be Rs. 1,000 or some fixed amount clearly mentioned in the policy). You will also have to bear the cost of towing the car from accident spot to the service station as Insurance companies disburse only a fixed amount (which is very low amount) for this.

Regarding carrying out the repairs at Mysore or Bangalore, speak to Fiat guys. If they have a tie up with a reputed service station in Mysore then it will be good. Otherwise it will be advisable to bring the car to Bangalore.

P.S. You may refer my experience in dealing with Royal Sundaram Insurance Company last year:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...rajasthan.html

Thanks,

Thanks Jignesh, I did pull the car all the way from Mysore to Bangalore on a flat bed.I didn't even know that Insurance guys would reimburse anything at all to it. I do have the bill from the towing guys. Thanks god that you are safe from your accident. I didn't take any photographs for Insurance claim because I was not in the right presence of mind to take a pic on the spot. I did do it at the service center. Now for this idiocy, I would have to go back to the spot to file an FIR for the same . On this weekend.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheHkrish (Post 3286312)

Now for this idiocy, I would have to go back to the spot to file an FIR for the same . On this weekend.

Hello Friend,

Speak to the Insurance company & the Surveyor. FIR is not necesary in your case as there is no injury to any passenger & third party. At the same time there is no damage to any property (expect your car).

In my case the FIR was not necessary & I left the accident spot (some where in Rajasthan) along with the car within 3 / 4 hours. The entire insurance process (survey & final negotiations) were done at Mumbai & at any stage I was not asked for FIR.

Thanks,

If you can provide an affidavit "detailing the accident and no third party was involved. And if in the future any third party claims to be a part of this accident, you would be responsible". Then you wouldn't need an FIR or acknowledgement from the Police. Please talk to the surveyor for this option.

Unfortunate accident !!

The FIAT is definetely a tank, one can imagine the impact it has taken by the pictures.

Happy to know you all are safe. :)

Heartly congrats TheHkrish. When i read the thread name I was in full anticipation that everyone must have escaped unhurt, no surprises there since it was a Punto.
Check post number 3089 in link
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...-pics-206.html

EDIT: Here is the link to Fiat Palio accident at a railway crossing (post number 1424)
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...ml#post1140567

But yeah, sometimes we need to control our over-confidence as well. I keep my brains on what others on road might be thinking especially 2-wheelers. While crossing small villages, the typical splendors etc. drive recklessly, so u must keep yourself in their shoes while driving.

And I would recommend that if there is a replacement of certain parts which can manipulate the dynamics of car, then I suggest better face the losses, sell the car and get a new one. Once repaired the car will never be the same again. You never know if the repaired AirBags will work since they will be fixed by world famous Fiat dealerships.

BTW I have bookmarked this thread to show to my 'herd' colleagues. Hope they understand and stop believing in something called as 'Miraculous Escape'.

Unfortunate TheHkrish! Glad to hear all is well with you people!

I too had a similar experience in May this year when I was handling the wheels on my friend's punto cruising on Bangalore-Pune highway and we had just crossed Maharashtra border when there was a skew of incidents that happened in a flash. A slow moving Maruti 800 on the left track was overtaken by an insane driver in his SX4 again from the left and off the road just scraping the 800. Maruti 800 guy lost control came on to the right track where I was in and just halted the car all of sudden although not intentionally and I had no option but to reduce speed and bang him at the back as the distance was too short to maneuver otherwise, indeed Punto is built like a tank and no one had any injuries apart from the car which got a bill of 40k which was still ok considering we were all safe!

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRIV3R (Post 3283663)

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.

FIAT RSA provides free assistance for service related issues upto say 100 Kms. Accidental assistance is always charged and borne by the customer.

The same had happened to a friend, where the car had toppled and we were amazed to see both the occupants then coming out smiling. Happy to see the occupants of thie punto safe too. Kudos to FIAt for making such a wonderful car! :thumbs up

Very unfortunate happening TheHkrish.
Your wife did the right thing. She avoided a head on collision with another vehicle. Glad that both of you are safe. Your vehicle can always be replaced but not your lives!
Regards
Ashok

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oranger (Post 3287863)

FIAT RSA provides free assistance for service related issues upto say 100 Kms. Accidental assistance is always charged and borne by the customer.

I guess you missed my subsequent post. :)

Quote:

The same had happened to a friend, where the car had toppled and we were amazed to see both the occupants then coming out smiling. Happy to see the occupants of thie punto safe too. Kudos to FIAt for making such a wonderful car! :thumbs up

Was that a Medium Grey Punto by any chance? Lost grip due to aquaplaning and went off the road?

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRIV3R (Post 3288020)

I guess you missed my subsequent post. :)

Was that a Medium Grey Punto by any chance? Lost grip due to aquaplaning and went off the road?

Yes it was! I was right behind that car and was able to eye all that happened to the car in a fraction of seconds. We were really scared, that good knows what scenario would it be upon opening up the vehicle and surprisingly, it was all good!

Quote:

Originally Posted by kdp95 (Post 3283773)

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.

As already mentioned, Zero Dep Insurance will not attract any material/labour costs at all so having this policy is a very smart move. On the other hand, I will forewarn you that Oriental Insurance is one of the most notorious service providers so here are few pointers on your case:

1. Having mentioned it already, I will stress here that THERE ARE NO CHARGES APPLICABLE FOR MATERIAL & LABOUR when covered under Zero-Dep insurance policy. This includes all parts including consumables like oil and coolant.

2. You will have to pay only for file charges in range of 1K-2K.

3. Towing charges are also part of Insurance cover and you should stress on the same when meeting with the surveyor. Most surveyors will not agree to towing initially but it is very much covered.

4. Depending on other additional facilities availed in your policy, you could also be entitled to cover cost of your personal transportation from accident site to your home.

5. Since you are covered under zero-dep policy, do ensure that all damaged parts are replace rather than repaired. This has to be personally monitored and no surveyor can force you to repair parts when you want replacement. This includes body panels, bonnet and any other metal parts. After all, you are not paying anything for replacement so might as well benefit from having proper parts.

6. Insurance company will also try and deduct salvage on replaced metal parts and you may have to negotiate on the final salvage value. Even so, do not allow them to coax you into repair of metal parts instead of replacement. Usually, companies charge anywhere between 6-10% (of part cost) for metal salvage.

7. Since you do not have cashless facility, you should monitor all proceeding and ensure insurance company does not delay your payment since you might have to pay in advance to garage before you can claim from Insurer. Oriental is known to take unto 6 months in clearing files which could put a huge financial burden on your back considering this vehicle estimate should be in range of 2-3L.

8. Please check the vehicle thoroughly before taking delivery of the vehicle as any later part replacements will not be covered under insurance.

9. Please ensure replacement of all vehicle fluids whether leaking or not as frontal collisions are known cause dust/metal particles entering fluids which in turn cause mechanical damages that are only detected months after repairs and are not covered by Insurance/warranty and could cost a bomb.

Finally, many congratulations on escaping unscathed. FIATs are certainly built like tanks and this is not the first instance when a FIAT vehicle has proved why they are 'Owner's Pride'.

Stay safe!