[dipakrawat]

Originally Posted by akhilesh51

Few weeks back, I met with an accident on highway while driving in my skoda octavia 1.9 TDi.

I was driving down the highway and suddenly (!!) a camel cart came in the middle (transversally parked on the highway!) resulting in a head-on collision with the cart.

Worse, the cart was laden with a metal water tank which fell on my car tearing a part of roof.

Luckily, everyone involved, including me, escaped with minor injuries but a totally front-wrecked car.

The extent of damage on car is as follows:

Front Bumpers
All Front Lights
Bonnet + Bonnet/Bumper assembly
LH + RH Side panels
LH + RH 'A' Pillars
RH 'B' Pillar
Roof
Front Seat assembly
Seat Belt pre-tensioners
various parts in engine assembly


Engine continues to crank normally but coolant/PS oil compartments are broken. (Surprise, Surprise!)


Upon inspection, Insurance broker has given a settlement estimate of about INR 200,000/- which for obvious reason, we declined !

We are more interested in cash settlement so that we can rid of this car since it has been involved in 2 accidents already with different members of family.

I need help from community to decide about course of action to follow.

Should I go for cash settlement and buy another premium sedan ? If yes, then which car?
Is it possible to exchange car after repair and what would be expected value ?
Accept cash settlement and sell car for spares in market, is it wise ?
Just repair the car and curse my bad luck ?

Any suggestions in this matter will be highly appreciated.

Another thing i noted, In both the accidents, being full frontal crashes, and drivers wearing seat-belts (atleast i was), airbags did not deflate. Is it a skoda problem ?

Note from Team BHP Support:

Please do not use more than a maximum of two smilies per post. Take time to go through the rules of the forum. Thanks.

It would be sensible to get rid of this one & buy a new one coz the repair & overheads will cost you much & moreover a new car will have give you a new confidence to ride with however i belive Accord would be a good buy if thats fit in your budget ...i think it will

[WAGON_R]

why dont you go for a decent suv. Suvs are well knows for safety.
alternately speak to skoda guys about the damaged chassis. if you can get in touch with the factory directly tell them the structural problem. may be they can replace the chassis.

[loving_alaap]

Well still you want a Skoda or VW???? If it was not a Skoda, i would have suggested for repairwork. Bit its a skoda, its cheaper to buy a new car than repair!! It is so severely damaged, that even if you repair, it will give you a continuous niggling problems thought her life. Better buy Verna / optra or even a Sonata Diesel!

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by akhilesh51

New Car would once again be in premium segment...VW Jetta sorts...

Jetta DSG is a good upgrade. With the 3 years full maintenance pack free, its even more tempting. Although if you really want a premium segment car and can stretch the budget, look no further than the new Superb.

[abhijeetsng]

Buddy,
Go in for cash settlement, and get rid of this car.
Even if you get it repaired, you will never be able to have good confidence on the reliability of this particular machine.

And yeah, please drive carefully dude. Its good that the car was skoda!

[devarshi84]

first you decide if you want to keep it or sell it. when it comes to selling you can do 2 things.

1. Sell without repairs to a garage where you lose considerable amount of money.
2. Repair and sell in the market. Not much difference but you may be able to try for a better value.

Again, you know the impact of the accident both the times and how the car survived. While many stay away from Skoda, I have seen Skoda's with worse impacts but intact cabins. That is where technology and costs go compared to the Japanese.

Alternatively look at the Jetta and Laura.

[akhilesh51]

Originally Posted by WAGON_R

why dont you go for a decent suv. Suvs are well knows for safety.
alternately speak to skoda guys about the damaged chassis. if you can get in touch with the factory directly tell them the structural problem. may be they can replace the chassis.

I already have a SUV, Tata Safari, and I am very happy with the car...Skoda was dad's car and he is more interested in sedans.

Does anyone think that it is a good option to repair the car through insurance and then exchange it for Jetta if such scheme exists at VW

[superbhikari]

Get in touch with Meerut Auto scrap dealers. I am sure you will be able to sell your car for somewhere 4-4.5L there. My personal experience.
Diesel sedan in 10-15L price bracket - very limited choices- Jetta, Laura. You may look at Fiat Linea Top end model.

[Ravveendrra]

Originally Posted by abhijeetsng

.....
Its good that the car was skoda!

Originally Posted by devarshi84

......
Again, you know the impact of the accident both the times and how the car survived. While many stay away from Skoda, I have seen Skoda's with worse impacts but intact cabins. That is where technology and costs go compared to the Japanese.

Alternatively look at the Jetta and Laura.

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

In the EuroNCAP test ratings:
Octavia : 4/5 stars. Euro NCAP - For safer cars | Skoda Octavia
Civic : 4/5 stars. Euro NCAP - For safer cars | Honda Civic
Laura/Jetta : 5/5 stars. Euro NCAP - For safer cars | Skoda Octavia
Accord : NA. The European Accord is Acura TSX.
Fabia : 4/5 stars. Euro NCAP - For safer cars | Skoda Fabia

I agree with the above folks, the Skodas are built like tanks and tough. Indian conditions demand that - imagine a camel cart in the middle of the road - with a metal water tank placed on it! Forget the crashing into brick wall tests, here in India we have things falling on our heads and crashing into the car at all odd angles. Do remember none of the other vehicles you encounter on our highways have any kind of safety equipment, only the newer trucks have the most rudimentary 'anti-dive bars' to prevent cars from going under them.

The only thing that keeps you safe is a solid car with a cabin like a vault, take the advice given by devarshi, abhijeet and aaggoswami and get yourself another Skoda, VW, Audi or upgrade to a Merc or BMW. The asian vehicles use much thinner & lighter bodies.

Cheers,

[devarshi84]

Originally Posted by akhilesh51

Does anyone think that it is a good option to repair the car through insurance and then exchange it for Jetta if such scheme exists at VW

why would they mind? Infact it may look like a blow to your wallet but repairing and selling it to VW dealer is the best way to get a good value for your car. Do expect a cut on the resale due to the recent crash though.

additionally getting another skoda may get you better value for your car. (just a thought)

[Dose]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

In the EuroNCAP test ratings:
Octavia : 4/5 stars. Euro NCAP - For safer cars | Skoda Octavia
Civic : 4/5 stars. Euro NCAP - For safer cars | Honda Civic
Laura/Jetta : 5/5 stars. Euro NCAP - For safer cars | Skoda Octavia
Accord : NA. The European Accord is Acura TSX.
Fabia : 4/5 stars. Euro NCAP - For safer cars | Skoda Fabia

When two cars are tied for the same number of stars, one then has to compare them on the next level and the next until the tie is broken and one car emerges as superior to the other. As seen in the links posted, the Octavia had "marginal" protection for driver chest injuries in a frontal impact. All the other four-star cars had superior protection in this area. BTW, the Laura is not a five-star car.

[lamborghini]

You want a diesel that is safe and given that your father does a lot of driving I think an Auto would be good for him.

How about the Sonata Transform CRDi A/T?
If not, than the only other diesel is the Skoda Laura/Jetta, both of which have problems reported with the DSG gearbox, if I am not mistaken.

[akhilesh51]

Originally Posted by Dose

When two cars are tied for the same number of stars, one then has to compare them on the next level and the next until the tie is broken and one car emerges as superior to the other. As seen in the links posted, the Octavia had "marginal" protection for driver chest injuries in a frontal impact. All the other four-star cars had superior protection in this area. BTW, the Laura is not a five-star car.

I have a doubt regarding the safety ratings, Don't they vary from country to country depending on actual place of manufacture of a particular car.

For example, A skoda laura manufactured in Germany under stringent European safety regulations would vary in quality to one that is produced in Brazil or India. Unless of course, the car is imported as a completely built unit.

Could someone shed more light on this ?

[harry10]

Its better to buy a new one. As you are inclined towards diesel and budget is 15 lac around the options are- Sonata Transform/Laura/Jetta. My pick will be Laura as its tried and tested.

[Ramsagar]

To my knowledge get the car repaired.

The coated price by insurance company is 2L,being an year old car when there is depreciation of 20-25%,you end up paying app 40-50k and the insurance takes car of the rest. And you immediately sell the car for better price (being an auto dealer) and purchase a new car.

Even I don’t suggest you to keep the car. As this had met with an accident twice and sentimentally keep away from you. And thank the SKODA for the safety features.

If the car is sold as scrap, you will be in total loss.

If the car is exchanged with SKODA or VW delears, they will know the fact that the car had met with an accident. They quote very less for the vehicle as they usually do for the accident free vehicles.

My suggestion is go for LAURA, you will be safe with respect to safety and A.S.S, but I’m not sure about VW A.S.S.Guess i'm too early to suggest on SONATA.

Correct me if I’m wrong in any above statements.