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Old 20th October 2021, 13:28   #46
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Re: My Polo TSI got badly rear-ended by a Tata Safari (two 360-degree spins)

Thank God that all of you are safe! I think this is the best possible outcome of any accident. The Safari owner appears honest, by the position of accident damage (Safari right front side and Polo left rear end), he was indeed trying to avoid you before the impact. I guess he was tailgating too close for the speeds being maintained.
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Old 20th October 2021, 13:36   #47
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Re: My Polo TSI got badly rear-ended by a Tata Safari (two 360-degree spins)

@sinharishi: Firstly, glad to know that you and your folks are safe and sound. The Polo has always been a sturdy car.

Would advise you to get the car repaired and sell it immediately. No amount of body work will turn out to be perfect and the signs will be visible nonetheless. Also, the memories of the accident linger on at times.

You should be able to get a great deal for the car anyway.

P.s. This incident absolutely undelines the fact that investing in a safer car, albeit at the cost of some other bells and whistles, at times, always pays off! As the say, "Jaan hai, toh jahaan hai!"

Take care buddy. God bless you.
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Old 20th October 2021, 13:43   #48
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Re: My Polo TSI got badly rear-ended by a Tata Safari (two 360-degree spins)

Looking at how the Electronic parking brake in Safari jammed has me concerned. Would a mechanical brake fare better? I always think that for any safety related system, there must be a mechanical option, because electronics can fail due to several reasons.
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Old 20th October 2021, 14:53   #49
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Re: My Polo TSI got badly rear-ended by a Tata Safari (two 360-degree spins)

A chilling first hand account of an accident, brimming with learning from experience! Thanks for the sharing and glad to know all passengers involved are safe.

Some takeaways from this accident
  • Assess if a sudden stop (to avoid a crashing into a pothole or flying over a speed breaker) has a greater risk of a rear end. I am not undermining the call taken by the drivers here in any way.
  • Rear seat belts and head rests play an important role in rear end hits which are not the most common of occurrences nor what we are able to brace for

Last edited by GeeTee TSI : 20th October 2021 at 14:56.
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Old 20th October 2021, 15:43   #50
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Re: My Polo TSI got badly rear-ended by a Tata Safari (two 360-degree spins)


The calmness and maturity shown by you is commendable. This after a car you love, getting hit from behind without any fault of yours !

How's the Safari doing anyway? in case you are in touch with the owner.

And again for hatchbacks, in terms of safety, we can only rely on Polo and Altroz. Two well built cars. Polo since the time, *-star safety was not a marketing thing.
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Old 20th October 2021, 15:52   #51
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Re: My Polo TSI got badly rear-ended by a Tata Safari (two 360-degree spins)

@sinharishi, first of all, I'm glad to know that you, your family as well as the occupants of the Safari are safe. I think one realises how hard that accident was simply by looking at the picture of the rear end of your Polo.

Quote:
Originally Posted by androdev View Post
@sinharishi,

Don't give consent to a repair in good faith. The other name for insurance claim is negotiation. VW is rarely your friend. If you don't understand your options, you will get a raw deal. The insurance company is liable to pay for "Grade-A" quality repair and not some jugaad repair. My suggestion is don't go for repair at all, but don't disclose that yet.
+1

Androdev's advice = my advice in this case. I'll go as far saying that don't bother even thinking about repairing it. That's too much damage for a car to bear even if it not considered a total loss. At the minimum, you're looking at the entire rear half of the car - chassis (there is sufficient chassis damage which means that it'll have to welded in with atleast the rear part. Next, you're looking at the electrical parts, exhaust, fuel tank, rear passenger compartment, seats, wiring et.al; at the minimum.

Like androdev said, don't bother thinking about repariring it, even if it might seem to be worth it, just for the sentimental value. After such a crash, no cars, not even Volvos can come back to factory finish. Push for a maximum repair claim and then just back off, you'll get the money you need.

Last edited by akash_v12 : 20th October 2021 at 15:53.
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Old 20th October 2021, 16:02   #52
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Re: My Polo TSI got badly rear-ended by a Tata Safari (two 360-degree spins)

Quote:
Originally Posted by sinharishi View Post
Update from VW Jaipur:
- No repair, all parts will be replaced including axle
The left rear "C" pillar - roof kink, if it is to be repaired, the bodyshop would need to cut and weld the roof to bodyside-outer,(BSO).
Assuming a replacement is done, that is the OEM sends you a new LHS BSO, it still needs to be welded to the roof panel.

Now, does the dealership have laser welding equipment? Because the Polo/Vento/Rapid roof panels are all laser welded to extremely tight tolerances to the LH & RH BSO's. Also the correct sealant has to be used to prevent any potential future leakage & corrosion at the joineries.

Maybe it'll be a good idea, after assessing your financial commitments, to get the car replaced at a suitable time.

Take care & drive safe,
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Old 20th October 2021, 16:28   #53
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Re: My Polo TSI got badly rear-ended by a Tata Safari (two 360-degree spins)

Glad that everyone involved came out of the accident safely. It’s always a horrible feeling to be in one but a SAFE car is something that always has your back (quite literally here).

It’s an odd day like this where the value of a safe and sturdy vehicle is truly realised.

Kudos to all the fellow bhp-ians who helped as well!
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Old 20th October 2021, 16:40   #54
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Re: My Polo TSI got badly rear-ended by a Tata Safari (two 360-degree spins)

Thank God you and family are safe, and so are the ones in the Safari.

For a moment I ponder the scene, had you been driving a Suzuki / Hyundai / Kia.

A solidly built car complements God's hand in delivering us safely from point A to B. I can say this with much conviction because I lived through a high speed impact with a service lane median and then rolled over. My Polo saved my life, and I have stuck to VAG, moving on to a Vento and then to a Rapid.

Damn them all you can; the nefarious Dealers, the Service Costs and all, but a VAG product is a common man's tank on our highly militarized roads.
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Old 20th October 2021, 17:15   #55
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Re: My Polo TSI got badly rear-ended by a Tata Safari (two 360-degree spins)

Hi,
Hats off to you for being so nice and civil after having survived a high speed rear end on a highway. I especially love the concern you had for the kids in the safari even though the driver of that car itself was the source of your misery. Accidents do happen and its how we respond in the aftermath that makes us human or animals.
IMO, the occupants in both the cars survived a high speed impact and walked away with minimal injuries which goes to show that it always makes sense to choose safety over all other parameters. Hopefully, more and more cars buyers will prioritize safety in their next purchase.
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Old 20th October 2021, 17:35   #56
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Re: My Polo TSI got badly rear-ended by a Tata Safari (two 360-degree spins)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Leoshashi View Post
-Do insist on getting total loss claim for your car. If it's not possible, evaluate getting a replacement body shell. Since the Polo is still in production, that should be the next best thing.
I had lost a Polo to an accident 4 years ago, and had tried for a full body shell. It is not available. A full rollover back on wheels and then again on the RHS. As repair cost was close to 75% they gave me option of total loss or net of salvage. I took net of salvage, and a known person bought the salvage and I got to see and drive the car after the repair.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sinharishi View Post
- Surveyor assessed the car and cannot justify total loss, he said he would have done it at 50% also
As per insurance rules, They cannot give total loss below 75% if they offer below that you get net of salvage, and your car will be repaired and sold.

VW gives the entire side body as a spare, not pillar(s), fender, running board etc like some other companies. This ensures the rigidity of a repaired car is same as a new one. Secondly this side body change is needed even if you damage a running board or rear fender or something. Due to this every VW dealer has welding and body alignment equipment that gives factory like finishing and geometry.
So don't equate a repaired VW body with a repaired other car where smaller body sub assemblies are cut aligned by hammering and assembled. If you still have a doubt sell the car after the work is done.

Rahul
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Old 20th October 2021, 17:56   #57
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Re: My Polo TSI got badly rear-ended by a Tata Safari (two 360-degree spins)

I believe we have a fellow bhpian who looks at car crashes professionally to find issues in car. Would like him to analyse how safari occupants despite airbags had to be taken to hospital. Is it safe to assume safari has below standard quality? Or there is something to do with transfer of momentum that played a hand here.

Airbags is no guarantee against safety so what are the factors that are at play here.
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Old 20th October 2021, 18:30   #58
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Re: My Polo TSI got badly rear-ended by a Tata Safari (two 360-degree spins)

Quote:
Originally Posted by SS-Traveller View Post
How remote are the chances that one meets one's neighbour in a crash! This crash was extremely lucky for the both of you, in terms of minimal injury and no deaths. I am so thankful you and your family came through this with a broken car but no broken bones.

Looking at the description, it seems that the Safari driver engaged cruise control and dozed off, or more likely, suffered a microsleep incident at the time of the crash.
That's why it is better that one should try to meet his neighbours so that fate doesn't have to conspire in this way to make them meet . Joke apart, it's really great that everybody escaped without sustaining any major injury. Speedbrakers are the bane of Indian road travellers.
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Old 20th October 2021, 18:43   #59
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Re: My Polo TSI got badly rear-ended by a Tata Safari (two 360-degree spins)

Quote:
Originally Posted by lsjey View Post
@androdev this is a gem of a suggestion. Can you please elaborate on this? It'll be really helpful. I was about to suggest that after repairs, sell the car with cars24 or some such dealer and buy a new vehicle. But your suggestion is more appealing.
Insurance company wants to pay as little as legally possible. Minor fender-benders and major crashes are straightforward decisions where repair and total loss can be chosen respectively without any ambiguity.

The drama starts when the accident is neither minor nor catastrophic such as the case we are discussing here. For the same type of accident such as this, Insurance company will push total loss if the car is too old and refuse total loss on newer cars for obvious reasons of keeping their outgo to the minimum.

If you leave your claim processing in the hands of Insurance+dealer in good faith, they will usually offer an option that would be sub-optimal for you. Let us say you have a very old Jetta that is in excellent condition but the IDV is very low - they will refuse to offer you the option to repair it and insist on total loss. OTH, if you have a brand new BMW, they will not offer you total loss. Makes sense from the insurer's point of view. Obviously you can't get them to pay more than their liability but you can explore a number of good alternative options within the limits of the amount they are liable to pay and they must listen to your proposals.

Some of the possible scenarios where negotiated deals are possible:

1. You don't want to get your car repaired in the first place and you want them to just pay you cash for the claim. This is possible :-) but they will pay you a negotiated amount and not the full repair estimate. Let us say you have a zero depreciation policy and your car bumper cracked. You are eligible for a brand new bumper job that will cost 75K. You ask the insurance company to pay you 50K instead and you will have it fixed at an FNG (or live with it). Would they insist to pay 75K instead of 50K? I doubt it. Worth exploring.

2. You don't believe the car can be repaired with quality within reasonable time and they are not agreeing to offer total loss settlement. Say the IDV is 10L, repair estimate is 5L. You opt for a settlement where insurance company finds a buyer for your car as-is for say 5L (you can also find a buyer I guess) and they pay you 4L with total adding up to 9L. You are getting 90% of IDV and insurance company is saving 1L of their liability. As long as insurance company has something to gain, they will be open to your proposal. I have personally used this in the past when my Skoda Laura met with an accident. I like this option because it is money in hand and I can make a fresh plan instead of wasting my time on a repair project. Even if I am financially not in a good shape, I will go for this option, collect money and buy a used car of similar vintage with good research. I am in full control of my car plans and not at the mercy of mechanics and VW. Remember it is not just quality that is at stake but also my valuable time.

3. You want to get the car repaired while the insurance company is pushing for total loss. Ask them to pay you their liability and also sell you the car as-is. You add some cash of your own and get the car repaired as you please.

I am sure there are technical names in the insurance industry for all these scenarios but the bottom line is that as long as you make a proposal where their net outgo is less than their liability, I see no reason why they won't listen to you. Of course, they will suspect possibility of an insurance fraud but I think a successful negotiation would be possible.
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Old 20th October 2021, 18:47   #60
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Re: My Polo TSI got badly rear-ended by a Tata Safari (two 360-degree spins)

Quote:
Originally Posted by sinharishi View Post
[b]
A The Tata Safari, rammed us at its cruising speed. Driver claims that he saw our car at the last minute and tried to avoid. [*]Polo is hit so hard that it takes 2x 360 spins before coming to a halt facing the traffic. Panic all around. Me and dad get down from the front seats, run to get mom out. The rear left door is jammed. I throw the luggage on the road kept next to mom, get her out from the other side.[*]Engine kept running, got the car on the side, dragging the rear left tyre. Had no choice.[*]Immediately rushed to the Safari as I see no one coming out. There waa dust inside (both airbags worked). Got the driver out, asked if he is ok. He was in shock! Safari had 3 kids, 2 ladies and 2 gents.
[*[*]
Settlement Between Us and Safari Owner:
  • They were traveling to Mumbai nonstop. Started from Delhi at night. He probably slept on the wheels. He was apologetic from the start.
  • Coincidentally, the other couple traveling, stayed in the same apartment complex where we stay in Indirapuram!
  • I took his insurance, RC and DL copies. Gave a letter to cops in written that we will settle this outside.
  • Everyone traveling in Safari are back home in Delhi. Safe. A lady suffered a fractured shoulder. Thank god the kids are safe!
  • Safari owner will pay what Insurance will bill us (the difference).

What next?
Mate,

1) I am so happy that yourself and your parents didn't suffer any serious injuries despite the car rolling over twice after getting rear-ended. Thank God.

2) I think you have been too gentle/naive with the irresponsible driver who could have killed you or your parents/made you people quadriplegic.

3) He being nice to you doesn't matter. His actions could have inflicted irreparable damage to your life and the lives of your loved ones.

4) Settling for an out of court settlement is hugely in his favour, as he could have been put behind bars and got his license cancelled for this irresponsible behaviour on the road. Honestly, such drivers should be handed over to law enforcers so that it drives down a sense of fear in the minds of similar irresponsible drivers.

5) If he really needs an out of court settlement, he should take care of all expenses related to the repairs of your car and get you a replacement car for the interim period. Why should the insurance company pay and you take the trouble of repairing your car for someone else's stupidity?

6) I would suggest that you file an FIR, and if the other party needs an out of court settlement, he should at least buy you a brand new Polo (or a similar car of your choice). This is the bare minimum he can do for the financial loss he has put you in.

7) Why should we bother of he was driving to Mumbai or even North Pole, non-stop? He has a responsibility towards the fellow travelers on the road and he has clearly disregarded that for some cheap thrills or bragging rights or whatever reason, which is immaterial to us. What matters to us was he was a threat to others on the road and he should be taught a lesson so that it deters similar drivers on the road.

Best wishes to you.

Last edited by Geta : 20th October 2021 at 18:51.
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