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Insurance & Repair Shops

Discussion in '2nd Gen. Tacomas (2005-2015)' started by SubFrozen, Jul 18, 2011.

  1. Jul 18, 2011 at 4:02 AM
    #1
    SubFrozen

    SubFrozen [OP] r00t

    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2009
    Member:
    #24632
    Messages:
    388
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    William
    Sandy, UT
    Vehicle:
    2007 Taco SR5 V6
    3" OME Heavy Duty Lift, 18" Chrome Rimes, ARB Front Bumper, K&N Cold Air Intake
    Hey guys and gals--

    I need to get an estimate for repairs on my Tacoma (Prius hit it, jacked it up). My insurance wants me to go to a repair shop they have an agreement with to get it inspected and estimated. I feel this may be a bad idea, as the repair shop may be biased to the Insurance company. Would I be better going to the Dealership instead and having them estimate everything?

    Thoughts?

    Overview: 2007 Prius @ 20-30mph scraped along the driver side of my truck with it's drivers side mirror, then the front bumper & drivers side tire of the Prius connected with my drivers side rear tire, ripping the tire from the Prius, (CV Joint on the ground, ripped out of the boot/tranny, tire ripped sideways, pulled the fender of the Prius back into the drivers side door).

    Visible issues: My axle moved back at the leafs (U-Bolts) about 3". The rear tire has less than an inch of clearance between the rear of the tire, and the fender flare. The tire lost a chunk where it sits with the rim. The rim lost some pieces. A lot of strain looks like it is on the Axle->Drive Shaft connection (is it floating?).

    Let's do some math. Let's say the Prius was moving @ 30mph, and my Tacoma was static with brakes applied. The dry weight of a Prius is 2954lbs, let's add 2 people, assume 280lbs total (man, woman). That's 3234lbs. Momentum turns out to be 19,673.13 kg-m/s. If we take the Newton Meter at 70,823,257.156355 (this is mass and acceleration to show the Net Force of Impact). The Prius had 15,921,701.571235 pound forces when it collided with my rear tire (no braking applied by the Prius driver). We're not going to try and adjust for the elasticity of the rubber tire, nor for the failure of hardware or skid distance of the Prius after impact.

    Now, with 15,921,702 pound forces slamming into my tire, wheel, and that impact force moving through to my hub assembly, suspension, axle, etc. No wonder the tire ripped off of the Prius...

    That's a crapload of force applied to my rear tire - my entire truck moved backwards and sideways. Luckily, I knew it was going to happen with enough time to relax and not tense up, which is why I don't really hurt much other than some slight aggravation in my back.


    Who here, Math guys, would say that there isn't a chance of damage to the axle, or drive shaft, or even transmission with that much force... Also, should I choose my own repair shop for an estimate?
     

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