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141,883 miles. Undercarriage is gone.

5.1K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  nounounounou  
#1 ·
Last night I had the misfortune of hitting a reread on the highway. It was dark and I didn't see it until it was too late. Well it ripped the front undercarriage out. A quick estimate this morning was $820 if they don't find anything else. The trick is the insurance agent says they could go either comp or collision. You don't know till you file the claim. If comp, my deductible is $250 plus they give me $200 back for loss of use of my business vehicle. If collision, I carry $1000 deductable. So it is not worth it. I know it helps with the aerodynamic but since filling up this morning I have done 156 miles and average 55.1 mpgs. You all know I drive it like a beast, so do I fix it, leave it, or fix it myself. Parts to do myself look to be about $300.
 
#2 ·
Sorry you had a problem, but glad it wasn't some issue with the car itself. If you are handy with tools and don't mind getting dirty, I always recommend DIY. But if the parts need painting, then it may make more sense to let a shop do it. Also, if you're using the car for business, there's possibly a tax write-off to assist with the cost. You don't have your location in your profile, therefore I don't know what country you're in, so that advice may not have any value. :)
 
#3 ·
That undercarriage cover isn't just for Aero. It protects from road grime/salt/rain/etc. If it were my car, I'd have it replaced, but we all know your track record for experimenting with the "minimal maintenance model" and ignoring most of the manufacturers recommended maintenance. Keep up the experiment and see how it goes. If the underbody rusts out it will give you incentive to upgrade to the PHEV version. ;)
 
#6 ·
I'm in St. Louis. Tax write-off for business use of vehicle ended last year. So far I'm leaning to the run it into the ground idea. Besides we have lots of deer here where I sell. Those always fall under comp, and if I hunt one down they would likely total me out at this point.