Crumple zones...crumple...OMG

[Wombat]

Just had to nick into work this morning and saw an accident at roadworks. It was a VT Commodore which had obviously not stopped and rammed the arse of a late model Toyota Camry. I snapped a couple of quick pics with my phone...they didn't come out that great, but you get the idea...and the images still worry me a bit, especially regarding the Commodore...



The Camry looks quite driveable, it had the center pushed in of the rear bumper, the bootlid was creased, and only the right hand taillight was broken. There is a crease evident above the rear wheel arch, and the muffler was hanging down near the road. The Commodore looks to have virtually submarined underneath it, using it's nice aerodynamic nose to try and burrow down there.
The VT was another matter...I would be guessing virtually a right-off. It doesn't come across very well in the picture, but the bonnet was pushed right back, the front bar was gone (sitting on the side of the road only looking a bit scratched actually...looked like someone had simply unbolted it, not crushed at all, it had just popped off. The radiator and several other vitals were obviously smashed, and from the level on the car that the damage is at, I would guess the engine would have copped a fair smack as well. It definately wasn't driveable. Once again, sorry about the crap photo.
My point is this...how on earth can a large family car inflict so little damage to a Camry and so much damage to itself? Come on...crumple zones are crap in my opinion which will keep cars nice and cheap to build (as you aren't relying on outright mass to protect you) and keep panel beaters busy and replacement parts profitable...even a small impact can cost thousands...I can only look back to when we owned our 1978 GXL Fairmont...in the same incident, we would have turned the Camry into scrap...

[minux]

The car did what it was meant to, replacement panels, human body damage minimal as car progessivley stops. In your big tank impact is instant, no progressive stopping, it's why spinal accidents have decreased so rapidly.

In all that VT would cost perhaps 1500-2500 to fix.

[bangers]

The car did what it was meant to, replacement panels, human body damage minimal as car progessivley stops. In your big tank impact is instant, no progressive stopping, it's why spinal accidents have decreased so rapidly.

In all that VT would cost perhaps 1500-2500 to fix.

it would cost that much for genuine parts. then labour and respray on top.

[Blown V6 Hatch]

This raises an interesting point, I remember seeing a documentary quiet a few years back about late model cars and crumple zones. At the time they were comparing a VS commodore (i think it was VS) and an early valiant. They ran both cars into a brick wall at the same speed, the driver of the vs would have walked away with nothing more than a few scratches because the bonnet and front panels folded, the Valiant was another story, the bonnet did not have crumple zones and in the impact actually sheered the bonnet hinges off and the bonnet went straight through the windscreen! In the Valiant both driver & passanger would have been decapataded! Crumple zones are there to save lives, because at the end of the day cars are replacable, human lives are not! If i was in a heavy accident i would much rather be in a late model car than an old car!

[minux]

it would cost that much for genuine parts. then labour and respray on top.

For insurance job's, nope. new front bar assy, new front left and right 1/4 panels only cost me $840 not sprayed, cost another $700 to have it all sprayed. Total cost in the end was $1623.30. Now add a bonnet $420, add a new radiator $190. Still comes under. Now get it all at trade costs.

[bangers]

Bumper, grill, 2 x guards, front bar assembly, 2 x headlights, 2 x repeaters, bonnet, radiator, radiator supports, fan, fan shroud, hoses, airconditioning parts in the front, new gearbox cooler lines or repair if possible, battery, air box, horn, air bag sensors, new airbag steering wheel, paint, and labour to straighten the inner guards, replace parts, and paint will come to more than $2000 easily. Plus any other parts i've forgotten.

[minux]

Bumper, grill, 2 x guards, front bar assembly, 2 x headlights, 2 x repeaters, bonnet, radiator, radiator supports, fan, fan shroud, hoses, airconditioning parts in the front, new gearbox cooler lines or repair if possible, battery, air box, horn, air bag sensors, new airbag steering wheel, paint, and labour to straighten the inner guards, replace parts, and paint will come to more than $2000 easily. Plus any other parts i've forgotten.

Mate, i can only tell you what i have seen and what i have been told, that to fix wouldnt exceed $2500 by too much. The cost you buy that for is no where near the cost of trade. I guess i will keep going to the guys i know, while you can go to yours

[bangers]

Depends if he's insured otherwise he'll be paying retail. and most of the parts are still genuine only. Trade discount is generally only 7.5% less than retail anyway. A friend of ours got rear ended recently in her VT and just to pull the rear straight and respray, no replacement parts, cost $5000. that was 2 weeks ago.

[minux]

Depends if he's insured otherwise he'll be paying retail. and most of the parts are still genuine only. Trade discount is generally only 7.5% less than retail anyway. A friend of ours got rear ended recently in her VT and just to pull the rear straight and respray, no replacement parts, cost $5000. that was 2 weeks ago.

Unless it was insured for agreed value of over $13.8k insurance company would have written it off...considering it exceeds their market value by the write off rulings.

I'd be asking more why it wasn't written off

[bangers]

The bloke who hit her wasn't insured so he payed cash. and it was still $5000 for a cash job.

[sixshooter]

I have seen the effect of a XC 351 T-bone another car at an intersection...they not as strong as say a Valiant.

But I agree with what minux said...

modern cars are designed to absorb the forces transfering less force to the occupants. It's not the impact which kills you in an accident, it's the amount of force thats inflicted on the body that breaks necks, rips muscles and bloodvessels... etc

[vt1538]

Even the NASCARS are designed to crumple to save the life of the driver. Fully restrained you can still be killed if the car decelerates too fast on impact. From memory a full house race car must absorb 4 metres at 200kph.
Because of the lack of head & neck restraints in a normal driving situation you need more stopping time to prevent neck & spinal injuries.

[Wombat]

Oh, I don't doubt the benifit of safety stuff...I merely have a slight problem with what should be a simple accident ending up writing off a car, or at least meaning a massive repair bill.
I have a Wheels magazine from the mid nineties, with "parking lot" (20km/hr or so) offset crash results for most popular cars. The results were amazing...the headings were things like "welcome to the world of the $700 headlight assembly, the $1500 front bumper", etc. The damage was expressed as a percentage of the value of the vehicle, and surprisingly, some larger cars came out with figures like 20% plus of the value of the car. Keep in mind that these were simple low-speed impacts.

No wonder people put huge bullbars on cars. As truckies say, "mass always wins"...

[jules]

it's interesting that the cost of repairing a car is nothing compared to the cost of rehabilitation for an injury. even if you set aside the pain and suffering the pure cost of healing a broken leg or punctured lung is far more than straightening a chassis.

[Bec]

I agree with bangers - that will cost a lot to fix - there are sooo many parts and heaps of labour required to repair a frontal impact.

I'd also prefer a late model car that takes the impact for me. It's amazing how much force can be exerted on a driver even at 10-20kph. Yes they crumple very easily. But if that's what it takes to save lives at 60kph then so be it.

The camry may not look badly damaged, but there could be 3k worth of damage easy.

And people wonder why insurance premiums are going up - it's costs a fortune to fix cars these days, even from low speed collisions.

jules - that is so true. A friend of mine's car was hit in the rear at about 15kph - it's now been 6 months of expensive treatment for his back and neck, and the pain is still causing problems for him.

[lawrencel]

re crumple zones...

several years ago my dad was killed in a head on crash. I went to see both vehicles.
results were....

Dads car, a 1988 ford telstar
The other car, a 2005 Commodore SS ute

the telstar was traveling at 70kph
the SS at in excess of 120kph (for reference, was a 70kph zone)

my dads car, would have looked at home in Beirut............. steering wheel where the seat was meant to be, the car split pressings all the way to the boot. the rear window broke, the boot popped open etc etc etc

the SS, front end destroyed. cabin in good (Read safe) condition.

Injuries.......... my dad, well dead (See above)
the other driver............ broken ankle.... (foot was on the accelerator, to the floor)

I can tell you...............anything less than two airbags IS a death trap.

A note........ "crumple zones" is not so correct. The front of new cars are designed to absorb energy................... read above.......... popped the boot and split pressings all the way to the rear of the 88 telstar.
the energy generated from a collision MUST go somewhere................. if your in an older car (Like an XC falcon, which by the way is a very cool car) the energy WILL pass through you.... read internal injuries (intestines turned to jelly is just one)

we have safer cares, not more solid for a reason.

Sorry if not clear.............. but I hope you get the drift.

L

[minux]

dude the thread is 4 years old...