Expert: William Forster - 12/30/2006

Question
my 2003 Honda odyssey was hit in the driver side rear and cause frame damage to the back rail and crushed the bucket section where the back seat folds down in to the floor of the car. is this repairable by Honda standards.

Answer
Hello Jim . I can't see the car all the way out here in cyber space, so I can't give you any sort of assessment of reparability. That job is up th the insurance adjuster that the insurance company will surely send out. Almost any vehicle is repairable, it mostly comes down to a matter of value. If cost of repairs exceeds 3/4 of vehicle value, it's totaled. If not, it's repairable. It's that simple. I know, everyone who has been in a pretty serious accident, and sometimes not so serious, want the vehicle totaled out. A month ago I had a guy want me to total a 2004 Chevy 4x4 truck, and it had 2500.00 worth of damage. It didn't happen, and I'm sure the guy thinks I'm a prick for not doing more to bolster his desire to total it. If you are concerned about the vehicle not being done up to your standards when completed, or not being safe in another collision, then trade it in. Have it taken to a Honda dealership body shop, and trade it off before the repair process starts. Sometimes, you can actually get more from the estimate that the insurance company writes than you would have gotten on trade in. Something to think about. Bill