Meanwhile, you can do your own evaluation of the value of your vehicle. Go to www.kbb.com and input all of the information on your vehicle. You will get a suggested retail price. If the cost of repairs is 80% or more when compared to the retail value, it is a constructive total loss.
No car is ever the same after an accident. Parts like the one you mention, are not bolted on to the car, but welded. Most repair shops will "un-bend" such damaged areas and then fill the rough edges with body filler and then use fresh paint. It usually will look good as new, but you are correct, it will be weaker. It IS possible to have a new (or used from a salvage yard) part welded onto your frame. If done correctly, that should be as strong as the original. But it will cost more & the insurance will not pay for a 'replacement job' when a 'fix job' can be done for less money. They may let you pay the difference in costs. If I were you, I would let the insurance company pay for the 'un-bend' fix. It shouldn't weaken the integrity of the car too much, or they wouldn't offer it as a solution. Only an expert, looking at your damage, can make that call.
The structural damage is done to the car. A car after an accident is never the same ever again because of internal damages. The car will feel different and it will be different. Take it to a Honda dealership and have them take a look at it. They should know. You should hope that they replace your car.
Frame parts are normally repaired, not replaced. That is normal and safe when done by a reputable shop.
If you get a repaired car back and are still unsure about its safety, then sell it and get a newer car that hasn't been in an accident.
While well designed and engineered , Hondas are very weak .
While you may think your car " took the hit well " It did not .
You really don't want a Honda that has been hit that hard ,,,,,, pray they total it and get another that has not been crashed .
I was rear ended this week by someone on the highway going over 60 mph. When he hit me, I hit the cable dividers in the median. The front quarter ripped off, and the left side of my car is scratched up from hitting the cable divider. Surprisingly, a Honda CRV can take a hit pretty well, because my bumper barely has a scratch on. My only concern is, the metal where my spare tire sits, that is a part of the frame is crumbled from the impact. It seems the insurance company is on the fence on whether they will be replacing my car or fixing it. I spoke with someone yesterday about it, and they said that the metal can't be replaced but it can be straightened back out. I don't know much about cars, but to me that seems really dangerous. If they straighten the metal back out that has already been damaged, doesn't that mean that the metal is weak and if someone were to rear end me again, wouldn't there be a lot more damage because of the weak metal?
If they decide to not total it, and just straighten the metal back out, is there anything that I can do to make the insurance company replace my car? Its a brand new 2014 CRV, and I just rolled over 10,000 miles. I would be ok with them repairing it if I knew that it would be back in the same condition before I was rear ended, but I'm afraid straightening the metal back out would just make it weak.
