Drunk driver rams my BYD Atto 3. How do I repair a bent frame?

The service advisor gave an estimate of 7.5 lakhs.

BHPian DreamcarFerrari recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

It's hard to think about one of my cars being featured in this thread.

On July 25, my driver dropped my daughter off at her school. On the way back, an idiot who was drunk and out of his mind at 9:30 am drove into the oncoming lane at high speed and crashed head-on into my BYD Atto 3.

You can clearly see from these pictures how far my driver pulled out to make room for this idiot, but he was determined to ram my car.

My driver suffered no injuries. The other man had a laceration on his forehead and was taken to a government hospital where he was treated and released. Police arrested him for drunk driving and driving without a valid license, causing an accident. He was released on bail.

BYD's customer service was good and even though I am quite remote, within 45 minutes they sent the tow truck to my place and the car was taken to BYD service center in Vijayawada.

The next day (July 26), the service consultant gave an estimate of Rs 7.5 lakhs. The insurance people of ICICI kept postponing the dismantling approval to August 6.

After getting approval, the service advisor started disassembly on August 7th and found that the frame on the driver's side was bent. He wanted to bend it back into position, but I strongly objected to this and asked him to get approval from BYD headquarters. I'm not sure how to proceed if this guy insists on bending it back again.

What are the best possible options?

Here is what BHPianAJ56 replied:

I'm no body expert, but if the frame is bent, in most cases it's a total loss (with a monocoque body). It can never be returned to factory condition and you'll likely have alignment and tracking/stability issues even if they fix it cosmetically. Also, get a dash cam for every car, it's a lifesaver in today's driving environment.

Here is what BHPianAxe77 replied:

My goodness, this is absolutely terrible. How can you prevent something like this? The biggest saving grace is, fortunately, that this happened after Her daughter was dropped and not before.

Also, I assume your daughter is in the back seat on such trips. An extremely important reminder to all family members to ALWAYS wear their seat belts, regardless of which seat they are in – even on short trips within the city. You just never know when you may have an extremely unusual and unlikely, but serious, accident.

I hope your car gets repaired soon, as is best, and it is encouraging to hear that a new and relatively unpopular brand like BYD offers such prompt service even in relatively remote areas. Keep us updated on the final outcome of the repair.

Thanks.

Here is what BHPian tbppjpr replied:

I'm sorry for the damage. I hope the car will be fixed soon.

It would be helpful if you could start a new thread and post updates on the repair progress with full details of the damaged parts and their cost.

It will be a new insight for forum members how many parts can be damaged in an electric vehicle compared to a vehicle with a combustion engine of a similar category and how much the repair can cost if paid in cash (excluding insurance reimbursements).

Here is what BHPian ajmat replied:

I'm sorry to hear about your accident and I'm glad your driver is unharmed.

I'm not an expert, but the bend is at the flange that attaches to the chassis rail. You have two scenarios

1: The flange is bent and deformed. This means it needs to be cut off and replaced. The flange holds the radiator, front cross member and bumper assembly. I hope the repaired part fits well.

2: Chassis rail bent – If bent, how badly is it? Is it a simple bend or is it twisted? Let BYD decide if it can be repaired or even replaced.

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