2013 NMS Totaled- video

jrm

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Location
Oregon
TDI
2013 Passat SE with nav (totaled)
Well everyone, my beloved NMS got totaled today- all that work keeping the oil changes to the mile perfect, dsg oil fresh, fuel filters....fresh wax, even waxed behind the license plate....you get it right? sigh... the good news is no kids in the car, just the wife and the NMS is a very strong car that withstood getting hit head on by a Jeep patriot going 50mph at 6pm without headlights on- wife just didn't see them when she made a left turn in front of them :( sent the car in a backwards spin landing 50 yards away-The only injuries to the wife is a really bad seatbelt rash and right wrist, she was turning left when the airbag sent her hand that was at the top of the wheel threw the windshield! Should I buy it back? nothing salvageable firewall forward. Hit so hard the spare tire broke free and came up and threw the rear mat and bent the rear seat forward!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bOSNUOQI4U&feature=youtu.be
 
Last edited:

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
Oh man biggest fear right there with our '15 Passat that I tell the wife that she should pay off the lease, but I guess in this case it wouldn't be that bad, no way in heck will insurance pay that much for it. Report back what insurance pays it out.

Did the police report indicate who was at fault? Turning left on to on coming traffic is a tough one to fight, maybe they'll get the other guy for not having headlights on.

What was the status of the EPA fix? Did you get your blood money from VWoA yet?

BTW save that engine cover and the wheels!
 

Funguy

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2005
Location
Front Range of Colorado
TDI
2015 Golf Sportwagen dsg and 2015 Passat 6 M/T
Seems like the VWs give good protection in collisions I've both experienced and heard about. I am glad to hear that your wife is okay. Keep an eye on her since a lot of injuries don't manifest for a couple of days

I wouldn't salvage it myself. Too much trouble especially with the engine destroyed.

I see a lot of people driving around without headlights in rain storms, fog, twilight, etc when they should turn them on. I am a believer in DRLs to help prevent this. Just got back from Los Angeles. I saw six cars driving around, AT NIGHT without lights on. And I only drove one night for about an hour! I don't get it?

Meanwhile, time to start hunting for another tdi.
 
Last edited:

calimustang

Veteran Member
Joined
May 17, 2010
Location
Central FL
TDI
2011 JSW DSG (buyback, RIP), 2014 JSW TDI, 2015 Passat TDI, 2013 Jetta TDI.
Wow!!!! Im glad your wife is ok but like the other poster here said, keep a eye on her for next few days.....

How do I know? My girlfriend and I got rear ended a month and a week apart. Nope not kidding.

Thank you for sharing your video of the car, that made us feel safer about our 2015 Passat. We both got rear ended a month apart.

My girlfriend got it in 2017 Ford Exploder got rear ended on Feb 2018 and a month and a week later, on April 6th 2018 I got rear ended in my old 2011 JSW TDI with candy white with cornsilk interior (buyback and RIP with nearly 300k miles) and now I am driving an 2014 JSW TDI candy white with cornsilk interior that has 27k miles.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

251

TDI Owner/Operator
Joined
May 11, 2002
Location
NW IN
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SEL
To jrm - Dang - that sucks! Very glad to hear your wife came out of it with minor injuries but it may take a couple of days for other pains/aches to show up.

I doubt a Honda would have protected her as well as a VW. Know you favor Honda for reliability and simplicity as you've brought it up more than once in other posts here. Guess you will move on to another brand if you don't pick up a 2015 TDI?

I've noticed that more myself in the last year or two that more drivers are out there at dawn, dusk and night without headlights on. If they're going the opposite direction I flash my high beams at them and most get the message as they then turn on their headlights. Figures the Patriot is a dark color too - were there shadows helping "hide" the Patriot where the accident took place?
 

itsmejerry

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2002
Location
Birmingham, AL
TDI
2015 Passat SE TDI Nav, 2015 Passat SE TDI, 2015 Beetle Convertible TDI, 2015 Golf Sportwagen TDI All Phase 2 Emission Modified complete. 50 State Legal Diesel!
2 observations-

Metal is metal. People are the important variable in the equation. I'm glad no one was hurt.



THIS IS THE REASON I DRIVE GERMAN ENGINEERED CARS.



What is amazing is The way the passenger compartment/doors remained fully functional. The doors opened and closed with no issues. This says a lot in an impact of that force. Imagine having the doors fused shut from a frontal impact. Or- if the A-pillar bent inward, reducing the among of survivable space. German cars adhere to the strictest crash testing in the world.



In case you didnt know- the Passat (All VW family products) airbags already "knew" how full to get based on your wife's weight and seat position in relation to the steering wheel within 3-5 seconds of starting the car. Sensors in the seat, and the seatbelt gave weight, position, and belted/non-belted status. Most women sit closer and higher than men do, but the airbag knows when to deploy in a "Stage 1" deployment (lighter and less full) for closer/lighter persons, or a "Stage 2" deployment for those who are heavier, further back, or unbelted- those who need additional oppositional force to stop them before impacting the wheel or windshield.



The front of the car did exactly what it should- It fell apart. In a controlled fashion. The frontal crumple zone seems to have worked as designed and as it crumpled past 2 inches, pieces started breaking off. After 4 inches, the bolts holding the engine sheered off and allowed the engine to drop straight down as opposed to holding it in place and allowing it to be pushed back into the passenger compartment. Although it crunched in quite a bit, doing so absorbed the energy of the impact.

The rear seat is made of a steel plate. It's not cardboard like so many other cars. A non-secured item in the trunk won't punch through the rear seat. A cardboard backed seat will deform severely. (Folks-- go outside tomorrow and fold your rear seat down. Make a fist and hammer it pretty hard with the flat side of your fist. It's steel).

What also happened in the 4/100's of a second after impact was the seat belt reel rotated backwards due to metal ball-bearings being shot into the belt reel, thus rolling backwards (tightening) 2 full rotations and retracted the belt about 5-6 inches, further tightening the seatbelt and keeping your wife from moving forward.

(My VW Sales Training taught me a lot of stuff that I hardly ever get to share anymore now that I'm out of the sales game so thanks for indulging me in this post).



The slight upslope in the seat kept her from "Submarine-ing" under the lap belt and sliding forward.



After the car came to rest, the doors unlocked, the ignition turned off, the in-tank fuel pump shut off fuel delivery to the rest of the car. The hazard lights turned on as well.



To answer your airbag concern in the side-curtain airbags. Unlike front airbags, which are meant to "meet" the driver halfway and reduce the amount of distance traveled, The side curtain airbags drop straight down, and cover the window and B Pillar, and don't extend outward toward the passengers, so your kids would have been safe from side-airbag deployment. Also, their forward momentum would have carried them more forward and not to the side unless there was a dedicated side impact, in which case the airbag would have kept a head on window impact from happening.



The spare tire??? Wasn't it secured with the spinning plastic "Bolt" that holds it down? That should have kept it from popping out of the spare tire well. I'm curious as to why it popped out in the first place.



Once again- I'm glad she's okay. Cars can be replaced.
 

jrm

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Location
Oregon
TDI
2013 Passat SE with nav (totaled)
thanks guys, lots of great info here- yes the jeep was in a shadow with bright sunsetting sunshine behind it. That driver is still in the hospital… HIPA limits info, but prayers needed for her! I wouldn't recommend USAA guys, $10K is all they are offering me for my car, fresh wax, fresh DSG oil, new tires ect. Not cool- the closest car in good condition is a 2014 with stained carpet and stained headliner for $14K or a really nice 2015 SEL for 18K but im not prepared to be upside down after paying $28k for this car only to pay another 8K :( Pulled my old salvage title civic out from behind the shop, going to let the dust settle before putting any more cash out. We Have had quite the year: January- civic T boned by a uninsured driver and totaled, I bought it back for $100 bucks and stuffed a new axle and door onto it to make it drivable. May- Passat hit and totaled by a hit and run driver in my work parking lot, rear ended so hard it pushed it up and over a 2' high concrete wall. I chipped in 2k to not total it and get it fixed. August- wife bumped a parked car after our Hybrid highlanders brakes power assist failed during low speed driving (known issue on the highlander hybrid- video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn_xs6k8_H4&t=34s ) and now this, deep breath with insurance!
 
Last edited:

itsmejerry

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2002
Location
Birmingham, AL
TDI
2015 Passat SE TDI Nav, 2015 Passat SE TDI, 2015 Beetle Convertible TDI, 2015 Golf Sportwagen TDI All Phase 2 Emission Modified complete. 50 State Legal Diesel!
Last edited:

KITEWAGON

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Location
Seacoast, NH
TDI
2014 Touareg Exec, 2014 JSW
Don't take the check from them until you are happy with the offer. It may take time on your end to prove your case, but I bet you can get them to come up on that offer.
 

tdiatlast

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
TDI
2009 Sportwagen (boughtback); 2014 Passat TDI SEL (boughtback)
Sorry to hear about this.

With all the automated systems in cars, I think the industry is dropping the ball on auto headlights. They should be standard equipment. Since most/all cars have illuminated gauges at all times, it's too easy to think your lights are on when they're not.

Sorry to hear about USAA lowballing you. I've heard similar stories from others. Maybe, just maybe, it's not the company, but the agent you're dealing with. There is probably plenty of negotiating room, if you're lucky enough to connect with an experienced, savvy adjuster that knows how to interpret the numbers in your favor, which is being fair to you, the conscientious customer who maintains his vehicles at a high level.

Good luck.
 

jw4free

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2014
Location
NW Boston Metro
TDI
2012 Passat TDI SE
I thought it was you that posted the parking lot strike, but thought, nah can't be the same guy.

My advice, get in the Civic and buy a few Mega Millions tickets. With your luck this year, you're bound to win!

Thanks for the video. I showed it to my wife, and now she likes me driving the Passat even more.
 

calimustang

Veteran Member
Joined
May 17, 2010
Location
Central FL
TDI
2011 JSW DSG (buyback, RIP), 2014 JSW TDI, 2015 Passat TDI, 2013 Jetta TDI.
Same here, showed my girlfriend and she is now happy she has 2015 Passat I gave to her to take over the payments and I got 2014 JSW. We recently got rid of 2017 Ford Explorer due to carbon monoxide issues ongoing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

tdiatlast

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
TDI
2009 Sportwagen (boughtback); 2014 Passat TDI SEL (boughtback)
Don't take the check from them until you are happy with the offer. It may take time on your end to prove your case, but I bet you can get them to come up on that offer.
I would also recommend gently working up the chain of command at USAA. It has always worked for me (in other businesses), although remaining calm while negotiating with someone who is trained to be inflexible isn't easy!;)
 

Jetta_Pilot

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 14, 2005
Location
West Hill, Ont.
TDI
2015 Passat Highline TDI Candy White (SEL Premium) long gone 2002 Jetta TDI
With all the automated systems in cars, I think the industry is dropping the ball on auto headlights.

Have you seen the postings here and on other car forums where one very common subject is " How can I eliminate the DRL's ". They are a proven safety fact



BTW: Greyhound buses had a headlights on policy for many years already, long before cars came with DRL's.


Now the biggest cause for accidents and fatalities is distracted driving i.e on the phone and or texting. It's even much higher than DUI related accidents.
 

Funguy

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2005
Location
Front Range of Colorado
TDI
2015 Golf Sportwagen dsg and 2015 Passat 6 M/T
Texting is WAY WAY out of control. Doesn't take a phd to know you are being idiotic to text and drive. IMHO
EDIT: I think the accidents caused by texting (and phoning) are much higher than the statistics show. This is because the offenders will lie and say they weren't using the phone. Can't lie when you are drunk; the nose knows
 

Dan C.

Active member
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Location
western WA
TDI
15 Passat SEL
2 observations-

Metal is metal. People are the important variable in the equation. I'm glad no one was hurt.



THIS IS THE REASON I DRIVE GERMAN ENGINEERED CARS.
I concur. Glad to hear your wife came through it rather well and best wishes she stays that way.

Don't buy that one back; take the insurance money and get another one--they're coming in off the storage lots by the truck load daily.

There are two huge storage lots @ the Port of Grays Harbor and they're thinning out bit by bit. The cars are coming back!
 

Dan C.

Active member
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Location
western WA
TDI
15 Passat SEL
thanks guys, lots of great info here- yes the jeep was in a shadow with bright sunsetting sunshine behind it. That driver is still in the hospital… HIPA limits info, but prayers needed for her! I wouldn't recommend USAA guys, $10K is all they are offering me for my car, fresh wax, fresh DSG oil, new tires ect. Not cool- the closest car in good condition is a 2014 with stained carpet and stained headliner for $14K or a really nice 2015 SEL for 18K but im not prepared to be upside down after paying $28k for this car only to pay another 8K :( Pulled my old salvage title civic out from behind the shop, going to let the dust settle before putting any more cash out. We Have had quite the year: January- civic T boned by a uninsured driver and totaled, I bought it back for $100 bucks and stuffed a new axle and door onto it to make it drivable. May- Passat hit and totaled by a hit and run driver in my work parking lot, rear ended so hard it pushed it up and over a 2' high concrete wall. I chipped in 2k to not total it and get it fixed. August- wife bumped a parked car after our Hybrid highlanders brakes power assist failed during low speed driving (known issue on the highlander hybrid- video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn_xs6k8_H4&t=34s ) and now this, deep breath with insurance!
Fight them and you'll get your money. They're working for their own wallet and you need to work for yours.

Assertive diplomacy. You're in the PNW where VWs are getting a premium price. They will make you whole again if you press them.

Also the other driver could be cited for driving without lights on if the weather was poor. That could/should help your issue.
 
Last edited:

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
Random thought, did you ever get the takata recall done?

We still keep getting recall letters for our '12 that VW bought back two Junes ago.
 

tdiatlast

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
TDI
2009 Sportwagen (boughtback); 2014 Passat TDI SEL (boughtback)
Have you seen the postings here and on other car forums where one very common subject is " How can I eliminate the DRL's ". They are a proven safety fact



BTW: Greyhound buses had a headlights on policy for many years already, long before cars came with DRL's.


Now the biggest cause for accidents and fatalities is distracted driving i.e on the phone and or texting. It's even much higher than DUI related accidents.
Yes, I know. I have always found it annoying/amusing about this trend, especially since so many of the "eliminate the DRL's" crowd are the same folk who trick out their cars to be different, to be NOTICED!;)
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
I ran DLR delete on my mk5 cause some odd reason i was cheap and wanted to keep the hours off the H7 low beam bulbs, crazy I know, but that's how my mind works.

Now that DLRs don't run the low beams, I haven't coded them out (also haven't had a DLR failure either).
 

jrm

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Location
Oregon
TDI
2013 Passat SE with nav (totaled)
We never did the air bag recall as the dealer never had the parts in stock, but it performed perfectly- still fighting the insurance, they are dead set on that number as they are throing the 120k miles in my face every time. they show low mile comparable ones at 12-15k but then calculate the mileage difference-
 
Last edited:

tdiatlast

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
TDI
2009 Sportwagen (boughtback); 2014 Passat TDI SEL (boughtback)
I ran DLR delete on my mk5 cause some odd reason i was cheap and wanted to keep the hours off the H7 low beam bulbs, crazy I know, but that's how my mind works.

Now that DLRs don't run the low beams, I haven't coded them out (also haven't had a DLR failure either).
I remember the logic behind this, and understand it. Cheap, yes :D!

Our entry level Leaf is dark, slate gray. I have to remind my wife all the time, when it's overcast, to turn on the lights, as the car totally disappears at dawn and dusk. (hence my comment that DRLs should once again be standard!)
 

Jetta_Pilot

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 14, 2005
Location
West Hill, Ont.
TDI
2015 Passat Highline TDI Candy White (SEL Premium) long gone 2002 Jetta TDI
I ran DLR delete on my mk5 cause some odd reason i was cheap and wanted to keep the hours off the H7 low beam bulbs, crazy I know, but that's how my mind works.

I can beat that, a friend had an old 1996 Jetta and he would only use the windshield wipers when absolutely necessary, he was/is too cheap to buy new wiper blades.
 

Lincoln

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2014
Location
Seattle, WA
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SE 6 Speed MT
We never did the air bag recall as the dealer never had the parts in stock, but it performed perfectly- still fighting the insurance, they are dead set on that number as they are throing the 120k miles in my face every time. they show low mile comparable ones at 12-15k but then calculate the mileage difference-
Those of us who take good care of our cars will never get full value from any insurance company, since it's worth way more to us than to somebody else. (Worth extra knowing the care/history, and hard to tell if others on the market were similarly cared for.) No way to avoid that, really.

I wouldn't recommend buying the car back as an alternative. Even if you can get it running for a reasonable cost, there is structural damage that will make your car's frame weaker and more susceptible to crumpling the next time it's hit. Given your particularly bad fortune lately, it's not worth the risk.
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
I can beat that, a friend had an old 1996 Jetta and he would only use the windshield wipers when absolutely necessary, he was/is too cheap to buy new wiper blades.

pfft that's why I run rain-x, I'll gladly pay and extra $2 a jug of washer fluid than replace my wiper motor :D
 

jrm

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Location
Oregon
TDI
2013 Passat SE with nav (totaled)
Civic is running like a champ, but its pretty dated leading me to hit up the used market, ok- TDI golf sportwagon…. looks to be a 1 year only car. What are the Pro's and con's of choosing this over a NMS? besides rear legroom ;)
 
Top