xcel
06-11-2009, 11:01 AM
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg Expensive damage results with no vehicles rated “Good”. (cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=214081)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2009_Ford_Focus.jpgWayne Gerdes - CleanMPG (cleanmpg.com) - June 11, 2009
Lowly 2009 Ford Focus - $13,520 to start and 28 mpgUS combined. Lowest overall cost to repair low speed bumper impact of anything tested to date.
With more than 80% of the US population lived in an all-urban environment, today’s reality means a tight parking space is almost a given within a vehicles lifetime. Further, 60% of the population lives in an area with population densities of 200,000 or more meaning tight parking on city streets is in some cases a daily reality. This city street parking all but guarantees bumpers will come into contact with other bumpers.
Unfortunately, one “touch” can add up to thousands of dollars in repairs as bumpers may not adequately protect our vehicles from damage due to overall height.
In the IIHS’ most recent slow speed impact bumper testing, none of the 7 subcompacts, 20 compacts, 12 mid-priced midsized, 7 mid-sized luxury and 5 minivans tested earned the top rating of good. Of the 51 vehicles shown, 70% earned a poor rating adding thousands of dollars to a low speed collision that in most circumstances should cost less than $500 to repair.
Kia’s Rio was a disaster
The worst performer in the subcompact arena was the Kia Rio with $9,380 total damage in 4 tests, 2 full-width and 2 corner impacts, earning it a poor rating. The Rio's repair bill is worse than those of all other small and midsize cars and minivans the Institute tested other than the midsized luxury Lexus ES and absolutely bottom of the charts, Infiniti G35! This subcompact racked up about $3,700 damage, or 30 percent of its purchase price, in the full-front test alone.
Honda’s Fit proves to be an expensive repair when hit in the rear
Damage to the Fit in the rear bumper test was $3,648, or 25 percent of the vehicles list price.
"Just about every panel and part on the back of the Fit had damage in the full-rear test," says Institute senior vice president Joe Nolan. "The bumper isn't in the right place to protect the tailgate, rear panel, and taillights because it's mounted too low. It's built this way to allow easy cargo access through the tailgate. The trade-off is that in an everyday rear-ender, the other car will hit the tailgate instead of the bumper."
Ford Focus – Best of the Best
As we reported last year in the Focus bests the Civic, Corolla and Prius but all could use improvements (cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16160) write-up, the Ford Focus once again earned the best overall rating of all the vehicles tested within the IIHS hierarchy. With an average damage repair bill of just $691 covering all four tests, the Focus proved yet again that it is the least costly vehicle to repair after a slow speed bumper to bumper impact on average.
Smart Fortwo performs well
The Fortwo also proved that an inexpensive vehicle does not mean an expensive repair bill after a slow speed bumper to bumper collision. Repair costs for the Smart Fortwo were reported to be relatively low because its pre-painted plastic body panels are dent-resistant, inexpensive, and easy to replace.
Smart's design saves on repairs: The Smart's plastic body parts can easily be replaced in sections which makes repairs relatively affordable in comparison to other vehicles. For example, the front and rear bumper covers come in 3 sections each (left, right, and center), so mechanics need to replace only the damaged parts instead of the entire plastic cover. Also keeping costs down is the fact that the bumper cover sections are prepainted further reducing repair costs after a minor low speed bumper to bumper collision.
This is the first car the IIHS tested that has prepainted body panels. The panels themselves cost roughly $160 for the center section and $180 each for the left or right fender sections. In comparison, it costs $480, not including labor, to replace and paint a front bumper cover on the Aveo which was rated the second least expensive overall to repair in the IIHS’ bumper collision study.
The Smart Fortwo joined the Ford Focus and Scion xB as the only cars to earn an acceptable rating in the IIHS’ low speed bumper collision repair cost studies.
Bumper design expectations
"You should be able to drive your car home after a low-speed crash, but too often vehicles are sidelined by only minor impacts," Nolan said. "Damage to sheet metal, air-conditioning condensers, and safety equipment like headlights should never happen when your car is bumped at just 3 to 6 miles an hour. Bad bumpers add up to one big headache for consumers."
"At a minimum, repairs should cost less than the typical insurance deductible for a collision, which is $500," Nolan explains. "This is why we set the benchmark for a good rating at less than $500. Damage at this level may be only cosmetic, so consumers may choose not to bother with repairs. Likewise, $1,000 is about the cost of a new bumper cover, reinforcement bar, and paint, while $1,500 includes replacing vehicle parts like grilles and headlights. When you reach $1,000 the bumper isn't doing its job and anything $1,500 or higher is egregious."
The IIHS tests
The Institutes 4 slow speed impact tests include a full front and rear into a 18” high, stationary barrier that mimics the front or back bumper of another vehicle plus a 16” high stationary barrier for the front and rear corner impact tests. The full-width impacts are run at 6 mph while the corner impacts are concluded at 3 mph.
To place the stationary barrier heights into perspective, a 2005 Honda Accord’s front and rear bumper heights are 19” and 18” from the ground to the bumpers centers respectively.
Pricey styling decisions: The Mini Cooper is the only car the Institute has tested with a hood that buckled in the front corner test. This is a pricey styling design on the manufacturer's part, Nolan pointed out. Instead of replacing just a fender, the car needed an $810 hood. Repairs totaled $2,637 in just this one front corner impact test.
"Bumpers are doing their job if the only damage is to the bumper cover. Bumpers aren't doing their job when headlights get knocked out or sheet metal crumples after a low-speed impact," Nolan says.
"With consumers watching every penny in this shaky economy, no one should have to shell out hundreds and even thousands of dollars to fix damage that shouldn't happen in the first place. That's not to mention the time that's wasted coordinating and waiting for repairs," Nolan says. "Our new bumper ratings should help streamline the buying process so consumers can zero in on vehicles with good bumpers. At the same time, the ratings should encourage automakers to make improvements that help move cars off their lots."
Better bumpers don't have to be complicated. Auto manufacturers already know how to make good ones. Longer and taller reinforcement bars and energy-absorbing material are key to reducing damage in low-speed collisions.
IIHS Subcompact vehicle repair costs after low-speed collision tests
Vehicle|Rating|Front Full|Front Corner|Rear Full|Rear Corner|Weighted average
Smart Fortwo|Average| $1,480|$663|$631|$507|$899
Chevrolet Aveo|Marginal|$1,071|$1,437|$1,370|$612|$1,155
Mini Cooper|Poor|$2,291|$2,637|$929|$743|$1,637
Toyota Yaris|Poor|$1,688|$1,167|$3,34| $474|$1,951
Honda Fit|Poor|$1,124|$1,216|$3,648|$999|$1,960
Hyundai Accent|Poor|$3,476|$839|$2,057|$831|$2,123
Kia Rio|Poor|$3,701|$1,758|$3,148|$773|$2,705
IIHS Compact vehicle repair costs after low-speed collision tests
Vehicle|Rating|Front Full|Front Corner|Rear Full|Rear Corner|Weighted average
Ford Focus|Average|$588|$1,329|$529|$585|$691
Scion xB|Average|$789|$1,028|$868|$1,012|$892
Scion xD|Marginal|$1,135|$594|$1,499|$907|$1,128
Mazda 3|Marginal|$1,117|$1,389|$1,120|$1,233|$1,183
Nissan Sentra|Marginal|$1,451|$1,684|$1,043|$730|$1,234
Subaru Impreza|Marginal|$2,023|$1,705|$893|$1,072|$1,435
Dodge Caliber|Marginal|$1,408|$1,285|$1,966|$663|$1,449
Mitsubishi Lancer|Poor|$1,939|$1,569|$1,642|$1,228|$1,660
Suzuki SX4|Poor|$3,450|$965|$779|$657|$1,680
Saturn Astra|Poor|$2,774|$962|$1,550|$612|$1,704
Nissan Versa|Poor|$2,795|$1,213|$1,429|$715|$1,729
Toyota Corolla|Poor|$3,444|$1,203|$863|$1,295|$1,852
Chevrolet Cobalt|Poor|$3,654|$1,169|$929|$1,101|$1,906
Chevrolet HHR|Poor|$2,259|$1,491|$2,227|$1,440| $1,984
Honda Civic|Poor|$4,328|$917|$883|$751|$2,015
Kia Spectra|Poor|$3,430|$979|$2,505|$675|$2,254
Chrysler PT Cruiser|Poor|$3,642|$1,627|$2,138|$854|$2,340
Hyundai Elantra|Poor|$4,954|$2,090|$1,304|$628|$2,539
Toyota Prius|Poor|$2,876|$1,208|$3,964|$1,022|$2,652
Volkswagon Rabbit|Poor|$4,078|$1,841|$2,775|$817|$2,727
IIHS Midsized average price vehicle repair costs after low-speed collision tests
Vehicle|Rating|Front Full|Front Corner|Rear Full|Rear Corner|Weighted average
Mitsubishi Galant|Marginal|$929|$1,138|$1,048|$1,162|$1,042
Toyota Camry|Marginal|$936|$1,467|$1,480|$1,028|$1,221
Ford Fusion|Marginal|$1,620| $991|$1,298|$1,121|$1,325
Volvo S40|Marginal|$2,252|$1,306|$802|$1,240|$1,442
Kia Optima|Poor|$1,730|$1,534|$1,715|$756|$1,530
Nissan Altima|Poor|$945|$969|$3,114|$1,431|$1,753
Saturn Aura|Poor|$1,032|$1,152|$3,191|$999|$1,766
Chrysler Sebring|Poor|$1,084|$2,061|$3,210|$1,099|$1,958
Subaru Legacy|Poor|$3,911|$1,287|$1,122|$1,128|$2,080
Volkswagen Passat|Poor|$4,594|$1,544|$982|$1,139|$2,306
Volkswagen Jetta|Poor|$2,598|$1,223|$3,375|$1,824|$2,499
Pontiac G6|Poor|$4,588|$1,183|$1,638|$1,510|$2,524
Midsized Luxury vehicle repair costs after low-speed collision tests
Vehicle|Rating|Front Full|Front Corner|Rear Full|Rear Corner|Weighted average
Saab 9-3|Marginal|$1,476|$1,076|$1,722|$969|$1,407
Lincoln MKZ|Poor|$1,001|$1,966|$2,330|$670|$1,550
BMW 3 Series|Poor|$3,658|$1,256|$989|$778|$1,888
Volvo S60|Poor|$4,517|$544|$2,142|$1,022|$2,481
Lexus IS|Poor|$4,696|$2,223|$1,931|$817| $2,716
Lexus ES|Poor|$3,921|$2,094|$3,709|$1,101| $3,076
Infiniti G35|Poor|$5,223|$3,544|$4,035| $1,181|$3,874
Minivan repair costs after low-speed collision tests
Vehicle|Rating|Front Full|Front Corner|Rear Full|Rear Corner|Weighted average
Honda Odyssey|Marginal|$1,538|$1,446|$1,531|$743|$1,388
Dodge Caravan|Marginal|$1,347|$1,581|$2,084|$48|$1,488
Toyota Sienna|Poor|$840|$767|$2,890|$1,229|$1,576
Kia Sedona|Poor|$1,176|$1,854|$2,369|$1,126|$1,678
Nissan Quest|Poor|$1,603|$1,955|$3,549|$99| $2,209
Conclusion
Unlike what the over the air, general print and much of the online community is trying to portray regarding the IIHS’ most recent slow speed crash tests, smaller vehicles are on average less costly to repair than the larger and far more expensive brethren. With lower total costs of ownership due to lower upfront costs and lower maintenance, repair and fuel costs over time, smaller cars make the most the most sense for those looking to purchase a new car on a tight budget today.
Minivan slow speed average collision damage = $1,668
Compact slow speed average collision damage = $1,753
Subcompact slow speed average collision damage = $1,776
Midsized Low Priced slow speed average collision damage = $1,787
Midsized Luxury Priced slow speed average collision damage = $2,427
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2009_Ford_Focus.jpgWayne Gerdes - CleanMPG (cleanmpg.com) - June 11, 2009
Lowly 2009 Ford Focus - $13,520 to start and 28 mpgUS combined. Lowest overall cost to repair low speed bumper impact of anything tested to date.
With more than 80% of the US population lived in an all-urban environment, today’s reality means a tight parking space is almost a given within a vehicles lifetime. Further, 60% of the population lives in an area with population densities of 200,000 or more meaning tight parking on city streets is in some cases a daily reality. This city street parking all but guarantees bumpers will come into contact with other bumpers.
Unfortunately, one “touch” can add up to thousands of dollars in repairs as bumpers may not adequately protect our vehicles from damage due to overall height.
In the IIHS’ most recent slow speed impact bumper testing, none of the 7 subcompacts, 20 compacts, 12 mid-priced midsized, 7 mid-sized luxury and 5 minivans tested earned the top rating of good. Of the 51 vehicles shown, 70% earned a poor rating adding thousands of dollars to a low speed collision that in most circumstances should cost less than $500 to repair.
Kia’s Rio was a disaster
The worst performer in the subcompact arena was the Kia Rio with $9,380 total damage in 4 tests, 2 full-width and 2 corner impacts, earning it a poor rating. The Rio's repair bill is worse than those of all other small and midsize cars and minivans the Institute tested other than the midsized luxury Lexus ES and absolutely bottom of the charts, Infiniti G35! This subcompact racked up about $3,700 damage, or 30 percent of its purchase price, in the full-front test alone.
Honda’s Fit proves to be an expensive repair when hit in the rear
Damage to the Fit in the rear bumper test was $3,648, or 25 percent of the vehicles list price.
"Just about every panel and part on the back of the Fit had damage in the full-rear test," says Institute senior vice president Joe Nolan. "The bumper isn't in the right place to protect the tailgate, rear panel, and taillights because it's mounted too low. It's built this way to allow easy cargo access through the tailgate. The trade-off is that in an everyday rear-ender, the other car will hit the tailgate instead of the bumper."
Ford Focus – Best of the Best
As we reported last year in the Focus bests the Civic, Corolla and Prius but all could use improvements (cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16160) write-up, the Ford Focus once again earned the best overall rating of all the vehicles tested within the IIHS hierarchy. With an average damage repair bill of just $691 covering all four tests, the Focus proved yet again that it is the least costly vehicle to repair after a slow speed bumper to bumper impact on average.
Smart Fortwo performs well
The Fortwo also proved that an inexpensive vehicle does not mean an expensive repair bill after a slow speed bumper to bumper collision. Repair costs for the Smart Fortwo were reported to be relatively low because its pre-painted plastic body panels are dent-resistant, inexpensive, and easy to replace.
Smart's design saves on repairs: The Smart's plastic body parts can easily be replaced in sections which makes repairs relatively affordable in comparison to other vehicles. For example, the front and rear bumper covers come in 3 sections each (left, right, and center), so mechanics need to replace only the damaged parts instead of the entire plastic cover. Also keeping costs down is the fact that the bumper cover sections are prepainted further reducing repair costs after a minor low speed bumper to bumper collision.
This is the first car the IIHS tested that has prepainted body panels. The panels themselves cost roughly $160 for the center section and $180 each for the left or right fender sections. In comparison, it costs $480, not including labor, to replace and paint a front bumper cover on the Aveo which was rated the second least expensive overall to repair in the IIHS’ bumper collision study.
The Smart Fortwo joined the Ford Focus and Scion xB as the only cars to earn an acceptable rating in the IIHS’ low speed bumper collision repair cost studies.
Bumper design expectations
"You should be able to drive your car home after a low-speed crash, but too often vehicles are sidelined by only minor impacts," Nolan said. "Damage to sheet metal, air-conditioning condensers, and safety equipment like headlights should never happen when your car is bumped at just 3 to 6 miles an hour. Bad bumpers add up to one big headache for consumers."
"At a minimum, repairs should cost less than the typical insurance deductible for a collision, which is $500," Nolan explains. "This is why we set the benchmark for a good rating at less than $500. Damage at this level may be only cosmetic, so consumers may choose not to bother with repairs. Likewise, $1,000 is about the cost of a new bumper cover, reinforcement bar, and paint, while $1,500 includes replacing vehicle parts like grilles and headlights. When you reach $1,000 the bumper isn't doing its job and anything $1,500 or higher is egregious."
The IIHS tests
The Institutes 4 slow speed impact tests include a full front and rear into a 18” high, stationary barrier that mimics the front or back bumper of another vehicle plus a 16” high stationary barrier for the front and rear corner impact tests. The full-width impacts are run at 6 mph while the corner impacts are concluded at 3 mph.
To place the stationary barrier heights into perspective, a 2005 Honda Accord’s front and rear bumper heights are 19” and 18” from the ground to the bumpers centers respectively.
Pricey styling decisions: The Mini Cooper is the only car the Institute has tested with a hood that buckled in the front corner test. This is a pricey styling design on the manufacturer's part, Nolan pointed out. Instead of replacing just a fender, the car needed an $810 hood. Repairs totaled $2,637 in just this one front corner impact test.
"Bumpers are doing their job if the only damage is to the bumper cover. Bumpers aren't doing their job when headlights get knocked out or sheet metal crumples after a low-speed impact," Nolan says.
"With consumers watching every penny in this shaky economy, no one should have to shell out hundreds and even thousands of dollars to fix damage that shouldn't happen in the first place. That's not to mention the time that's wasted coordinating and waiting for repairs," Nolan says. "Our new bumper ratings should help streamline the buying process so consumers can zero in on vehicles with good bumpers. At the same time, the ratings should encourage automakers to make improvements that help move cars off their lots."
Better bumpers don't have to be complicated. Auto manufacturers already know how to make good ones. Longer and taller reinforcement bars and energy-absorbing material are key to reducing damage in low-speed collisions.
IIHS Subcompact vehicle repair costs after low-speed collision tests
Vehicle|Rating|Front Full|Front Corner|Rear Full|Rear Corner|Weighted average
Smart Fortwo|Average| $1,480|$663|$631|$507|$899
Chevrolet Aveo|Marginal|$1,071|$1,437|$1,370|$612|$1,155
Mini Cooper|Poor|$2,291|$2,637|$929|$743|$1,637
Toyota Yaris|Poor|$1,688|$1,167|$3,34| $474|$1,951
Honda Fit|Poor|$1,124|$1,216|$3,648|$999|$1,960
Hyundai Accent|Poor|$3,476|$839|$2,057|$831|$2,123
Kia Rio|Poor|$3,701|$1,758|$3,148|$773|$2,705
IIHS Compact vehicle repair costs after low-speed collision tests
Vehicle|Rating|Front Full|Front Corner|Rear Full|Rear Corner|Weighted average
Ford Focus|Average|$588|$1,329|$529|$585|$691
Scion xB|Average|$789|$1,028|$868|$1,012|$892
Scion xD|Marginal|$1,135|$594|$1,499|$907|$1,128
Mazda 3|Marginal|$1,117|$1,389|$1,120|$1,233|$1,183
Nissan Sentra|Marginal|$1,451|$1,684|$1,043|$730|$1,234
Subaru Impreza|Marginal|$2,023|$1,705|$893|$1,072|$1,435
Dodge Caliber|Marginal|$1,408|$1,285|$1,966|$663|$1,449
Mitsubishi Lancer|Poor|$1,939|$1,569|$1,642|$1,228|$1,660
Suzuki SX4|Poor|$3,450|$965|$779|$657|$1,680
Saturn Astra|Poor|$2,774|$962|$1,550|$612|$1,704
Nissan Versa|Poor|$2,795|$1,213|$1,429|$715|$1,729
Toyota Corolla|Poor|$3,444|$1,203|$863|$1,295|$1,852
Chevrolet Cobalt|Poor|$3,654|$1,169|$929|$1,101|$1,906
Chevrolet HHR|Poor|$2,259|$1,491|$2,227|$1,440| $1,984
Honda Civic|Poor|$4,328|$917|$883|$751|$2,015
Kia Spectra|Poor|$3,430|$979|$2,505|$675|$2,254
Chrysler PT Cruiser|Poor|$3,642|$1,627|$2,138|$854|$2,340
Hyundai Elantra|Poor|$4,954|$2,090|$1,304|$628|$2,539
Toyota Prius|Poor|$2,876|$1,208|$3,964|$1,022|$2,652
Volkswagon Rabbit|Poor|$4,078|$1,841|$2,775|$817|$2,727
IIHS Midsized average price vehicle repair costs after low-speed collision tests
Vehicle|Rating|Front Full|Front Corner|Rear Full|Rear Corner|Weighted average
Mitsubishi Galant|Marginal|$929|$1,138|$1,048|$1,162|$1,042
Toyota Camry|Marginal|$936|$1,467|$1,480|$1,028|$1,221
Ford Fusion|Marginal|$1,620| $991|$1,298|$1,121|$1,325
Volvo S40|Marginal|$2,252|$1,306|$802|$1,240|$1,442
Kia Optima|Poor|$1,730|$1,534|$1,715|$756|$1,530
Nissan Altima|Poor|$945|$969|$3,114|$1,431|$1,753
Saturn Aura|Poor|$1,032|$1,152|$3,191|$999|$1,766
Chrysler Sebring|Poor|$1,084|$2,061|$3,210|$1,099|$1,958
Subaru Legacy|Poor|$3,911|$1,287|$1,122|$1,128|$2,080
Volkswagen Passat|Poor|$4,594|$1,544|$982|$1,139|$2,306
Volkswagen Jetta|Poor|$2,598|$1,223|$3,375|$1,824|$2,499
Pontiac G6|Poor|$4,588|$1,183|$1,638|$1,510|$2,524
Midsized Luxury vehicle repair costs after low-speed collision tests
Vehicle|Rating|Front Full|Front Corner|Rear Full|Rear Corner|Weighted average
Saab 9-3|Marginal|$1,476|$1,076|$1,722|$969|$1,407
Lincoln MKZ|Poor|$1,001|$1,966|$2,330|$670|$1,550
BMW 3 Series|Poor|$3,658|$1,256|$989|$778|$1,888
Volvo S60|Poor|$4,517|$544|$2,142|$1,022|$2,481
Lexus IS|Poor|$4,696|$2,223|$1,931|$817| $2,716
Lexus ES|Poor|$3,921|$2,094|$3,709|$1,101| $3,076
Infiniti G35|Poor|$5,223|$3,544|$4,035| $1,181|$3,874
Minivan repair costs after low-speed collision tests
Vehicle|Rating|Front Full|Front Corner|Rear Full|Rear Corner|Weighted average
Honda Odyssey|Marginal|$1,538|$1,446|$1,531|$743|$1,388
Dodge Caravan|Marginal|$1,347|$1,581|$2,084|$48|$1,488
Toyota Sienna|Poor|$840|$767|$2,890|$1,229|$1,576
Kia Sedona|Poor|$1,176|$1,854|$2,369|$1,126|$1,678
Nissan Quest|Poor|$1,603|$1,955|$3,549|$99| $2,209
Conclusion
Unlike what the over the air, general print and much of the online community is trying to portray regarding the IIHS’ most recent slow speed crash tests, smaller vehicles are on average less costly to repair than the larger and far more expensive brethren. With lower total costs of ownership due to lower upfront costs and lower maintenance, repair and fuel costs over time, smaller cars make the most the most sense for those looking to purchase a new car on a tight budget today.
Minivan slow speed average collision damage = $1,668
Compact slow speed average collision damage = $1,753
Subcompact slow speed average collision damage = $1,776
Midsized Low Priced slow speed average collision damage = $1,787
Midsized Luxury Priced slow speed average collision damage = $2,427