airbags deploy early Then.

[gazmondo35]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RMAV9polqg&feature=youtube_gdata_player




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[Gingernick]

nasty thing to happen..and the guy reversing obviously wasn't looking over his seat..I always reverse looking out the rear window rather than just rely on mirrors

but..there was a stop sign there. Maybe stopping might have given a chance to avoid it.

messy though, and heartbreaking for a new car

[Gingernick]

what I find more amazing is the sheer number of airbags in cars in general

one day some poor bugger will suffocate due to loads of airbags instead of being injured in the impact!

[GTI-7-Performance]

Didn't seem fast enough - or enough damage - to set the airbags off.

I hit a wall in snow at 15MPH in a Mk3 Golf and set the air bags off. The stink was awful and the car was a write-off. Wouldn't be surprised if that Mk7 is a write-off too...

[corgi]

Didn't seem fast enough - or enough damage - to set the airbags off.

I hit a wall in snow at 15MPH in a Mk3 Golf and set the air bags off. The stink was awful and the car was a write-off. Wouldn't be surprised if that Mk7 is a write-off too...

I think that will depend on whether or not there is any structural damage... you'd need repair costs of ~£15K (in the UK) or more for them to write it off...

[monkeyhanger]

Could an unbearable stink that will not dissipate also contribute to a write-off situation? Excluding airbags/dash damage from deployment and seatbelt pre-tensioner units, external damage looks to be in the £2k range. Purely on costs it wouldn’t be a write off, but could other factors such as a permanent stink cause it to be a low category write off?

[corgi]

You could pay for an awful lot of air fresheners for the remaining ~£10K..?

In truth, I don't know... but I doubt it. The term write-off refers to vehicles that are uneconomic to repair i.e. it is a financial decision, I'm not sure that the insurance company would consider a it being a bit smelly as sufficient cause to take a potentially significant financial hit. I'm sure that they'd pay for a thorough clean etc. in a effort to make sure the car didn't smell...

[JoeGTI]

Ouch - an Irish GTI, and there aren't that many of them!

Looks like minimum €10k damage to me. I personally wouldn't want the car back. Half the interior needs to be replaced due to the airbags popping. Massive and expensive job. While it looks fairly cosmetic on the outside, you  can bet there's structural damage beneath it. A single xenon headlamp is €900 or thereabouts... the costs quickly add up.

[corgi]

Yes the cost will increase quickly, but for most insurance companies you'd be looking at costs in excess of 60% (some work on 67%) of the current market value of the car. You have plenty of room for the costs to add up... In spite of what you might think the majority of insurance companies make losses underwriting motor insurance policies and they are therefore even more careful about what they write-off...

I'm not sure I'd want it back either but unless it is touch and go with respect to write-off, your preference for whether you want it back or not is not really a factor.

I differ from you in suspecting that there is no serious structural damage (based on the footage, only) and on that basis, I'd expect them the car to be repaired

[noobmonkey]

Ouch!!! Feel sorry for the car and owner - these things do happen, and grateful for the airbags and safety.
Good to hear no-one was injured as that's the key. Pity to see the lovely Gti in that state