Met with an accident in my 1-month-old BYD Atto 3: The aftermath

There may have been another 2-3 reasons I can give for the accident, but ultimately I have to accept that it was entirely my fault and my over-confidence catching up to me.

BHPian themonster recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Hello everyone!

So, this is going to be a long post.

TDLR: I met with an accident in my 1-month-old BYD Atto 3, it took about 3.5 months for me to get the car back.

******

Note:

1. I would first like to thank God Almighty for not allowing any bodily injury to myself.
2. I have tried my best to be as diplomatic as possible, holding a neutral stance. Do pardon me if I sound biased at any point.
3. I do not blame anyone but myself for the accident, and the processes which followed.
4. There is only one authorized dealer in Kerala. This post is not intended to name/shame/blame anyone, and I have tried my best to keep it that way.
5. While this post may have been better placed in the Accidents Section or the EV repair thread, there was no mechanical damage as such, just cosmetic damage. This may also give prospective owners an idea regarding repairs.
6. A big shout out to the BYD Atto 3 owners group. There were times when your messages and support helped. It does come a long way.

About a month into ownership, after driving about 2200-odd km, I met with an accident in the notorious ghat section of Kerala, between Kuntikanam and Vandiperiyar section of Idukki district. (people who regularly visit Sabarimala would be more familiar with this route)

Coming to the accident.
A bit of background. For some time, say 2-3 years; I have been a regular on this route (Kottayam - Madurai), and for over a year, there have been times I take this route maybe 3-4 times a week. I usually leave early morning at 3-4 am and drive back on the same day after finishing my work, usually arriving back the same day, either by late evening or midnight. I usually drive my Honda City on this route, and I have gotten very over-confident regarding both my knowledge of the route as well as my driving skills. (my biggest fault). I had been continuously traveling the previous 3-4 days before the accident, (I came back from an international trip, went to Munnar with friends, and then proceeded with this journey. I definitely should have taken more rest in between. (my second mistake)

So, I was driving towards Kumily direction after Kuntikanam, and around 6.30 am I had just finished overtaking a vehicle just before a 90-degree curve. An oncoming vehicle hit me on the right side exactly in the curve, following which I hit the front left side to the side rock on the road which also had a ditch. (The photos will give a better understanding of the situation). The whole thing may have just taken a second or two, but before I knew it, the car was stuck. I would like to thank the owner of a Blue Jimny who stopped and helped me get out of the car and enquired about my well-being, God bless you where ever you are. After getting out of the initial shock of the situation, I spoke to the other party who hit me and we parted ways. (nothing happened to him, it was a Maruti Eeco with a front bull bar attached).

There may have been another 2-3 reasons I can give for the accident, but ultimately I have to accept that it was entirely my fault and my over-confidence catching up to me.

The accident was not at a very high speed, maybe around 50-55kmph at the first impact on the right side, just below the B pillar; followed by a second impact on the left side at maybe 35-40 kmph. I guess because of this airbags did not deploy. The seatbelt did tighten and hold me into place though.

I did try to avoid the accident at the last moment, but I couldn't. Retrospectively thinking, I found this in the Team-BHP Official Review. I should have been more cautious.

Quote from BHPian Omkar:

Handling & Dynamics

In a straight line, the Atto 3 feels stable and it doesn’t feel nervous even at 120 km/h. Going over some undulations or expansion joints will result in a fair bit of vertical movement though. As mentioned earlier, the suspension setup is tuned more for comfort than sporty handling. There’s a fair bit of body roll in corners and you even get some understeer. This is a car that does not like to be pushed hard in corners. Also, the lighter front end doesn’t really inspire confidence while turning in.

Quick lane changes at high speeds are something you should avoid in the Atto 3. While most of us are used to driving heavy front-end cars, this center-heavy car might catch you off guard. The car has a pendulum-like effect at speed where the rear sways a bit, which gives an uncomfortable feeling. Better to give gradual and slow steering inputs at high speeds.

I did try to search Google for the BYD RSA (Roadside Assistance) and ended up calling my Sales Advisor who promptly sent me the number. The BYD RSA is handled by Bajaj Allianz, and the service is free for the first 6 years of car ownership. (I am not sure if the new car purchases are covered by this, do confirm with the sales advisor at the time of purchase of the car.) BYD RSA Toll-Free: 18004192622.

Since it was a far-off remote location, nearly 100km from the nearest BYD service center. The BYD RSA representative was courteous and stayed on the call with me until he arranged the flatbed tow truck. (I have previously never utilized the services of RSA until this point.) They did offer me a cab service for my journey, but I politely declined. While from the BYD RSA's end, they did inform the towing company to send a HI-TRAC, the towing company which was sent did not realize the car was in a ditch from the photos. Ultimately, they pulled the car out using the tow winch, while a couple of passersby placed some stones under the wheel which was in the ditch, and helped push the car up. The flatbed truck took about 4-5 hours to arrive, followed by another 2-3 hours to extract the car. The car was dropped off at the dealership at night.

I was very curious and concerned regarding the battery pack. safe to say the plate protecting the battery took the impact well.

Paperwork.

2. Insurance documents

3. RC card/RC particulars.

5. GD (General Diary) entry with police.

6. Driver's License.

Timeline:
Some dates are an approximation, while I did follow up regularly regarding the status of repairs, I was preoccupied with other personal commitments, so I just made a mental note of the same.

15.10.2024: Accident takes place. The vehicle was towed to the dealership
19.10.2024: All required documents submitted, claim process initiated, replacement parts order placed.
11.11.2024: Parts arrived at the dealership
14.11.2024: Car shifted to body shop
20.11.2024: Works started on the car
06.12.2024: Accident repair completed
09.12.2024: First free service done (5000kms/3 months)
16.12.2024: Insurance resurvey done post-accident repair.
27.12.2024: Claim form submitted
20.01.2025: Claim settlement processed
21.01.2025: Amount credited to the service center
28.01.2025: Car delivered back.

The final Bill:

The insurance issue:

At the time of purchase of my car, I took the insurance policy from a known agent as I have 2 other cars through the same channel. The dealership did inform me that insurance claims would be a little difficult for non-dealer channel claims, but I anyways went ahead with my own thing. They did make me sign a paper stating that if any insurance issues it would be my responsibility to settle the matter. For reference, the dealer has a tie-up with New India Assurance and Royal Sundaram, I took the insurance with New India Assurance through a non-dealership channel.
So, at the time of the accident, even the service manager had mentioned to me, that since my policy is taken from outside (other than the dealership channel) until the amount is credited to their account from the insurance company, they will not release the car; or alternatively, I can pay the amount now and claim reimbursement from the insurance company. This is the dealership's policy.

Well, initially I did hope the dealership would let this slide and return the car (wishful thinking) and as the time took longer, it did leave me a bitter taste of the experience (naturally, as a human being). I did try talking with the service manager politely regarding the whole episode, but it was an upper management policy and I did not find any reason to make a 'hue and cry'. The service manager did his best along with all the employees to complete the work, as well as keep me updated. I too kept visiting the service center on and off whenever I was passing by.

Also, this old thread (Link) helped me understand a few things.

Anyway, the final delay in me collecting the car, is due to the service center needing the email from the insurance company detailing the bank transfer (NEFT/RGTS) details. I did call the toll-free number and my insurance agent, but I ultimately had to visit the insurance office, where they gave me the details and emailed the service center within 10 minutes. I had to pay a balance of around Rs. 17,500/-.

Interesting learnings I had from the experience:
- The insurance company dispenses the amount minus tax (GST). There is a GST TDS deducted for the service center.
- The message I got from the insurance company initially quoted a much smaller amount, which was later found to be the claim amount minus tax.
- New India Assurance settled the claim amount within 24-48 hours after the final filing.

A lot of people will say that I was rather too patient with the entire thing, but I was constantly traveling during the entire time my car was with the service center (Out of the 100 days the car was at the dealership, I would have been out of station for around 60 days), and I also had 2 more accidents (in my other 2 cars) around the same area in the same time period. So, I was dealing with the cards that life was giving me. Who knows, maybe the BYD may have ended up with another accident again if I received the car back earlier. Other aspects include that insurance companies are sometimes quick to reject claims for Electric Vehicles and that since it is a large amount, I do not think any dealership will take the risk.

Anyway, I have driven about 1000km over the last 3 days, and the vehicle performs well dynamically.

And in case you are wondering:

1. Yes, I got the car Matte PPF'ed. It is a whole other story to that aspect; will post in the relevant thread with my queries.
2. Other than the roof, the right fender, the front, and rear left doors, the left quarter panel, and the boot hatch; the rest of the panels were changed.
3. Two alloy wheels were also changed as they got scratched. No, the alloy wheels were not given to me, they were taken by the insurance company at salvage.
4. The left headlight is new.
5. I did drive the same route after getting the delivery of the car. (2 days back) I drove at my own leisure, maintaining speeds between 30-45 km/h and letting everyone overtake me. It took me an extra 10 minutes compared to driving a little quicker. I most certainly have learned my lesson. Also, used up 75% charge for a journey of ~420 km.

Also, I am open to answering any queries, and constructive criticism.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.