CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte woman said what appeared to be a minor dent on her vehicle wound up as a total loss.
Meghan Murray admitted the scrape on the rear door of her 2016 Toyota Highlander happened because she was running late for work toward the end of last year.
"Initially, I had bumped into the pole in my garage, so definitely busted up the right side a little bit," Murray said.
Murray decided she would get her SUV fixed at a reputable body shop in the NoDa neighborhood of Charlotte. She said an initial inspection came back with a preliminary estimate of $5,000.
"It was supposed to be easy in and out to the body shop," Murray said. "I dropped it off before Christmas break, was expecting to pick it up right after and everything be all good. But that's not what happened."
Her vehicle was still at the shop in January when she got a call from her insurance company.
"It originally was under $5,000 and now it was going to be about $17,000," Murray said. "The only way for it to be drivable would be to go forward with the work and fix it because, at that point, it was completely taken apart."
Charlotte attorney Gary Mauney explained when it comes to car repairs, many times there can be damage beyond what is seen superficially.
"Their obligation is to make sure they're really fixing your vehicle," Mauney said. "So they look behind the quarter panel, has the axle been bent, is there something inside the car? The suspension? Perhaps even an airbag that could have been harmed, and its deployment can be impaired."
Beyond that, Mauney said the body shop will do its due diligence to ensure the car is safe and in working order like before it crashed.
"They're going to look at all of that and make sure that there's no more damage to the car," Mauney said. "So in this case, we start with a $5,000 estimate. It can easily become more than that because just an airbag alone in that system has been impaired. The object is to make you whole so that you're put in the same position that you were before the accident, theoretically."
A statement in the initial estimate to Murray says in part, "Often, after the work has started, damaged or broken parts are discovered which are not evident on the first inspection."
"I knew I was signing a document, but I still wanted them to consult with me and ask me before performing any work," she said.
The body shop owner told WCNC Charlotte that it's not their decision to say a car is totaled, but rather, a business decision by the insurance company.
On the North Carolina Department of Insurance website it does state, "To the extent that the total cost of repair is equal to or exceeds 75% of the pre-accident actual cash value, the insurer shall consider the vehicle a total loss."
In that case, the insurance company will typically pay the car owner or lender the market value of the vehicle.
Before it gets to the point, however, Mauney said drivers have a choice once they get the estimate for the repair.
"You can make a choice about whether to get the car fixed or not, and then just accept the check to pay for the repairs and not get the repairs made," Mauney said. "When you go to sell the car, of course, it's going to make things pretty difficult but you're not obligated to get the car fixed."
Murray said she would advise others who find themselves in a similar position to do more research and read reasons behind a business getting one-star reviews.
North Carolina's Motor Vehicle Repair Act also protects consumers when auto repairs cost more than $350.