So about a month ago already, my daughter was hit from behind in her red 2000. She is not at fault, and it is going into the body shop today. There is little visible damage, as it was a pretty low speed bump - probably 10-15 mph. The bumper cover is scratched and I assume the styrofoam underneath is compromised as well. I can see no bent metal from the interior in the battery compartment storage area.
As I drove it home after this accident, the IMA light was on, as well as the check engine light, and the 12v battery went dead and the car barely ran enough to get it home 15 miles. Once I got home, I checked the battery cables and noticed the positive one was very loose so I tightened it. It still seems loose. Also checked the ground straps and they are both intact, but have a few broken strands (not newly broken). Everything seemed good after a 12volt charge, for a few days. She has come out of school to a dead 12 volt battery a couple of times since, and the IMA light has come on as well. Her IMA battery was not the strongest in the world to start with, and has thrown the IMA light a couple times over the last 6 months and a grid charge seemed to clear things up. I have done a full discharge/charge cycle, but the IMA issue keeps coming back faster and faster. I am semi-skeptical that the IMA issues are from the accident but they seem to have worsened quickly.
1) What should I tell the body shop about this?
2) What else do I need to check out myself?
I hate having other people work on my cars, but I want to be sure we are compensated properly for the things that were related to the accident.
As I drove it home after this accident, the IMA light was on, as well as the check engine light, and the 12v battery went dead and the car barely ran enough to get it home 15 miles. Once I got home, I checked the battery cables and noticed the positive one was very loose so I tightened it. It still seems loose. Also checked the ground straps and they are both intact, but have a few broken strands (not newly broken). Everything seemed good after a 12volt charge, for a few days. She has come out of school to a dead 12 volt battery a couple of times since, and the IMA light has come on as well. Her IMA battery was not the strongest in the world to start with, and has thrown the IMA light a couple times over the last 6 months and a grid charge seemed to clear things up. I have done a full discharge/charge cycle, but the IMA issue keeps coming back faster and faster. I am semi-skeptical that the IMA issues are from the accident but they seem to have worsened quickly.
1) What should I tell the body shop about this?
2) What else do I need to check out myself?
I hate having other people work on my cars, but I want to be sure we are compensated properly for the things that were related to the accident.
m, PST. 
