I’ll start this story by saying that I don’t have a driveway. It’s also been a bad winter in Montreal. Snow, ice, and very slow snow removal in the city has made it difficult to park on residential streets; so since I bought my Rogue, I’ve been parking it, religiously, in my mom’s driveway (who lives six blocks away). Long story short, I was going out of town on Saturday and took the car from my mom’s place and parked it in front of my house on a portion of the street where the snow had (finally) been cleared.

Less than 36 hours after moving it from the sanctity and safety of a driveway, police were at my door to inform me that some scumbag had done this:



That’s right my fellow Rogue friends… It seems the driver lost control of their vehicle and RAMMED into me and then into a Mazda 3 parked in front of me (however, looking at his damage, he got off relatively easily).



Mazda 3

It seems a neighbour heard the crash, looked out from his window, saw a blue vehicle pull out (from the Mazda) and take off (no, he didn’t get a license plate). It was the neighbour who called the police. When they discovered the Rogue belonged to me the officer brought me out to show me what had happened- I’ll tell you right now, I’m not ashamed, I stood in the street with that police officer and I cried!



When I called my insurance, the claims rep told me that they were getting a lot of hit and run calls for the morning and I laughed sarcastically and said: “…maybe it’s the same guy…”

The damage looks pricey, especially to the front passenger door because when I tried to open it, it fell a little on it's hinge (yeah… it’s like that). Let's just say I haven’t opened either of those doors since!



I’m a little numb. My insurance company gave me 4 different body shops (one of them Nissan) to do the estimate. I couldn’t bring myself to take her this morning- in fact, I’m having a wee bit of trouble looking at her (‘cause I just get angry and upset).



Friends are telling me that if I’m not careful, some shops (Nissan included) might not use new parts for the repairs and that my sweet baby Rogue will never be the same, (thanks! Just what I needed to hear!)… How the heck, am I gonna make sure that a body shop does the job properly? If I can, I’ll pay for the repairs myself, rather than having a claim holding me hostage for the next 5-7 years (there goes the chrome insert, the cargo mat and car-PC…)! However, I just can’t think right now, my mind is spinning!

All I keep thinking is “if I find that driver and that car…” (I'd bet they live somewhere close in my area). I worked hard for this car and for someone to just come out and do this and then on-top of that, just take off... I know it doesn’t change anything but I just want to hurt them nonetheless!

Sorry to hear about your hit and run. I don;t think you'll have to worry so much about not getting Nissan parts the Rogue is too new to have after market body parts out there for it.

Msdarkdiva wrote:Friends are telling me that if I’m not careful, some shops (Nissan included) might not use new parts for the repairs and that my sweet baby Rogue will never be the same, (thanks! Just what I needed to hear!)… How the heck, am I gonna make sure that a body shop does the job properly? If I can, I’ll pay for the repairs myself, rather than having a claim holding me hostage for the next 5-7 years (there goes the chrome insert, the cargo mat and car-PC…)! However, I just can’t think right now, my mind is spinning!

Given how new the Rogue is, I would imagine the chances of having readily available reconditioned parts is a bit on the slim side.

You know what, I hope so!

I'm not talking aftermarket parts though; what if there’s a Rogue that gets deemed a write off due to an accident (not saying I wish that on anybody, but hey- stuff happens) but some of the parts are still good. What stops a body shop from taking a used part from another vehicle and claim it as new, saving a few bucks in the process!

I’m sorry- I’ve just lost faith in the world…

first, def take it to the Nissan dealership. second, ask if the dealer is able to provide documents showing all parts being replaced are new from factory and not reconditioned.

is it posible what you said would happen? yes, but chances are very small.

sorry about what happend...

Thanks for the support and good advice- I'll definitely ask for documents!

I called Nissan this morning and the only appointment they had available was next week (27th)...

So, while I'm waiting, I stopped by a local body shop, who always seem to have a ton of clients (they also do performance modification work on cars) and I asked them to take a look. "Storm" will need work on the passenger rear & front doors, (as you can see above), the front fender and at least two or more other parts because the door doesn't open/close properly and doesn't sit well anymore (and to think I've never heard any rattles or anything from any of my doors and still don't), not to mention repainting etc. I was telling the evaluator "I want it like it never happened!" and he started to laugh (in a good way).

I'm feeling a little less tender and a little more positive. Maybe, in the grand scheme, I'm supposed to let you guys know what the costs are for repairs like this (mind you I don't wish this on anyone)!

Tomorrow morning I think I'll stop by another Nissan dealership and ask if they can give me an evaluation without an appointment.

I'll keep you posted!

...and tell me, does Nissan have proprietary control over their paint colors? I know my car is silver, which would seem easy- but still!

The good news for you is that you have insurance!

It's going to be very expensive to repair, but you'll just pay the deductable.

The body shop will use new parts because the markup on new parts is higher. They will always take the more profitable route when the insurance company is footing the bill. Don't worry about the result. You will be pleased with it. I'm sure they will replace both doors and most likely repair the front fender. It will be just like new. The only hard part for the body shop will be matching the paint. The will likely paint the doors, fender, rocker panels, and perhaps even the hood. The more parts they paint, the more original it will look. Plus having a new car is a benefit in this instance because your paint won't have faded much, so the new coat of paint will look just like the rest of it.

All body shops have access to the same paint that Nissan uses. No need to worry about that.

Sorry you have to go through this, and it stinks that you have to pay a deductable and go through all this hassle because some idiot can't drive. Hope the cops find the culprit and you can sue him.

In this instance, I wish our system worked that way.

In Quebec all drivers are a part of a no-fault insurance system, whereby drivers can’t sue each other even if one party is clearly at fault. If there are injuries involved a person does gets compensated but, only criminal courts can assign punishment. In exchange, Quebec has Canada’s lowest insurance premium rates. So, me wanting to get that driver who took off, is really only based on principal- from an insurance standpoint, it doesn’t make a difference (mind you if the police do find them, I believe they can be criminally charged for leaving the scene of an accident).

Eikon wrote:It's going to be very expensive to repair

You’re telling me! I just received the first estimate from the shop I stopped by this morning and here is the breakdown:

Replacement of Right Front Door: $607.76Replacement of Right Mud Guard: $94.46

A-Repair of Right Fender: B-Repair of Rear Door: C-Repair of front Post A-Pillar: D-Repair of Front Mag Wheel: $150.00 (materials for A-B-C-D)

Paint Materials: $372.00Shop Supplies: $50.04

An Alignment: $69.95Labour (29.5 hrs. @ $45.hr): $1327.50Sub-Total: $2671.71Gov. Tax (5%): $133.59QC Tax (7.5%): $210.40

Grand Total: $3015.70

Whaddayathink? I’m not to sure about that 29 hours of labour part… I’ll take bets now on how much you think Nissan is going to say it will cost (might as well have a little fun- in the midst of misery)!
Modified by Msdarkdiva at 9:33 PM 4/5/2008

I would push them to replace the rear door as well!

The alternative is to fix it.. which involves a great deal of the labor charge listed. They have to take it apart and try to hammer the metal back straight. They will get it as close as they can, then use bondo to flatten out the surface.. then paint over the bondo. That's never as good as having the new metal. I think there is enough damage to that door to ask for it to be replaced.

You are not required to take the lowest estimate are you? You can choose which you think will do the best job???

Eikon, I don’t think it would be an issue if I asked them to replace the rear door instead of repairing it. Thank-you for the suggestion, because, like I said earlier; when the work is finished- I want it to look like it never happened!

This was just stop number #1. I’m going to try to get an estimate from Nissan next. Now that I have an idea what the job is going to entail, when I go to them, I’ll tell them which parts I want replaced versus repaired and have them detail what they plan to do.

Heck, if I had the time (and if they’d let me, but I doubt it) I would like to see the progress as some of work took place!

You're going to be amazed at how good the body shops are nowadays. It'll look like brand new. If you were here where I live, I would garantee it! Forget about following the repair work. I don't know about Canada, but here in the States, liability issues would preclude your being in the repair/service areas. Good luck.

Aw

I feel bad. At least I got my culprits plate # and stuff.

jsellberg wrote:Aw

I feel bad. At least I got my culprits plate # and stuff.

Thanks, I appreciate it! What can you do? Some people have no sense of responsibility! On the upside, trying to get the best for "Storm" right now, makes me love her even more!

Down the list of things that ran through my head after it happened was “the guys on the forum are not going to believe this!” I’m happy that I am a part of this Rogue community!

I talked to Nissan today but they didn’t want to give me an estimate, or say how they would fix it before knowing what the insurance $ value was. The Nissan evaluator also tried to straighten out the door by lifting it from the bottom- you should have seen the look on my face! I felt like a mama bear wanting to protect her cub! Unfortunately, it seems my insurance adjuster and I are playing phone tag so the damage has not been priced as yet.

cdmuile wrote:Forget about following the repair work. I don't know about Canada, but here in the States, liability issues would preclude your being in the repair/service areas. Good luck.

Yeaaaah, I realize that. Nissan told me that their work is done off site (and I’m sure liability issues are the primary reason). It's just that, it would be cool to watch my baby being put back together (better, faster, stronger… Bionic)!

we'll see if their insurance accepts the claim. they'd better. i have witnesses. i called sfpd to report it and reported it to dmv, also called the kids college and reported his parking permit # for being a horrid driver as well. i might post an ad on craigslist flaming him as well. lots of locals read that.

this kid is going to go through hell for being careless and having no respect. jerk.

Msdarkdiva wrote:
In this instance, I wish our system worked that way.

In Quebec all drivers are a part of a no-fault insurance system, whereby drivers can’t sue each other even if one party is clearly at fault. If there are injuries involved a person does gets compensated but, only criminal courts can assign punishment. In exchange, Quebec has Canada’s lowest insurance premium rates. So, me wanting to get that driver who took off, is really only based on principal- from an insurance standpoint, it doesn’t make a difference (mind you if the police do find them, I believe they can be criminally charged for leaving the scene of an accident).

You’re telling me! I just received the first estimate from the shop I stopped by this morning and here is the breakdown:

Replacement of Right Front Door: $607.76Replacement of Right Mud Guard: $94.46

A-Repair of Right Fender: B-Repair of Rear Door: C-Repair of front Post A-Pillar: D-Repair of Front Mag Wheel: $150.00 (materials for A-B-C-D)

Paint Materials: $372.00Shop Supplies: $50.04

An Alignment: $69.95Labour (29.5 hrs. @ $45.hr): $1327.50Sub-Total: $2671.71Gov. Tax (5%): $133.59QC Tax (7.5%): $210.40

Grand Total: $3015.70

Whaddayathink? I’m not to sure about that 29 hours of labour part… I’ll take bets now on how much you think Nissan is going to say it will cost (might as well have a little fun- in the midst of misery)!

I take it that is in Canadian dollars? I can't see how a mud flap would cost $94.

If you think that quote is bad, I had a accident in my F-150 Harley Davidson edition. The damage wasn't that bad, but to sum it up, the bumper mounts were bent, the bumper, lower valance, bumper cover, grille, headlight surround, headlight, and fender were damaged. The insurance quoted $2000, but because it is a Harley edition, the body shop had to get the parts from the dealer and markup is high. After it was all done, the final total was $5500. I only had to pay $250. The side stripes alone were $400.

Msdarkdiva wrote: Yeaaaah, I realize that. Nissan told me that their work is done off site (and I’m sure liability issues are the primary reason). It's just that, it would be cool to watch my baby being put back together (better, faster, stronger… Bionic)!

Some dealerships do not have a body shop in house. They frequently send the work out. I found this out when I used a Nissan dealer to repair collision damage on my '87 Pathfinder. They used a local independently owned body shop. Not to scare you, but it wasn't a pleasant experience as they did not use any OEM parts and the work was very shoddy. All I can say is do your research and try to get some referrals if possible. There are people out there who do good work, it just takes time to find them.

Woooouu. When I crashed my 07 scion tc insurance came up with number of $11.5k when the car cost $15.5k and they were planning to fix it but after 2 weeks they decided to make as totaled and paid me all the money including taxes but i had to pay deduction fee which was $500. I know how you feel right now but everything will be ok and the rogue will be like new. After I bought the rogue scion tc was a kids toy car for me. By the way I wouldn't fix that rim. Instead of that I would get the money from insurance and sell wheels throw newspaper or ebay and get something better even that these rims look good. So if I were you I would probably start thinking how can slightly modify the car without paying a lot of money.

jsellberg wrote:this kid is going to go through hell for being careless and having no respect. jerk.

That's right jsellberg- GIT-R-DONE! ...And get some for me too, while you're at it!

Etch wrote:I take it that is in Canadian dollars? I can't see how a mud flap would cost $94... the body shop had to get the parts from the dealer and markup is high.

Yes the price is in Canadian dollars and since the car is new, I think the only place they can get parts right now is from Nissan. However, I prefer getting the OEM parts back on her anyway (and I can definitely see Nissan charging $94 dollars for one mud flap!).

philipa_240sx wrote:All I can say is do your research and try to get some referrals if possible. There are people out there who do good work, it just takes time to find them.

While I've been waiting for the evaluator to show up (it seems the Easter break caught me at a bad time), I've been doing just that; talking to my local mechanic, looking up recommendations with the Automobile Protection Agency (here in Canada) and checking out some Montreal forum sites to see where others have gone and their experiences- it is time consuming, but it's worth it!

Sorry to hear about that, msdarkdiva. I hope it all works out in the end.

Ohhh, msdarkdiva... I live in a part of GA where no one drives the speed limit - they all drive the damn temperature. I love my Rogue so much - and someone damaging it would be next to being my worst nightmare. I came here and looked at the pics - and my heart goes out to you.

Best of luck to both you and Storm. Keep us posted, will ya?

miznic wrote:Ohhh, msdarkdiva... I live in a part of GA where no one drives the speed limit - they all drive the damn temperature.

Oh- that made me laugh, I'll have to remember that one!

I have update pics:

Here is Storm being pieced back together! Greg (in the driver's seat- owner of Automotion Collision Center, where I took Storm to get fixed... might as well give them a plug!) was kind enough to let me shoot these today before he closed up.

In the end I didn't get a new rear door, a decision I wasn't completely confident about. However, I was assured that they would make her look like she did before the smash 'n' dash and so far, I have to admit, looking at the work on it I was really impressed (gotta love that Bondo artistry)!



...And y'know my car repair education is excelling leaps and bounds- 'cause I had no idea that a new replacement door came with absolutely nothing! LOL! No handle, no window, no nothing! I was thinking "600 bucks for that?!?" Humph! But hey, I'm learning! The fender is fixed too!

She should be finished by next week and let me tell you I am soooo excited- I can't wait to show off both her good sides again!
Modified by Msdarkdiva at 9:34 PM 4/5/2008