End of an era - Q1 Wrecked

[Q451990]

My worst nightmare came true tonight... at least for an owner of an older luxury car. I was driving Q1 (the high mileage one). Pulled away from an intersection when the light turned green. An 18y/o guy in a 88 Jeep Cherokee, with his mom as the passenger, made a left turn from the oncoming turn lane and hit me in the left front fender. They were on their way to church. He saw the green turn arrow - looked over to say something to his mom - glanced up and saw green but didn't notice that the arrow was off. I saw him coming, and I'm pretty sure I was stopped when he hit me. I know I was leaning on the horn and I'm pretty sure I was stopped by the time I felt the impact.

In any case he owned up to it - so there's no problem there. The real issue is that now I have a 90Q that's never been wrecked, never had paint work, and has over 200K that I have to convince State Farm (his company not mine) is worth more than the pitiful book value of the car. The biggest expense is my time... hours and hours of phone calls, arguing, faxing, fighting, emailing, and probably a lawsuit. The biggest thing that pisses me off is that Dana was driving this Q so that she could save up her $$ for a pre-owned G in a year or so. We didn't want to make payments... now it's either a cheaper car or pay the man every month.

I'll start compiling an estimate of what it would take to get a "comparable" old Q in this one's condition (new Bose amps, chain guides, other rehab, etc.)

It was very sad to see her flatbedded away... I suspect it'll be a total loss based on parts cost alone. Here's what I could see:

LF FenderBumperHood (deeply scratched but not really bent) Park LightHeadlampHeadlamp bracket

I'm just thankful that no one was hurt and that it was Q1 and not Q2. I'm almost afraid to get Q2 out of the garage now. I would have probably beat the hell out of the guy if it was Q2. Sort of felt bad for the guy... apparently they had two non-running cars at home, and borrowed this old Jeep from his grandfather in NC. Now it needs a new radiator, front bumper, grill, and a/c condensor. Maybe a transmission cooler too?

I'll post pics. after I take them...



Heath

[Raxephon]

Sorry to hear that another Q is off the road.

At least you came out of this physically O.K.(Mental anguish is another story)

If you need help with body parts, I'm sure other NICO members will be willing to help you out.(Myself included )

[Q451990]

Thank you! I'm not sure which way I'll go at this point... I may try to work out a settlement where I keep the car and some $$$ too. If I could only find a black 90 Q in the area with a good front clip. Assuming they were sprayed with the same paint, I think I could get as good of a match bolting on used parts vs. new parts with fresh paint against an otherwise original car. Nothing will make it perfect again except maybe a full restoration/show car grade repaint - but that's hardly practical at thsi point.

Heath

[maxnix]

Well, you have the documentation (you can never recover the time), so maybe you can make them repair it correctly. If not, negotiate the settlement and the car.

Don't let them total it.

[Jesda]

Damn it NO! My heart sunk when I saw this thread. We all love that Q.

[Rex]

Heath, that sucks. I hate to say he was being careless (taking his Mom to Church and all), but he was and it just sucks that you'll ned up on the short end in the long run .

Try searching the BST for Ardvarkus, I know he's on the other side of the country, but all his Q needed was injectors, and he was very motivated to sell.

Good luck and keep in mind there are a few guys who've gone throuhg this and a few insurance guys that might be able to offer some help.

[PopPop]

I don't know you personally but, sorry about your Q! I read what you said about the damage you saw and most time in an accident its what you cant see ( inner structural damage ) that runs parts and labor bills up at repair shops! Please if you plan on keeping the car DO NOT let it set idle at an storage yard or station. They will scratch it up and steal parts off it and swore they dont know anything about it.

[ceningolmo]

I'm just thankful that no one was hurt and that it was Q1 and not Q2.

True! Glad to hear no injuries... sucks about the car. I hope you find another one that will make you happy.

[Q451990]

Here are some pictures...









Last one is a random image that popped up from nismodave. There should be at least one picture of eye candy in the group, since my car sure as hell isn't anymore.
Modified by Q451990 at 10:25 AM 1/19/2006

[Q451990]

An update on the insurance... I called my company (Travelers) and even though they were not going to be paying a claim - they sent an appraiser out to look at the car. I hung up the phone with the representative at 12:30 and he had already been out to look at the car before I got there at 2:50. That's fast. The "good news" is that in his opinion, the car should be repaired - not totaled. State Farm will have it towed to d!ck Smith Infiniti - hopefully tomorrow. Their body shop is one of their "preferred providers" - so the shop will be able to assess the damage, make the repairs, and bill State Farm - all in house.

At this point I'm not sure how I feel about them fixing it. It's a no win either way... either I have a car with a mis-matched paint job - or a totaled out car and I get paid less than it's worth. That's a set of options I'm just thrilled to have...

I just feel sorry for the guys in the body shop if they fix it, because I know I'll end up nitpicking every little detail... I guess I should warn them up front. Damn car will probably go back every time I take it to a gas station at night and can tell that the paint doesn't match up under the flourescent lights.

Heath

[Rex]

I think I'd rather have the car fixed and nit-pick the cosmetics of the paint, then take the bath on them totaling the car.

Glad to hear you insurance company is stepping up and doing what they are supposed to do and hold the other company "responsible" for addressing your claim. My parents insurance company didn't do that when they got hit last year and it took a lot of their time to get everything resolved.

[qsiguy]

Bummer man. At least it only looks cosmetic and not structural (hopefully). Your wreck had me thinking about it last night on the way home and this morning on the way to work. Got me really watching out for my baby!

[elwesso]

Damn that totally sucks heath..... Im so sorry to hear, guess youll be waiting on that window regulator..... (which i still havent gotten )

[Jeff Williams]

Sorry to see those pictures.

I can't help but think a front strut bar might have saved her...

[heywier427]

ive got a decent condition black ft bumper, you can have it for your troubles if you want to pay the shipping. email me for pics

[Q451990]

I think I'd rather have the car fixed and nit-pick the cosmetics of the paint, then take the bath on them totaling the car.

Well, the guy at d!ck Smith Infiniti said that they had a 90 a month or so ago that had pretty extensive damage after being rear-ended. They were able to repair it without totaling it being an issue. He seemed to think that there would be no problem repairing it. He didn't think there was any frame damage... only the inner/outer fender... but he'd look into it more next week.

He showed me an '02 Q that he said had been rear-ended so hard it drove the trunk lid through the back glass. They were giving her the final clean-up before delivery... gotta say it looked good. I think this shop is as good as any. We'll see how they do matching up 16 year old paint and clear coat

Finally got the rental car today... a 2005 Camrey with 10K on the ticker. Not a bad car... very quiet, smooth, decent acceleration and typically Toyota soul-less. I was surprised to hear some valve clatter on acceleration - but I'm sure it hasn't gotten the best quality gas and a good break-in being a rental car (aka motel mattress of the automotive world)

I guess I'm spoiled, but it bugs me that they can build a car with a very nice bright white electro-luminescent dash, and then put weak green dials on the climate controls - and a different weak color of backlighting on the radio... then another green for the clock. Not a big deal to me - it's a rental - but you'd think they would at least try to make the dash have some synergy.

Heath

[louiegz]

This might be a crazy idea, Heath, but why don't you see how much it would be to put a fresh coat of paint on the rest of the car. Then you'll have a fully painted car. Might cost more than you want to spend,but it don't hurt to ask. By the way great news that they're going to fix it. Better than being totaled and getting just enough cash to buy a 10 year old Civic.

[Q451990]

This might be a crazy idea, Heath, but why don't you see how much it would be to put a fresh coat of paint on the rest of the car.

I was thinking about that last night before I went to sleep... It'll certainly be worth the time to ask. I tend to agree... totaling it out was definately going to be a no-win situation... this is somewhat better.

Heath

[Q451990]

Well, it now appears that they want to total the car out. The repair estimate appears to be $3200 due to some damage they didn't anticipate. Apparently they didn't see the fender apron (inner fender) jutting into the engine bay. Also the structural beam behind the bumper is broken. State Farm will pay up to 75% of what they think the car is worth... and the dealership said that the system they use shows that State Farm will approve repairs up to $2300 - so apparently they think the car is worth $3000.

Here's the thing that scares the hell out of me. The guy at the body shop said that when they moved the car today it was like it was "barely pulling" as if the transmission was slipping. This has never, ever, ever, ever happened before!

I'm going to post a new thread with this question and see what everyone thinks - but my theory is that the tow truck operator f-d it up when he tried to back the car onto the flat bed at a steep incline. The car he towed before mine had a brake fluid leak that he hosed off - but the bed was very slick - so he spun the wheels A LOT in reverse. Anyone think this would have destroyed my transmission?

Heath

[Rex]

... I'm going to post a new thread with this question and see what everyone thinks - but my theory is that the tow truck operator f-d it up when he tried to back the car onto the flat bed at a steep incline. The car he towed before mine had a brake fluid leak that he hosed off - but the bed was very slick - so he spun the wheels A LOT in reverse. Anyone think this would have destroyed my transmission?

Heath

Did he give up on backing it, and eventually wench it up the incline?

I'll be onterested to hear others thoughts on this as well.

Make sure you find out if they total it, what they'd wat to sell it to you, for parts. And start building your case now, for when you counter their first (low ball) offer.

[elwesso]

Heath, if you need any parts or any help ill try my best to help you out..... I wonder if you could get some things from Joe or used and havethem eliminate them out of the estimate... Even if you hvae to spend $500 or so in parts, itd be worth it... to not total the car

List price for a fender from a dealer is $400, yet you cna get them for about $150-200 used... I mean, its metal, theres no real use in getting a new one IMO. Same with the bumper support... I wonder if you could haggle with them if you can supply parts.

[Q451990]

Wes,

I hear you, but at this point I think it depends on the transmission. Getting into a legal battle with a tow/transport company that specializes in repossessing cars (bet they have plenty of lawyers on staff) or proving that the transmission was damaged somehow by the accident - could be very costly. It may be time to cash out...

I may negotiate something that would allow me to keep the car and then part it out.

This is all assuming that there is a transmission problem - otherwise I'll push them to make the repair.

Heath

[elwesso]

Well its your car, go in there and see if theyll let you drive the car around the lot.. and see if you can tell whats going on.. I initially thought of the MAF, because the car barely moves with the MAF not working (=unplugged)

[maxnix]

Damn, Heath, this is getting to be a bummer. If the dealer can be held to the $3200, seems worthwhile to buy the car back and have it fixed.......if the flat bed operator didn't kill the transmission. Did he forget his chain winch?

Good luck!

[ceningolmo]

Heath... it might be work a conversation with the service manager at the dealership. In the end, he is running a business with sales goals.

I would give him the low down. If he can get a quote for repair in under the $3200, he will get to do the repair and add $3200 to his sales for the week. If not, you will not be paying for the repair therefore he gets no business out of the deal. If the estimate is going to be anywhere close, he might be able to get the estimate in under that $3200 limit in the interests of actually getting the business.

[3rd Q]

Heath,Sorry to see your car in that condition. Glad you weren't banged up, too.Best of luck with getting this resolved.Paul

[90Q45blue]

Heath,

I am SO sorry to hear about your Q. My heart sank when I read this thread. Since you have knowledgeable guys like Brian, Keith, Wes et al to help you with repair/transmission questions, I thought you might like to know a little bit about your options with the towing company.

Since your car was in an accident and then was towed, it would be very hard to prove causation. You MAY be able to prove negligence through the doctrine of "res ipsa loquitor", but that doesn't help for causation. The only way I could view it as a legit argument would be to say that the tower's negligence in spinning the wheels was a substantial factor in bringing about the harm.

That's all just legal mumbo-jumbo. The main point is that you wouldn't have a strong case going in, so it would probably be in your best interest to allow them to total the car and take that money to put toward a new car. As much as it sucks getting rid of Q1 (I feel your pain about having to give up a Q), it would suck even worse to buy this car back, lose the case and still have to pay for a new transmission.

Look on the bright side, at least you still have Q2! (...goes to look for wood to knock on)

Nick

[Q451990]

Well its your car, go in there and see if theyll let you drive the car around the lot.. and see if you can tell whats going on.. I initially thought of the MAF, because the car barely moves with the MAF not working (=unplugged)

From what I hear, the engine was running fine - reved up nicely, but just wouldn't pull. Wouldn't the engine run in limp mode if it was a bad MAF?

I have pretty much decided to let them total it unless we can't reach an agreement. I got estimates for replacing the Bose Amps, chain guides, remote-start, and tint today to tack on to high retail book value. If we get close to that it's gone. I may also try to get the car back just to part out...

I think there are just too many unknowns with the transmission. Might be different if I didn't have another Q in the garage - which still hasn't moved since the accident.

Heath

[Q451990]

More pictures... these were taken today after the fender and bumper were removed.

The grey wire is one I added to feed the aftermarket alarm horn.







Heath

[Q451990]

Damn, Heath, this is getting to be a bummer. If the dealer can be held to the $3200, seems worthwhile to buy the car back and have it fixed.......if the flat bed operator didn't kill the transmission. Did he forget his chain winch?

Good luck!

Don't what know what "Big Reb" (I kid you not that was the flatbed operator's name on the paperwork) was thinking.

Thanks to everyone here on this thread that has expressed their condolonces and given advice on this!! It really helps me to bounce these ideas around!

Heath
Modified by Q451990 at 10:06 AM 1/18/2006