Help!!!

[PhoebusApollo]

Here goes... got into an accident a few days ago... the insurance company called me today and said it's totalled, but I really think it's not. (I hit an suv at 5 MPH!!!) I'm certain that if I let them have it they'll sell it and it'll be on the road in a week. There's no frame damager... just a black eye, a bent radiator support, and a squished hood. I'm in desperate need of someone in the Baltimore area that knows these cars to take a look at the car, and I'm in need of a good source for parts. I'm going to keep the car, (I have a $9,000 budget for repairs). If you can offer me any advice, or information, my AIM is TUwriter, or you can post to this message. Any help would be met with a huge amount of gratitude. I love my car, I just sank $2500 into the stereo system alone! I've got a lot of pictures too, if you'd like to see.

[1dollar240]

time for a strawberry face!

[NeedCAforS13]

DAMN if you totaled your s14 like that i'm sure my s13 is totaled right now..i did the same thing (hit an old lady in an SUV), but we didn't report it...thank god!

good luck man, no ideas here..they totaled my mr-2 turbo after a slight mishap with a wall in the rain...it had no frame damage either...damn insurance companies!

Sean

[Infamous]

im with $1 time for a s15 upgrade......i dont know anything about insurance, but you can prolly tell them off, tell em your keeping the car whether they like it or not, but with this theres a 99% chance theyre not gonna pay for the damage, and your coverage might possibly be dropped. but then again, this is not from personal experience, as i dont even own a car...

[PhoebusApollo]

No the insurance company gave me two options.1 - Take $9300 and have the car totalled.2 - Take $8300 and I keep the title.

[Rockenreno]

basically they are selling you your car back for $1000?... that is so worth it!

I like the idea of an s15 conversion. $3.5k including labor i think, that should fit your budget!

[Infamous]

No the insurance company gave me two options.1 - Take $9300 and have the car totalled.2 - Take $8300 and I keep the title.

oooohhhhhh, keep the title and go S15 front end, and use the 5 grand to do....some performance upgrades;)

[nissanrcer240]

yeah i would deff say number 2...i would love to be in your position right now, i can see the s15 cnoversion now:) ....

[PhoebusApollo]

oh and the airbags blew... aparently nissan had the great idea of attaching the deployment sensors to the headlights!!! Dumb bastards... so if the light goes, the bags go!

[MainEvent212]

wait...why dont u take the 9300 and strip out all the salvageable parts... *saying u can do that*

then buy an S13 and trick it out!

[EZcheese15]

oh and the airbags blew... aparently nissan had the great idea of attaching the deployment sensors to the headlights!!! Dumb bastards... so if the light goes, the bags go!

Um.....no.

The airbag sensor is located in the center of the car, underneath the center console. If the car stops quickly enough (hitting something), then it sets off the airbags. It is controlled by a magnatic inertia switch. It has nothing to do with the front of the car.

If all it would take is a smashed headlight, people could go around, smashing headlights, and having the airbags go off, which unlocks the doors, and people could just hop right in and steal stuff.

[MainEvent212]

is there a way to safely remove that thing? cuz i dont want my airbags goin off...ever, even if i crash....seriously

[EZcheese15]

is there a way to safely remove that thing? cuz i dont want my airbags goin off...ever, even if i crash....seriously

That is about as dumb of comment as the one time a guy wanted to know how to dissable his seat belt warning light, because he didn't like to wear his seat belt.

Speaking as someone who has been saved (or atleast from a major injury) by hitting an airbag, I will refuse to let that question get answered. And if I see an explanation of how to remove the sensor, it will get deleted.

[PhoebusApollo]

well, then the switch failed, because I was pulling forward from a dead stop. She hit her brakes and I was looking the other way, thinking she was pulling out. There were witnesses all over the place, since it was lunch time. 5 MPH... I can't believe the sensor would be set that low.

[Infamous]

i would think the sensor is a lil more complex than that, you might have only been going 5mph, but the guy in back of you could be going 40mph when he rear ends you.....i dunno tho, i have no experience with such

[PhoebusApollo]

I dunno... I was going 5, and she wasn't going at all... she was... then she decided that even though there was a green light that a car a block and a half down the road was going to hit her... ugh.

[EZcheese15]

well, then the switch failed, because I was pulling forward from a dead stop. She hit her brakes and I was looking the other way, thinking she was pulling out. There were witnesses all over the place, since it was lunch time. 5 MPH... I can't believe the sensor would be set that low.

Well, the way the switch works, is you have a magnet holding a steel ball to it. If there is enough force to push the steel ball away from the magnet, the airbags go off.

So if you are completely stopped, and somebody plows into you hard enough, it will still go off. However, I admit that you probably just *barely* set the thing off. They usually don't go off that easy.

[EZcheese15]

i would think the sensor is a lil more complex than that, you might have only been going 5mph, but the guy in back of you could be going 40mph when he rear ends you.....i dunno tho, i have no experience with such

I don't know the exact physics of the switch, but I know how it works. There may be some advanced logic in determining the actual airbag release. But I *KNOW* a headlight won't cause it.

[NeedCAforS13]

you lucky bastard..the insurance company gave me no such option of buying the car back! florida law doesn't allow us to take back any car that's been declared totaled no matter what! I'm sure they just took the car to georgia and re-registered it! bastards!

lol it sounds like you've got a pretty good deal on your hands...btw did you get hurt by the airbags? mine broke my nose and f'd up my face at like 25 mph!

i agree that they help and it scares the crap out of me that my s13 doesn't have them, but why are they so damn sensitive? i agree with you EZcheese15, help save that moron from himself and delete any idea of how to disable the airbags!

Sean

[PhoebusApollo]

Yeah it fractured my nose... and gave me a bad case of whiplash... I was merging right, so I was leaning out over the wheel to see past the drivers side A Pillar... and boom, right in my face.

[PhoebusApollo]

(BUMP)

[f8sjester]

well. . . a small comment on the original post. . .

from what i've come to understand from those b*stard insurance guys. . damage severe enough to puncture the radiator or crumple a radiator support constitutes totalling a car (even tho it may be REALLY minor like in this case). . .

[EZcheese15]

well. . . a small comment on the original post. . .

from what i've come to understand from those b*stard insurance guys. . damage severe enough to puncture the radiator or crumple a radiator support constitutes totalling a car (even tho it may be REALLY minor like in this case). . .

Actually, it's if the cost of the repairs with OEM parts and $65/hour of estimated labor exceeds the blue book value of the car.

[i drift]

That is about as dumb of comment as the one time a guy wanted to know how to dissable his seat belt warning light, because he didn't like to wear his seat belt.

Speaking as someone who has been saved (or atleast from a major injury) by hitting an airbag, I will refuse to let that question get answered. And if I see an explanation of how to remove the sensor, it will get deleted.

Howdy:

I'm a friend of phoebus and I was reading this thread and decided to sign up just to comment on this. Airbags, (don't care what generation they are) just can't replace or, in my opinion, safely compliment a good seatbelt.

I've been in 2 accidents where i was the driver The first one was a 1989 chevy scottsdale, a full ton pick up. Not my fault, was wearing my seatbelt and no airbags, i came out fine. I was hit twice, once on the side and once in the front. at around 40mph.

I then had a 1997 VW golf. Lady pulled in front of me too quickly for me to stop and I rear ended her at about 30mph, this time i had airbags and they never even touched my face. Because I was wearing a seatbelt, I don't sit that far back from the steering wheel either.

Now I have a 1988 mazda rx7 and I'm happy that it doesn't have them i think a seat with side bolsters, seatbelt or harness will adequatly protect you from most common accidents. (falling off bridges doesn't count :P). I'd rather save my neck and my nose from a 5mph crash. I turned off the airbags in my frontier and I would turn them off in my work car (pt cruiser) but there isn't an option without dismantling parts of the car.

I love the misconception about these side impact airbags. I have to laugh everytime i see the hyundai commercial where the guy is thinking about whether or not he really needs side impact airbags and see's a vision of a huge doughnut rolling off of the back of a truck towards him. The fact is a cushion of air vs. a HUGE doughnut. Doughnut wins.

I think if your gonna pull out in front of traffic there isn't enough crumple zone to save you from a 30mph crash. Airbag or no. Reinforced steel girders in the doors MIGHT help from a low impact crash.

Just some thoughts on it. I think it's a personal preference. It causes damage to the car and to your person.

-Mike

[C-Kwik]

well. . . a small comment on the original post. . .

from what i've come to understand from those b*stard insurance guys. . damage severe enough to puncture the radiator or crumple a radiator support constitutes totalling a car (even tho it may be REALLY minor like in this case). . .

Then you are grossly misinformed. I am one of thos b*stard insurance guys you refer to. It comes down to cost of repair vs actual cash value. Usually it is a percentage of the ACV, 70-90%, depending on the insurance company, since they get money back on the salvage. So in actuallity, it is based on the overall cost of the claim. Rental costs may even be a consideration if repairs may take exceptionally long.

In some cases, a car may be considered a constructive total loss where a safety issue may be the cause. An example might be suspension components. Some carriers will only replace with brand new parts. If parts are not available, it may total the car. Or frame replacements on trucks(non-unibody). While it can be done relatively easily, there can be liabilty issues if something on the car fails from a faulty repair. Many companies might total it in this case even if repairing it would be cheaper.

As far as this particular case, the airbags probably put the claim over the top. They are expensive.

Certainly, you can buy back the salvage, but if they totalled it, it will probably cost you more to fix than you get, assuming you don't cut corners.

And lastly, f8sjester, I noticed you live in Sunnyvale. Northern Cali labor rates are quite high. $60+ is not uncommon and I have seen them as high as $78 per hour. Here in Southern Cali, urban shops typically charge about $32-38. Rural areas are typically a little higher. But that being the case, a car in Northern Cali will total with less damage than a car in Southern Cali if the car has the same ACV in both areas.

[i drift]

Then you are grossly misinformed. I am one of thos b*stard insurance guys you refer to. It comes down to cost of repair vs actual cash value. Usually it is a percentage of the ACV, 70-90%, depending on the insurance company, since they get money back on the salvage. So in actuallity, it is based on the overall cost of the claim. Rental costs may even be a consideration if repairs may take exceptionally long.

In some cases, a car may be considered a constructive total loss where a safety issue may be the cause. An example might be suspension components. Some carriers will only replace with brand new parts. If parts are not available, it may total the car. Or frame replacements on trucks(non-unibody). While it can be done relatively easily, there can be liabilty issues if something on the car fails from a faulty repair. Many companies might total it in this case even if repairing it would be cheaper.

As far as this particular case, the airbags probably put the claim over the top. They are expensive.

Certainly, you can buy back the salvage, but if they totalled it, it will probably cost you more to fix than you get, assuming you don't cut corners.

And lastly, f8sjester, I noticed you live in Sunnyvale. Northern Cali labor rates are quite high. $60+ is not uncommon and I have seen them as high as $78 per hour. Here in Southern Cali, urban shops typically charge about $32-38. Rural areas are typically a little higher. But that being the case, a car in Northern Cali will total with less damage than a car in Southern Cali if the car has the same ACV in both areas.

I really don't think insurance companies try very hard to find competitive prices for oem parts. We talked to the insurance company and found they were looking at 1000/airbag when we have a source for 250/airbag. That's 25%. If we can do close to 75% on every part i think we can take this job and have enough left over for some performancce upgrades.

btw how do you get to be an adjuster? I've always wanted to do that!!

-Mike

[EZcheese15]

I really don't think insurance companies try very hard to find competitive prices for oem parts. We talked to the insurance company and found they were looking at 1000/airbag when we have a source for 250/airbag. That's 25%. If we can do close to 75% on every part i think we can take this job and have enough left over for some performancce upgrades.

btw how do you get to be an adjuster? I've always wanted to do that!!

-Mike

Um, you don't want an insurance company to find low prices. You want them to find the highest quotes possible (usually insurance companies do it themselves), but that way you can find the parts cheaper yourself. It is meant for the average consumer to go to a dealer and get their car fixed. If you know people who can get other parts for cheaper, then that is an advantage.

[NeedCAforS13]

You cannot convince me that that bent radiator support frame and crushed headlight in PhoebusApollo's picture constitutes 70% of the value of the car! That is BS..if you can't find replacement parts for less than 70% of the value of his car you are either stupid or not looking hard enough!

Lets do the math...lets say his car is worth $9000 (KBB is $10,165 here in florida..but i'll estimate with 9k)...we'll pick 80% of the ACV just to be in the middle:)...that means he had to cause $7200 worth of damage...now granted, I haven't seen under the hood of his car, or anything other than that first pic, but i find it hard to believe that even with OEM parts and labor AND an airbag you could spend over $7200 fixing it!

Sean

[EZcheese15]

You cannot convince me that that bent radiator support frame and crushed headlight in PhoebusApollo's picture constitutes 70% of the value of the car! That is BS..if you can't find replacement parts for less than 70% of the value of his car you are either stupid or not looking hard enough!

Lets do the math...lets say his car is worth $9000 (KBB is $10,165 here in florida..but i'll estimate with 9k)...we'll pick 80% of the ACV just to be in the middle:)...that means he had to cause $7200 worth of damage...now granted, I haven't seen under the hood of his car, or anything other than that first pic, but i find it hard to believe that even with OEM parts and labor AND an airbag you could spend over $7200 fixing it!

Sean

You missed the part that the airbags went off. Airbags are about $1500 a piece, so there is $3000. Add on the hood, the bumper cover, the supports, the headlight. Now add in labor to fix it all. Top it off with paint, the labor to paint, and then blending of the hood to the fenders.

When an insurance company gives you money to fix something, they give enough money to you to *fix* it. Not getto rig it back with no airbags and a primered hood.

[NeedCAforS13]

LOL, I gotcha! i guess i really don't know much about oem pricing, seeing as i'm a broke a*s college student:) does oem really cost THAT much? damn...i hope i never wreck my s13! good luck PhoebusApollo...

Sean