It wasnt for me I guess...Im done with my Truck..

Post by **ugharin** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 9:36 am

Had been babying it and loving it way too much....It was my joy and pride....and now its totaled...I guess I will buy a cheap a** car and stick with it....

Was driving 50 on 55 this morning....got out to go to walmart...Still icy conditions in Iowa. I was doing okay still and majority of the vehicles were passing me...I at least had to keep up...All of a sudden there was an icy patch on the road and I lost control...I kept swerving to avoid hitting other vehicles and then came a curve....I totally lost it and hit some pole on the divider...then my truck flipped and went on to the other side of the road and then hit a standing car and came to a halt...I was hanging on my seat belt....windshield was smashed..a dozen people stopped and got me out and helped me with getting on my feet and stuff....Thank god for the seat belt and luck...A million things could have gone wrong...Was glad I was okay and quickly went to check the other car and the driver and she was fine...I apparently hit the rear of the passenger side and damaged the rear wheel and the fender I guess...I then turned around and saw my truck..and just broke down...I couldtn bear to look at it...I fu$%ing loved it.....I really did....
It was after the tow truck flipped it back up that I saw the extent of the damage....the bumper was gone and the the roof was dented and the left drivers side wheel and axle area was twisted up...The guys told me it would have to be totalled cause of the extent of the body damage...and that the insurance company would not fix it. I took pictures and will post them here....

The cop told me that this is the most accident prone area in town and that this morning when he woke up, he thought he he had to get to this area cause he had a feeling there would be an accident here! ....My insurance is basic liability..which means it will cover the other drivers car but nothing on mine..

I wondering about a couple of things here..Id like to believe i wasnt at fault here....I was a little below speed limit and most of the vehicles were passing me...I was driving normally and all of a sudden I started fishtailing...Nothing much I could do. I tried but at 50 mph its not easy. MY buddy who came to pick me up slipped around at 10 mph when he slowed down to stop....it is a bad area....the cop at first stated there would be no citation...but when we started mentioning to him about the bad conditions and icy patches, he came back with a ticket "failed to control vehicle"...I am guessing to blame it on me and cover their(city's) asses. Perhaps. Im not sure.

But should I get a lawyer?
Can I expand my insurance coverage now to comprehensive or is it too late? The sheriff said he would make the accident report tomorrow...Unlikely but am wildly hoping I guess if the insurance companies would cut some slack here....

Im still unable to understand how it happened..whats hitting the most is that this just does not seem fair......I dont think I did anything wrong....It was sort of miraculous...only in a screwed up way....I started fishtailing out of nowhere ..I guess s*** happens...they all kept saying that vehicles can be bought again but not life....I agree and am glad...I really am...but still coming to grips with it....

Post by **ugharin** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 10:44 am

If anybody wants any parts, I am in Dubuque, Iowa. You can come and grab them for reasonable prices...Or the truck itself...I will post pictures if anybody is interested........Mechanicallly, I think everything is pretty intact. Engine, transmission, rear end, wheels, front passenger headlight and foglights and stuff are all good....A lot of it could be really salvaged.....the front grill, bumper, radiator, front left axle, suspension etc are gone as I hit a post and then my truck flipped and skated and hit a standing car from the side....

Post by **Towncivilian** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 11:40 am

Hell of a story, glad you made it out alright, which is all that counts ultimately. That's the second R50 wrecked recently

I could use some engine bolts actually - which QX4 did you wreck, and what color? I may be able to use your rear bumper too.

Post by **Andrew224** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 2:52 pm

It sucks that you got a ticket. The officer may have had to issue a citation because you struck another car. Someone had to get a ticket to assign fault and it wasn't going to be the car that you struck. I'd say that you can fight it in court and stand a good chance of winning. If you want to get a lawyer, you can, but traffic tickets can be contested easily without a lawyer as long as you're someone that can communicate clearly why the circumstances were out of your control. Black ice can get even the most careful of drivers.

Post by **Pathfound49** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 9:56 pm

Glad your ok man. Same thing happened to me a few weeks back here in PA. Nowhere near your loss, it still drives fine but cosmetically looks like a**.

Anyway. Comprehensive will not cover a black ice incident. At least according to Allstate. If you had collision coverage, you would get fully reimbursed according to book value. The ticket deal, i have no idea.

Good luck with your plight though.

Post by **coledog188** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 10:49 pm

Bummer about all that man...Really blows.

I've tapped two people in the rear, I always got a no fault police report. Once in PA and once in NY where I live.
Nothing you can really do about the insurance, most companies won't cut any slack at all especially after the fact.

They'll want the police report, etc to do a check up on when you changed your policy and when the accident occurred.

Post by **Chris.m** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 11:06 pm

coledog188 wrote:I've tapped two people in the rear, I always got a no fault police report.

Wait, I think I'm reading this wrong, how does this work?

Post by **coledog188** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 11:33 pm

Well NY is a no fault state. As far as I can tell it means since I wasn't on my cell phone, doing drugs, drinking, etc...I wasn't at fault.
Let me play back the accidents...In PA it was my first accident since I started driving (I was 19...now 20) and I came over a rise doing the speed limit behind a few other cars.
Over the rise was a line of cars about a 1/4 mile long waiting at a traffic light. Because of the hill and the lack of a "Stop light ahead" sign I wasn't able to stop and the car in front of me almost didn't stop either.
I ended up not getting a ticket and not paying any claims for her car since it was just scuffs and she didn't care.

In NY I was in our local town and a pedestrian was about to cross at a crosswalk. (NYS law is to yield to all pedestrians in crosswalks, very strict about it too)
The 2 cars in front of me jammed on their brakes and since I was the third car in a line I had the slowest time to react. I tapped the Lexus in front of me and the town cops came out to check everything.
My insurance paid $400 for paint work on their car and whatever mine came to but I didn't get a ticket. Again, I wasn't on the phone, drinking, doing drugs, etc.

Both times I was doing the speed limit or under (in PA it was rush hour so everything was slower and in NY i live in a resort town during the summer so caution is #1) so reckless driving wasn't involved either.
Also the weather was sunny and dry, heard my tires skipping across the dry road both times in fact.

My insurance hasn't gone up yet thank god, one collision claim and one comprehensive claim later (deer hit later on in the year).

I must say however, after 3 years of accident and ticket free driving this QX4 has been a curse. Two accidents, one deer, and a fixit ticket for inspection in under a year...BLAH!!
The two accidents and deer have totaled about $6400 on two claims! Broke the passenger side headlight twice and that alone costs $1300 each time.

Post by **Chris.m** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 12:08 am

Sorry to hear that,
In Vancouver, B.C., Canada we have a bit of a different system for dealing with accidents. First, the police are only called when if someone is hurt or a vehicle is imobilized. Also, we have governemnt run insurance (no other choices) and they determine the fault from what witnesses say. Often when a car is rear ended, its said that it's the following car's fault or atleast 25%. This is why I was a bit confused.

On another note, this should make you feel better

$4700 on one claim a couple months ago

Post by **01silvapathy** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 1:19 am

Atleast you are alright, ice is nothing to mess around with.

Post by **ugharin** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 12:25 pm

Thanks guys.
I am now looking for a new vehicle. Budget is around 10k-12k. But I feel pretty fu%$ed up...Am looking at all the available vehicles on autotrader but my mind is still on my Q.

Would appreciate any advice and opinions and experience with the following vehicles. Between a BMW X3/5, Acura MDX. I have done some research on the 4runners and already know about qx4s. Those are my four choices. Am also contemplating cars but am not sure yet. Im gonna get every kind of vehicle protection, warranty, ins out there for sure this time around. But still the primary focus is reliability/durability as I have very little time with my job and cant afford to have the vehicle in a shop for repairs. I also travel a bit.... make a trip down south every month..

Again, if anybody wants my old 02 Q 90k miles for parts, you can have it as otherwise I dont have a choice but to let the scrap guys have it. I have no place for storage. Id likely get around 400 bucks (200/ton is what he said and figured it to be 400 in all! ). THe powertrain is in great condition. So is the exhaust and some accessories. Id rather that someone from here in need get the transmission, engine etc for the same price than the scrap guys. The wheels are good as well. Except for the drivers side front wheel. Left front headlight assembly and the fog light asy are in good shape. Maybe some interior accessories as well...have to look...Im at Dubuque,IA...3 something hours from Chicago and 5 fro Minnesota and a couple from Madison if anybody is close by.

Post by **Chris.m** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 1:00 pm

If your going to get a MDX, get an 04 or above, the 01-03 had major problems with the transmission (torque converter) similar to the Tl and Cl.

Also my friends experience with his 2002 BMW X5 3.0 is a bit discouraging, in about a year and a half, he has replaced most of the gaskets around the engine, half the cooling system, the window regulator, a couple of seals around the doors, the door handle assembly on the drivers side, and a half a dozen sensors. He gets the parts for cost (from wifes work) and replaces what he can himself but he says hes spent about $7000 so far in repairs. Thats just one account though.

Post by **nissan2986** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 8:59 pm

Hey,
Please contact me at [email protected]
I am interested in some parts

Post by **DAiNiUS** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 7:25 am

Chris.m wrote:If your going to get a MDX, get an 04 or above, the 01-03 had major problems with the transmission (torque converter) similar to the Tl and Cl.

Also my friends experience with his 2002 BMW X5 3.0 is a bit discouraging, in about a year and a half, he has replaced most of the gaskets around the engine, half the cooling system, the window regulator, a couple of seals around the doors, the door handle assembly on the drivers side, and a half a dozen sensors. He gets the parts for cost (from wifes work) and replaces what he can himself but he says hes spent about $7000 so far in repairs. Thats just one account though.

Yeah, if you want reliability you should probably stay away from the X5. It's an awesome vehicle but not very reliable and very expensive to repair. I don't like most Acuras that were made in the 21st century because they lost their reliability ever since production moved to North America (except for the RL & TSX). If you're looking for a SUV in that price range, I think it's best you stick with QX4/Pathfinder or 4Runners which I heard are indestructible.

Post by **coledog188** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 12:01 pm

@ ugharin - I'm actually looking to sell my QX4 if you're interested. I need a bit better MPG (25k miles a year for biz) and have to get rid of a loan to get one.

I'm asking $9800, it's a rare blue color, 126k miles, heated fronts and rears, snow tires on it now, XM installed, very clean, full service history as well.

I'm putting in new struts, an evap canister, and a water pump soon.

Let me know if you're interested at all and we can work something out.

Post by **Densetsu** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 12:34 pm

Chris.m wrote:On another note, this should make you feel better

$4700 on one claim a couple months ago

Oh yeah? I see yours and raise you my '03!

A full writeoff. I assume I was at fault, but I have no recollection of the event (concussions and memory don't mix well) and didn't receive a single ticket / demerit / charge (because it was possibly a medical issue, and I took all the necessary precautions under my doctor's guidance). On the plus side, I upgraded to an '04 with about 50,000km less and a slighly better trim (fender flares, sunroof) for almost the same price as my payout. And somehow, my insurance went down, even after an accident and slightly upgrading my vehicle. I have no idea how that happened.

Hmm... maybe we should start a "Pathfinder/QX4 Carnage" thread?

Post by **Chris.m** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 3:34 pm

Densetsu wrote: Oh yeah? I see yours and raise you my '03!

You got me there,

I was just thinking, what ever happened to Slickroger? The amount of mods put into that made his crash even more depressing.

Post by **Path2000** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 8:17 pm

DAiNiUS wrote:
Chris.m wrote:If your going to get a MDX, get an 04 or above, the 01-03 had major problems with the transmission (torque converter) similar to the Tl and Cl.

Also my friends experience with his 2002 BMW X5 3.0 is a bit discouraging, in about a year and a half, he has replaced most of the gaskets around the engine, half the cooling system, the window regulator, a couple of seals around the doors, the door handle assembly on the drivers side, and a half a dozen sensors. He gets the parts for cost (from wifes work) and replaces what he can himself but he says hes spent about $7000 so far in repairs. Thats just one account though.
Yeah, if you want reliability you should probably stay away from the X5. It's an awesome vehicle but not very reliable and very expensive to repair. I don't like most Acuras that were made in the 21st century because they lost their reliability ever since production moved to North America (except for the RL & TSX). If you're looking for a SUV in that price range, I think it's best you stick with QX4/Pathfinder or 4Runners which I heard are indestructible.

I agree with the X5 being unreliable and also expensive to maintain/repair. Can't go wrong with a Nissan or 4Runner