Smashed my Z
 

Hey Guys,

Last night I had a freak accident on the highway - causing my car to spin out and smash into the guardrail - both the tires actually popped off and the whole front of the Z is smashed (weird how airbags didnt go off)

Anyways - the tow truck driver at the scene estimated approx 15k worth of damage - and he took it to his buddy's shop.

This is where I need your help. I spoke with the autobody shop and he said basically if you take the car to Nissan dealer they contract that work out to body shops as they are just mechanics and they basically take a 20% cut.

So he said instead of him paying the dealer 20% (and he said he wants the business bc the dealer wont give it to him since they have their own partners) - he can use that money towards upgrades on my car and actually give me better stuff.

I asked if he will be using all genuine Nissan parts.

He said "honesty - No"

He said things like the sensors and such will all have to come from Nissan.

But a Nissan bumper for example might cost $700 and aftermarket one would cost like $200

Basically he said the appraiser is not going to give the full value of the parts - so they have to use aftermarket stuff but can use really good stuff ....

Has anyone has experience in this?

Or should I just take the car to Nissan dealer and have them fix it?

I will post pictures soon - pretty terrible to look at ..... luckily I came out without a scratch - actually lucky to be alive really - the car bounced backwards and I was facing traffic on the highway coming right at me - luckily my car stopped in the merging lane and didnt go another foot in ....

I'd talk to my insurance and compoletely disregard anything told to me by a tow truck driver. I'd also refuse to use the tow truck driver's buddy's shop. Ask your insurance company who they recommend.

Wow man that sucks balls
As for parts , if you get a body kit you are using aftermarket parts anyways so whats the difference ?
Now if you get to pick and choose parts id go with the better deal
I would ask for referrals or pictures/catalog on previous repairs

@ OP

Sorry to hear about you crash.

The roads are slippery now, and everyone that is driving their Z in the winter should take extra care.

I think I remember you, are you the White 370 with Stillen front or Blue 370z drop top?

That being said.

It all depends on your deductible. How much do you need to fork out?

Personally, in the past, I had to fight the insurance company to make sure that they used Genuine OEM parts that go into my car.

Insurance companies do have partners with autobody shops, but they still use after market parts for your vehicle. It's cheaper for them.

If you are doing this on your own, they are going to require a quotes and usually choose the lowest bidder. So you can work with the autobody shop of your choice and figure out the parts you want.

Either way, prepare yourself for a fight with the insurance company.

Fight for the parts you want, and get quotes and pricing, and whatever you can to back it up.

All the best of luck OP.
Let us know how it turns out.

Blue drop top.

Sorry to hear the sad news. This is why my car doesn't move out of the garage in winter months. You never mentioned the cops being on the scene so how will you even be able to proceed with an insurance claim with no police report?

How are you? Are you ok? Did you see a doctor? Go see a doctor

Yeah, agree. Tow truck driver, mmmhmmmmmm...
They're actually great at being able to tell who was at fault, but I wouldn't trust them with homeboy's shop


You don't need a police report, it's just nicer if you do

Yep. Homeboy throws the tow truck driver a couple bucks every time he sends business his way. It's a racket.

In ontario, canada if the damage at the scene is over 1k you must either call the police to come out or go to an accident reporting centre. The first thing the insurance company does is ask for the report or occurrence number. Last year I went through this exact scenario in a different car.

Ah Canadia, I miss my home country, lol

It takes sooooooooooo long to get the police out that I think the insurance knows not everyone has a day to burn jerking off in their car waiting for the cops to come

To make a long story short the insurance company refused to put the claim through so I ended up going to the collision reporting centre at which time I was then issued 2 tickets for my single vehicle accident. The first was leaving the scene and second was reckless driving. I fought both charges and won in court and received a total vehicle loss check from the insurance.

:iagree:

Fuuuuuck that... Glad I'm not in my home country of Canadia anymore, lol

:icon14: seriously:eek:
now what ya gonna do??