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??

:worthless:

I do insurance claims for a certain repair shop, and this is my two cents.

True, though that also means the repair shop is risking them being challenged if the insurance company believes that they did not purchase parts which was specified in the claim/appraisal by the insurance comapny. A risk that you or the repair shop takes. The insurance company may ask the shop (in random cases) to provide proof of purchase of replacement parts.

Insurance company will, in most cases, appraise and quote with genuine replacement parts, unless it is unavailable to purchase. If he said non-genuine parts will be used while the insurance company, and yourself, has requested to do so, then he is cheating money off you.

Correct, as there are very limited aftermarket replacement for those.

The insurance appraiser will usually quote for a genuine Nissan replacement, unless the damage is repairable, or if genuine parts is not available. Insurance company usually do not substitute with aftermarket parts in their quote. Although you can choose to get an aftermarket replacement when dealing with the repair shop, the difference in price "should be" reported back to the insurance company, so they could properly adjust the payment. Otherwise, it is considered as insurance scam. (Another risk to take).

100% false statement. Insurance company will ALWAYS pay for full value of replacement parts. In some of the cases i've worked on, the insurance company undervalued some parts, and I had to tell them to readjust the difference based on invoice paid prices (For example, an airbag module was valued by insurance company @ $500. The shop had to pay $650 as the prices from insurance company was incorrect. I had to forward the invoice to the insurance company and get the difference back, and they are more than willing to do so).

It is up to you where you want to fix your car. If you want "upgrades" while claiming insurance, be sure to note that you are getting your car repaired at a place where you can trust, and not some random tow truck driver's recommendation.

Remember, you paid your insurance to cover your car with all original parts. Take no substitutes with lesser made parts. IF the insurance company did quote you with aftermarket parts, you have the right to fight with them, and get genuine parts instead.

isn't it illegal for the tow truck drivers to recommend body shops? That's just what I've been told

Mikey died eating pop rocks.

:eek:

RIP Mikey.

THIS JUST HAPPENED TO ME
LISTEN VERY CLOSELY

1) do not listen to ANYTHING tow truck drivers say. NOTHING AT ALL. they're vultures. make sure you get a receipt from them showing how much you paid for the tow. tow guys get a kickback from the bodyshop.
2) body shops are out to make money. the less they spend repairing your car under the claim payout, the more they make. they will cheap out as much as they can. they ALWAYS have backdoor hookups for parts. GET YOUR OWN PARTS.
3) be fair to the bodyshop guys. (this is why you DONT use the tow guys shops). let them know you understand they need a cut, so work something out with them so you both are happy. they're more than happy to work with you so they know you wont hassle them later.
4) GET A RECIEPT FOR EVERYTHING. PAY ATTENTION TO THE DATE ON EACH RECEIPT.

if you need help in toronto msg me asap. i literally got my car back two weeks ago. its ******* mint. i ended up coming out on top cuz i have friends that guided me through this and made sure i didnt get screwed. I had no idea wtf i was doing and now i know EXACTLY what's up

that said, i did get screwed by the tow company cuz they made me pay 800 bucks for a tow and ended up stealing my car (long story) but i got insurance to pay me back the money. It was 5AM in the pouring rain when i was only wearing a tshirt and hoodie (my accident was 2 streets away from my house cuz i was going to get a coffee at timmies). i was freezing, soaking wet, shocked from the accident and furious at everyone involved.

I'm sure you're happy now ;)

I agree with IRE that you have to understand where the 'advice' is coming from. Tow truck drivers get kick backs from all sorts of deals that at the end of the day, either you or the insurance company will end up paying which will ultimately will be you. Firstly know your rights.

In Ontario, you CAN specified where you can have your car repaired. That said, Insurance company will tell you to go to their pre approved shops. The reason being they get better rates and generally will get the result that will be satisfactory for their customers. That said, if you decide not to go to their recommended shop, they will not be able to assist you should there be an issue with the repairs after you sign to approve payment. Which mean until you are ABSOLUTELY sure that you are getting everything you've asked for and are satisfied, DO NOT sign anything.

As for genuine parts, it depends on your policy and ultimately the remaining value. Generally, if the repairs is more than half of the total value, the insurance company will write the car off. So if in these 'genuine' parts adds up to more than half, you might end up without a vehicle. So in some instances, it would probably be better to get non OEM Nissan parts.

I think you're at a stage that an appraiser/adjuster needs to be involved. He's is your friend so work with him. They will go to the site and appraise how much the damage might be and at that point you may ask what parts they are using and how much it would be in total. Once you have that, you will know where you're at. Use this time to research local body shops and see if you can instead repair with alternative 'upgraded parts'. Insurance company are generally flexible as long as the parts in question does not exceed the repair bill. You however cannot take direct payment using lesser parts as that would constitute fraud.

If you decide to have it repaired at your own facility, upon completion, the adjuster might pay you a visit to determine if proper repairs has been made.

As for whether you need a police occurrence report, it depends on your insurance company. Work with them. They are there to make sure things goes smoothly and don't be a prick as they can make your life miserable. Be forthright about your intentions with upgraded parts should you chose that route. As above, the most critical person that you will deal with in this situation is the adjuster/appraiser. Ask him how much your car is currently worth, the cost to repair and tell him what you'd like to do in this unfortunate situation. Again, be honest and forthright. They will work with you if you give them that respect.

I believe he mentioned the Z is total loss, no?

I wonder what happened to the op of this thread? Hopefully things have worked out for him.

Hey guys,

Sorry I went MIA - was traveling a bit for work....

Anyways here is the update (and the pictures)

Basically my car is at a repair shop in Mississauga and the insurance came by today and said the car is fixable - and they will be creating an invoice of all the parts and such with costs.... and then the autobody will start the work....

If anyone is interested I can obtain a list of the parts and upload it here - and actually I wouldnt mind someone who knows a bit about cars to see if it all makes sense (lol I know nothing.... just how to drive one..... and this is coming from the guy that wrecked his car)

Basically it would be good to know if the insurance company (Coachman insurance) is not ripping me off by placing values on the parts that are not going to be genuine OEM parts..... Anyways... I will get a copy of this stuff anyways and your guys input would be great....

OK now for the pics... these are just some... I even took a video walkthrough because there was some damage at the back of the car as well.....

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.n...29911010_o.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.n...55664027_o.jpg

https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/...10362927_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...06718255_o.jpg

Did an airbag deploy?
Push for a total loss

The good thing about insurance is they can't necessarily lie to you. If they say they're getting OEM parts, they intend to do so. It's the shop that needs to have the integrity to get those parts. But as someone here or in another thread said, if anyone lies to make money on either side, it's insurance fraud. And that's a big deal for them.

Good luck, and thanks for the updates that help us collectively learn.

That's not bad at all. The biggest concern is the structural integrity of the car given it's a ZR, I would make sure it is fulling chassis jigged along with proper alignment and proper repair of the top if any is applicable. If all is lined up (check the Driver and fender alignment - looks like some movement there), there's no way it will be ridden off given a 2010 ZR is around $30 right now. I don't think you'll have a problem getting OEM parts for the repair given the value. Make sure there's no undercarriage damage.

Doesn't look like your airbags deployed so that's good

Looks like you'll need:

2 wheels,
2 tires
Front Caliper
Lines
Upper and lower arms
Shock and Spring
Crash bar
Bumper
Driver Fender
Driver Head Light
Control Arm
Inner fender
various suspension bits
Paint and labour
Alignment

BTW - The ZR is not winter worthy

:iagree:

Maybe it's time to shop for a Nismo Front Bumper and splitter in the FS section. Seen a couple threads around.

:bowrofl:

I look at that and I think...umm front body...wheel....other stuff... :) I bow to knowledge like that!

You'll need all those parts but it would suck if the frame is bent which wouldn't be a surprise.

Sorry to hear about your accident bro, but it's good to know you didn't get hurt and the Z is fixable.


1) Do not listen to the autobody shop

2) Go to a shop that you trust, or the shops suggests by the insurance company, or the dealer.

3) Regarding the repair cost... here's the thing:

a) The shop will have to give a list to the insurance company of what parts has to be replaced and what has to be repaired.

b) The list of parts/estimation, have to state what kind of parts, OEM or aftermarket, and the cost/price of it.

c) the insurance company can only approve genuine parts because safety and warranty issue UNLESS genuine parts is no-longer available.

d) some body shop, like the one you are dealing with, will suggest you aftermarket parts aka mod-parts. how they do it? let say the insurance company approve the shop for an amount of money, instead of using the money to buy the parts on the estimate, they will use the money to buy whatever the parts you want or they want.
For example, an OEM intake cost $300, they let you to use the $300 to buy a CAI or whatever, as long as the total doesn't cost more than the amount of money they receive from the insurance company.

However, this is considered insurance fraud.


4) You, as the customer, has the right to ask for the list. The list must have:
a) Parts name and sku#
b) quantity
c) Price
d) # of hour(s) of each repair
e) total price of all the parts
f) total hours of repair
g) tax
h) grand total of the complete job


5) You can also ask the shop to show you the replaced parts after the job is done thus you know they have actually replaced the parts

6) most importantly, communicate with the shop and the insurance company politely, remember, your Z is in their hand.


hope the above CAD$0.02 helps :tiphat:

^Lmao!!!

CAD .02

Can you cite? There can be issues if the bank owns the vehicle (the expectation to return a vehicle to a certain condition) but there doesn't seem to be any inherent fraud in your example.

Technically it is fraud in a sense that the approve product was not in stalled per the work order thus make it freaudulant. However, most if not all company are pretty flexible as long as there are no direct kickback of cash involved. Say you are approved for the intake at $300 and you only spent $200 and pockected thge rest. In this case, this outright insurance fraud. That said, if the product installed is the same or within range, they will let it slide. Now the "they" I am referring to is the adjuster, so work with him/her. They can be your friend or your worst nightmare. Don't be a prick and think you're entitled to things and be respectful and you'll likely end up happy.

No, I don't think that meets the legal definition of fraud. You are reading too much into the salient nature of these sorts of transactions. It centers around the matter of what it would cost to be made whole again. You don't necessarily have to even get the work done if you own the car and your insurance lacks a specific clause that requires you to use the check only for repairs. Yep, you can, under some circumstances, blow the money on moon pies and strippers. The notion that you categorically can't select a different part, or that doing automatically constitutes fraud seems pretty far fetched which is why I'm looking for some sort of citation. I admit I could surely be wrong, but I remember learning nothing of the sort and "fraud" is a pretty effin big deal legally. I bet there are clauses and policies that discourage working a way to obtain betterment, but that isn't the same thing as insurance fraud.

It might be reasonably cautionary to say be careful and check your state regs, however.

The canadian cc definition. 380. (1) Every one who, by deceit, falsehood or other fraudulent means, whether or not it is a false pretence within the meaning of this Act, defrauds the public or any person, whether ascertained or not, of any property, money or valuable security or any service,.....

Now i am not previed to the us criminal code but since the op is from ontario, this applies. I will double check via the cc. Later.

Additionally, insurance fraud is a lower threshold and are rarely involving the police unless the value is significant and a provable prosecution. But if you are suspected of it and in this case can be deemed as one, the insurance company will put that on your file and good luck trying to get insurance.

Certainly, by getting something that you were not approved of receiving applies. Whether they want to pursue it or not criminally is another matter. I will bet if youre an *** to them, you will be labeled.

Things must be very different in Canada. This is perfectly ok in the US.

I still don't see fraud inherent here. In its simplest sense, fraud is a misrepresentation of a matter of fact. For the sake of argument in what we have been discussing, that would include claiming that your air intake was damaged when you got rear ended, when, in fact, there was no damage.

Now, if your air intake was damaged, you have the right to be compensated for that intake, let's say to the amount of $600. Unless explicitly spelled out by the legal code or the terms of you insurance policy, what happens to that $600 is not the concern of the insurance company or the state and it is perfectly legal (unless otherwise stipulated) AND ETHICAL to do as you see fit. If you want to pocket it, or get another (different than stock) intake that is your business.

Insurance companies sometimes don't like these sorts of things and they are, in fact, related to fraud. What they don't want to do is create a situation where you have an incentive to either look at every trivial detail that could plausibly be connected to an accident to get a free or discounted upgrade, or to create a situation where you are encouraged to commit outright fraud by claiming damages that didn't occur.

My getting a new Stillen cold air intake after an accident that broke the stock unit isn't fraud unless I said that I would only replace the parts exactly as described in the insurance estimate. It's my car and it's my business what goes on it and insurers shouldn't compel me to install anything in particular; they should provide me fair compensation for my loss and leave it at that. And, that is sometimes all they do in some jurisdictions. Again it does vary and the details matter.