In order to total out the car you would need prob over 15 to 20 thousand worth of damage, not considering things like frame damage. For comparison sake we once had a 2008 Mercedes E320 in our shop with major front end damage extending all the way into the engine, breaking whole timing cover destroying the engine. That engine alone is over $20,000 but we fixed the car and it was returned to the customer after we repaired it back to like new condition.

yea, i'll probably be nowhere near the $20k. so sledge wouldnt help.. i'll go for an estimate tomorrow to have an idea before the insurance adjuster comes out. i'll keep you guys in the loop!

just saw a thread about some guys chicane yellow. apparently some color blind painter f'd it up. ugh. hope that guy gets his situation sorted out. had a similar problem with my last car.

If you're trying tofigure out if they (insurance) will total it or not...hit the coutesy parts site and start totalling up the costs for replacing the damaged parts. That'll be just parts alone, not to mention auto-shop mark-up...

If you get close to 50% for parts for the cost of the vehicle, chances are when you add paint and labor, it'll be over the threshold.

Never accept an insurance adjuster's estimates...or accept their payoff check.

Take it to an independent shop (preferrably the dealership), and get a proper "as new" reapri estimate. You might even be able to talk the guys at the dealership and let them you which way you'd want it to go. To be honest, they're more likely to find enough stuff wrong to get the insurance company to total it, even for minor stuff.

Wrong move. A body-shop would rather not have the car totaled so they get the work/money. If it's totaled, the only one who collects is the owner of the car.

If you're at a proper shop, this should make no difference. Everything should be fixed to as-new condition, "even minor stuff", regardless.

i went to the courtesy parts site and came up with $5,000 in parts not including electrical stuff and the driver side tire (i couldnt find the price but im assuming an extra $300 bucks). plus labor, paint and all that will probably hit almost $8-10k with miscellaneous parts. maybe another $1-2k on rental costs. I'm being very optimistic. lol.

tomorrow im going to an independent shop. i have a good relationship with the owner so i think the estimate will be extremely thorough and high compared to a quick basic walkthrough.

im also going to a place where an infiniti dealer sends their cars. i went to that shops site and they also do jag, volvo, land rover, for the same dealer chain. im going to check them out too.

i'll also research lambo/ferrari dealers to see where they send their customers and see what they say. i'll check out all three shops' work and see which one i'll go with.

you guys think this is a good plan? should i use another strategy to find a good shop??

Some shops are "less dilligent" than others. Just sayin...

This is a good suggestion, and another thing. I haven't read most of the posts here, but DO NOT LET THEM REPLACE BODY PANELS WITH AFTERMARKET UNITS! Aftermarket body panels do not line up, nor are they the same quality as OEM panels. They aren't made to the same standards. The body lines don't have the same creases, they don't have the same rust inhibitors, and the panels are not as thick.

Ouch....poor Z :(

I seriously doubt anyone is making aftermarket body parts for the 370 yet?But if they were I'am sure it being a new car a reputable shop would use OEM parts.

ouch... :( sorry to hear and see.

yah, that damage does not look totalled. the panels can easily shift backwards like that yet no penetration to the frame.

if that was my car, would get it repaired, sell it, get a new one
unless i turn it into a project car...then slight imprefections are
OK as long as functionally sound.

I think if I sold it after fixing, I'd be taking a huge hit... Selling it without an accident, I'd probably have to sell it for $5k less than I paid. Post accident $10k (just a random guess, I really have no idea).

You may or may not have the option of applying for diminished value reimbursement. There are only 2 states that allow this through your insurance Co as opposed to the guilty party's.. In my case the person that caused the accident was clearly guilty and I eventually got +$2200 diminished value in addition to the repair. Mine was fixed better than new after a front/rear sandwich and $7000 in work..

Post repair (New hood, nose and tail + underlying metal):
http://images47.fotki.com/v1475/phot...MG_1930-vi.jpg

it wont be totaled unless ur repair bill gets close to 20k, i would recomend you do a lot of homework on which shop to send it to. A LOT. other than that sorry to hear about your accident.

modshack, do u have pics of the accident? looks like they did good work. im pretty detailed with my inspection post fixing so im not too worried and i'll make sure any imperfections are fixed before i hand over any money.

anyone have good tips/advice on choosing the perfect body shop? i have my strategy but i dont necessarily think that because some shops work on luxury cars versus economy cars that they're necessarily "better".

ouchhhhhhhhhh. i hate seeing stuff like these. sorry about this man. good luck.

Jason....Like yours, mine didn't look that bad, but....

Front:
http://images44.fotki.com/v1470/phot...MG_1477-vi.jpg

Rear:
http://images49.fotki.com/v855/photo...MG_1511-vi.jpg

Not so bad eh?....But by the time you start replacing all the underlying metal that was bent in the process it came to $3500 front and the same for the rear.

I went to the best shop in town and had seen their work on friends cars. Their labor rate was reasonable ($45/hr) and the Insurance co. didn't even blink (but their client was caught on video causing the accident)...

Good that you are not hurt. Maybe not badly anyways, never had air bag punched me in the face, but I heard it painful too. Know how u feel, I had an idiot pumped my in the back when I had my new colorado. Never felt the same when u know it been dmged. Hope insurance people calll it totalled cause it is up to them.

Drive safe and look out for idiots.

ouch!

I had a Scion at one point. Suburban ran a red light, I t-boned him going like 45-50. When i climbed out the window cause the door wouldn't open and saw red green blue clear liquid spilling all over the street, i figured it was totaled, and It was. Not even a thousand miles on it! But comparable to just body panels, maybe you are still in the clear

Ho ho ho hold on bro. What's with the animosity, the over-seriousness? You need to take some chill pills. Don't get worked up over something PETTY. It's not like what I wrote is analagous to a doctor saying: well, that minor cut on your leg means we're gonna have to amputate it. :rofl2:

lol. guys, guys. just donate $10 each to my Save My Z Foundation* and i'll pretend this never happened... :tup:

*there is no such foundation.

Perhaps I was a bit to serious with my post about your opinion?Sorry about that guy!
I'am going to take some chill pills as you recommended and have my ecu retuned in hopes that I will run a little cooler from now on!
Have a good one!

Oh, the poor Z! Glad you are okay tho!

update: adjuster came up with $9.5k in damages. wish me luck on finding the best body shop in the world!

dude - push to have it totaled man... your car wont ever drive the same - get another estimate from a high-caliber shop

I call BS on that statement! ...That's no where near a total. You'd need another $10K at least! Did you see the pics? No reason that car won't be just like new again given a correct repair.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a55...id613/car1.jpg

I second that opinion!

Yea, I'm nowhere near totalled. It drives perfectly fine (still halls butt lol). It just needs an alignment. Steering vibrates a bit. Aerodynamics suck! I'm 90% sure on which shop I'm going with and their work is amazing. Plus, going thru this accident I feel like I've grown closer to the car. Like we went thru this thing together and it saved my life. It's weird lol...

Parts were like 5.5k, the rest was labor and misc stuff. The only thing under the hood that needs replaced is the airbox and AC lines that got bent. Little plastics here and there.

I'll post pics as they work on her.

On a side note: damn that chin spoiler is expensive. I think it was like $250? Jesus...

Are you going to replace any parts with aftermarket stuff? And if you do, how does insurance handle the cost...

nah, just new oem stuff. i honestly dont have plans to mod anything but maybe the sound system later on. that's the only thing missing on the base Z (IMO). i love the power and the sport package takes care of any mods i probably would have done to a non-sport.

i think if you wanted to add aftermarket things to it, youd either have to (1) know someone cool at the insurance company and someone at the body shop or (2) get real high estimates, have a check cut out, do the work at a cheaper place and pocket the difference and buy the extra parts on your own. i just want this thing fixed soon as perfect as possible so i dont care to do all that running around for a few extra $.

Dang, I'd be looking at a CF hood and a body kit when it's damaged like that. You might pay a little extra, but think of it as a cheap upgrade.

Yea, I hear ya on the cf hood. I'd paint it tho. I'm not into that raw cf look. Body kits aren't for me. If anything I'd get an s-tune lip. But that'd be on me, highly doubt insurance would eat that up since the adjuster knows about cars -at least mine did!

update: dropped the z at the body shop and got a '10 mazda 3 rental (nice little cars). i miss the 332 horses in the zed right about now.

after the teardown, they determined there was another $3k in damages so the total is up to $13000. crazy how fast parts add up on this car.

"It just needs an alignment. Steering vibrates a bit"

Are you SURE there is no frame damage................(shudder)<shudder></shudder>

if there is, it's very minimal. they have a frame machine and will double check to be sure. i'll let you guys know if theres anything serious.

just out of curiosity, can you refuse a car from your insurance if there is frame damage or anything serious? can you ask them to pay you off for the car and they can acquire it for themselves, fix, and sell? just wondering because i would have a hard time accepting driving a car w/ frame damage

Only if it exceeds their "Totalled" threshhold. This is usually at 50% or more of the cars worth ...Every insurance Co. will be different here...If the car is repairable, their obligation is to repair it under the terms of your coverage. You can't just decide you don't want it anymore. You can also have the insurance Co. Pay you cash on a Diminished value claim after the car is repaired.
In my case it was 30% of the repair cost. This basically compensates you for the reduced value of the car since it now has an accident/repair on it's Carfax. This is available even if the car was repaired perfectly with absolutely no evidence it was ever damaged (as my car was)