A good collision shop can fix this in a couple of weeks, not a couple of months. I don’t know why you think you won’t have your car for the summer. Since it is a leased car the lessor will decide to fix or total the car. If they fix it then it should be perfectly safe to drive once repaired and then you don’t have to worry about selling it at the end of your lease. Just hand it back to them next year and move on to your next vehicle.
I’m confused about everyone saying it’s the leaser’s decision on whether it’s totaled or not. Nissan is saying to do whatever the insurance company says.
The car is getting another estimate because it’s a breach of contract to repair the car with non Nissan parts, which is why I’m almost sure it will be much more to repair the car.
By the way, they are basically replacing the entire front half. The estimate calls for heated front seats, sunroof, etc… An estimate of 18 days to repair.
Do you get a car in the interim from the other guy’s insurer? I would ask for it if you haven’t already. And we mention the lease and lessor because they own the car. Because it is leased, you will not have to deal with diminished value because the car was in an accident and you were not at fault.
We have a rental but the guy is blaming us so it’s a back and forth thing. His company will eventually have to pay us back. I understand about the dominoes value it’s the fact this car has been in a serious collision and I’m afraid of unseen damage.
Call a lawyer and start to document the case NOW. The car, you and your passenger will never be the same. That’s what the legal system is for. Call a lawyer. Rocketman
“…but the guy is blaming us …”
I don’t think his word will mean as much as the police report. Have you seen it yet? From your pictures, it looks like the police responded. Were there any witnesses?
Looks bad but does not mean its a T/L.
Fluids on the ground is not a big deal, the radiator cracked. The side tanks are made of plastic.
More than likely the drivetrain is ok. While I have seen plenty of cracked transmissions those are normally train wrecks. The axle shaft has two or three joints and since the shaft moves at these joints a direct impact straight into the trans is unlikely. Also I have seen hundreds of vehicles with control arms, spindles, struts and tie rods that were either bent or snapped in half but after repairs the transmission was not damaged at all.
While I am sure there are still insurance companies and/or adjusters and/or appraisers out there that low ball the majority of the major carriers want to provide a quick and fair settlement. All of the carriers I wrote for wanted that with no BS. If a carrier lowballs then it just comes back to haunt them later. Insurance carriers figured out that if they provide a quick and fair settlement without the cr** they retain customers, possibly gain customers and avoid all the BS.
Car out of commission all summer? Look at the total hours on the estimate (body & paint) and divide by five. Example, 25 hours body and 10 hours paint equals 35 hours. That means it will take roughly 7 days to repair your vehicle. When the vehicle is disassembled and they find more damage that of course will raise the final figure and the estimated days to repair. Also there are other delays, parts, insurance failing to get back info in a timely manner, etc.
If the other party takes responsibility you would then be the claimant and they would owe you a rental car.
They have seats listed? The only way I can see a seat being replaced is if the seatback mounted side air bags blew/deployed. If the sunroof popped up upon impact then the sunroof would need replacing.
The witness is my passenger. The police won’t get involve. It’s ridiculous. And the other guy got arrested because it wasn’t even his car, and he was driving on a suspended license. Then, after he ran the light and hit us, he claimed he ran it. It’s a big mess. I’m just trying to get things right. I also believe the i durance adjuster was low balling us so I’m having it inspected again.
The body shop will submit a repair addendum to the insurance company after the vehicle is torn down. The body shop will get paid so don’t be too concerned about the original estimate.
That’s what the body shop is doing. They’re seeing if there’s any extensive damage because they thought it was totaled… I’ll find everything out on Monday.
Not seeing the er for whiplash was a mistake in my book! Car is totaled or not, you don’t and should not keep it past the lease date if repaired. Have the dealership do the repairs, then everything is on their shoulders.
Haha we know about that. It happened so fast, but I went two days later. I took pictures of the injuries on the scene, though.
If you have witnesses that heard the other driver say it was his fault, you can use that in court if it goes that far. If the police heard him say that, then they are witnesses. Since the other driver is not insured, is your insurer taking care of everything?
In our state unless you seek medical attention within 24 hours you have no claim.
Pictures of the injury is our proof too. I don’t know if that helps, though. My insurer is currently taking care of everything. We are contacting the car owners insurance now.
did the police assign fault, as in giving them a ticket for runn ing the light?
No, they did not. This happened close to a big city, so witnesses immediately got out of their car and once they saw that my daughter and I were okay from afar, they left. Go figure. My attorney has basically stated that the only way I can sue is I that I would have to have multiple medical bills, which I do not.
Update: The repair man has declared the transmission as “shot”