A&Q about 350Z
Q:
if it is not totalled make sure you total it. Bring it to a shop you know and get a sledge. You do not want the car back. It is a parts car now
Current Car- Lexus IS300
Sold the 350z:
silverstone enthusiast
Injen CAI
alpine 1004 monitor
Polk momo 6 1/4(4)
Boston Acoutic tweeters
In dash DVD
MMAT 10 inch sub w/kenwood 800 watt amp
6 disc alpine cd/mp3 changer
A:
whoever says that its just a parts car now??? my 280 was F*****.... but after 9 months, its running great!.... having some front alingment problems, and it needs a good trip to the body shop... but dont give up.. thats crap!
79ZX
A:
Good advice, but cynical. The job you're describing is the sort that most of what I call "chop shops" do. Ones that "save your deductible" and such. I have seen some dealer and insurance network shop work like that, too however.
If the shop is leaving lots of hardware out and their repairwork shows up on the surface of the paint and the paint surface texture doesn't match from one panel to the next, RUN! If these visible indicators are messed up, there's no telling what stuff is messed up you CAN'T see, such as shoddy structural repairs. It is unfortunate, but the number of so-called collision shops that do such shoddy work vastly outnumber those who don't. And just taking it to a dealer or insurance gauranteed shop doesn't mean much.
A REAL body repair shop makes sure finishes match both in color and texture, and are free of debris, drips and splotchiness. They ensure that structural repairs and welds look just like factory. They remove trim and moldings so that paint doesn't build up along the edges. A REAL body repair shop can make most anything look and function exactly as it should... However, with damage severity the chances of the "average" shop doing a good job decreases significantly. Compounding the problem is that most insurance network shops are forced to complete repairs in an unreasonably short time frame (and sometimes customers themselves being in a rush doesn't help!) and therefore they miss many of the small details that matter.
Maybe you should ask to see some of their completed work, too. :)
================
1983 280ZX NA 2-Seater Cadet Blue, restored with Nismo suspension & brakes
2005 Saab 9-3ss Linear (daily driver)
A:
The Allstate insurance rep "didn't know how to begin" when it came to an estimate so it was taken to a "Pro shop." I don't want to sound stupid, but the shop told me that they estimated 75% damage of the total value of the car and sounded very confident that it can be repaired. (What do you mean if it is on the level by the way)? Can I simply tell my Allstate to total it? By the way I have some aftermarket eqip. Borla exaust, Eibach springs, ect. that are not damaged. If the car is totaled, then I lose that money
A:
Date: Jul 17, 12:28am
The Allstate insurance rep "didn't know how to begin" when it came to an estimate so it was taken to a "Pro shop." I don't want to sound stupid, but the shop told me that they estimated 75% damage of the total value of the car and sounded very confident that it can be repaired. (What do you mean if it is on the level by the way)? Can I simply tell my Allstate to total it? By the way I have some aftermarket eqip. Borla exaust, Eibach springs, ect. that are not damaged. If the car is totaled, then I lose that money
///////////////////
IMO any body shop that wants to repair a car with estimated damages of 75% of it's value sees an opportunity to do some major bill padding. Additionally, after the work starts ( and hidden damage is discovered ) the estimate will be amended even higher. Dispose of all the crap talk and demand that the car be totalled. Your car won't be returned to factory / showroom condition no matter what the shop says. You will be stuck with a lemon that you can't unload. So, dispose of all their crap talk, save yourself alot of pain and anguish, and just get the car classified as totalled. Sorry about the " on the level " comment but the fact that you seemed agreeable to the repairs made me question the post. LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE REPLIED, THE CAR IS A TOTAL THAT NOBODY WANTS ! BTW, the add-ons don't matter as long as you document their added value to the car and it has been incorporated into the ( 75% ) estimate of damages.
A:
From a NON professional what I would look for to repair or total car.
1) Only exterior body panel damage.
Like is the fender damage but frame structure is untouched then replacing fender skin/repaint okay.
If frame structure is damage then repair is more likely to be problem. Frame structure is the thick metal like in the firewall or surrounding interior of engine compartment, floor pan, trunk pan, A, B or C pilars etc.
2) Check that crumple zones are not damage.
I had a parking lot incident where the rear crumple zone was damage on my Toyota Solora. There was separation between center floor pan and trunk crumple zone that was only visible from trunk and removing all floor covering material from trunk space. The exterior body panels were fixed and paint matched perfectly but this separation was NOT fixed and could not be fixed, fixing would invalidate benefits of the crumple zone. In a rear end incident, fixing separation would alter zone and not function as designed.
3) Caution with repair of large body panels where segments are spliced.
Again in the above incident the rear quarter panel from the door to tail was replaced. Problem was that the panel was not re-attached to C pilar area. This problem could only be seen by removing all interior trim from the area. I noticed this when more sound came from that area, since it was not attached like on the other side then sound resonated more. Tapping both side also exposed the problem.
4) Suspension parts, make sure they are replaced and be sure nomial setting or to last alignments specs are used.
In a incident involving front suspension of 280Z the insurance would not pay for strut replacement even if the king pin inclination was changed. Reason given is that king pin angle was within spec. Could not get car to steer correctly until I replace strut.
In both of these incidents damages did NOT exceed 30% of car value. From outside damage appeared minimal and repairs appeared perfect. With that much damage be prepared to expend time and effort to get Z back in shape.
Hopefully this will help your in decision.
A:
I'm concerned about your car being at a "Pro Shop"...
But first, you shouldn't "lose" the money of your aftermarket mods if the car is totaled. Either :
1. Remove them and keep them. OR
2. Make Allstate pay for them by supplying receipts from when you bought them.
If they won't pay you for them, they're yours and you have the right to keep them. Of course, if you take off something, you have to put the original back on.
Second, if the initial inspection turned up 75% of the car's value, any but the most irresponsible shop will disassemble the vehicle, check it over, and then submit a "supplement" for additional damages. I've NEVER seen an insurance adjuster write a 100% accurate $10k+ estimate the first time. Hell, body shop guys like me rarely can. If there's any supplement at all, it should total it. DEMAND to be notified about ANY additional charges or damage found once work begins BEFORE they do any real repairs. One technique some sneaky shops use is to get far into a repair, so deep in that it isn't feasible to total the car, *then* call for a supplement. Thus, a car that should've been totaled gets fixed. After all, if they've already half fixed it, nobody's going to total it out.
The (main) reason it's been pushed on you to take it to an Allstate Pro Shop is two fold:
1. Allstate controls their charges through a pre-negotaited contract, much like an HMO. They're required to use aftermarket and used parts also, and sometimes your consent is "bypassed". Thus, Allstate saves $$$.
2. Insurance adjusters are often inexperienced and/or lazy. They don't know how to diagnose your car's damage, so they send it to the Pro shop because they can "trust" them to do all their work for them... including spoon-feeding the diagnosis to them... commensurate with the restrictions of their contract, of course.
BTW, if you're at an Allstate Pro Shop, you've already given up a fair amount of control over the repair... Allstate keeps their pro shops on a tight leash (VERY tight) and believe me, they're more worried about pleasing Allstate than you, since Allstate is their source for work. Also, if the shop you're at happens to be a "Sterling" shop... guess what... Allstate OWNS them. If this is the case, I recommend having the vehicle moved to an independent facility not affiliated with Allstate that has YOUR best interests in mind if they haven't already started work.
GOOD LUCK!
================
1983 280ZX NA 2-Seater Cadet Blue, restored with Nismo suspension & brakes
2005 Saab 9-3ss Linear (daily driver)