My car is wrecked

[BadCarma]

Netviper, that is very tragic. sorry to here it. BUT I bet the guys are right and you will have a brand new body restore.keep your chin up!I didnt have something that drastic happen to me but I did catch an egg the day I bought it by some 10 year old.front quarter needs smoothed and painted.but like I said that makes my incident nothing.good luck..I know you were very happy as you just got her.life can be a b%#ch!
David

 

[Vegas Boy]

Let me check in on this issue as I am in the insurance business.

1) Unless you can prove some sort of
negligence on the part of the landlord
(ex: tree was dead, was a known hazard, etc) then it is doubtful their insurance will pay. They will only pay if the landlord is legally liable, which in this case would be highly suspect. They would most likely say
"sue us".

2) You would claim this under your "comprehensive" section of your policy. As a previous poster mentioned, these are non-chargeable so your rates SHOULD not be affected ( I say should as being an insider, believe me when I say that those will recurring comp claims WILL be cancelled).
Should be OK with one claim, however.


3) If more than 2 panels need to be replaced, I would have the ins co paint the entire car. Check on this board and find a shop in your area that does regular volume of NSX repairs (probably Houston area).

4) Depending on who your coverage is with
( I hope it is not State Farm or Allstate)
they will most likely try to lowball the repair, use "repro" parts, etc. Stick to your guns and negotiate hard on the repairs.

5) If your insurance co uses a drive-in claims deal, they will probably try to give you a check on the spot and have you sign a release waiver. Make SURE you get estimate from shop you are going to use BEFORE going to the drive in claims deal or you meet with their adjuster. The estimate will give you nego leverage and ensure you get enough $$$ to properly repair the car.

Hey, I love my cars too but its just a car and with the right shop, it will be fine.
You have no frame damage or corrosion, so
it's fine in the long run.

 

[nsxtasy]

Originally posted by cojones:
is it better to get a factory-finished hood, even if it needs a re-spray, better than starting with a bare hood, and painting-from-scratch ??

Some discussions earlier about the pros/cons of factory vs after-factory paint.

As noted above, I think you're going to have to paint - whether you repaint a used hood from someone else, or paint a new hood from scratch. I'm not sure of the advantages/disadvantages between these two choices, but the factory vs after-factory paint issue is irrelevant here.

Best bet is to locate a top-notch body shop and discuss your options with them.

 

[nsxtasy]

Originally posted by Vegas Boy:
4) Depending on who your coverage is with
( I hope it is not State Farm or Allstate)
they will most likely try to lowball the repair, use "repro" parts, etc. Stick to your guns and negotiate hard on the repairs.

I don't think there are "repro" (aftermarket) body parts for the NSX. This is one of the advantages of driving a model with only 8,000 vehicles on the road.

Originally posted by Vegas Boy:
5) If your insurance co uses a drive-in claims deal, they will probably try to give you a check on the spot and have you sign a release waiver. Make SURE you get estimate from shop you are going to use BEFORE going to the drive in claims deal or you meet with their adjuster. The estimate will give you nego leverage and ensure you get enough $$$ to properly repair the car.

Regarding points 4 and 5 - it is my experience that any decent body shop knows how to negotiate with each insurance company to get you what you want at little or no cost to you. That's why I strongly recommend that you first identify the body shop where you want to take it, and go there for an estimate, before settling with the insurance company. (You should report the incident to your insurance company immediately, but even if they ask, don't take it to their drive-in claims center or have their adjuster look at it until your body shop can advise you on how to proceed.)

 

[uberjeph]

Sorry to hear about your car--a tree fell on my M3 last month WHILE I was driving (~10mph)...it was on a part of property that was city owned so I could probably sue the city to get money, but that's what my car insurance is for--I'll let them go that route.

The damage was mostly paint and my rear wing--the insurance company didn't think twice for a $1300 wing and $3k worth of paint, just make sure you go to a good shop who will go to bat for you (i.e. high end shops that do high end cars). Good luck!

 

[uberjeph]

oh yeah, one more thing...they wanted to cut me a check at my place w/in a few days of the accident...I figured that was a losing proposition...there's no way an insurance adjuster would know as much as a body shop that specializes in BMWs...

 

[Lud]

Man that stinks!

However, if I were you, I would find a good paintless dent repair shop and see what they think about a few of those dents. I suspect they may be able to prevent you from having to replace a couple body panels.

Beyond that, you just need the best paint shop in the area for any panels which need replacing. There is no structural damage and all the panels simply bolt on, so they don't need to know how do aluminum body work. Just make sure the shop knows how to paint aluminum (pretty common these days).

 

[robr]

good luck, that really sucks, but i wouldnt count on the landlords insurance covering it. i had a similar thing happen many years ago... my landlord lived downstairs, i was parked in the driveway, slow slid off the roof of the house and buried my car and the ice dented it in some spots. landlord filed a claim and was told her insurance doesn't cover "acts of god". i had to file a claim with my own insurance company, eat the deductible and deal with the higher rates

.
keep us posted!

 

[nsxtasy]

Originally posted by robr:
i had to file a claim with my own insurance company, eat the deductible and deal with the higher rates

A single comprehensive claim shouldn't cause a rate increase.

 

[DocL]

Geez Dave...Sorry to hear/see your NSX that damaged by a freakin' branch. As many others have mentioned, it's just cosmetic and there is no structural damage. Also, as Lud mentioned, you may be able to have a "Dent Wizard" guy try to smoothen things out. I've seen damages much worse than yours fixed by a paintless dent repair place.

Keep your spirits up, I gaurantee that your car will look as good as new after it's repaired.

 

[Larry Bastanza]

Dave,

Really sorry to hear about this, especially since you were sleeping when it happened. I can't even imagine that first few minutes in the morning.

A have to say that I totally agree with Lud. Let a paintless guy look at it. You would be surprised at what they can fix. I your case, from what I see the fenders all have access from the inside, which is what the paintless guys have an easy time with.

If there is a choice I would go that way, since the fenders will NOT have to be removed. A friend of mine wacked a big racoon years ago and the quarter panel was damaged in a similar way. He insisted that the fender was NOT repainted. I came out perfect. This was a great body shop that used the "paintless" techniques.

Good Luck. Remember these bad feelings will pass, and the big grin will be out again soon.

LarryB

 

[Nsxotic]

This totally f$#@%&! sucks!!!!!!!!!

But, my money is one the paintless dent guys for this one. Find a good one that feels confident and you are going to be amazed. After he's done massaging it for a bunch of hours, have a high speed buffer put on it as wood does not normally scratch the paint beyond the point of being able to be buffed out. You're going to be ok with this one believe it or not.

 

[ck]

Sorry to hear that, NetViper.

Definitely give the paintless dent removal guys a try. A good one will be able to tell you right away if it can be done without starting on your car first. From the pictures, it looks pretty borderline for paintless removal, though. Landlord's insurance will not cover it unless you can prove they were negligent as was noted earlier. I just had this happen to oneof my renters, but it was a whole tree onto a white Integra. The insurance companys both agreed that the renters auto insurance should cover it since it was an "act of god". Good luck with the repairs, and Lud made a good point that white is one of the easiest colors to match.

 

[nsxman]

An "act of god" is not a legal defense for failure to exercise reasonable and prudent care.

If the tree limb reasonably could have broken off in a storm and fallen, thereby causing personal injury or property damage, a good attorney should be able to prove this in court and collect damages.

Thus, the landlord is liable.

Nonetheless, the damage does not appear to be costly enough to justify the up-front costs of a personal lawsuit. Your hope here is if your insurance company will subrogate the claim.

 

[MAJOR STONER]

My car was rear ended/tapped twice before it had 5K miles on it, I know how disapointing it is when it is no longer pristine condition. On the other hand, it made me go with the Wings West kit and a bigger spoiler, sooner rather than later. Two weeks after the install, some shelving toppled over and big aluminum industrial airconditioning ducts came crashing down on my car. The damage was all on my left rear quarter panel, which had to be resprayed again. But I considered myself lucky, half and inch either way and I would have lost my taillight, spoiler, truck, or hatch glass. $300 for some filler and spray. Just dropped my T-wrench on the same quarter panel, last week, while dressing up the engine. Remember, this is why sane people don't drive exotics. At times like these, lesser men will justify it to themselves to take the BMW 3 series route. Be strong!

 

[MAJOR STONER]

BTW-I was afraid that you fishtailed and wrecked, when I saw this thread.

 

[NetViper]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

I still have not been able to get in touch with my landlord, or the ins. company. I really hate small towns.

As for her being negligent, there are branches falling all over this place. My front sidewalk is covered, and there are more branches hanging on power lines.

I will see what I can do, but in the mean time, I am just sad

------------------
1993 White NSX, 70K miles and running STRONG!

 

[MAJOR STONER]

Remember to take lots of pictures of the fallen branches for your claim, not just your car.

 

[NetViper]

I have taken a lot of pics of the area to show the amount of debris laying around.

Here is one of public enemy #1.

[This message has been edited by NetViper (edited 14 July 2002).]

 

[MAJOR STONER]

That looks very old, dry, and dead.

A few weeks ago, I was walking down the street (minding my own business) and I was about thirty feet from a telephone pole with a transformer on it. Next thing I see is a white flash, and an explosion, all the cars around me have their alarms going off. There must have been a surge or spike, because it seemed to have happened at every transformer down the street. The telephone poles were rocking from side to side 4-6 feet, it was that violent.

 

[rickro]

Sorry to see that Dave! You know I am a lic. landscape contractor and horticulturist and those pics show that at least those limbs were dead. I do have experience serving as an expert witness when a case involves some sort of landscaping. You also know that I only live a few hours from you and would be more that happy to help in anyway possible. Be sure to get as many pics as possible before the debris is picked up and be sure to get pics of where they broke off the tree. Let me know what kind of tree it is; it makes a big difference. Also I have known other cases where a claim like this is paid by the homeowners insurance. Call me at 225-622-2316.

Rick

 

[nsxxtreme]

Originally posted by Lud:

White is one of the easiest colors to match so you are in luck there. Just make sure the shop knows how to paint aluminum (pretty common these days).

The person that told you it was easy is a really good painter. I know some painters, White and yellow cars are the cars they don't like to paint. Even if you get the exact color it can still come out in different tints and shades.



[This message has been edited by nsxxtreme (edited 14 July 2002).]

 

[rickro]

One more thing Dave. Make sure they do not cut down that tree and haul it away before someone looks at it. One big key to your case may be the fact that the tree had a preexisting condition (termites, lightning damage, fungus) that cause part of the tree to die. If so, the owner is responsible for removing the dead or dying portion or all of the tree. Damaged caused by any of these or other factors make the owner liable for damages.

 

[nsxtasy]

Originally posted by NetViper:
Here is one of public enemy #1.

No, when it comes to the weather and cars, hail is public enemy number one.

 

[BladesNSX]

Cheer up,

In time (the wait is the hardest thing) your NSX will look as good as new (maybe better?) and just take the branches, hold on to 'em, then burn them over a nice fire sitting by your back to normal NSX.

just a thought

------------------
'91 blk/blk NSX
'96 Green Integra GSR
'02 CBR F4i Yellow/Black
Honda rules