Valet incident

[LJSB]

One more time.

The NSX has no frame.

Barnman,
Things a must be a bit different down south but around here insurance company supervisors tend to take notice of claims with a higher than average payout, like in a NSX claim. Most companies have their program threshold set so a payout above that amount, in a particular market, are flagged for review. Claims with the kind of numbers NSX's produce are always subject to review and scrutiny. A 1998 car with damage in the $20's and a claim settlement on a total loss for a 1998 vehicle in the $50-60'sK is going to send up flares. The computer has made bean counting even easier and no one wants a bad performance report and miss getting a raise/promotion or be laid off for poor performance ie., being cavalier with the payout on a big number claim like the one you present . The good ole boy wink and nod stuff is the express line to unemployment(or worse) with the companies I deal with.

I'm just a little sensitive when to come to negative generalizations on the industry to which I belong. Guess it just got my panties in a bunch. Sorry cause' like I said I respect you.

 

[Arata]

One more time.

The NSX has no frame.

It does however have a body and has front side Frames and rear side Frames that make up the "Body".

This is just wording and what matters is that to replace any of the "body" or "frame" the pieces must be cut out and new pieces welded in. The body may also be able to be straightened.

I would strongly recommend that YOU, the car owner, purchase the Acura Body repair manual and take it to what ever shop is going to do the repairs, and ask that all the measurements in the book are checked, I would also make sure the Insurance adjuster is aware of the book, sees the book, and agrees to have the measurements made.
The Acura part number for the 1995 and up book is 61SL032 there is a second number on the book A8809503S. The book title is "NSX/NSX-T Body Repair Manual 1995 Model Series"

 

[LJSB]

It does however have a body and has front side Frames and rear side Frames that make up the "Body".

This is just wording and what matters is that to replace any of the "body" or "frame" the pieces must be cut out and new pieces welded in. The body may also be able to be straightened.
____________________________________________________

The name for the pieces I believe you are referring to are "side members" and I'm sorry if I've come off sounding like buster.
This car has several different grades of aluminum in it's structure and none of them like being pulled or crushed very much as they weaken/tear and crack easily.

You should not need to buy and bring a body manual specifications into a modern collision shop.They already have them or you are in the wrong place. It would be like bringing a book on anatomy to your doctor. He shouldn't need it and if he does then feet get walkin!

More important is finding a shop that has a 3 dimensional measuring system that can monitor 3 dimensions(length,width and datum/height) simultaneously for any given control point relative to perfect center of the vehicle.

They should be able to provide you with a printout of the unibody specifictions and a before/after printout of the state of your vehicle just like a they do for wheel alignments.

Look for a shop with one of these popular measuring systems capable of this: the "Shark" (Hein- Warner), the Chief "Genesis" and the Car-O-Liner "Cartronic."
They a VERY expensive and only in the better equipped shops.
Your car can be measured using other type of systems but these are state of the art and much less prone to error and incorrect data.The way to go IMO.

Nearly all shops have frame machines (there's that word again, dang!), unibody benches, racks etc. that do not measure the car. They are simply a platform to work on, like a lift is for a mechanic, and correctly hold the vehicle so not to make undesired distortion of the structure when holding or making pulls. Having one of these is not enough, the shop should have a measuring system like the ones mentioned above for the best chances of getting the NSX to factory specs.

For your aluminum car they need even more items but my fingers are getting tired and it is coming up on martini time here on the East Coast. Bye Bye. Hello olive time to open the Bombay doors

 

[RichH]

Joe is what I consider the best!

I have and would again drive from NH for him work on my car.

End Of Story.

 

[Barn Man]

Quote from pbassjo.
"I'm just a little sensitive when to come to negative generalizations on the industry to which I belong. Guess it just got my panties in a bunch. Sorry cause' like I said I respect you."

I didn't mean to get flared. You know as well as I do there's fewer good body shops that bad ones. And unfortunately there are people in the insurance industry that can be swayed by "good ole boys". Not just a southern thing, but when you work in an industry long enough, friendships are made. Along with that comes trust. If an insurance man trusts a certain body shop, they may not ask as many questions. Nothing against any particular body shop, but this is not a perfect world. The same thing happens in the automotive repair industry. One bad apple spoils the whole bunch. Unfortunately it makes those of us who actually care have to work harder for the trust of those who have been burned. Have a great week, I'm going to bed!
Barn Man....

 

[tucsonsx]

This is an actual valet parking guy's quote that I heard with my own ears:

" The BMW 850 CSi does not burn as much rubber as a Mustang GT "

I've found that when you pull up to valet parking ( and it always sets me off when you aren't given the choice of self parking ) it usually works to hand them $5 and say " nothing personal but I've had a really bad experience with valet parking in the past; would it be okay if you rode with me and showed me where to park ? " Usually they just show you where to park and move on to the next case.

 

[svalleynsx]

One preventative measure might be to write your odometer mileage down before handing the car over to the valet, and just kindly mention or "snicker" to him that you are aware of the actual mileage. This will probably send out a clear signal that it's NOT alright to go joyriding in your car for any length.

Of course whether the car goes through several valet's hands and the message is lost is another matter.

 

[LJSB]

Trust.
Hard to get.
Easy to lose.
Impossible to get back.

 

[NSX_Dreamer]

never valet if you can help it. ever.