Hey guys, I had an unfortunate incident early this easter morning. was traveling probably 60mph glancing at a new plaza that was just built, look back and two deer in the middle of the road made me freak out. I usually just hit the deer but for whatever reason, I panicked and tried to swerve, the cars rear end busted loose and sent me into a few curbs of an entrance way. after my car swallowed the curbs i ended up in the ditch next to the entry way. I got the car out of the ditch. Got it home, and checked out the damage. I am actually hoping that the car is totalled so i was wondering if anyone could give me an idea if i kind of tell them what is broken.
Both rims are shot on passanger side, tires too ofcourse
Front bumper pushed up into headlight and broke mounting points and bent tip of fender over light slightly.
rear quarter panel has a dent, presumably from the tire smacking the wheel well?
something in the rear end is bent or broken, both wheels have wrong camber look to them
front wheel is rubbing on brembo caliper
exhaust is bent badly
and the most puzzling part to me, is the fact that the front wheels have play back and forth in them, they are pushed all the way forward almost touching the front bumper with the tires.
rear bumper needs repair/repaint


I hit this entryway pretty hard and the curbs werent small. Is there a good chance this probably caused frame damage?

This made me sick to my stomach all day, i had the car taken away today so i didnt have to look at it. at this point, i am just hoping it is totalled because it may never be the same. it is a 2003 coupe 6speed with nav and aero, 40k miles. Anyone have any sort of idea?


Any insight is well appreciated


Pics on page 3

 

pics would help.

 

I dont have any, Im sorry. I didnt even want to look at the car. It is at a body shop now waiting to be appraised. But from looking at it, all you could really tell is that the wheels/tires were shot, and that something holding the wheels in place is bent/broken. and the dent.

 

airbags go off? from your description, it sounds like 8-10 grand depending on the airbags. i would guess they would total it.

 

surprisingly no.

 

that is what i was thinking. its 50% of fair market value in Iowa, and market value on it fell out of the sky. Like i said, at this point, I want the car to be totalled, I love the car, and hate that this happened, but its best case scenario.

 

It might be totaled, but it's going to be close. Trade in for your car is around $12K-$13K, and to be totaled the damage has to exceed 75%-80% of that value, or at least $9K in your case. From the damage you've described, it's not clear there's $9K in damage. Your only hope is the suspension damage is extensive and that the front corner/headlight damage is more than superficial. Corner damage is always expensive. But if it's just body work and replacing 2 wheels and some suspension parts, that's not going to cost $9K.

But, if it is going to be repaired, insist on the repairs being done at an Infiniti dealership. You want OEM parts for the suspension and they'll paint it better.

Good luck.

 

The Iowa DOT website states that it is considered salvage if repairs exceed 50% of fair market value. am i missing something?. Thanks for your insight. the headlight, and exhaust system will have to be replaced as well.

 

Really? 50%? That's very low. They must total cars left and right. Most policies are 75% or 80% of trade in value.

And you're right, getting a vehicle totaled is by far the best way to sell it. You can negotiate the payout price. Get online and find comparable cars (the most expensive ones, not necessarily from Iowa), so when they call you about the payout you'll be ready to counter.

 

Oops, forgot about the exhaust. Yeah, it's probably totaled. And how do they define "market value"? Talk to your insurance agent tomorrow and get some clarification. Good luck.

 

What is an Iowa salvage vehicle?

A salvage vehicle is a motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of less than 30,000 pounds, and

*

was acquired by an insurance company as a result of damage or theft; or
*

was acquired by a licensed recycler or a person engaged in the business of buying and selling or exchanging vehicles of a type required to be registered in Iowa, and has repair costs exceeding 50 percent of its fair market value before it was damaged and that value was $500 or more; or
*

is from another state, and that state’s title indicates the vehicle is damaged and cannot be registered to be driven or moved on the highway until repaired.





I guess that is how the website states it ^^ so I am assuming that is that.


Market Value is usually what a dealer can purchase the car for at auction. which is usually right at or below trade in. It may be different for insurance companies.

 

Insurance adjuster looked at it today. said exactly what i said about it looking not that bad, until you get underneath it. He told me that there is a lot broken underneath. He didnt total it on the spot, he said he hasnt had to do anything like this before so he had to go back and look at some prices on parts and is getting back to me tomorrow. Until then, I am crossing my fingers

 

If there is frame damage push for it to be totaled you don't want problems.

 

exactly what i was thinking, I dont know how they can test that on this car tho?

 

50% is usually insurance standard to total a car. i would have guaranteed it if the airbags had gone off. i still think its a goner though.