Well, it's definitely not a totalled car. I am not sure why y'all are surprised. It's not a question of whether you want the car back - I am sure NOONE here would. It's a question of damage vs. car value.

You basically have to either get in an accident bad enough for someone to die or roll the car for something as nice as the G35 to get totalled. Remember - it's based on the current value of the car. Sure, a 1989 Ford Escort in the same accident is a totalled car, but this is the car that has the best resale value going these days (see, that's not a 100% blessing! ) Thus, as bad as this is, you really have to destroy the car to get it to be totalled. 50%-75% of the current value in damage would have to be done (depending on insurance agency.) That's a good 15-22k of damage. Will it EVENTUALLY cost that much? Sure, but you are hard pressed to find an ESTIMATE of that much.

Yes, it's bad. Yes, I wouldn't want it back. However, don't be surprised that every single insurance company will try to get it fixed first.

 

No. You must be kidding. That's nothing compared to others Ive seen.

If the frame's not bent, I dont see why it should be totaled. Usually insurance companies total cars when the repair costs more than half the value of the car. If they estimated $13,000.00, that is under their "totalling value".

Only thing that worries me is that the rear axle seems bent, at least form the pic.

Over here, the scam the body shops make is quite different. They estimate a lot more than what the repair actually costs, but they tell ya not to worry cuz they'll help ya. Then the ins. co. tells ya they will cover less than the estimate . When the car is repaired, you dont have to pay the bodyshop the difference between what they estimated and what the ins co actually paid. Of course, they've already pocketed a couple hundred from all the parts they said they'd have to replace but wasnt necessary.

 

Brilliant minds think alike.....

 

...sorry man...
but you got some work to do...

 

Ouch i feel u

 

I dont know if its just the angle, but IMG_0962.JPG shows the rear wheel is deeper than it should be. It might not be too much of a problem, or it could have damaged a lot more than what we can see.

 

Talked to the body shop today. They were real nice about it, and seemed to be straight up. He told me that the insurance company had made a half assed estimate and that he would be checking the car out again on his own on Friday (after the holiday). The body shop is reputable enough to get all of the Infiniti dealer body work in about a 20 mile radius. They're the only one's Ray Catena recommends, which is somewhat encouraging. We'll see next Monday, when I get back to the East Coast and go to the shop in person.

 

Hey irvbdogs, that shop is very good. They worked on my moms G20 a few years ago and the work was well done,had to straighten out the frame and the whole nine but, not to worry about the quality of work it's good,she still has the car and it runs with no problems. Just be clear with them on your deductible and your out of pocket cost, cause there was an issue with the $$$ and of course like two previous people mentioned b4 in this thread once they started working on the car they kept hitting the ins.co. up for suplemental checks. On the day of pick up they tried to get us for storage fees and some other BS so just be clear with them on what's coming out of your pocket!! Good Luck!

 

Irv,
Sorry for your loss. I am a Rutgers (New Bruns) alumni and know exactly where you had your misfortune. I am on Rt.18 pretty frequently since I go out in downtown New Brun every now and then. Anyways, if you do not get it totalled I would definitely consider selling the car once it is repaired. There is no way it will ever drive the same.

 

good luck with it man, looks like there going to have paint almost the whole car... excluding the roof, lid. although i have seen much worse... the quarter looks pretty bad, to just pull and metal finish, unless they plan on cutting it out and replacing or just pulling what they can and mudding it up.. i work at a body shop, www.cavalloautobody.com if you close enough check us out, pics of the shops inside and out are on the webpage

 

Its good to hear that they're a reputable shop. They seemed like it on the phone.

So they're not going to replace body panels? I know nothing of body work. and what is this business about bondo-ing the hell out of my car? I don't think that's going to fly. I'd like body panels that aren't made out of putty. Anyone able to give me more info on that?

Oh, and I can't sell, it's a lease. Never leasing a car again. So much headache for a car that I'm not even going to keep.

 

im surprised thats not a total

 

That's ugly to look at.....

If insurance decide not to repare it, snap off the clear corners and get a few dollars from me for it...

 

No can do on the clears, one of them is scraped to hell. Oh, and I'm pretty sure the front structure is still sound, the bumper itself broke off the clips and was shoved to the left. The bumper reinforcement behind it is still straight to the car and the engine. The rear bumper reinforcement took a hit though, you can see it through the rear bumper.