Got into an accident and need advice!!

E

eJay

Member
So I got my FX this past November and have been enjoying it quite a lot although I've had some issues with it (i.e. slip & vdc off light).

This past Thursday, I was on my way to a nursing home (to seek seek some volunteer opportunities) when the accident happened. It was a 4 lane road (2 lanes in each direction) and I was driving on the right most lane when a 2003 Chevy Cavalier decided to jerk into my lane (from the first lane). I honked as soon as I realized that she was crossing the lane but she kept coming in and slammed into the driver side of my car. The police came and she got ticketed for "improper lane change" while I did not get any citations. Luckily, the other car's driver was very cooperative and admitted fault even to her insurance company yesterday. I talked to the local representative of her Nationwide Insurance company and they agreed to pay for any physical damage to the vehicle + my medical expenses + $350 for not ensuing any further lawsuits against the driver. I had a stiff neck but I am feeling okay for now.

Now here are my questions:

  • Should I agree upon the lawsuit part and receive $350 or wait until the car is fixed?
  • Do you think they will repair the door panel or replace them? If you look closely, the beginning of the rear door has holes in it.
  • If the body shop insists that this could be fixed without putting in a new door, what should I tell them?
  • Is there anything else that I request to the insurance company? Such as wheel alignment or adjustments of any other parts that might have been damaged due to the impact?
Here are some pictures:
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I'll post more questions when I come across them.
Thanks in advance!
 
Get to know your the laws and rights. In Texas they can use reproduction parts and I have heard used parts to repair a car through the insurance. In the end with all things considered the insurance company here has the final say.

You can choose your own bodyshop. Get quotes from a few and choose the one you are most confortable with.
 
I agree. Until u are completely satisfied with your fx being fixed you should opt tom accept the 1,000 for the trouble. Not 350
 
get an estimate for the total repair, genuine parts only of course,
door panel has holes, insisting on replacing it regardless of what anyone says.
as for not filing lawsuits, $350 is a lot less.
your wheels have to be balanced and alignment done, it's necessary.
have the body shop check for other damages underneath.
if you had vdc slip lights on before the accident, you might not want to tell them about it, rather have them check once your car is fixed and when you start it next time and see the lights come on, just ask in frustation WHAT IS THIS?
 
the insurance company person will inspect your car. And they are working for you. I had an accident last week, and i had few small damages on my front bumper, and insurane company paid me for a paint job, but i said i want to replace it, so pay me full, and they did. I think insurance companies doesnt really care how much do they pay you, cause they are going to get their money back from the others.
i inspected from infiniti dealship, and they said total price for front bumper is $750, but i got only $640 from his insurance company(Geico), and i told them, $640 is not enough to fix my car, and geico said, just go ahead and fix it from infiniti dealer, and they will contact with my dealer and will take care of everything.

---------- Post added at 12:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:49 PM ----------

oh and also, they rented me a car for free.
 
try to find a shop that only uses original parts bc your car is only six years old and there is no reason why they should use aftermarket parts for the car. Atleast with me when i got in a previous accident the appraiser wrote down that i had to get original parts.
 
aw man, thats a bummer, im sorry that happened. Hope everything works out, and i hope to see you around! :)
 
Don't sign anything and go to the doctor anyway. They are going to have to cover the cost. While you feel OK now, you can have problems months later. My wife had a minor fender bender but had a few symtoms of a concussion for over a year.

As far as the FX, I can recommend Lindsay Collision Center. They did a great job on my QX4. You can argue with the insurance company if they try to use non-Infiniti parts. I would not be concerned with this unless you take it for repair at some mom & pop body shop. Also, be aware that if you trade-in/sell your FX, a CarFax report will show the vehicle was in a accident and was repaired. This could affect your value by more than $350.

It is not normal for an insurance company to offer money to settle a claim unless they are aware of injuries. IMHO, sounds like they are aware of negligence on the other drivers part that could be even more costly.

I would not sign anything until I get checked by a doctor and complete all repairs.
 
I guess I forgot to tell mention that I am down at Charlottesville, VA right now (and this is also where the accident occurred).

So now I know that I shouldn't accept the $350 until everything is fixed and I am happy with the repair. But I am still not sure about the process of repairing the car. The rep from Nationwide told me that there are a few "Blue Ribbon" shops around here and said that they have "lifetime guarantee" of the repair.


  • Should I bring my car into these shops and get multiple estimates before I set up an appointment with the Nationwide estimator and meet up with them at the shop?
  • How do I ask the body shops if they would use genuine/ new parts for the repair?
  • Do you think that the front door panel can be replaced (with a new panel) damage-wise?
  • When I asked the agent about the depreciation of the vehicle incurred due to the accident, she said that there are two ways with dealing with this but told me that I first have to decide on which shop to use before she can tell me the options. Should I get her definite answers before getting the car repaired?
Anyways, I'm really glad that there are great members who are willing to help me with this here. I've never gotten into an accident before and I wouldn't have known what to do if it weren't for you guys. Thanks!
 
sorry to hear about your accident. get written quotes from their "blue ribbon" shop, an infiniti dealer body shop, and your own. of course remind them to replace with infiniti/nissan parts. an adjuster will have to inspect your car and run an estimate the cost on the damage on your fx. if the adjuster/insurance estimate is more than your preferred shop, you can ask for that amount via check and use your own shop (did this before).

if you end up working with a body shop via infiniti dealer you can even ask if they can provide a loaner during repairs (did this also).
 
you can get estimates anywhere, but go to a shop that has a good reputation, it's time to ask for referrals from friends and so on,
don't ask, TELL them you want nothing but genuine OEM parts and that they give you a copy of invoice that proves it.
It looks like it can be fixed, but just changing it out with a new one may be a better option.
Don't worry about depreciation if you plan to keep the car, rather have everything on the vehicle diagnosed and repaired so you won't come across any trouble down the road and worry about fixing it yourself.
 
So I went in for an estimate today and it came out to be $4,300. It was for the replacement of the front & doors, front & rear body side molding (chrome part), the rocker molding, rear wheel opening molding, water shield, seal partition, wheel balance & alignment + labor charge + paint supplies. The breakdown of the estimate was $2000 for the parts, $1700 for labor, and $420 for the paint supplies (+ tax). All parts in this estimate were OEM Infiniti parts.

Apparently the doors are composed of two parts: the inside panel and the outside panel. If the inside part is not damaged, they reuse that part and just replace the outer panel. The front door was badly damaged inside AND outside and should be replaced entirely. The "uniside" (where the VIN number and the tire pressure sticker is placed) was bent in so they're also going to fix that part. For the rear door on the other hand, he said, the inside panel only had a few bends but I insisted that they replace both the inner and outer panels. He said that it's up to me and advised me to be firm on it when the Nationwide adjuster calls me and tells me that they won't replace it.

Hopefully the adjuster will call me soon and tell me that they'll pay for everything as written on the estimate.

I'll keep you guys updated!
 
so far great news! Hope they can get your car into the shop and back to you quickly eric :)

Hope everything is ok with your neck btw and that the pain is temporary :smile:


BTW, any word on if a loaner will be provided? Maybe you can request a s2000 to show Wooky who the real drift king is... :biggrin:
 
In his case, is the insurance company required to provide him rental coverage or not? Or, he has to use his own "rental insurance" if he has it, to cover his own rental??
 
Their insurance company is providing me with a rental. I got an 09 GMC Acadia. I was told over the phone that I'd get a "Mid-Sized SUV" but the local representative seemed to not care and gave me whatever was in the lot.
I'll be driving it until my fx is out of the shop (total of about 10 days) and I only have to fill up the gas. Not a penny out of my pocket other than that.

---Edited
On a side note, the ride is currently in the shop. The insurance company insisted that the body shop use "used" parts (meaning parts from FXs in the junk yards) but they could not find any near this area so they had to order new parts. One minor change from the first estimate is that they will not replace the inner part of the rear door. They'll be reusing the inner part and only replacing the outer "shell." Total estimate went down by about $200 (everything else is the same as the first estimate). I requested them to show me the invoice after the parts come in (thanks "bleedingsujit" for this idea) to make sure that they didn't get some 3rd party parts.
 
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good to hear about your progress, anytime i have a wreck, i ask the body shop for a copy of the invoice for verification, you should get one too, piece of mind. don't forget to post pics of your clean ride once it gets out.

in the meantime, go do some donuts with the GMC...:tup:
 
Wait until the car is repaired. Make sure the body shop looks under the car to make sure no other damages are there. Ask the insurance company to pay for the alignment since it was involved in a accident. Go see a doctor to make sure you dont have any other injuries and make sure that their insurance company takes care of all expenses. Dont sign sign a waiver for a lawsuit until everything is finishied.
 
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