CarCrazyFamily

Well yesterday was a sad day . On my way back from getting a haircut and literally 3-minutes from home, some idiot hit my car trying to make a quick left turn. I won’t bore you all with the details, but basically I had right-of-way.

I’m fine, except for a bruise on my right hand’s knuckles where I punched a utility pole in anger after the accident; a time that that was marked with many a profanity . Yes, I know it wasn’t smart, but in anger I didn’t think. Actually it doesn’t hurt much.

The odd thing was that despite the impact being on the driver’s side, only the passenger’s airbag activated. I’m actually going to contact my dealer about the issue. I mean it’s very unsettling to imagine the driver’s airbag not activating in a crash.

The car has only 2166 miles on it too. I’m saddened very much. On Friday I’m meeting the insurance company’s appraiser access the cost of the damage. I’m hoping they claim a total loss; I know that it can never be the same even if repairs are done well (I’ll know it in my mind).

Anybody know a reputable body shop that deals with Acura’s?

I have pictures, but I need a host for them. Plus I don't have attachment availability.

Bxscig

Rallye's AutoBody shop on Glen Cove Road near Roosevelt Field Mall? They do good work and charge a lot but since the insurance is going to cover it, you might as well. Talk to a Bobby, he did some work for me last year.

cM3go

www.pifiu.com/upload/

to host your pictures

CarCrazyFamily

BostonPaul

The only consolation is that parts should be easy to get. Imagine if it was your old S4? It would be in the shop for months waiting for parts. I'm still driving my 2002 Audi allroad waiting for my TL to come in. I'll miss the awd but not the constant repairs.

somi2002

i think i'm going to be sick. I would say clame the car as a goner and get a new one. Once the air bags go off its over. Just from my point view. good luck and sorry to hear about your loss.

CarCrazyFamily

has gone through.

You're right bostonpaul, the S4 is one expensive car to fix. I remember a fellow Audi S4 owner telling me that to replace the alternator, you have to drop the engine because it's behind one of the turbochargers. I can only imagine the labor on that. Of course you know of the many torn throttle body boots, F-hoses, and bypass valves, and MAF sensors, and so on.......

Beautiful cars, but I think Audi's are a little too complicated. It might be a little easier in the allroad, because I believe it's based on the Audi A6 body, which is roomier than the B5 A4/S4 engine bay.

shodog

As much as it hurts to hear, you car is still very fixable. Most insurance companies only total a car if it cost over 80% of the value to fix. It's a bummer because you car is essentially new. You might be able to get them to provide you extra compensation for diminished value

Bxscig

I would kill the person!!!!

cM3go

aw man those pictures are painful to look at

SpringsAcura

[QUOTE=CarCrazyFamily]Well yesterday was a sad day . On my way back from getting a haircut and literally 3-minutes from home, some idiot hit my car trying to make a quick left turn. I won’t bore you all with the details, but basically I had right-of-way.

I’m fine, except for a bruise on my right hand’s knuckles where I punched a utility pole in anger after the accident; a time that that was marked with many a profanity . Yes, I know it wasn’t smart, but in anger I didn’t think. Actually it doesn’t hurt much.

The odd thing was that despite the impact being on the driver’s side, only the passenger’s airbag activated. I’m actually going to contact my dealer about the issue. I mean it’s very unsettling to imagine the driver’s airbag not activating in a crash.


THE AIRBAG SYSTEM ON THE TL WORKS WITH INERTIA SENSORS. IT CALCULATES THE SEVERITY OF THE ACCIDENT AS WELL AS ANGLE OF THE ACCIDENT AND THEN COMBINES THAT WITH PASSENGER INFORMATION (WHETHER OCCUPANTS ARE BUCKLED, WEIGHT, STATURE) AND THEN CAN ALSO EXPLODE THE BAGS INDIVIDUALLY AT TWO DIFFERENT SPEEDS. SINCE YOU WALKED AWAY, IT APPEARS THE SYSTEM WORKED PERFECTLY. HOW WAS YOUR PASSENGER?

nking54580

I agree with shodog about your car being fixable. There's no doubt in my mind that they will not declare it as a total lost.

Drock

Your car is not a total. You need to have your car fix by a reputable shop using NO aftermarket parts. Once it's fixed you need to find someone to file a dimished value claim on your car. Your car is not worth as much since it has been wrecked. This is what dimished value is supposed to compensate for. Typically the guy that does the DM claim charges about $250, but on a wreck like that it could be worth as much as a $2000 settlement that the other guys insurance company will pay. Also, the guy that does the DM claim will inspect the car thoroughly to make sure it was repaired correctly.
Yes, I am in the auto repair business. Don't let the insurance companies get away without paying you every penny you are owed.

DMZ

Ouch Eddie, what a drag man!

Curry has their own body shop.
Just call the service dept. 866-491-1024

A good quality shop I've used in Queens, SOS Autobody in South Ozone Park, near Woodhaven Blvd and Atlantic Ave, talk to Charles 718-641-5909.

But if you want what is probably the best shop in NYC:
LOFEYS INC aka M&B Auto Restorations
1481 JEROME AVE, BRONX, NY 10452 Phone: (718) 588-4757
Top notch cars are all they work on and only about 10% of their business is from individuals. These are the guys who do ALL the Body Work for Lexus of Englewood and Benzel Busch. If what happened to you, happened to me, this is the 1st place I take my baby!

Keep me informed.
Good luck buddy !

..

.

`ill*tl

Ouch! Sorry to hear about your incident..quick question, how come the drivers air-bag didn't inflate while the passengers did?

SpringsAcura

The two airbags operate independently based upon many factors -- see lower post. Since he walked away, it appears it all worked as designed. Airbag will only deploy when the benefit of protection exceeds the risk of injury from the airbag itself.

`ill*tl

But he got hit on the left side..

SpringsAcura

It was hit on left front side at an angle. Look in your owners kit about the SRS systems. They explain about accident force, vectors and why sometimes the airbags will not deploy if car is not hit dead on front. If hit at an angle, the airbag may not be in the right position to protect a driver and may cause additional injury. The passenger airbag is larger and may provide more protection from the accident to the passenger than the smaller airbag will for the driver

edwards

Sorry to hear about your accident.

The insurance company WILL NOT call this a reck. But I heard was if the frame was bent it is a total lost. The 80% is correct but if some one like a repair shop would bend the frame or even crack the frame than it is a total lost. And the insurance will have to pay you the total lost amount.

A friend of mine who is in the repair shop told me this once.

What ever you do I feel for you and for your car.

Drock

No offense to Edwards, but he is wrong. Cars these days have a unibody body structure unlike a full frame vehicle(truck, 4-runner,blazer,etc). Frame rails are replaced all the time on unibody structured vehicles. Your car is not a total. You have two options:
1. You can fix the car
2. You can get the estimate for repairs that is owed to you and then get a
salvage bid on the vehicle. If the estimate plus the salvage bid of the
wrecked car is enough to get you square on your loan then great. Sell it
and go buy another one. But unless you put quite a bit of money down
when you bought this one, it won't be enough to get you out of your loan.

Just trying to give you accurate info. I know how you feel. I wouldn't want the damn thing back either, but sometimes we have no choice unless we are willing to take an out of pocket expense.

zexi

Looks like $ 5000.00 + damage.. sorry man : (

CarCrazyFamily

Thanks for the info. In others words I get reimbursed for the "lost" value of the car due to the accident. Gotcha. Off-hand, where do I go about finding a company or person that does diminished value claims? I'll search for it too.

One again, thanks.

VTEC Animal

I had a very similar looking front end after an accident about 2 years ago to my 2001 TL. The only main difference being your a 2004 and had an airbag deploy (no airbags on mine). when I finally got the car back, total repair cost was over $16k (think it was nearly $17k) without rental costs. My damage may have been worse then yours because I didn't see a forward picture (picture from the front of the car looking direct at the hood). My front end (wheels forward) was shifted over about 2 feet to one side. At this time, I won't comment anymore about the situation or on the topic of "Why wasn't it totalled".....

So if you have as extensive frame/unibody damage as I did then you may be looking at my repair cost plus airbag (probably around $2k). BTW, it will have to go to Acura during the repair process for the SRS system to be reset as that requires a factory certified tech (according to my sources).

NickD

CarCrazy,
Sorry to hear about your accident. I was hit, yes, by a women! Freshly licensed rookie driver (4mos). Only had logged on 2,600 miles and zaino it the week before. Will provided before and after pics once I receive the car on Monday. As far as bodyshops, my cousin works for MB and recommended North State Custom, located in Bedford, NY. That's a hike from LI. They are certified specialist by MB USA, BMW, JAG. They are expensive but they do great work. Stopped by last week and they were working on a Ferrari.

Anrth/Auto/Navi/18" A-spec wheels

Thinking about installing Brembo brakes (complete Braking System) all around 4 tires.
Any suggestions/Website (besides Brembo) to purchase?

CarCrazyFamily

There is a body shop that I used when somebody tried popping my headlight housings off my previous S4 in brooklyn, to remove a dent, and remove some deep scratches. It's called Rojo Collision in Brooklyn on Foster Ave. One of the co-owners is a big time Audi guy (he has a heavily tuned S4 / RS4) and works primarily imports. The Audi guys/gals in the area swear by his shop. It's a really professional shop plus they deal with my insurance company, and I've done work their before.

BTW, it seems that every body shop has a inordinate amount of high-end imports (Acura, Audi, BMW, Lexus, MB, etc....). I guess the more expensive the car, it would just make sense the owner is somewhat of a car enthusiast, leading to more aggressive driving?

If you want to talk private just PM me.

BTW, were you in the Jamaica area (Hillside Ave. area) last week. I saw an Anth. A-Spec. there.

Later.

TBone2004

Hey do we have a problem here? This is the second case on this forum(that I recall) where one of our cars got hit and only the PASSENGER airbag went off....I hope there is not a recall in our future - that is serious - forget tires and rattles and stupid crap like that - air bags have no room for defects or lack of Quality Control.

marquis

If you read the rest of the thread, I would guess no problem.

lokman

Ouch mate - sorry to hear about your accident, but important thing is you're OK. I kinda know how you feel - my girlfriend's absolutely brand new EL was rearended as she was driving it home FROM THE DEALER! :smackhead Gave her backaches and headaches for a year. Make sure you see a doctor to get checked up if you feel tense or anything like that. Good luck.

Crusader_RENAMED

I think one of the main reasons you see so many high-end imports at a body shop is because the people that own them are more likely to get every thing fixed. I've known people with 1 or 2 year old cars that weren't quite as expensive and they just took insurance money or money from someone who hit themand didn't bother to get the car repaired. Granted, most of these cases are small accidents like bumper dents and maybe a few scrapes.

But, think about it this way, if you had a 2001 Cavalier and got a dent in the bumper, would you get it fixed or pocket say $500? I had a 94 Accord that got hit in 97 while I was stopped at a light, just put a little crack and dent in the bumper cover. I took the cash and never bothered to get it repaired. Whereas, if the same thing happened with my 04 TL, I would DEFINATELY be taking it to the body shop to get fixed up.