So, last week, my wife was driving our 8 month old 2008 TL home from work, when the lady in front of her slammed on the brakes. Wifey did too, but stop in time, nope! She hit the rear of a 1997 Dodge full size pick up. so yeah, the bumper is high up on those, so the front bumper is not too bad, but the grill, HID headlights, hood, all crunched. the radiator bashed in & leaking, the engine light was on, both front fenders pushed back just a tad where they rub a bit when you open the front doors. Air bags never wheent off. body shop says just a tad under $9000.00 of damage. it is a leased vehicle (because the moneyfactor/rate was so low) but we were going to buy it out and planeed to keep it for 10+ years. we still have our 1998 Acura Integra GS-R and it is in great shape, never an accident, but it is too small for us driving around with family & friends. anyway. we were hoping to keep this TL that long or more. but my experience and that of people I know say once repainted/repaired the paint lasts 1-5 years max and then rust. probably more like in 3 years on the paint. will it ever be the same? I'm guessing since it is leased, we should just turn it back in at the end as easy to get rid of, but, then a waste of money as you have to start over again, rather than just buy out/pay off the buy out.
We are just really, really bummed. We have never had an accident this bad, and none on the last 3 cars we have owned.
Any ideas to get Acura to work a deal to give us a new one?

 

if you take it to a reputable body shop, you shouldn't be able to tell it was ever in an accident ... i have heard of some people on this forum who had 20k in damages and the car was running just as good after the body shop worked on it, so i think you should be okay ... good to hear that no one was hurt though

 

yes my wife is fine, the pick up driver, well, must be fine??? her bumper was a little scratched.
My wife had a little soreness on her neck for a couple days - minor whiplash the doc said. and her upper chest bone area hit the steering wheel. The air bags never went off.

I'm sure it can be repaired, but will it last??? especially up here in salt roads during the winter Minnesota.
I had a 1985 toyota MR2, bumped a snow bank, had some body work, in one year paint pealing, rust.
also a 1993 Corolla - my wifes first new car, she got rear ended 2x and one time and old lady pulled out right into her drivers door. all about 2-4 years on the car. by 6-7 years, those spots pealing and rusting/bubbling paint with rust under. and now that 1993 Corolla is still in the family and it is fine where it was not damaged, where it was damaged, rust rust rust. 3 of the 4 doors are great, one is horrible.

I called Acura last Thursday. They said, under $1000, they sign off on the check, $1-$5k they want to see the repair order before signing the check over, $5k plus they want to see the repair order & see the repair work.

again, I'm sure it will looks great, probably drive fine maybe even great, but will the paint/repair work last.

 

Glad to hear your wife is ok. The airbag sensors are in the bumper which explains why they didn't trigger. In regards to the car, while it is true that she can be fixed up like new if the right people work on her, if it were me I would turn it in at lease end. A benefit to leasing is that you won't have to try to dispose of a repaired car - just turn it in at lease end and walk away. Why drive a car that was in a bad wreck if you don't have to? Certainly Acura will try to work with you in re-leasing with them regardless.

 

same thing as me....12k damage
i hit a ML !!!!

it sucks.............

 

IF you get a REPUTABLE shop the repair will be fine. That is a big if though. The thing you have working for you is your lease. Since the car is 8 months old you probably see have a good bit of the lease term left. See how the car looks at the end of the lease, any rusting/paint issues/etc... just turn it in. If you can buy it cheaper because it was in an accident, then maybe keep it.... atleast you have time on your side, and make a wise decision. Definitely not a decision to make now, you have plenty of time. Heck, if the the damage is that bad, you might be able to turn it in at lease end and buy it back for wholesale cost from the dealer since it should be cheaper because of the accident.

 

 

You said the fenders pushed back a bit, that may be an indication of more serious damage as the TL is designed to crumple to absorb the impact. If you wanted to see a better estimate, and do really want to keep this TL, I suggest you have a reptuable bodyshop pull the fenders and everything else damaged off and really look into the damage.

 

You do have plenty of time to make a decision. I would select one of your insurance companies recommended repair shops. That way the repairs will be guaranteed forever as long as you have the car. It might take a few trips to get everything to your satisfaction. Watch it over the balance of your lease and see what happens.

My wife got broadsided in our year old 2002 MDX and had $10,0OO in damage. Five years later it looks and runs fine. Only one friend with an excellent eye can tell it was hit. No worries if the right people do the work.

 

I'd probably have Acura do the work. That way, if there are residual problems at lease end, and they try to ding you for some extra green (if you decide not to buy it) they won't really have a leg to stand on. I wouldn't be surprised if extra care goes into body work on leased cars at the dealerships.

 

I selected a body/repair shop that all will love.
We bought the car from a Luther (Blooomington Acura in MN) car dealer, so using Luther Collision, which is also a prefered shop from our insurance., also it appears that this Luther collision is at a Honda dealership (Hopkins Honda). so it's 1) Honda, 2) insurance approved & 3) Luther owned from where we bought/leased it.
And Since over $5000.00 of repairs on an American Honda lease. American Honda/Acura needs to approve the work order as well as inspect the final repairs before signing the insurance check.
Our Acura dealer does not do body shop nor collision repair. We originally used Acura TLC to tow it to our Acura dealer, where I got the crusty eye and mean brushoff that they do not do that kinda work here. so much for TLC. I was hoping to say, well, we had an accident, TLC got us a toe here . please take care of it, I'll pick it up in the morning. especially since it is their car. (lease) or just give me a new one, and take this "defective" one back.

I know I can and probably should just turn it back in. (36 month lease) but only 8 months in. I'd just like a brand new one (lease trade???). otherwise to me, I'm wasting the rest of the $$$ paid for the rest of the lease for a car I do not want to buy out due to the damage - but if not crashed and not a lemon we wanted to buy it out and keep it 10+ years. we only did the lease becuase we got a great deal and the money factor (equivelent % rate) was real low, especially for an Acura, it was lower than a new car loan. I was not going to pull money from investments making 4%-10%+ to pay cash for a car when I could lease it for less than 2%.

 

I don't understand. They're not going to just let you walk away from your lease due to an accident, unless it's totalled. Is that what you want them to do?

 

What he wants acura to do (correct me if I'm wrong) is to place him in a new TL, with the same lease terms for a one time payment of 1-3K so at the end of his lease term, he can buyout his leased car that has not been in an accident.

Essentially it is so he can buyout a car at the end of his lease that is factory and has not been in an accident.

 

Where did you come up with the 1-3k figure?

I guess I just don't see the point anyway. Even if they did go for this, his insurance still has to fix the car, then he takes a beating for early termination. It's just a waste of money. Who's to say the new car won't be involved in an accident down the road? As long as the work's done properly, there's nothing to worry about. Nothing's going to rust with new OEM parts and most good shops offer lifetime warranty on their repair work as long as you own it. The biggest thing is making sure nothing is overlooked.

 

Random guess from the OP's posts, and you are right, whats to say the other vehicle won't be in an accident.... I suggest to the OP once again to find a good bodyshop to do the work.

 

Right, that is the idea. not that I think honda/acura would. but that would be TLC (total Luxury Care) lease to me. especially since it is THEIR car.

 

You are probably closer to reality.
Not sure how much it would cost. but so far, we have only paid a little on this car so far since only 8 months. but to me paying another $314 a month for 28 months (the rest of the lease) is a waste for a car I will not buy. so how much to start over is the question, how much could I save it any at all. if it was Acura form 10-15 years ago, they would just make me happy and TLC me to death like they used to.

 

Well usually we have had good luck.
1995 Acura Integra SE - had it for 3 years, no accidents
1996 VW Jetta we had for two years. was a POS as they all are, but no accidents
1998 Acura Integra GS-R - still have it/had it for 10 years, no accidents
2000 Toyota MR2 Spyder - still have it/had it for 8 years, no accidents

 

You never know if it is done right. and from what I have seen, heard re-paint never lasts. sometimes 1 year, 3 years or 5 years. then rust developes.
Is insurance or the body shop going to fix it again. no, you are deaming if you think they will offer a warranty like that. because the truth is it will not. especiallyup here in salty winter roads Minnesota.
also, OEM? weill, both Honda/Acura & Insurance supports the yuse of "recycled" parts. meaning used, as long as OEM. which means stripping paint, etc. = future pealing and rust. unless brand new factory parts with factory primer. good luck on it lasting.

 

And more concerns:

1) tires flat spotted from her slamming on the brakes?

2) engine light was on right after the accident. fluid was lost. I think it was only radiator. I could not get the hood open to check levels. but one area looked more oil like and not usual green antifreeze color.
Does Acura use a non green antifreeze?
Does the 2008 TL with auto have an oil cooler mounted up front? like near the radiator?

also I heard that the lazy tow truck driver ran the car twice (very shortly) about 1 hour after the accident to move it a bit to get it out to be able to hook it up and again to back it into a resting spot.

so is the engine damaged from all of that? if it "seems to run ok" will they probably just give it back to us? then when out of warranty it needs to be rebuilt/replaced?

 

Yikes.. MN person here, where did the accident take place?

Was there any tailgating?

And I will agree MN winters are extremely harsh!.

 

You have to stop believing everything you hear and everything you read. I'm not dreaming; most reputable bodyshops will give you a lifetime warranty on their work. It WILL come in writing and WILL stand up in a court of law. And nobody is going to put used parts on an 8 month old vehicle, especially one that's leased.

Trust me, if you knew how bad the factory paint and clearcoat are on these cars, you wouldn't mind a front end re-paint. It will probably last longer and be less prone to chipping. Seriously, I'd be ecstatic if I smashed the front of my car tomorrow.

 

1. tires flatspot from sitting to long,
2. Oil light would have been on if oil leaked out, the TL uses a yellow/orange (?) coolant to my knowledge. No oil cooler to my knowledge, but the oil pan is right in the front.
3. There may have been damage to your motor, if there was no coolant, the parts may have expanded to the point where the motor seized, meaning big damage. As well, if you lost oil, by the time 1 hour was up, there would have been no oil, meaning the car was run without oil, meaning big damage too.

If the motor is damaged, you will know it from when you start it, or try to start it. I would tell your insurance company this info about the tow truck driver, and acura as well, because a tear-down of your motor may be in order to check for damage.

Reguarding the life-time warranties, they do exist, some lady hit my rear quarter panel, and I got it done by a reputable collision shop, handles benz and a few other manufacturers, but they gave out a warranty on the work, but explicitly said no warranty for rusting, as the anti-rusting agent is not able to be guaranteed after the repairs. The front of the car at least the bumper is plastic, so no worries about rust there. The hood, if you order it from honda/acura, will come unpainted, but with the rust treatment done to it. As well, the front fenders will come treated. You won't have to worry about rust.

As far as your other cars, the prep process is very much so important to painting, in the previous instances, with your old cars, the prep must have not been so good such as repainting over old paint without prepping it fully. If you do use a good shop, they will take care of it, also to further make sure that it is done right, ask when it will be in for paint, and ask to see if before it goes into the painting booth, ask the painter how it was prepped and look over and see if it was all done. This will not only guarantee good work, it will show the shop you mean business. I did that and got great results with previous cars.

 

the bodyshops will give you a lifetime guarantee, but only if they are good ones. As far a OEM paint goes, on the TL, it isn't the best since the EPA kicked honda's rear for the paint. the clear is much softer, and with a good painter and good materials, the job will be better or on par with the factory paint. Just inspect it once it's painted, for run-offs and other defects.

 

I think you are setting yourself up for big disappointment and big expense for very little reason. Everybody wants to get rid of their car after an accident. After finding out what it will cost them, most don't. Why on earth would Acura want to help you out? You took their brand new car and broke it.

It's really easy to find a bunch of haters that tell you awful stories about what they (think) they would do if they were you. You asked for information here and we have shared real life experience. In every instance you have told us we were wrong or didn't understand. It is your car, life and money. Best of luck in your decision.

 

Don't most Acura parts come pre painted? Like the bumpers and hoods? So I'd take it to an Acura dealership...get it done in their collision center...However the resale of that car will suffer since it's been in an accident. Most people stear clear of cars with accident records. Dealerships send them to auction because they cannot sell a previously wrecked car on their lots. Goodluck with whatever happens

 

First and foremost at least your wife made out ok. Second, if you have a qualified body shop (dealer or outside) do the work you shouldn't be able to tell anything evert happened. If it's done correctly. But, in your mind it will never be the same car. this happened to me with my 04 G35 Coupe. I had it for less then 48 hrs. and was on my way to work. I got t-boned on my passenger side door by a 74 Volkswagen Beetle. I was probably going 35-40 mph. It completely destroyed the passenger side door, the quarter panel and the rear wheel. After all was said and done it was $3,500 worth of damage. To a 2 day old car. The quality oif the repair work was A+, but in my mind it was never the same car again.

 

I did have it towed right to my Acura Dealer. they do not do body nor collision work. in fact, I don' think the others do either. not sure why.

and yes, most people do steer clear of used cars with damage records. I steer clear of all used cars because lots of times things are fixed off the records. as well as other things are done in some peoples cars that I don't want in my car. like their "DNA", someones blood, etc in the back seat or where ever. think abotu that next time you are looking at a used car.

also, I know a guy who goes to auctions buys cars, trucks, RVs, boats, trailers, etc on the very cheap. fixes a thing or two if needed, then he sells them from his house like it was his. so watch those private party sales.

 

We have had a few disapointments on the quality of this Acura TL over our past Japan made 1995 & 1998 Acura Integra's.
First, body panel seemsbigger adn a little off. the passenger side heater system was unplugged (or never plugged in) when we bought it back in November. the only way to pop the trunk is to use the remote, and to do so the car must be off. the button on the dash does nothing. when first waxing it, we noticed flaws and dirt in the paint in some hard to notice areas.

I don't want to sound like we do not liek this car, but Acura always had high standards that seem to fall off. or maybe it is with their american made models.
I was impressed with the power and the handling for such a large car (my MR2 Spyder weighs only 2100lbs). we do love the memory seats & dual climate, etc. and it is the best looking car in it's price range.

Honda will have to inspect this car since it is a lease and they ned to sign off the insurance check as well. they say over $1000 they want to see the work order. over $5000 they also need to inspect the car.

 

warranties:
1) Limited lifetime warranty is what I found around this area.
2) does not include rust. so as th epaint fails, and starts to rust. they will say "that was caused for mrust, not our paint & body work."

I'm asking for a copy of the estimate to see what is being repaired/replaced. as of today, they now have the parts and say will have it repaired by July 9th, but I wondering of the fenders will be only repaired as they were only pushed back a little. not damaged.

The worst thing so far is: being without our TL.
1) We got a free rental car for 5 days (coupon from when we leased our car from Luther) but they gave us a boring silver Ford Taurus with on A/C. no luxury at all. and god how horrible to have a frickin American car in our garage! we put it in very quickly and close the door as fast as possible. and she only drives it to work. I will not touch it nor ride in it. we turn it in Friday evening. My wife will be driving her old 1993 Toyota Corolla - her first new car - for the remainder of the repair time. at least it is a Toyota. but it is rusty, as it was hit 3 times while she owned it. no, not her fault, she was rear ended 2 times, and the 3rd time an old lady pulled out right into her drivers door. and all of those repaired places are rusting away while the rest of the car is not.
2) We are paying $317 a month for our lease TL and for 3 weeks of that month it is out of our hands.


after we get it back, the worst thing will be knowing we are paying for a car we do not want to keep.

 

[QUOTE=MR1]Why on earth would Acura want to help you out? You took their brand new car and broke it.

[QUOTE]


1) They should want to help us, because that would be TLC (Total Luxury Care).

2) Because we are "renting" it from them. their car getting damaged is the cost of them renting cars (lease being a fancy term for renting).
If you rent a room in a hotel and there is a leaking pipe, etc. they just move you to a new room. I want to be moved to a new car.

3) we did not wreck it. a psychotic lady in front of my wife (who was NOT tailgating her) paniced and slammed on her brakes. she was probably on her cell phone or texting for all we know. perhaps even on meds or had been drinking for all we know. so it is not our fault. but Minnesota has no fault, etc.

 

update on repairs:

From my wife who just got an update call:
me: the frame is bent. once bent it will bend even easier the next time. great, now it is a death trap.

 

1) All the shops I called around here at best give you a "Limited lifetime warranty" which does NOT include rust. then they say 3-5 years later: "that rust is the reason the paint is falling off, not our body work nor paint work."
I say really, why is the rest of the car that is still factory paint/body totally fine??? been there and done that with a 1985 MR2 & 1993 Corolla. and these were top shops. insurance does nothing about it either. I called them about it many years ago. they say, you pick the shop is our policy so you need to work it out with them.

2) as for "It WILL come in writing and WILL stand up in a court of law". lawyers are expensive! just because you have paper does not mean they have to obey it. With anything involving a contract, warranty, etc. You have to go to court = cost $$$, get a lawyer which cost $$$$$$$$$$$, then you have to win, then you need to be able to collect the money (or repair) which can cost more court time and more $$$ especially as you still need laywer $$$$$$$$$$.
You have to win in court, then you need to collect. and if they do not want to pay, you have to go after them for it, which costs even more.
Sueing people/companies is not as easy nor cheap as people think it is.

 

here is the estimate.
I cropped empty space & removed names, phone numers, etc.

First thing I noticed says the car is silver. it is White Diamond Pearl!!! I have no idea if the paint code is correct.

 

If you wanted to buy the car why would you lease it to begin with? Since you entered into a lease, you should be expecting to walk away in 3 years. Consider yourself lucky that you wrecked a brand new lease and not a brand new car that you're going to be forced to keep for 6 years just to sell for one or two grand below market value, even if it comes out of the shop in perfect condition, which it definitely should for what appear to be minor superficial damages.

 

front will be fine - trust me. You won't get hosed at the end of the lease to my knowledge.

REMEMBER to ask for "diminished value" check once repairs are complete just in case.

 

We leased it because it was the smartest way to "buy" it. leasing was the cheapest %rate. the lease rate was lower than the new car loan buy percentage rate.
and we did not pay cash because our savings is invested in things that return 4% to 10%+, so why take it out of there and buy a car for cash when we coudl lease it for under 1.8%? plus we have the easy return if it proves to be a lemon, etc. since this is an American mad e Acura, I had/have some concern of that.
So then after this very cheap lease, if the car proved to be good (which it should being an Acura) we were going to buy it out.
A lease is not always a bad thing if it is a good hot deal lease.

 

Here are photos I took the day after while waiting for the tow from Bloomington Acura to the body shop.

There are comments that I made (below the photos) if you watch the slideshow or view the fullsize photos

http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/m...aTL/?start=all

slide show: http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/m...view=slideshow

 

I looked over the estimate
I them on some questions:
1) They had the color as "silver" when it is pearl white. actually White Diamond Pearl to be exact. he corrected it during our phone call.
2) Also talking to him, he said they noted that the ABS & Brake lights are on. but since the body work has not started they can't check out what might or may not be wrong with the brakes. so could be more damage. longer repair time?
He also mentioned that the radiator is pushed back so far they can not see the cooling fans/fan blades. again they have to wait till they start taking it apart. again, might be more damage.
3) I also mentioned to him that my wife (who was driging it at teh time) had noticed after the accident that the check engine light was on and shut the engine off right away. so they also need to check that out. of course they have to repair the body and get the new radiator hooked up, etc to do any of that as well.

They said that everything is being replace with new OEM Honda/Acura parts because the car is so new.

 

ask who??? ( for "diminished value" check )
Honda/Acura?
Insurance?