klutch908

Hey guys,

I was hoping the day would never come to write about this, but here we are. Two nights ago I crashed my baby, an 05 TL base 6MT. Fortunately my girlfriend and I are ok thank God, she just has some whiplash cuz she was sleeping with no seat belt on and her airbags didn’t go off. I was going down the highway, doing the speed limit around 60 or 65mph and I was in the right lane. All of the sudden the right lane turned into an exit into a shopping plaza. There was no white line on the ground and I must’ve missed the sign for the exit. When I finally noticed the sharp right turn, I panicked, slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel but the car just kept going straight and I plowed into a tall curb, went over it and barely missed a concrete post that would’ve killed us probably. Called the cops and that was it. Got lucky I got no ticket. They towed the car to some collision shop nearby in North Brunswick, New Jersey. This is my first accident, and now, almost three days after I still cant stop thinking bout it. Scariest thing in my life let me tell ya

My car unfortunately, suffered a couple of bumps and bruises.



Heres the link to the pics

http://s1054.photobucket.com/albums/s493/alexstefan88/


From what I can see, the rim along with the tire are gone, the axle with the LCA is gone, the fender is dented in, side skirt is busted, bumper and lip are messed up, two side airbags are deployed (steering wheel airbag did not deploy) and it seems that the shock tower is bent outwards a bit. I called Flo from Progressive and she asked me about all the damage I can see and she said it was pretty much totaled which surprised me a bit. Now I do not know what to do, and I need your guys’ advice on suggestions on what to do next. From what I found out so far, there are three possible scenarios.

1. Car does not get totaled, insurance fixes it with OEM parts, I pay the $1000 deductible and then I have to replace all the aftermarket parts I had on there (shock, rim, tire, lip etc.). I get my car back with an accident in its history, which will diminish the value of the car in the future.

2. Car does get totaled, they pay me the market value for it, minus the $1000 deductible, they scrap the car and I go buy something different.

3. Car does get totaled, they pay me the market value for it, minus the $1000 deductible, I buy the car back for the amount they would have gotten from the scrap yard, and try to fix it myself by shopping around for a decent repair shop. It is possible that I have some money left from the check the insurance company gave to me for the car so I actually make money in this deal. The car will have to be registered with a salvaged/totaled title and if God forbid, I get in another bad accident, I get nothing for the car. Or if I don’t crash again and I decide to sell it, the resale value of the car is lower.

4. Car does get totaled, they pay me the market value for it, minus the $1000 deductible, I buy the car back for the amount they would have gotten from the scrap yard. Then I go buy ANOTHER 04-08 TL and use my old one for a parts/donor car. I would use the check I got from the insurance company as down payment and then I would have a car payment for a couple of months.
I prefer scenario number 4 because I don’t know if I would like a car that was damaged like that in the past and just patched it up to run again. Another reason would be that I always wanted an 07-08 with navigation and manual transmission, or a type-s. At the time I bought this car, I could not find a newer year or a type s for a good price.Insurance company said they will send an adjuster to look at it on Tuesday.


What I need from you guys are some suggestions on what I should do. This car has been my baby for the past three years and since I bought it stock, we have been thru a lot of things together. It is an ABP 05 6MT non navi. I bought it for 15k with 63xxx miles on it and when I crashed it had 88xxx miles on it. I bought it stock and since I bought it, I replaced a lot of stuff on it. Here’s the list

A-spec front lip
Roof spoiler,
Wing spoiler
Blue LED interior
Stoptech cross drilled/slotted front and rear rotors
Hawk HPS front pads
Motegi MR118 18’’ rims with Falken 912 tires
Blue gorilla safety locks
CAI with K&N filter
P2R Throttle body spacer
Optima yellow top battery
Tsudo catback exhaust
RV6 V3 j-pipe
Cleared/blacked out headlights with zkw lenses and LED switchbacks
Morimoto 50w HID system with 6500k bulbs for main headlights
DDM tuning 6000K fogs
Cleared/blacked out taillights
Smoked sidemarkers
20% tint in the back, 35% in front
Lowered on BWR coilovers, 1.8 inches in front, 1 inch in the back.
12 inch type r sub in sealed box with kenwood 1000 watt amp.

Viper 5902 2 way alarm with remote start

weathertech digital floor liners
footwell blue LEDs


Recently I replaced all the below with OEM:
Axles
Clutch master cylinder
Clutch slave cylinder and took out the check valve
Clutch with pressure plate and all bearings
Drive belt
Power steering o-ring
Spark plugs


The car runs perfectly with no noises, grinds or squeaks. it has two small bumps in the back bumper that i planned on fixing. there are also small rock chips and minor scratches here and there but nothing significant.


I want to total the car and buy a newer tl, with manual transmission and navigation, doesn’t necessarily have to be a Type S. What do you guys think my car is worth right now and how much should I expect from the insurance company for it? What do you think it would cost to fix? How much you think the insurance company would sell it back to me for if it were totaled? WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Thanks for reading my novel and I appreciate every feedback or advice.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Glad both came out in one piece and unhurt, but one item you overlooked is the probability of subframe damage, so take door number 2 and see if you can negotiate a higher value to get reimbursed for the "extras".

Guestimate, about $16000 minus the grand, $15k in your pocket if the car is paid off, if not minus that balance.

Making money on a total is not easy to do as the parts and labor will be costly, and storing the car to sell and/or remove parts is not worth the aggravation. The title will become a salvage title and the buyback is not cheap as they have a certain amount that the yard will pay for the car as its non negotiable. You can make a decision after they present the numbers and the storage of a vehicle that can't be moved is not very eye appealing unless you have a dedicated garage or space out of public view.

nj2pa2nc

Sorry about the accident but happy you are ok. I would wait until after your insurance makes their decisión. If you do not have accident forgiveness your insurance premium will go up for 3 Yrs. In the future all in your car should wear seatbelts.

gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

Glad everyone was OK, and hopefully this was a learning experience to wear seatbelts.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

safety belts are a must.



I hit a curb and incurred about $15k in damages.
both front and rear subframes were bent.

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

i'm with turbo on this one. it's the hidden damage that would make me hesitant to keep the car, subframe damage, suspension damage etc...how bad and will the car drive the same? from the pics it doesn't look horrible cosmetically, but the hidden mechanical damage... won't know until the car is broken down at a shop.

if you decide to take the money and run to a newer TL...just FYI...MT on a 3G TL only exisited for the 04-06 base and the 07-08 type-s (not base).

let the insurance do their thing and then narrow down your decision.

mrsimeon

Hey in jersey- get your car repaired at wreck o mend on freehold. The route 33 location.
High quality work- great care, the color match is perfect.
My first choice

Or ultimate collision
But ultimate is ver very expensive.
And they skimp out on some things if insurance starts to not cover certain discoverable damages that are not seen at first they want to skimp out on parts here and there.

I live in south Brunswick .

You probably do not have much damage and your car has good milage.

If you decide to sell it as is, it will sell- try to get 3500$- $5000 not repaired
The buy back from insurance company will be about $500-$1000-

Good luck.

flyromeo3

you definitely have front frame damage. Look at where the LCA bolts to subframe. Thats all bent.

If its "fixable" it may not drive straight.

pray for total. Last thing you need is to fight with your car for direction when traveling at 60mph.

klutch908

Thanks so much for your help so far guys. I'm waiting now until tomorrow when tHe insurance is going to look at it and I'm praying it will be totaled because i dont want to take my chance driving with a bent frame. From what I have listed above, what do you guys think my car should be worth? How much should I be expecting from the insurance company? And what do the insurance companies usually charge to buy the car back from them?

Again thanks for your help!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

if the subframe is bent, they can be easily swapped out for new ones.

now, if you have unibody damage, then it will get totaled for sure.

klutch908

I'm praying they total the damn thing. I was just looking around for other TL s and I stumbled around this one.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...nal&listType=1

Is the price a Lil too low or is it just me? And what front bumper is that?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

thats the type-s aspec body kit

EATSLEEPRACE

iTrader: (1)

How Many airbags deployed?

Based on my experience,there isn't 75% of damage of the value of the car....they are going to fix it.....
Sometimes if the insurance guy is lazy,they just claim the thing totaled....you be surprised how many lazy insurance estimators are out there....lol

TVL65

3 years ago I came off the GSP at regular speed in Union & hit a patch of oil while it was raining & slammed into a curb hard. Subframe was replaced & a bunch of front end parts, it never drove the same again. Always pulled to the right & front right tire would wer unevenly. The dealer would align & re-align it but it would go out again & again within a few hundred miles. Finally I brough it to a front end specialist & he installed an aftermarket ball joint for the front right tire, this adjustable and he was able to dial it in to factory specs. I still have some steering wheel play though. An 05' with that damage? Forget it & get it totaled, even if fixed it will never steer or handle the same, no doubt the subframe is bent. Take the Ins cash & run.

TVL65

Forgot to mention my damage was $8,500. Yours could be more.

klutch908

Ok so based on what everyone said, I should get this car totaled. I completely agree and I really hope the adjuster just looks at it and just says totaled. But just to make sure, is there anything I can say or anything I can do to make them total it? Or is it completely out of my control?

klutch908

so the insurance called back and they totaled the car. then they estimated the cars value to be at 13000 dollars before the accident which i think its a bit low. that minus my $1000 deductible, i would get $12000 for the car if i didnt want to keep it.
then i told them i want ti keep the car and they said i would only get back 7000 since the salvage value of the car apparently is 5000. Does that make any sense?

i wanted to buy a newer tl for around 20000 because i thought i would be able to get back around 10000 and keep the car.

Now im lost and have no idea what to do. I spent so much time and money to put into this car in the past 3 years that i dont feel like giving it all away for $5000. at the same time, i dont really have anywhere close to my house to store it and part it out.

So should i just take the 7000 check, keep the car, part it out on my own and buy a newer tl? or should i just let them have it and keep the $12000 check?

I would consider selling the car as it as a whole on my own but i dont think i could let it go for less than $7000. what do you guys think i could get for it if i sold it as is?

thanks for your help again.

EATSLEEPRACE

iTrader: (1)

Take the 12k and work with that....

Only way you will be able to make more than that is parting out the car....as a whole you will get around $3500 for it because it's already salvage,so it will be a process to get it on the road again...if it was a clean tittle you would get 4500 for it

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Had to laugh when an earlier post stated you could buy the car back for $500-$1000 as the ins. companies have contracts with yards that pay them a predetermined amount, regardless of the condition, so the $5G is not unreasonable.

Depending on the condition of the vehicle, I would try and negotiate for additional monies. Print out the KBB value, go to AutoTrader and print the ads for '05 TL's, same mileage, same equipment, and show them the cost for the additional items that were purchased. Give it a try, but bottom line, I'd certainly take the final offer before having a $5000 junker at the house, or even in my garage.

Redsand353

This same car has been listed for a few months now. I considered taking a look at it before I purchased mine. But, too many miles and I dont feel comfortable buying from small dealers...but thats just me.

looks clean tho

klutch908

Thanks for the responses guys. Im gonna keep it safe and just take the $12000, give them the car and call it a day. Now i have to go hand them over the title at the insurance office and pick up my check. i asked my agent if i can go back to the car and get my belongings and what not before they take it away, and she said yes of course. But now im thinking about all the things i put on that car recently that are brand new so i was thinking just taking them off and keeping them for the new car. Im thinking about taking the yellow top battery and swapping it with a shitty one, removing the window visors that i put on, taking the sub and amp, taking the brand new wipers, taking the i simple. these are all accessories to the car that i put on so do you think somebody is gonna tell me i cant do that? my biggest goal would be to switch the rims with the OEM ones and keeping my motegis. what do you guys think? how much can i take before i get screamed at?

Redsand353

ive heard of people getting in trouble for shit like that.....but if i were you i would still try lol

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^take your shit.


you'd be a fool not to