pRAnG!

[nomorevw]

My poor LEAF (Kirby) was involved in a disagreement with a Lexus es340 yesterday. Kirby was doing 40MPH and tboned the lexus that was also doing about 40 mph. For that kind of accident it went swimmingly. The 3 people in the LEAF were unhurt, as was the one occupant of the Lexus. I was thoroughly impressed with how well the LEAF absorbed the impact without any noticeable damage to the cabin.

Has anyone else experienced damage to this extent and does anyone have any advice regarding working with the insurance company? Though the body shop that has the car has experience with the LEAF, they suggested that they hadn't before worked on one with this much damage.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwfc/8142768110/

 

[mwalsh]

Your image link got truncated. Here you go:

 

[rcyoder]

Has anyone else experienced damage to this extent and does anyone have any advice regarding working with the insurance company? Though the body shop that has the car has experience with the LEAF, they suggested that they hadn't before worked on one with this much damage.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwfc/8142768110/

Ouch. Sorry to see this.

Those headlights are about $1K each to replace (yes, I have replaced one...). Working with insurance totally depends on your insurance company. I have nothing but praise for AAA when I've worked with them. They will help step you through the process if they are any good.

Actually getting your car fixed right is entirely based on the quality of the repair shop. If you know the shop and trust them, it really is just another car (unibody construction). I think that the main issue with the lack of experience is that they will not be able to be terribly precise in their initial estimate - so they are more likely to pull up additional things to repair when they do the tear-down.

If you don't know the shop, ask your friends for recommendations and or visit a few and see if you can get a peek at the cars waiting to be fixed to get some clues as to what kinds of cars their customers get fixed there. (It's not a perfect gauge - but I would take greater comfort in seeing more expensive vehicles in the back lot.) As a last resort look at Yelp - people mostly vent when things suck and don't tend to give the old two thumbs up with things are great.

 

[RegGuheert]

...it really is just another car (unibody construction).

...except for the fact that there are important restrictions on how the paint is baked that can lead to the requirement to have the battery removed and stored, possibly at a significant expense.

 

[mwalsh]

...it really is just another car (unibody construction).

...except for the fact that there are important restrictions on how the paint is baked that can lead to the requirement to have the battery removed and stored, possibly at a significant expense.

I can't see the other fender, of course. Nor can I see damage on the one I can see. It could just be a new hood, charge port cover, and bumper cover that need paint. But even if it's the fenders too, those are all parts that could be painted off the car, if need be.

 

[EvaLeaf]

I have no adivce to add, just want to say I am so sorry about Kirby! Poor guy.

Glad to hear there were no injuries to passengers, though must have been traumatic I imagine!

 

[TonyWilliams]

LEAF Paint Manual

http://www.belardolights.com/img/leaf/2011_Nissan_LEAF_Body_and_Paint.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


When a paint booth is used at the body shop, to prevent Li-ion Battery
deterioration, ensure the paint booth temperature is controlled to 140F (60C) or less
when measured at the vehicle’s outer sill (See A below). If the paint booth temperature
is more than 140F (60C), have the Li-ion Battery removed from the vehicle by the
certified EV dealer and then deliver the vehicle to body shop. Failure to remove the Li-
ion Battery prior to subjecting it to temperatures above 140F (60C) could....

I also recommend removing the Clarion Nav unit.

 

[nomorevw]

Thanks for the info!

It was interesting that the firefighters, police officers, or towing people that were on the scene had not been given any info regarding EVs.

 

[nomorevw]

First quote came back from the repair shop.. they weren’t considering any special treatment of the car when it came to painting so thanks for that… Also, there was no mention of any of the electronics in the front. I was concerned that the charger itself may be damaged, the inverter (isn’t that up front) and any wiring in general.

The shop wanted to charge the battery this morning but from what I remember the dashboard didn’t display any state of charge, or any of the capacity bars so I’m assuming something was crushed or a safety mechanism kicked in and disabled the battery.

They are at $13k so far and I’m concerned that the number will grow as they start dismantling and find more.. Is anyone aware of any other high price items that live under the hood?

 

[surfingslovak]

Is anyone aware of any other high price items that live under the hood?

The DC to DC inverter is about $2K with installation. The CHAdeMO port up front is about $700, but that's likely included in the quote along with new headlights? Believe or not, there is a radiator and fan in there as well. Aside from the motor, which is likely unharmed, nothing else would stand out. There were similar reports of frontal collisions, and you might want to look them up (if you haven't already):

Nissan LEAF wreck May 2012