Nissan LEAF wreck May 2012

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J

jcodeglia

Active member
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
35
Hey there fellow LEAF owners, or enthusiasts, etc...

I've had my black Nissan Leaf since June 2011. In May 2012 I was in an accident. I'm fine, thanks, but my poor LEAF was nearly destroyed. This body shop wanted to total it and get me a new car. But insurance insisted it be repaired, so it was. It took two whole months! It was an interesting project for the dealership and for the body shop because they had never worked on such a damaged LEAF before. Any more damage than this, and it would have been totaled instead of repaired. The job cost the other insurance company $20,000, plus my $3,000 Prius rental. Since I wasn't at fault, I didn't pay a dime (except for gas for the Prius, but I'll let that one go - I'm a nice guy).

Anyway HERE are pictures from the body shop. I thought you might enjoy seeing some LEAF guts.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.853919117439.2194784.35802704&type=3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

-James
 
Put the pics on PhotoBucket site and paste PB's "img-img" link here to show them directly. I can't see them right now. (No FB account...) Don't know about the others who want to see them.
 
ILETRIC said:
Put the pics on PhotoBucket site and paste PB's "img-img" link here to show them directly. I can't see them right now. (No FB account...) Don't know about the others who want to see them.
Click to expand...
I don't know about you, but I like the last one best!

leafaccident1


leafaccident2


leafaccident3


leafaccident4


leafaccident5


leafaccident6


leafaccident7


leafaccident8


leafaccident9


leafaccident10


leafaccident11
1
 
Glad you were okay and the repair worked out....

Good picture of the VSP/Backup/Charging beeper device on the drivers side by the wheel....
 
Spare parts are available after all. About time. I thought the shops could not get any. Good to see the supply line open for business.
Whoever designed this thing, hats off. It just boggles mind.
 
I had a Miata that was less than a year old. It had the same kind of damage too. The repair was beautiful. Afterwards the car drove just like new. We finally sold it several years later because we needed room for the baby's seat. Done right, these repair shops can be amazing. After so many horror stories it was such a pleasant surprise to get a high quality repair.
 
Thanks for sharing the pictures and experience. I too agree that $20,000 for that type of repair sounds excessively high - but I guess that's what we get for having such a new car and no available spare parts.

I sure hope I never get into an accident with the LEAF.
 
cdub said:
Wouldn't they just total it if it's $20k in repairs?
Click to expand...

This was my thought as well. :?:

As to why it cost so much: Headlights were $1000 each and airbags deploying are around $1000 each also. So assuming that both headlights had to be replaced and that both from airbags deployed you are looking at $4000 just for parts. But still, $20k is a lot.
 
cdub said:
Wouldn't they just total it if it's $20k in repairs?
Click to expand...
They'll run pretty close to the edge before they total it. Also, depending on his coverage, they might have been on the hook for replacement value on a car this new.
 
jcodeglia said:
Hey there fellow LEAF owners, or enthusiasts, etc...

I've had my black Nissan Leaf since June 2011. In May 2012 I was in an accident. I'm fine, thanks, but my poor LEAF was nearly destroyed. This body shop wanted to total it and get me a new car. But insurance insisted it be repaired, so it was. It took two whole months! It was an interesting project for the dealership and for the body shop because they had never worked on such a damaged LEAF before. Any more damage than this, and it would have been totaled instead of repaired. The job cost the other insurance company $20,000, plus my $3,000 Prius rental. Since I wasn't at fault, I didn't pay a dime (except for gas for the Prius, but I'll let that one go - I'm a nice guy).

Anyway HERE are pictures from the body shop. I thought you might enjoy seeing some LEAF guts.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.853919117439.2194784.35802704&type=3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

-James
Click to expand...

what did they charge to remove, store and reinstall the battery?
 
The airbags didn't go off since I was traveling under 30 mph, so that didn't add to the cost. I'll have to look at the repair's breakdown and give you guys some specifics. But the whole front was T-boned, so the front was askew even though only one body panel was struck. I think they replaced nearly every part under the hood. And remember, this is the "business end" of the car. Lots of neat, brand-new, expensive stuff in there!

I'll go look for the repair cost breakdown....
 
suzywillow said:
$20,000 for repairs, how was this not deemed a total loss?
Click to expand...
Joulee3 was :(
Although I'm kinda happy to have a fresh battery in a new 2012 now... and netted some cash along the way.. and a much cheaper monthly lease price.. so I guess I don't miss Joulee all that much... But yeah, the damage on Joulee3 wasn't all that different from this car and they opted to total it.
 
suzywillow said:
$20,000 for repairs, how was this not deemed a total loss?
Click to expand...
Insurance companies don't use the logic you or I would. For them, if it saves them even a few bucks over totaling it, they'll insist on the repair. After all it's not their headache if the car is never quite right, or you have to go without it for a few months. My son wrecked my 2005 Prius when it was less than a year old. The insurance company spent approx $21k fixing it. I was hopping mad that they didn't total it at the time. As it turns out, the car has been one of the best I've ever owned. I still own it with >140,000 miles on it. The traction battery was replaced under warranty just shy of the end of the warranty period, so I'm hoping it will last my kids a good long time.
 

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