totaled leaf with good battery

Sorry if this is the wrong part of the Forum.

My 2015 Leaf was rear ended and totaled. Sucks for me but could be good for anyone looking for parts. The insurance company took it and it is going to a salvage auction. It had a 12 bar battery (you can barely see it in the picture of the odometer). If you need a battery or any parts other than a hatchback or tail lights this will be a good doner. It has quick charge.


https://www.iaai.com/Vehicle?itemID=26630366&RowNumber=11&loadRecent=True

Good luck

They claim that it has a cash value of $7,700. Does that mean that this is all they offered you?

Can you replace the car for $7,700 including taxes, fees etc?

If not, I'd go back to them and let them know to make you "whole again" they need to give you enough to replace the car.

A friend of mine had the same, a 2013 SV was totaled and it wasn't his fault (so no deductible on his side). He looked across the state and he hasn't been able to find a replacement within $2000 of the offer they gave him for his car. He has rejected their first offer and gave them a list of comparable of cars in that age.condition that he has been looking through. Why should the innocent party in a accident be left without a car and then given, NOT EVEN close the monies needed to cover a replacement.. unless I'm just naive ?

proepro said:

Sorry if this is the wrong part of the Forum.

My 2015 Leaf was rear ended and totaled. Sucks for me but could be good for anyone looking for parts. The insurance company took it and it is going to a salvage auction. It had a 12 bar battery (you can barely see it in the picture of the odometer). If you need a battery or any parts other than a hatchback or tail lights this will be a good doner. It has quick charge.


https://www.iaai.com/Vehicle?itemID=26630366&RowNumber=11&loadRecent=True

Good luck

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I am sorry you are going through this. I hope you don't end up losing too much. Don't be afraid to play hardball with their adjuster to get a reasonable settlement. I find it really interesting that the other driver's insurance company is American Family. I had to fight hard with American Family in a similar situation 3 years ago. They declared my 2011 a total loss because they thought it would be cheaper for them than repairing it (it had significantly more damage than yours, but was still technically repairable). Their initial offer was ridiculously low so I declined it. Then they immediately cut off reimbursement for the rental car because they offered to settle and I had the nerve to decline. The "comparables" they used for their valuation either did not exist or were not nearly equivalent to my SL with a new battery. I argued with them for well over a month until I finally got some compensation for the options my car had, the new battery, and the tools I lost because they were trapped in the crumpled sheet metal.

Thanks

The car was leased. They sent Nissan a check for ~$11,000 which is much more than it would have cost for me to buy it but it is paid off. What I am fighting them for is the new tires that were only 9 days old. They claim they were part of the price they gave Nissan.

I wish I had just bought it and gotten the check from them but Nissan wouldn't me do that.

If the body hadn't of been dented behind the hatchback it would have been repairable. It was a case of getting hit at 5mph by a lifted pick up. The bumper hit my back window instead of my bumper.

I hope it can be a good source of a cheap battery for someone.

Well, good and bad news then. Good that it was still under lease, bad that you had invested just before it was in the accident.

proepro said:

Thanks

The car was leased. They sent Nissan a check for ~$11,000 which is much more than it would have cost for me to buy it but it is paid off. What I am fighting them for is the new tires that were only 9 days old. They claim they were part of the price they gave Nissan.

I wish I had just bought it and gotten the check from them but Nissan wouldn't me do that.

If the body hadn't of been dented behind the hatchback it would have been repairable. It was a case of getting hit at 5mph by a lifted pick up. The bumper hit my back window instead of my bumper.

I hope it can be a good source of a cheap battery for someone.

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That is one of the down-sides of a lease. You are putting money into a car you don't own. Any down-payments, or other money put into the car, are lost if it gets totaled. Nissan received the whole payout, since they owned the car. You would have to go to NMAC to get your money for the tires, and it is doubtful they will do anything for you. Unless you have access to the vehicle to swap or remove the tires, that money is gone.

proepro said:

...I hope it can be a good source of a cheap battery for someone.

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Could be more valuable as a base for modification.

A number of forum members have expressed interest in doing a LEAF/pickup build over the years.

As far as you know, was there any significant damage other than that visible in the photos?

It drives fine, with only the open door warning on the dash?

Poor timing and too distant for my needs, but I will try to watch the auction.

Thanks for posting.

I find it really, really hard to believe that an auction place paid $7k

edatoakrun said:

proepro said:

...I hope it can be a good source of a cheap battery for someone.

Click to expand...

Could be more valuable as a base for modification.

A number of forum members have expressed interest in doing a LEAF/pickup build over the years.

As far as you know, was there any significant damage other than that visible in the photos?

It drives fine, with only the open door warning on the dash?

Poor timing and too distant for my needs, but I will try to watch the auction.

Thanks for posting.

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For anyone planning to buy one with rear damage to make into a small pickup, make sure you look at the car carefully. My 2011 had more damage that the OP' car and it was still technically repairable. I drove it out of the intersection with no issues so when American Family declared it a total loss, I strongly considered buying it back to convert to a small pickup. Unfortunately, the insurance company storage yard trashed it. When I went to look at it, there was grease and dirt throughout the interior and there was front end damage from moving it by forklift. It did still turn on, but I could not tell whether the forks from the forklift had damaged anything under the car. Therefore, I gave up the plan to make a truck.

SageBrush said:

I find it really, really hard to believe that an auction place paid $7k

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I don't think they buy them they sell them at market and take a fee on the sale and pay the seller the final sale price.

They have written the car off for such a small damage?

This was not a problem situation. The OP was renting the car and did not get "bitten" by the collision.

No complaints on tires... Tires are only $400

There was nothing to be done to make the lessee "whole again"....

Kristis said:

They have written the car off for such a small damage?

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I was thinking the same thing. A new liftgate, new bumper cover, and new taillights and you've got a car that's in great shape.

aarond12 said:

Kristis said:

They have written the car off for such a small damage?

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I was thinking the same thing. A new liftgate, new bumper cover, and new taillights and you've got a car that's in great shape.

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yep, a major part of the insurance industry is the auctioning off the cars they took off you.

I t does not show in the pictures but the frame is bent under the hatch. If it was only bolt on parts it would not have been totaled. It will take some pulling to get it to match back up and then it might not seal well.

The hatch will not shut.

Everything ahead of there is good.

DuncanCunningham said:

aarond12 said:

Kristis said:

They have written the car off for such a small damage?

Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing. A new liftgate, new bumper cover, and new taillights and you've got a car that's in great shape.

Click to expand...

yep, a major part of the insurance industry is the auctioning off the cars they took off you.

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What would you have them do with the totaled cars ?

SageBrush said:

DuncanCunningham said:

aarond12 said:

I was thinking the same thing. A new liftgate, new bumper cover, and new taillights and you've got a car that's in great shape.

Click to expand...

yep, a major part of the insurance industry is the auctioning off the cars they took off you.

Click to expand...

What would you have them do with the totaled cars ?

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I think the issue here is that nowadays, the insurance companies may be finding it more profitable to total a car, hand you a check, and send the car to auction. There is no shortage of people buying at auction, and the insurance company save themselves from spending a lot of time, aggravation, and money to fix a damaged car.

I truly think that our society has reached the point that a car is a disposable item. Just like TVs, stereos, and other products, it is not worth it to fix them, but just buy a new one....

powersurge said:

SageBrush said:

DuncanCunningham said:

yep, a major part of the insurance industry is the auctioning off the cars they took off you.

Click to expand...

What would you have them do with the totaled cars ?

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I think the issue here is that nowadays, the insurance companies may be finding it more profitable to total a car, hand you a check, and send the car to auction.

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Some evidence to support your conspiracy theory would be most welcome. Keep in mind that owners reserve the right to take compensation and keep the car.

And when was the last time you read of the multitudes of people being forced to total their cars ? All I read are reports of owners demanding that the car be totaled and the insurance company putting up a fight.

SageBrush said:

powersurge said:

SageBrush said:

What would you have them do with the totaled cars ?

Click to expand...

I think the issue here is that nowadays, the insurance companies may be finding it more profitable to total a car, hand you a check, and send the car to auction.

Click to expand...

Some evidence to support your conspiracy theory would be most welcome. Keep in mind that owners reserve the right to take compensation and keep the car.

And when was the last time you read of the multitudes of people being forced to total their cars ? All I read are reports of owners demanding that the car be totaled and the insurance company putting up a fight.

Click to expand...

No conspiracy theory, just facts that I've learned from friends and family when their car has been damaged in a accident by another driver and their car is taken to a lot and then, very quickly usually within a week, a low ball amount is offered for their car that would never cover the cost of replacing the car with a like year and condition in their area. A couple of these events the car has had additional damage taken during the process of transport from the accident scene to the lot and even parts removed and "lost". Depending upon the weather the car is left uncovered and more damage is done.

here is a our story. Car is rear ended. Damaged is assessed, bumper is replaced, car back to us. We've out nothing other than having to get it repaired.

others stories, car damaged and taken away, low ball offered. you can either take the car back and try and repair it yourself and have the car labelled salvage or take the amount offered and be out more than the cost to replace it. if you reject their offer they leave you hanging without a rental car and not word on a fair amount to get you back in a car of similar age and condition. this issue is mostly a problem for Leaf owners though. if all you want is another leaf, then you have limited options if the pricing in the local area is fluctuating.

I sense from your replies that you want to get into a thread back and forth about who is right etc etc, you've responded twice in this manner. this will be my last word on the matter. I'm not saying Im right, I'm saying "I've found". this is my brief on it.

SageBrush said:

powersurge said:

SageBrush said:

What would you have them do with the totaled cars ?

Click to expand...

I think the issue here is that nowadays, the insurance companies may be finding it more profitable to total a car, hand you a check, and send the car to auction.

Click to expand...

Some evidence to support your conspiracy theory would be most welcome. Keep in mind that owners reserve the right to take compensation and keep the car.

And when was the last time you read of the multitudes of people being forced to total their cars ? All I read are reports of owners demanding that the car be totaled and the insurance company putting up a fight.

Click to expand...

No conspiracy theory here. Just business on the part of the insurance companies.... Especially with EVs.

I think Leafs and other EVs have been targeted to be totaled a lot more than regular cars due to the potential of rapidly swelling repair costs after the repairs have been started. Then the insurance suddenly is on the hook for a skyrocketing repair bill.

I have seen Teslas be totaled just for going over a rock and having undercarriage damage..