Below are some pictures of the baby after a up-close and personal encounter with a guard rail on I-69.
I took them 1/2 an hour after the accident, note the weather in the background...





I should hear from the shop later on today, so I will let you guys know what is the damage verdict. Of what I can tell the front suspension (possibly a shock or a link rod) is damaged and front and rear quarter need to be replaced. Front is not a problem, but the rear is a continuous piece through the majority of the car. We will see...

Has anyone had similar body damage before?

 

Holy ****...THAT's gonna be expensive. Good luck mang!

 

Ive had damage like that but not to my maxima. I hope that the damages are not that much. Does insurance cover it?

 

if you look at the bright side... youll probably get a full body paint job cause of that

glad to see your ok though...
goodluck,

Ant

 

No, I was too cheap to get full coverage.
But yeah, I am glad I am allright too. It was a close one. Wet snow came down very heavy and the night before I dropped the car off at a local Nissan to change the chrome rims back to stock. I picked it up and was heading to work on the interstate. I was going 60-65 (but so was everyone else). I slowly passed 2 semis and was gradually changing lanes. But in between lanes where noone drives, that wet snow accumulated and I hydroplaned, spun around in a 180 and hit the guard rail with my side, going backwards. Luckilly I just slid down the rail and didn't bounce off into the highway 'cause the semis were just passing me. They were probably like: "Holy Sh*t!"

I guess I can consider myself lucky.

I drove it off the highway before somebody else flies off and hits me, but the front wheel is sitting at a slight angle, so you can't safely go more than 30-40MPH.

 

omg Glad you were ok, and hope insurance covers that bish! Its gonna be $$$. Goodluck and drive safe..

 

that sucks.... at least u r ok

 

holy moly....first you're gone for so long... i thought you died or something, and now this... i'll tell you right now that the rear quarter panel is unfixable, you're gonna have to get a whole clip and replace it... make sure that the suspension is fixed right too...don't be cheap with it because you will always see a difference..... you're looking at a few grand.....good to hear you're ok though.....
btw: how many miles you got on the car??? It might be a total loss if your miles are high...

 

is it just me, or do maxima's suck in the snow moreso than other sedans? i've had my tail end slide out on the highway before, but forutunately no damage.

 

get better tires?

 

That's the problem. You gotta remember that at least 95% of the other people on the road are ****ing idiots who couldn't drive their way out of a paper bag.

Around here people slow to a CRAWL in the rain and when snow first starts, then drive 110mph on 3 feet of slush over black ice. I go from the fastest car on the road to the slowest...gotta drive for the conditions.

 

The car has about 140K. How much do you think I cen get for it as is?

By the way, how is your leg after your stunt?

 

damn that really sucks. the damage is bad. i think thats an easy 3k right there.

 

I'm guessing $8K. You need doors, panels, lights, paint suspension, etc.

 

since you got 140K i can tell you right now that it's probably gonna get totalled.....that stinks.....you can probably buy it back though if you want...

my stunt?? actually it's my hand...i'm out of the cast but i'm going back in a week because something's wrong...they might have to break it again...
i have more problems with my back though...ripped disk and water built up around it or something....3 months of physical therapy....

 

damm man dat sucks,but at least you ok , what kinda tires do you have?

 

Wow sorry to see that...but I like your attitude..seem more glad your ok..then worrying about your car. Car can be replaced u cant.......just make sure you get another maxima to replace her

 

last christmas, we got hit with this major f'ing snowstorm. I had to (very important: had) to drive 20 miles and pick someone up. I got there fine, but coming home i got run off the road by some jerkoff in a plow. I spun around 2 times and was flying towards the guardrail. By the time i got to the guardrail i slowed down to the point that i wasn't sliding outta control, but i just kissed the rail. There's a slight scratch on the car, but no one can notice it but me. Point of the story: Snow sucks ***.

Sorrry to hear what happened to your car. I hate to say it, but hopefully they'll total it so you don't have to pay that much to fix it.



2 things:
1. tires.
2. the knowledge of how to drive in the snow. face it: you could drive something that's 4wd with ABS, traction control, etc, etc.... you're still going to slide at some point. You have to know how to control the car once it happens. When i had my old tempo my friends and i use to pull the e-brake in parking lots during snowstorms. Besides doing figure eights and 180s, we did this thing where i would get the car up to like 25-40 mph and someone would randomly pull the e-brake (in a parking lot, of course) and i would ry to keep the car as straight as possible. Now, if i'm on the road and i start to slide or lose traction, i can control the car well enough that i don't wreck. I think that's why i only kissed the guardrail instead of eating it.

 

Guys, Thanks for all your input and concern.
Sam, sorry, I thought it was your leg that you broke. That sucks about your back. Hope you get better after therapy. What do you mean: ".....you can probably buy it back though if you want..."? Buy it back from who?


$3K, $8K to fix it...?! I am hoping to stay under 2K.
I don't have any close friends that own body shops. The closest I got is a friend of a friend that runs one. That is where I took it.

As far as the parts go, my best friend in Poland owns a import business for car and jet ski parts. He supplies auto and watersport shops in the country and is a direct distributor for a couple companies, so I will get all the needed parts (with the exception of the rear quarter) at cost. If guys need some parts, let me know and we will see what he can find.

So far I found out that the front suspension needs a few parts, knuckle, the shock are broke. They will try to find some used parts. Rear just seems to be out of allignment.

I will keep updating as the news come in.

Again thanks for the support

 

Woo! Thats bad Bro. Glad ur ok though but you are looking at way more than 3K. Hate to tell u that but I was hit nroadside by a s-10 and it damaged the rear driver door and the back bumper and it was $3K. They had to cut the car in half and fix the back portion and then weld the car back together for me, but you mioght be looking at slightly more. good Luck bro.

 

O, an make sure that the shop does a full alignment because if the accident didnt knock it out, the repair will.

 

To make it legally drivable, but ugly, maybe about 500-1000 if you do it yourself. (assuming dealer headlight, taillight and suspension parts)

To make it look good, a bodyshop will need to do the rear (cut/weld new panel in?). You'd be amazed how the labor adds up. An ins co would prolly total it - I'd say 6-7k. You don't have collision coverage?

 

When a car gets totaled, your insurance company gives you get a check for your covered amount. If you want to keep the car they deduct a certain amount they would get from whoever they use for disposal, like say $400-$500 dollars to the wrecker they sell it to. (In essence 'you' are "buying the car back" instead of them selling it to a wrecker) Since you don't have coverage, this doesn't apply to you.

 

i've had similar body damage and my car was totalled. Glad u ok. Dam, look at those well built dc clears even after a mess up like this they still in one piece

 

sorry to see that , but gald you are ok,

I had the same exact accident last winter - spun around 360 deg
and hit the concrete highway divider.

my insurance(USAA)paid over 7K to local thiefs body shop(Gerber network) to get it fixed
the car was an inch from beeing scraped , 97 SE loaded with 105k )
there was no frame damage but labor and paint cost $$$

now i'm mad that the car wasn't scraped - once it's been in accident its never the same.

good luck with your insurance and demand to have it totalled

Nick

 

Holy Crap! that totally sucks man, it brings a tear to my eye to see a Maxima like that. I'm glad you are ok though. I had a run in with a gaurdrail too but mine was pretty minor, but it still costed me 2 grand to fix her. Good luck man i hope it turns out alright for ya.


97 MAXIMA SE

 

i just did the same thing to my max. 3 weeks ago. bill came to 2,400: repainted front bumper, new fender + paint, fixed and repainted both doors, bent out rear 1/4 panel/fixed it with new paint. i didn't pay a penny because i know the bodyshop and they 'ate' up my deductable.

you have probably another 1000k because more is going to have to be replaced and your suspension has the potential to be messed up. good luck.

 

when you get the rear quarter panel fixed, the dont rip out the entire section. they cut out half way up the rear pillar and somwhere down on the bototm. then they weld a new piece on (if you are getting a salvage piece). you can see the weld when you open the door but the exterior should be flawless.

 

OK fellas,
To fix the suspension (front and rear) $570
Cosmetic repairs $2800

I know the dude at the shop is doing me right too.

What would you guys do???

I am thinking:
1. Fix the suspension and make it drivable
2. Change the front 1/4 (they are only a $100)
3. Put in new lights (front and rear)

later on:
4. Fix the doors

In the meantime I am planning on taking a hammer and some other tools I find and beat the rear 1/4 out from the inside of the trunk. This is certainly the most expensive part of the repairs, so I will see what I can do myself and maybe it won't look too horrific.

I can't afford to do it all at once, especially not this time of the year. SO I will do it little by little. I like the car and am planning on keeping it for a while. Especially that I wouldn't get sh*t for it right now.

What would you all do if you were in my shoes???

 

Keep in mind the car has 140K miles, but in great shape (before the rail kiss).
Would you sell it or fix it?
How much could I get for it now?

 

Dam that sucks. Didn't snow here in south bend. It just rained all day. I would repair the car to make it drivable fix suspension and front quarter. I would check the junkyards for doors and quarter panels first. If not, how much are thinking of selling the car for, I might have a friend intrested. Nick

 

Hey Torgus, How bad was your rear 1/4? This thing costs a lot of money to cut out and replace, so I would much rather pull the dents out. Any suggestions on how to go about that?

 

I don't have a clue how much is it worth since it got beat up. If it was before the wreck, I wouldn't let it go for less than 6.5K. It is a 98 GLE after all.
If I got around 5K for it I would consider letting it go, but otherwise fix it and keep drivind for another 100K - it runs like a dream (or it used to, lol).

 

wow. that does look rough.
From a yard if you cut the back quarter its about 100.00, 60.00 a fender, body fill those doors urself and ur lookin around 1000.00 after paint n stuff.
you wont get **** from it if you sell it outright.. imo.

 

You should probably fix it up.

You won't be able to got $5K for it as-is.

You like the car and you know that it's been running like a champ.

It's fairly high miles and a typical buyer might be put off by that. But you know that it still runs great. Your car is still nice enough and new enough to fix up.

 

just fyi if the rear is out of alignment the only way to fix it is to have the frame pulled or replace the bent parts in the rear suspension. if you need help replaceing the parts in the front let me know what you need replaced only takes about 2 hours,a nd thats if you take your time.

 

There are car driving courses that specialize in sliding and skidding in emergency situations. They take you on a large lot coated with oil or some other sliding material. Anyway, one of the things they teach is when you feel you start sliding, never focus/ look at an obstacle, cause that is where you are leading the vehicule, realize it or not. Instead, focus on a clear path free of obstacles.
Easy said, but a bit harder to practice. Requires having cool nerves....

 

Guys,
Thanks for the constructive criticism, but this one was not a matter of a poor driver behind the wheel. I have been driving accident free for over 10 years. I am used to city, off road, Europe (crazy driving there) and other whacky conditions. Yes, I realize majority of you can probably say the same, but this was one of those times where 99 out of 100 times nothing would have happened. This .001 time it did. Once my wheels touched the lane divider it was over. There was no regaining control after that.
It was 100% my fault though. 2 things that contributed:
- all season tires (don't work in the snowy winter)
- slightly excessive speed. I was going 60-65 and I should have kept it under 60

But I do agree. All drivers should find an open lot during a bad weather and do everything one wouldn't do on the street, just to see how the car reacts and what you can do to get out of a jam. I think it should be a part of driving exam.

 

OK, everyone. The baby is fixed! I am about to make a new thread about it 'cause you won't believe this s**t.
It will be titled "My baby is fixed, read this!"
see ya!

 

so he's alive....

good to see you back maciek....