Had an unfortunate incident with a poorly placed median late on a wet Xmas eve this past holiday. Came through a kink in the road at a t intersection and the street light hid the location of the median until I was halfway through... ;( I wasn't able to avoid it and took out both left wheels, tires, and front left suspension. Now as soon as i got out, the exterior looked ok, but my door closed with an audible thud not present before the incident. In comparing panel gaps, the door is out of alignment, as is the fender (hood/fender is larger than it used to be, door/fender is off at a slant, and the doors' chrome trim no longer aligns). At first the shop didn't even notice, as when they called to give me a rough estimate of needed repairs, they only mentioned the wheels, tires and suspension. When i brought the thud up, they're comment was "oh... Really? We'll take another look in the morning". They didn't call back for 5 days (New Years weekend), and i had to call them. They said they were waiting on all the suspension parts before starting repairs. When i asked about the body panels, they said they just needed to be adjusted. They said they'd call if they ran into anything else... I'm expecting they're gonna be calling. Thoughts? Max is a lease... So if they repair it, I'll be going over it with a fine tooth comb, as there wasn't a thing wrong prior aside from a few door dings. First claim that was my fault in almost a decade... If not more. Insurance is covering most of it... I just don't want it back if she isn't right. ;(

I'll post shots tomorrow. FYI, the 19" sport wheels don't stand up to much. Hit the median at about 30-35... (road was 45). Ripped a 5"+ chunk out of the edge at the tpms sensor... ;(. Tires were only 5k miles old too! Yoko AVID Envigor AllSeasons...

 

Damn man, would love to see some pictures...

As far as the damage to the panels...it's really hard to say without investigating. But if it's really minor structurally, a wheel alignment, and panel adjustment may be all that is necessary. It may be difficult to get door gaps and fender/hood to work without a little help underneath, but if they say they can do it without straightening things under the panel, don't sweat it.

It's a lease, when you're done with it, it will be someone else's problem.

 

Well I'm a little irritated with the shop. They're of the opinion that its impossible to have damaged the unibody from the impact of the accident... with how far back it cocked the wheel and the chunk it took out of it... plus the door misalignment, I'd feel better it they at least checked it. I'm worried they'll get it repaired and then stick it on an alignment machine and it will be out of wack and I'll be waiting longer. I only have 30 days of rental car coverage, and I'm halfway through it already. Ugh. Anyway, on to the pictures...

 

More photos

 

And more...

 

few more...

 

They're probably right, don't forget they do this for a living. Not saying they are 100%, just saying give them some credit.

I can't tell from the pictures, did the area below the doors, commonly called the rocker panel, get hit? If the dogleg of the fender, (part between the wheel and door) got hit from underneath, that could cause some panel movement around the hood. The rocker being hit could actually move the middle hinge pillar, but it would have to be a good hit. You'd might actually see the roof ripple somewhere near the pillar...

All that said is just speculation. Without actually seeing the car and feeling it out, there's really no way anyone here could tell you more than what the body shop is telling you.

Again, as long as everything feels good, and they warrantee the work past the length of your lease, don't sweat it...

 

Sorry about your hit, that stinks. We too had ours get hurt, with only 11k miles and less then a yr old. Just ask them to look at in nicely. And if that doesn't get you anywhere, your insurance should have your back with this. Mine did and that was great to know. We also went to a guaranteed shop though our insurance. Their work is guaranteed for life.

 

I took it to the recommended shop by insurance (closest to my residence and on their preferred list). I'm just a little shocked by it all. I asked if they'd put it on a machine and they said it was basically impossible to have tweaked the unibody from the type of impact I had; uh, ok. I told the insurance company (USAA) about it, and they were a bit shocked they hadn't put it on a machine either. It is guaranteed... But I'm afraid its going to be a nightmare if its tweaked. They called this afternoon and said it "should" be ready tomorrow... We'll see how the alignment specs come back. I just had it aligned 5k miles ago, and still have the readout with the repair receipts i have. I'll definitely be looking it over, driving it around the block and checking the before/after alignment specs. Keep your fingers crossed... ;(

 

yeah for sure make them give you a print out of the alignment. Then I would take pictures and tell your insurance company that your tires are perfect shape right now, just in case it isn't in alignment and then you wear your tires out early. For our wreck, then did a 4 wheel alignment, just to make sure!

Also go over their repair with a fine tooth comb. Looks for any "goobers" or dirt in the paint, scratches they missed, and panel gaps, basically everything.

Keep us posted on what you find out. I hope everything works out great for you!