So I was going home late on a snowy night. Going downhill to a three way intersection and my car hits a slippery patch/black ice and couldn't stop. I go about 30 to 35 mph and run head on over the curb with all 4 tires with my car slightly steering to the left so my front right wheel absorbs most of the damage, but all 4 wheels go over the curb. The curb itself was about 4 to 5 inches in height. The car is still drivable. Grind noise from what sounds like the wheels, steering wheel alignment is off, and steering wheel vibrates at high speeds.

So through my insurance I took my car to Abra Auto Body. Their diagnosis and fix was replacing my front right wheel, repairing my back right wheel, and then doing an alignment.

They get this all done within two business days which I find to be sort of quick.

So I drive my car after the repairs and I can't help, but notice the same problems still exist and my Max drives no where near as smooth as it did before the accident. Steering wheel alignment is straight now, but it still shakes at high speeds. When I accelerate and when I take my foot off the pedal and just let the car roll down a street, I can hear a feint grinding noise. It's really annoying.

So with this, I called Abra and am taking my car back to have a second inspection.

I feel like Abra did a crap job with the initial inspection my car and did the minimum repair work since they're a preferred auto shop with my auto insurance. I need to research a better mechanic in the Twin Cities here.

Any idea on other things possibly wrong with my car?

I'm surprised Abra saw nothing was wrong with the suspension/control arm/rods, etc. I'm also surprised they didn't change or find any damage to any of my tires, stating they were all in good condition and only the two wheels were damaged.

 

I'd take it to a different shop and get a second opinion...

 

+ 1

Not sure what the insurance laws are like out there in Chicagoland but in Rhode Island you can choose your own shop to do any repair work.

Usually the insurance companies will try to "steer" their customers to one of "their" repair places, so, if you're able to choose your own shop on the insurance's dime then do a little homework as to who will be the best fit and then go for the gold.

Good luck

 

lol I did something similar when I had my Altima.

I broke the axles, bent rims, front bumper replaced, suspension and more

I didn't used the insurance preferred shop. Towed it to a shop I liked

 

man, thats gotta suck. As far as damage, you could have anything in your front suspension messed up now, take a pick:
wheel bearing, hub, outer tie rod, lower control arm, axle, or just plain olde wheel balance.
Take it back to the shop, they can file secondary insurance claim to cover the remaining items.

You could also just have a bent or slightly out of round rim, due to impact. With our low
profile tires, more so on the 19" than 18" hitting curb can do just enough damage to cause
high speed vibration.

p.s. In CT you can also choose the shop that repairs your car and insurance pays you directly.

 

+1. You definitely f8ked up some suspension components going ~60 km/h over a curb. I was turning right going below 25 mph and screwed up a ***** of my front end.

But it was a different car............

 

Bent axle and damaged bearings would be my bet.

 

I had a hydroplaning accident in my 2003 Maxima similar to what you described, only difference was that my car was spinning around. I had to get my back axle and the axle housing replaced, 2 rims, front passenger side wheel bearings and both speed sensors.


My car was in the shop for about 2 wks, but it drove like new afterwards and I never had any issues with the repairs. Let your insurance company know about the continuous problems and they should authorize you to take it to another shop or back to the shop that did the work.


Based on your first "fix" I would take it to the dealer, because any future work will be an extension of the first shops bad repairs.

 

Why are you taking a car that obviously has mechanical issues to a body shop?

By the way these are the kind of accident that I always end up trading my car and because of it. It will never drive the same I guarantee you that.

Suspension related accidents are the worst.

 

Disagree

 

Over dramatic much? It was the suspension not the frame that was damaged. Every part of that can be unbolted and replaced if needed…

 

Make sure your tranny is not leaking/damaged... take a GOOD look for any markings. It's easiest to get a look while the car is lifted.

 

Easy, visit another shop and get an estimate.

 

I don't think it's that easy anymore because he basically signed for the car and removed it from the shop which is akin to saying everything they did is fine and acceptable. Safe to say, that's going to be a headache to challenge with his insurer. Had he called his insurance company immediately, he may have some more leverage you know.

 

Not at all, the shop will have to explain to the adjuster that XXX was missed during original evaluation and work. Obviously, work has to be done in the original shop for least headache.

I do have a question, the OP is MIA, why is everybody still commenting on this thread?

 

^
shop could say he did it after the fix then insurance company doesn't have to cover fixing anything

 

Hey guys, thanks for your replies and info.

So I got my car back from the 2nd inspection at Abra (I took my car here because my insurance referred me to them...my fault for not doing my research and shopping around as I do have the option to choose any repair shop here in MN) and unfortunately the damn grinding noise is still there. the shaky steering wheel was corrected a bit.

On my second visit to Abra after they're second look at my car:

I get to Abra and they tell me that initially only my two right tires were mounted and balanced on my first visit since these were the only wheels showing damage (wtf? why weren't all four tires the first time???). This time they said they mounted and balanced all four tires. I couldn't help but have a face palm moment here. All four wheels ran over the curb and only two were mounted and balanced the first time? No wonder after the first fix, my steering wheel still shook excessively.

They took my car to a Toyota Dealership to do all the work they couldn't do at their shop - tire mount and balance, inspection, etc. I have no problem with this if the mechanics at Toyota know how to look at all cars since mine is a Nissan, but they found nothing wrong with the wheel bearings, tires, suspension, etc. I'd be more content if the inspections were done at a Nissan Dealership here.

Abra then tells me that don't hear any grinding noises that I'm referring to when they take my car for a test drive. I take my car for a test drive after they're 2nd attempt to fix my car, same old grinding noise. Being a little irritated with Abra, I decided not to have them look at my car a 3rd time. Speaking to my insurance, they do allow me to take my car to a different shop, but I'd have to pay the initial inspection fee. Any additional damage found and repairs relating to the accident is stated to be cover by my insurance.

I'm dropping off my Max to a different auto shop this Wednesday. From what I've read, they're highly reputable with collision repair and manufacturer certified for fixing Nissan, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Audi, and Honda - place is called Raymond Auto Shop in St. Paul. From talking to friends and reading online reviews, this place is one of the best in the cities (friggin shoulda just taken my car here in the first place...).

I'll let you guys know what they find on their inspection of my car later on this week.

 

Thanks. I'll notify the mechanic to check when I drop off my car this Wednesday. As far as I can tell, there's no leaks in the engine.

 

Thanks. Here in Minnesota the insurance laws are similar. They do let us choose our own shops for repairs, but they preferred to go through a shop in their network. Bad choice on my part for agreeing to do so because my car is still F-ed up after their preferred auto shop. Lesson learned.

 

I have the SV Sport so I do have 19 inch rims. Two right side tires were damaged and needed repair. Front right was replaced with a new OEM wheel and they chose to repair the back right wheel due to lower cost. Don't know why they didn't just get a new wheel for the back right wheel, but then again, since they're in my insurance's network, I'm sure it's do everything at lowest cost to save my insurance money. Blah...this is what I get for not doing my research on Auto Shops and going with my insurance's preferred stores. Crappy crap crap.

 

I didn't do my research at the time on Abra. So now I'm suffering the consequences. I'm taking my car to a collision expert that's Nissan Certified this Wednesday so hopefully these guys can diagnose the problems and fix my car back up to 100%.

 

I have done multiple car repairs with multiple shops and EVERY TIME had to go back. Last time it was Nissan dealer for collision repair.
There is one thing to speculate, but quiet another do actually go through with it. Secondary insurance claims are the norm in repair industry.

This actually reminds me of TV news episode that always comes around Holidays, when somebody buys a piece of electronics, like PS4 and finds
something completely different inside the box. Last time it was a bible and
the store was a Target. Can you imagine going back and trying to convince
them that you are not pulling a fast one and trying to rip them off???
Well, in this case, the store already had another episode of similar
theft and was not surprised and treated customer honestly.

My point being is the shops do such a rush job, they will not be
one bit surprised that someone comes back with their issues not addressed
fully.

OP, glad to hear you have progress on the repair.
Having done a lot of car work, I can honestly tell you that having a
Nissan or Honda or whatever certified shop means nothing. Having the right
tools and attitude is whats it about.

Regarding your grinding noise, I would BET that its the brake dust shield
bent out of shape and dragging a bit on the brake rotor.
That would be the best case scenario. Lift your car by the front.
Spin both front wheels and listen for the noise. Same for the back.
Once you hear which wheel is making the noise, grab that shield and try pry
it away from the rotor, toward the middle of the car.

Worst case scenario is wheel bearing, I have a wireless chassis ear
tool that can diagnose it in 5 mins, otherwise its not that simple to diagnose,
as the source of the noise can be elusive and confusing.

good luck
Max

 

Long thread, no time to read BUT,

OP, you are in MN, as am I. You can go to any shop you want.

Raymond Auto Body. They are awesome. The best. They work on Bimmers, Audis Mercedes...

Even had a GTR in there when I had my Max fixed. Check them out.

 

Haha you told my story before I could. Same exact thing happened to me and my Altima. $1700 bucks makes me puuuuuuke.


To the OP. Once this second shop finds additional problems, what's going to be your next step? I mean, would it even be smart to tell the insurance? They might make you pay another deductible? Let us know.

 

Shops just rush too much. I had a golf ball hit which cracked the paint and caused a dent. Took it into the body shop a week later... picking up the car I see scratches on my bumper from where they removed it and they claimed it was already there.... such a waste of time I showed him before pics and they try to play blind. Needless to say the car was there for a few more days to get the bumper touched up etc. Third time they did not plug the tail light in so had to go back for that. Such a waste of time and back and forth.

 

Abra got their inspection and work done on my car within 2 business days. This was definitely a rush job. This being my first auto accident ever, I made the mistake of going through my insurance's preferred auto shops. Big fail on my part.

 

Hey fellow mn brotha! I wish I would have heard your advice before I took my car to Abra. I just dropped off my car to Raymond Auto Body this morning. From the initial talk with a mechanic there, I'm glad I took my car to them. The guy gave me a great explanation of potential problems and went with me in my car for a quick test drive so he could hear the grinding noises that I am hearing. So my visit to Raymond Auto has already started off great.

 

Ditto. Abra to me is a rush in rush out auto shop. # of cars repaired over the quality of inspections and repairs. I hate taking my car back a second or third time to get it fixed. I don't care if it takes 1 or 2 weeks to get my car fixed so long as everything damaged was found and repaired right the first time. Abra Auto Body just totally failed here with their two day turnaround time and having me take my car back to their shop nearly 3 times to address the same problems.

 

This thread makes me think of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFnJhJ0AaNI

 

I contacted my insurance right away over the phone and email, after Abra's incomplete fix of my car the first time. Told them everything - from not being satisfied with Abra's work to taking my car to a different auto shop. So far, no issues with insurance (my auto insurance is Liberty Mutual). They just told me if additional damage is found with my car relating to the accident, then it's covered and I won't have to pay another deductible, but if there's an inspection fee then I would have to pay it. I did contest this because if there is additional damage found relating to the accident that Abra failed to find, I shouldn't have to pay squat. I didn't get a reply to my email from my insurance (but did over the phone) but I'm guessing they don't want their words documented over email. I'll let you know if my insurance decides to screw me over, but from the initial sound of it, sounds like i shouldn't have to pay anything extra.

From Raymond Auto Shop's preliminary look, they told me it's definitely my wheel bearings that are damaged and would need to get replaced. Thankful they said they worked with my insurance company before and are familiar the appraisers/inspectors there so calling them for any additional damage found and fixes with my car will be easy for them.

So yeah, feeling good about taking my car here. I'll keep you guys updated once my car is out of the shop.

 

Ditto. Hide yo kids. Hide yo cars from Abra. Lol.

 

awesome.

funny coincidence that I will be dropping off my X3 there Tuesday the 21st to fix my bumper rash I acquired during last thursday's cold snowy mess.


My only complaint is there location. I hate it. idiot drivers in that area.