really bad week - old man hits my NSX

[MoogieBoogie]

What a week..

First, my daily driver Civic dies after 280k miles. Well, not dead yet, but it overheats so it's possible.

Since the Civic was dead, I start driving my NSX to work and back. Today, I decide to meet some friends for dinner, so I park on the street. It's a large enough space that I don't worry about someone smashing my bumpers. Plus, it's parked right in front of the building.

One hour goes by and someone asks if anyone drives a red NSX. I come outside to find three police cars and some old guy in a Lincoln Continental. They tell me that he tried to park in the space headfirst and clipped my car as he pulled in. It just so happened that a police lieutenant was right behind him when this all happened. He witnessed everything and pulled him over immediately.

The front fender is dented and scraped. The front bumper is scraped at the corner as well. The old man tried to offer me a couple hundred bucks to bypass insurance, but I told him that it's probably going to be more since the car is aluminum.

I've never been involved in an accident before. Can anyone guide me through the procedure? As I rarely drive the NSX, I don't have comprehensive coverage. The guy's insurance company is AIG. I hope I don't have to fight for a new fender.. I keep thinking about the aluminum can references made in other accident threads. Can anyone recommend any good bodyshops in northern NJ?

It pisses me off too because now this will show up on carfax.
Terrible week.. hope things look better soon.

Thank you,
-Brian.

 

[enkrypt3d]

Sorry to hear about this bro! But try not to worry too much... His insurance will pay for everything. Although, they might have problems finding "aftermarket" parts (ie the front fender)..... I had a similar thing happen to me in my last NSX.. the insurance company had no clue that no one made any aftermarket parts for my car... of course you should only get Honda parts for the NSX. DO NOT let them try to talk you into getting any aftermarket parts (unless you want to do the 2002+ upgrade? lol) now might be a good time to do it since they will be replacing and repainting almost the entire front end...save for the headlights and hood...

Let us know how it goes!

 

[NSFRBLX]

You have the right to take your car to whomever you want for repairs.
Be careful if the insurance company steers you to their recommended shop. They probably will tell you they stand behind the work their recommended shop performs. The reality is they have worked out discounted labor and part rates with these shops in return for work sent their way. The body shops margins decrease so in turn they find ways to make up their loss by cutting corners when repairing your car.

Have the work performed by a reputable shop and get a written estimate of all the work that will be performed. Stop by and check the progress of the repairs to verify that what was quoted is actually getting done. I don't believe there are any after market manufacturers for OEM body panels for the NSX. You probably will get Honda parts authorized by the insurance company.

 

[nsxtacey]

C & D Auto Body
S. Hackensack, NJ
(973) 779-0497

My front bumper got damage by someone and I'm in process of deciding what to do. I haven't used them but my friend highly recommended them to me. Apparently they do alot of exotics.

 

[LJSB]

Have the work performed by a reputable shop and get a written estimate of all the work that will be performed.

+1

The rest of the points and perceptions raised in your post, which I have some issues with, are going to be covered in my presentation at NSXPO 2007 which will include advice/criteria to help people select a good collision repair shop in their area. I sincerely thank you for the inspiration!

 

[RSO 34]

Sneak across the border and head north to New York to get the royal treatment at Vince's Auto Body with the Master himself, Pbassjo.

 

[RPM217]

See the above poster, don't go to Northern NJ, do what everyone in the tri-state area does, bring it to the King, Joe...........he's your man, knows the NSX better than anyone else, owns one, is our own expert, and he's close enough to you that you will do yourself the favor of doing the right thing for your car. Give him a call and arrange for him to do all the worrying for you!!

 

[CarCrazed4Life]

See the above poster, don't go to Northern NJ, do what everyone in the tri-state area does, bring it to the King, Joe...........he's your man, knows the NSX better than anyone else, owns one, is our own expert, and he's close enough to you that you will do yourself the favor of doing the right thing for your car. Give him a call and arrange for him to do all the worrying for you!!

AIG is a good insurance company to deal with. I'd do as everyone says. But I'd also take pictures of the accident's damage. If you ever go to show the car, when people see what happens on carfax, they whink large scale. You can always show them with pictures and the fear of the unknown is take care of.

Also you have the right to use your own body shop. Make arrangements to drop it off where you want the work done, pick up a rental car and have AIG come look at the car at the body shop of your choice. The Body shop should be good enough that they can take the initial payment, and call him back in for supplements on how to do it the right way... IE new fender, bumper, etc.

Hope that helps, and good luck. I went through the same thing when someone vanadlized my car by making a scratch all the way down the side. I took pictures so people know why it was repainted. Took it to the best, and you can't even tell.

 

[jalnjr]

See the above poster, don't go to Northern NJ, do what everyone in the tri-state area does, bring it to the King, Joe...........he's your man, knows the NSX better than anyone else, owns one, is our own expert, and he's close enough to you that you will do yourself the favor of doing the right thing for your car. Give him a call and arrange for him to do all the worrying for you!!

all true, except the part about northern joisy...:biggrin:

 

[Deltron Zero]

It could have been much worse. Imagine if you came out to that damage with nobody in sight, no note...

 

[MoogieBoogie]

There is a shop in NJ that I normally use, but I don't think that they do a lot of work with aluminum. They have a lot of German cars (MB, BMW, Audi, Porsche) in for service and bodywork.

Would a good bodyshop with years of experience be able to do a great job with aluminum? Is the process that much different than steel?

I've considered taking it to the Joe's shop, but I have always been sold on the idea that BASF/Glasurit paint is better than PPG. I guess I'll give him a call.

Thanks,
-Brian.

 

[MoogieBoogie]

Thanks guys. It's going to Joe in October after NSXPO. After speaking with him, I feel a lot better about this whole situation.. he should be a counselor.

-Brian.

 

[DRIFTER]

Sneak across the border and head north to New York to get the royal treatment at Vince's Auto Body with the Master himself, Pbassjo.

+3 Great Work Joe is the NORTHEAST's go to guy for bodywork!!!!
2ND to none!

 

[Meeyatch1]

Sneak across the border and head north to New York to get the royal treatment at Vince's Auto Body with the Master himself, Pbassjo.

Actually, that would be a really good idea. You will want the car to look perfect, so go somewhere that will make it that way.

 

[Meeyatch1]

...I don't have comprehensive coverage. The guy's insurance company is AIG. I hope I don't have to fight for a new fender.. I keep thinking about the aluminum can references made in other accident threads. Can anyone recommend any good bodyshops in northern NJ?...

If you do not mind me asking, why don't you have full coverage insurance on an NSX? Since you have an early model it is not very expensive (assuming you have a halfway decent driving record).

 

[dquarasr2]

If you're worried about it showing up on Carfax, be proactive. I assume the damage is cosmetic. Take pictures of the affected areas, and if the shop disassembles, take pictures of that, too, so you have proof when you sell it that the damage was only superficial, rather than have to explain to someone and have them take your word on it.

Just a suggestion.

 

[MashimaroNSX]

+3 Great Work Joe is the NORTHEAST's go to guy for bodywork!!!!
2ND to none!

+4, I had nothing but great experience with Joe. A great guy with a top notch team of professionals.

 

[jalnjr]

Thanks guys. It's going to Joe in October after NSXPO. After speaking with him, I feel a lot better about this whole situation.. he should be a counselor.

-Brian.

joe is the one of the 'bestest' of the nsx fam.
fixed my head, sorta....

 

[olynn77]

What a week..

First, my daily driver Civic dies after 280k miles. Well, not dead yet, but it overheats so it's possible.

Since the Civic was dead, I start driving my NSX to work and back. Today, I decide to meet some friends for dinner, so I park on the street. It's a large enough space that I don't worry about someone smashing my bumpers. Plus, it's parked right in front of the building.

One hour goes by and someone asks if anyone drives a red NSX. I come outside to find three police cars and some old guy in a Lincoln Continental. They tell me that he tried to park in the space headfirst and clipped my car as he pulled in. It just so happened that a police lieutenant was right behind him when this all happened. He witnessed everything and pulled him over immediately.

The front fender is dented and scraped. The front bumper is scraped at the corner as well. The old man tried to offer me a couple hundred bucks to bypass insurance, but I told him that it's probably going to be more since the car is aluminum.

I've never been involved in an accident before. Can anyone guide me through the procedure? As I rarely drive the NSX, I don't have comprehensive coverage. The guy's insurance company is AIG. I hope I don't have to fight for a new fender.. I keep thinking about the aluminum can references made in other accident threads. Can anyone recommend any good bodyshops in northern NJ?

It pisses me off too because now this will show up on carfax.
Terrible week.. hope things look better soon.

Thank you,
-Brian.

Lusamer Auto Body in Newark, NJ. They're shop is always filled with expensive cars. Mercedes Benz, Porsche, and other high end cars. I got hit by a tractor trailer going to work on rt.78 one morning. The car had over $15,000 in damage. It was in there for 2 1/2 months, but they fixed it like new!