Totaled Or Not?

[blake918]

Thanks guys for all of the info...I'm crossing my fingers that they'll get it right this time!! :D

[SW03ES]

For $1850 thats totally unnaceptable, they should have replaced the door skin. They don't even have to replace the whole door, they can buy and weld in a new outer skin!

Like everybody said buffing won't help.

Just for fun though have em hit your hood with the buffer and see what happens ;)

[ArmyofOne]

Just for fun though have em hit your hood with the buffer and see what happens ;)

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his hood isnt salvageable...trust me...not even rubbing compund will take that out

[denslexusgx470]

safety is the main concern. hope you don't have a hard time with the insurance (even though it wasn't your fault) because they really give you a hard time. Good luck! ;)

[ArmyofOne]

For $1850 thats totally unnaceptable, they should have replaced the door skin. They don't even have to replace the whole door, they can buy and weld in a new outer skin!

Like everybody said buffing won't help.

Just for fun though have em hit your hood with the buffer and see what happens ;)

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i believe the new skin from lexus is only $450 or so. and then the prep and paint would be around $200....i agree with SW03ES and i say you got taken for a ride, blake.

safety is the main concern.  hope you don't have a hard time with the insurance (even though it wasn't your fault) because they really give you a hard time. Good luck!  ;)

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any update on this? im almost certian the car is totalled, but just interested to see what the ins says. and dont EVER (well, under most circumstances) take the first check. make them give you 2 or 3 offers, sometimes you get more. also, get an attourney to represent you if the need arises. if you feel like you are getting reamed, just call a lawyer, personal accident and injury attourneys jump on cases like this...red light runner = automatically at fault. they see it as a case thats already won.

[pachocco1]

any update on this? im almost certian the car is totalled, but just interested to see what the ins says. and dont EVER (well, under most circumstances) take the first check.  make them give you 2 or 3 offers, sometimes you get more.  also, get an attourney to represent you if the need arises.  if you feel like you are getting reamed, just call a lawyer, personal accident and injury attourneys jump on cases like this...red light runner = automatically at fault.  they see it as a case thats already won.

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Thanks for asking. Looks like I am in a holding pattern until the Insurance Company determines fully and without question that there are no insurance options available to the other driver and/or owner. The driver provided a bad address and phone number. No contact will be available there. The Owner has a bad phone number and the address research is pending comparison with DMV records and the like. It is unknown if he has insurance but the car has current tags. In Texas, one must show proof on insurance for such a transaction. We will see. No matter what happens I am moving on and am very fortunate to have been in a very safe and resilient vehicle.

[ArmyofOne]

any update on this? im almost certian the car is totalled, but just interested to see what the ins says. and dont EVER (well, under most circumstances) take the first check.  make them give you 2 or 3 offers, sometimes you get more.  also, get an attourney to represent you if the need arises.  if you feel like you are getting reamed, just call a lawyer, personal accident and injury attourneys jump on cases like this...red light runner = automatically at fault.  they see it as a case thats already won.

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Thanks for asking. Looks like I am in a holding pattern until the Insurance Company determines fully and without question that there are no insurance options available to the other driver and/or owner. The driver provided a bad address and phone number. No contact will be available there. The Owner has a bad phone number and the address research is pending comparison with DMV records and the like. It is unknown if he has insurance but the car has current tags. In Texas, one must show proof on insurance for such a transaction. We will see. No matter what happens I am moving on and am very fortunate to have been in a very safe and resilient vehicle.

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yes thats a law in texas, and you are welcome. hope it didnt ruin your holiday. i had a car accident thatcost me over 10,000 dollars this year, between the old car that i totoalled, buying the new car, fixing the new car (got a bad one) and time missed from work.

[pachocco1]

My car is a total loss as you all expected.

I plan on heeding all suggestions about the appraisal value and plan to negotiate a round or two.

Thanks to all.

[rusmani]

I wrecked my first Lexus pretty bad and assuming repair costs are comparable more than likely it totaled.

[vcv10guy]

Just to give you an idea here's the damage my car took to merrit $1850 in damage.....

Pretty shocking. There is a 1x1 area that they did not sand correctly(I guess....I know nothing about body work). It looks like a bunch of of scratches, but they are black, so they blend in very well. There are also some swirl marks too; my paint may be falling apart, but there are no swirls! lol The most embaressing thing is I didn't even notice it until a State Farm Agent came to inspect the work done on my car and pointed it out to me. I think I was just so happy to be out of the PT Cruiser, I didn't really care a whole lot so long as I got my LS back! lol  Have you heard anything from the insurance co yet?

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$1850 and they used bondo on the door? That's dumb because I have the exact same damage on my passenger side door (some a-hole thought it would be funny to back into my door on Thanksgiving Day and run off :chairshot: ). The place I took it too said it would be $1500 to replace the door panel and paint it. They never once suggested using bondo on it. Luckily my insurance will pick up most of the tab (thank goodness for full coverage), but I need to pay the $500 deductible first.

[blake918]

I too was a little dumbfounded that they put bondo on my LS4. It was an $1850 job, but their labor rates were in line with the other shop I spoke with. They used a Lexus dealer that charged them $725 for the lower cladding. :o

As a follow up on the defective work the shop did, I brought it to them Monday morning, and I had the car back by lunch time. They buffed the scratches and somehow they are completely gone. I want to call the shop back to find out what products they used. There was some white paste residue near the grey cladding. What do yall think...a really strong compound with a rotary buffer?? The work done to my car now looks great!!

[ArmyofOne]

I too was a little dumbfounded that they put bondo on my LS4. It was an $1850 job, but their labor rates were in line with the other shop I spoke with. They used a Lexus dealer that charged them $725 for the lower cladding.  :o

As a follow up on the defective work the shop did, I brought it to them Monday morning, and I had the car back by lunch time. They buffed the scratches and somehow they are completely gone. I want to call the shop back to find out what products they used. There was some white paste residue near the grey cladding. What do yall think...a really strong compound with a rotary buffer?? The work done to my car now looks great!!

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that doesnt change the fact that theydidnt do it right the first time. you really shouldnt use bondo on doors, they flex too much. first door ding you get there, the bondo will crack. the paint wont stick for long (a few years, tops) and the bondo will eventually crack and fall away all together.

they should have replaced the door, ask them if they did that, (i highjly doubt they did).

actually, an easier way, knock ont he area with your finger, does it ound like metal, or wood/fiberglass?

[blake918]

They didn't replace the door skin. That's why I chose this shop(the other Lexus cars in there and a friend's recommendation also influenced my decision). However, never in a million years did I think they were going to put bondo on the car because of the inseverity of the damage and the repair price. The damage was so minimal that I would have brought the car to a pdr guy had the paint not been scuffed. My ES had one of its door skins replaced, and the inside seam's paint is chipping away(I think you showed me the same thing on your car too. A common thread with the skins??); it really turned me off. Luckily, there is a lifetime warranty on the work. I hope I don't need to use it ever again...

[ArmyofOne]

They didn't replace the door skin. That's why I chose this shop(the other Lexus cars in there and a friend's recommendation also influenced my decision). However, never in a million years did I think they were going to put bondo on the car because of the inseverity of the damage and the repair price. The damage was so minimal that I would have brought the car to a pdr guy had the paint not been scuffed. My ES had one of its door skins replaced, and the inside seam's paint is chipping away(I think you showed me the same thing on your car too. A common thread with the skins??); it really turned me off. Luckily, there is a lifetime warranty on the work. I hope I don't need to use it ever again...

 

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the issue is notwith the skin, but with the application of paint. my car was severly damaged in a hailstorm (softball sized) in 1994. it was repaired, and the entire car was repainted, but rather than removing and installng the cladding, they just taped it off, there is a paint seam there. also, the paint peel was from poor prep work on mine. they didnt remove any parts to repaint my car, they just sanded down fast and repainted. they didnt sand under the ridge of my doors and so the new paint never stuck well. then water got in there and it all wnet downhill from there.

when you are in town, call me if you want to meet up. you have my #. you can come out and lounge by the pool/have a place to sleep till your car is fixed. :D