mrwireman

So I was driving home, going 35 in a 30 (neighbors drive it at 50, it's straight). This truck was in front of me, going ~15mph, weaving around the road. He pulls over to the side of the road to let me pass, "cool," I think. Well, out of nowhere, he decided to pull a u-turn in front of me. I slammed on my brakes and was planning to pass him on the right, when he decides NOT to complete the u-turn, and to come back into my lane. He stops (completely) in the middle of the road, so I slam on my brakes, and having nowhere to go... I slam into him. I was probably going 30 when I hit him, but it caused some wicked damage to my 2001 LS430.

Well, the car is packed full of 7.... er ..... landscapers...., who apparently were looking for their destination. The guy TAKES OFF, as I jump out and try to chase him down. I call 911, wait 5 minutes on hold, and eventually the guy comes back (10 minutes later)!

The cop came out, and was being a complete **** to me. CA law says that it's my fault no matter what, since I rear ended him. No matter how I tried to explain it, the cop simply wouldn't take my word. On top of that, a *different driver* came back, *without* the 6 passengers. The cop said that I was completely my fault, but that he wouldn't "investigate" because he would "officially" find me at fault and issue a ticker or whatnot. I barely dented his truck, but my baby took $10k of damage. That's right, $10k. I am forced to pay cash for the wreck, as an insurance claim would alter the policy of 45 other trucks, which is a big change as I am "not the oldest" driver on the road if you catch my drift.

We are buddy-buddy with a local dealer, so I had it towed over there. It seems that they aren't giving us a bro deal... I'll attach their latest estimate. So far, the big ticket items are the light pod, fender/hood, air filter box, and an assload of labor.

What should I do? You'd think that they would give me a discount not only for our relationship, but also because I'm paying cash. This is a company lease, which is up in less than a year. I would like to get this done as cheap as possible; using as many aftermarket parts as possible. Where should I start?

I'm towing it to another buddy's body shop this afternoon to get a second quote. I am very tight on money right now, so any help would be GREATLY appreciated! I am tempted to reward you guys if the help is enough to offset a considerable amount of money, so keep that in mind!

Thanks guys!

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Pics are after the first dealer stripped it down for a more accurate estimate.

mrwireman

I forgot to add that the total was around $10k before he tweaked a few things in the quote, but he also added that additional parts would be added (like what, lol?).

Pianoman72

1) If it is *completely* your fault then why did they leave the scene of an accident? Isn't that illegal?

2) Did the other driver even have a license or insurance? Those are things the police should have investigated.

However passing a truck on the right is pretty dangerous....

Sorry about your car, though. Next time just lay on the horn so they know you're passing.

BrickHead

Sorry to hear tham man. I hate truckers like that. Hope u can find cheaper parts.

SharpLS-96

Sorry to hear about your misfortune!

Also, whoever you decide to go with in regards to repairing the car make sure your leasing company signs off on all the repairs once the car is finished regardless whether you use all aftermarket or OEM parts. This is vital because if you don't have them sign-off/approve the repairs then you might find yourself shelling out some big cash once your lease is up when they inspect it. It happens all the time with leased automobiles so be careful and make sure everything is repaired correctly according to your leasing company and if it's not then don't sign at the dotted line and drive off with it. If there is a problem when you return her at the end of the lease you have proof that it was all approved and the leasing company is held responsible and not you.

Good luck!

daryll40

Swanson FORD?????????????

nthach

try a local community college, they always need newer model cars to work on....

nthach

and unless the car is some POS, i would stay OEM.

Rice

Actually, if I read the estimate correctly, the total came out to $8,466.13
If you look at the price of each item on the list, it becomes clear that the guy actually gave you a very good deal. Just cross reference some of the prices against regular dealer list prices and you will see that you are getting a good deal.
As far as aftermarket, I don't believe that you will find many parts there. It's not a very common car and the aftermarket may not have cought up yet. The only things they will probably have are hoods and fenders, which may not fit the way OEM ones do. This means that repairs may be visible. In addition, leasing company may not approve of aftermarket parts.

If I were you, I'd stick with this estimate.
Just make sure that they check the frame. Side impact usually shifts the entire front end to one side. If it's not pulled out, you will never enjoy the car again. In addition, you will have major alignment and other problems.

Good luck with whatever you deside to do.

aliga

iTrader: (147)

im 99% sure you will not find non OEM parts for this car.

MisterL

sorry to hear about the car,

sounds like you ran into a truck full of illegals.

bummer.

L.

sonbum1

iTrader: (3)

You might be screwed because it is a lease!! If you intend on keeping the car after the lease, I know of a really good place in Claremonte. After I wrecked mine I went to a dealership and was given an estimate of ~$8000 The wheel shop I went to recomended this place. It took about two weeks to fix but it only cost me $4000 cash. If your interested PM me and I'll get you there name and location as I don't remember it off hand. They did a very good job, these guys do a lot of restoration of old cars, and an excellent paint job.

Sonny

YoshiMan

This may be somethnig that a typical Lexus owner would never even dream of, but you can't argue that it is a cost effective way to make repairs. theres two places i can tell you of that i know can supply you with OEM parts off of wrecked LS430s. Try TAPrecycling.com, who is a Toyota/Lexus salvage yard. you can look at thier inventory and see that there are multiple LS430s there that have been hit from behind and so fourth. Another is car-part.com, which is basically a parts search engine that can search nation wide for just about anything. I use it all the time to get various peices for my Toyotas. give it a try