JETII

Took a short trip to Home Depot for some line the weed eater. This is what happened on the way home. The front wheels are headed straight ahead but look at the steering wheel position. Guy made a left hand turn and was going to hit me in the drivers door. I floored it and almost got out of his way. He does have insurance and was given a ticket for failure to yield. Any thoughts on how bad this is? JETII

JohnnyCake

Yo, sorry to see that. People always say "at least no one got hurt" but it sucks to have some moron hit you and now your car will be gone during the best part of the year.

I gotta hear some theories on how the rear of the car got hit and somehow messed up the steering.

Did he hit you hard enough that you got spun? That might explain it.

DarthSid

Sorry to learn the bad news. It appears your driver side rear wheel took on most of the impact. Your quarter panel needs to be replaced, bumper, tire, wheel to name most of the visible damage. There is likely hidden damage to your rear suspension and possibly rear axle. Also have the top lowering mechanism inspected and operated to ensure it opens and closes properly. The tail end of the quarter panel by the taillight was pushed inward towards the trunk. This is evident by the smaller gap closes to the tail lens. Your tire alignment is definitely out. Get at least two or three estimates from quality shops you trust. I estimate you are looking at a minimum of $4K to $5K for parts and labor. Best of luck.

JETII

JohnnyCake - no it didn't put me into a spin just pushed me from 12 o'clock to 11 o'clock.

DarthSid - the top is down what are your thoughts on trying to raise it. I drove it home (4 -5 blocks) but had lots of scraping with small bumps. I don't think I'm going to be able to take it to multiple locations. My first thought was to take it to Hendrick Lexus thinking they would be the most experienced at dealing with the SC430.

I hate the fact that when I go to sell it I'm going to have this show on the Car Fax. Won't it reduce the value?

Thanks for the thoughts.

DarthSid

The provided pictures don't really show where the scrapping is coming from. The wheel well liner may be loose causing the scrapping/ rubbing on your tire, or it could be worse. Look inside the wheel well to verify if your liner is loose and determine if he rubbing coming from the top or inside of the tire. Have you made the attempt to close the top? I recommend you leave the top alone. If you are concern you may cause further damage driving the car, call Lexus or a flatbed and have the car towed to the shop you would like to perform the work. First check with your insurance. Your insurance will pay for the repairs and go after the third party in an effort to reclaim the costs for the repairs. Work with your insurance broker, and call them within the first 24 hours to report the incident. Since the other party was cited, it would be a good idea to call the police agency to get all the necessary pertinent information if a police report was filed. Best of luck and yes this will be reported in Car Fax. Bummer!

JohnnyCake

OK, so we know the car wasn't moving during the crash in a direction that cause lateral forces on the turned front wheels.

So, how did the steering get messed up from a rear impact? Theories?

P.S. I agree with everything DearthSid wrote.

FLYCT

I don't think streering is messed up. With the driver side rear wheel turned out like it is, the rear is tracking left and to compensate front wheels need to be turned left for the car to be driven straight.

JR

hcstraub

Wow, that is a shame.....I would find a shop that will do what YOU want and not follow the insurance company. It that were mine I would want parts replaced, not 'fixed' or repaired. Insurance companies want the cheapest repair option and they negotiate with the shop to cut corners.
I wish you the best, keep us posted. I am interested in exactly what they find wrong.
Look on the bright side, now you have a reason to upgrade wheels.
Best of luck.

FLYCT

Each state has different rules for insurance.

Here in Florida this is what would happen.

1st choice, if the party at fault has a reliable insurance company such as State Farm or Allstate, and they accept their policy owner was at fault they may directly pay for repairs and rental car. Since other party was cited by the police, obtaining a copy of the police report and providing it to other company should work. That is what I did when my daughters car was totaled. We had State Farm coverge and other party had Allstate. Allstate paid for the car after I provided a copy of the accident report where the other driver was cited.

2nd choice, file with his own company under collision coverage, pay deductable out of pocket and if and when his company recovers he will get his deductable back.

3rd choice, if both parties have the same insurance carrier. No need to deal with deductables.

Either way, once the work is started most likely additional damage will be found which will create a supplemental payment to the body shop. That's very common.

JETII

You guys are awesome....I sincerely appreciate all your input. I'll let you know how things go.

JohnnyCake

You might be right. The OP said that the "front wheels are headed straight ahead" with the stearing wheel turned, but maybe he meant the car headed straight.

JETII

I should have stated the front wheels are directed straight ahead yet the steering wheel is turned to the left.

JohnnyCake

In that case, the mystery continues......

How does a rear end collision, that involves no lateral scrubbing of the front tires, result in the steering wheel knocked off center?

JETII

I'm back in town tonight and will be trying to get it to the Body Shop tomorrow. I got call from the other drivers Insurance Company today and they confirmed they were covering the repair. I got the name of this shop from a reliable source and they are on AAA (other drivers Insurance Co) of approved partners. I'm told that means they have a contract with AAA that states something like if the customer comes to you with issues and you don't resolve it and they call AAA with the issue we will require your shop to make it right. Hopefully it won't get there but it provides a little peace of mind.

mtnduc

You should be able to request "Diminshed Value" from his insurance company. They will fight it but, you are legally due. The downside is you can't claim the dimished value $ amount until you sell the car. Make sure anything you sign releasing his insurance coverage has a rider to cover your diminshed value upon sale.