without pics, i dont know anything about this accident. but i want to say, if the tail lights arent damaged, and the rear bumper is not bad enough to replace, i have a hard time thinking this is a car worth totalling.

id call the cops, set up a time(very soon)to have an officer meet you up there and, very professionally, start the process of getting to the bottom of this. there should be a gm for that dealership. dave may be over the body shop, but there is someone at that dealership he has to answer to. then, above whomever the gm is, there is an owner. i would climb the ladder, telling them exactly what happened. explaining that you brought it to a dealership because you thought you could trust a dealership to do the right thing and thought for sure they would understand that the customer is important. this should be pocket change for the owner. he would hate to have the bad publicity. just be the bigger man in the discussion though. dont come off looking like the pissed off, spoiled brat teenager who isnt getting his way. im not saying thats what you have been, some people just end up throwing a temper tantrum in these situations. just explain your side and what you agreed to, to the right people, go over dave;s head. he has a boss there

 

Change your attitude and tell them you want them to do the work. Start making verbal requests of fast repairs and asking when the work could be completed. Then inform them the pesky insurance company mandates you have a second estimate. Use all of your charm and negotiating skills to get your car OUT OF THERE!

If that works, you simply don't go back.

 

23 days and no photos. Very disappointed.

 

any updates??

 

word~

 

Not the most knowledgeable person in this thread on the subject, but I had always heard to run...far, far away when there is frame damage. I'd say dump it. You just never know how bad it will be, and even if they can get it back to spec...isn't the frame permanently weakened? (Asking the guy who does this for a living)

On a side note, even if they can get it back to 100%, you will take a massive hit selling it, b/c prospective buyers just won't know the truth as to how badly it was damaged. Insurance is supposed to cut you a check for "loss of value", but in my experience, it's never enough...

Safest bet is to dump the car if you can.

 

Ok, im actually a body tech and frame damage isnt always bad. it could mean 10min of pulling to spec or if you really wanna save a Fu**ed up part/frame/unibody without replacing then you may be there half a day puling it to spec. frame damage always doesnt mean bad.

And permanently weakened? Again, depends on how bent of of whack it was. Our cars are unibodys (no "frame")So if theres a peice thats bent to shi* it should be cut off and new part should be welding back in place. so there for no, on unibodys shouldnt be permantly weakened if dont correctly. As for Frames... there are crush zones that kinda look like accodians. if this is crushed from impact this will be replaced and your good. If the frame is over/up to one side. its either A: to far to be straightened or B: easily straightened and your good to go. Vehicle structures are stout, and if repaied correctly they should react very close to original if in accident again. if your car crumples like a coke can then you have a lawsuit with the previous body shop.

 

That's good to know, but there's no getting around having the frame damage recorded on the title, is there? Also, you're trusting that the shop knows what they're doing, as frame repair isn't exactly something you can visually inspect, like body work.

 

True... you gotta just bring it to a good shop with a nice frame machine and hope they weld/pull the damaged portion correctly. just check your gaps on your panels and flushness of your panels very closely.

And you can get around it if you get sneaky with it only if its customer pay... if its customer pay you could tell them to convert the frame labor to body repair and it doesnt look bad as frame dmg on the car fax. but if its insurance then they will put it is frame repair.

 

Frame damage is like a box of chocolates....you never know whatcha 'gon get!

 

Just a hint here - contracts for >$500 must be in writing. If they want $750 for storage fees, and had no notice anywhere that was the fee, then you're probably ok. Go borrow the spare tire from another 350z, go back there, put the tire on, tape the rear brake lights in place so you don't get pulled over, and drive it home. They might go after you for the money they think you owe, they might not.

 

Sorry for bringing back an old thread but i'm in some need of help! I'm looking into buying a salvaged 2003 350Z Touring edition. The only issue is i'm wondering if it's worth it to buy with the given information from the current owner. He says he took it to a professional shop to get a quote and they said the frame was bent and that to fix the car would cost $8000. He's selling for $2500 as is, the question i'm struggling with is if it's worth it. It currently has 130,000 miles, upgraded wheels, and custom exhaust. Attached are picture of the current vehicle...let me know what you think and if there really is frame damage! (Air bags NOT deployed)

Thanks for your time!

 

There have been a few others on here in past years that have repaired fairly damaged 350's, generally they've had the skills themselves to fix the damage. If you search back in the welcome's thread about 2 years ago, and look for a monster long thread, that's one of them. Took him a while to fix it up. Looked amazing when done.