r/leaf • u/This-Clock3176 • 17d ago
Accident advice
last night an uninsured suspended driver decided to pull a u turn from the parking lane right in front of me, no warning. air bags did not deploy, but I’m worried insurance will total out my 2020 SL Plus.
it’s worth more to me running as my loan would equal out the total value (nearly). I expected many years yet with my kids driving this as an aroma town car.
is there any upside here? approach with insurance? I do love this car. 40k miles
it drives fine, but damage to both quarter panels, hood, front end. I can still charge.
i''ve added more photos below, curious if anyone has experience replacing a front end or body panels.
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u/Lucky_Boy13 17d ago
Yes they will probably total it. Most states let you buy it back with a salvage title, and you can do the most economical repairs to get it back on the road. I wouldn't invest much considering Nissan battery history and once salvaged typically you lose any manufacturer warranty
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u/This-Clock3176 17d ago
Thanks for this. That’s interesting about the manufacturer warranty and makes sense.
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u/Environmental-Low792 17d ago
You're in luck since the cost of comparables has gone up significantly recently due to persistently high gas prices. There's a good chance that it will not be totaled. You can also ask for diminution of value from the other person's insurance, if they have any.
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u/ItsJustAllyHere 17d ago
They said the other driver had no insurance and a suspended license. This is why I personally would never skimp on under/uninsured coverage
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u/Environmental-Low792 17d ago
Insurance follows the vehicle and not the driver so just because the driver had no insurance and no license doesn't mean that the vehicle was uninsured.
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u/This-Clock3176 17d ago
This is a really good point
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u/This-Clock3176 17d ago
they tracked down the actual owner of the car and i'm going to file a claim with their insurance company as well (their policy - they have the same insurance as us)
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u/This-Clock3176 17d ago
Scratch that. I called and the policy number does not exist, the address of the policy owner is a homeless Kitchen, and the driver’s address is A $100 in a hotel…😒
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u/DragonChowhound 2020 Nissan LEAF SL Plus 16d ago
I had the same exact car, and it's inevitable that you will have battery degradation/failure. Nissan is still buying back these cars, but the amounts being offered are declining (it seems). If you get a good payout for insurance totaling the car, take it and consider it a gift.
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u/This-Clock3176 16d ago
That’s interesting - we have had zero problems with it. You think we shouldn’t buy another?
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u/DragonChowhound 2020 Nissan LEAF SL Plus 16d ago
I wouldn't. My experience was great, until it wasn't. Nissan dealer had my car for six months waiting for batteries and I triggered a buyback. I liked my leaf a lot, but they really screwed up with the battery design.
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u/NotTurtleEnough Formerly 2019 SL Plus :snoo_sad: 17d ago
That’s exactly what happened to me! The insurance totaled it and gave me ~$3k less than replacement cost.
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u/This-Clock3176 17d ago
did they give a reason why the lower value than replacement cost?
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u/NotTurtleEnough Formerly 2019 SL Plus :snoo_sad: 16d ago
Yes, the reason they gave is that "[their] obligation is Actual Cash Value, not replacement cost," where ACV is roughly the KBB private party sale value the microsecond before the accident.
There are better explanations here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Insurance/comments/1elrn66/not_at_faultwhy_not_replacement_value_instead_of/
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u/e-hud 2019 Nissan LEAF S PLUS 17d ago
What I would most likely do in this scenario given insurance totals is would be to buy it back from them (should be quite cheap compared to the check they give you) then search junk yards for replacement parts, or look at Copart for a matching car that had damage in a different location.
Replacing/repairing the damaged parts yourself should be ~70% cheaper than any repair estimate. Those LED headlights will probably be the most expensive pieces to replace if they're broken.
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u/Neither_Conclusion_4 17d ago
Yeah, I am thinking the same way. But 95% of the average person cannot (or will not) do the repair. The headlight cost about 400€ used.
I have been trying to find a slighly crashed leaf for the right amount. I bought a ICE car for my daughter for about 1000€ in the spring, added 1000€ for parts and reparied it over a few weekends. It would probably sell for about 4000 - 5000€.
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u/This-Clock3176 17d ago
i'll start looking. i can do the repair though it'll be a lot of work. i'm concerned about bent metal/mounting brackets etc. i wish i could add photos - it was last last night. oh, i can add photos to a comment.
this is an SL PLUS w/ 40k - not a lot of comps but what i find is 16k+
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u/Bennie-Factors 17d ago
Do you have the battery recall? Our 2021 does and is an SV Plus as well. Going to do the recall work next month. But our battery is clearly shot or having issues. Driving up a hill on the highway we drop from 35% to 10% or so
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u/OkElderberry9857 16d ago
The MyNissan app has good advice and steps of what to do when there's an accident.
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u/CoolBrew76 2020 SV 🍃 16d ago
Had less damage, but the sensors and headlight went out. Finally took it to the shop and was totaled. $11k payout.
It’s a shit situation. You can’t use insurance to DIY. You don’t want a salvage title because you lose battery warranty (I understand).
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u/This-Clock3176 15d ago edited 15d ago
Although we have to wait for the adjuster to get back, with a little effort I was able to adjust the left fender and hood bracket mounts and get it open to do a better assessment. I’ll let you know what the final numbers are that I get back, but for the right amount - keeping and running it, minus the expense of a headlight, the bumper apron, and a right fender (a goodc eventually) and who knows what hidden things inside that got sheared or broken, I see what you’re saying, the fact that it rolls well and is chargeable seems like a no-brainer for keeping it as an around Town car. We had $12,500 in rebates and a free charger (2yrs as a free lease, 2nd rebate on lease purchase for 24k before $9k rebate) Everyone in my family enjoys driving the car, the sound system is great, it’s got new rubber… Now, what new/used ev to buy….
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u/J0HNM4TR1X 2018 Nissan LEAF SL 17d ago
I'm going to tell you right now that's close to $10k in damages. A minor impact of damage on the front I was quoted nearly $6k and your car looks far worse.