AJT123

Well this sucks...I was driving and I hydroplaned and spun around and slammed the left side of my car into a curb...It probably hit going at least 40MPH...

There is no body damage or even flat tires surprisingly but I know for a fact I really screwed up the suspension and alignment....the wheel is all off to the side and I can hear a grinding noise when I drive. No body damage however, just the rims are very badly curbed...It was still pouring rain (it's like flooding here) and there was no damage to any property or anything so I drove home and called my insurance...not gonna sit in the rain and wait for the cops when there's no need....

I guess the important thing is that I'm okay and nobody was hurt nor was there any damage to anything else except my car....but omg please tell me that I can take it to a bodyshop and it will ride, drive, and track EXACTLY how it did before this happened? There is a Toyota Collision center here in town, I pray to god they can restore it to spec. Can they?? God if this car doesn't drive the same when fixed I'll be extremely upset...

AlexusAnja

Yes, important thing is that you're okay along with any passengers. Anything can be fixed with time and money. You said no body damage so doubt any frame damage so bent rim and sound could just be wheel scraping on the disc shield so hopefully < $1k damage.

VIPDrizzy

It all depends on the extent of the damage it may not look like much but if things are bent and tweaked then they all need replacement which can be expensive or not cost efficient depending on what it looks like under your car.

sajack

Were you running aftermarket wheels?

Jabberwock

Glad you weren't hurt. Nothing to do but take it in for an estimate. That's why we all have auto insurance... although if it less than $6-700 you might pay it out of pocket to avoid an insurance claim. Depends on prior history,etc.

TeeNastie

Pay attention to your body... Same thing happened to me a few months ago... I'm still rehabbing my back! I hit a guard rail after hydroplaning at about 60mph.

Silver'04

iTrader: (13)

Sorry to hear about your accident. The main thing is that nobody got hurt and that you can still walk away from it. As for the repairs, it is definitely possible to get the car back to pre-loss condition on an accident like this. When there's body work and painting involved, there are significantly more variables in having a " good job " done. You have to worry about panels fitting properly, gapping, straight body work, color matching etc. With a claim that is primarily suspension damage. The car won't get returned back to you until it passes a 4 wheel alignment. Now it's not to say that it's easy to assess suspension damage, but for the most part, if a part is bent, cracked, or damaged, it's replaced. There really isn't any repairs done to damaged suspension parts.

Who are you insured with? Your insurance carrier's policy will dictate what type of parts are used in your repairs. Some insurance carriers will reimburse you with genuine OEM parts, and some may used LKQ (Like Kind and Quality) or After market parts, so be aware and be sure to ask the repair shop questions. Any quality shop will explain the repair process and the parts being used in your repairs.

On a side note, if you were planning on upgrading to aftermarket lower control arms, toe links, camber arms (Figs, Megan, Nagisa ) etc... now is the time to do so. Inform your appraiser that your intent may be to use an alternate part instead of the one listed on your repair estimate. For example, if the lower control arm and toe links are damaged, they will owe you to replace them. If you choose to use a Figs toe link rather than an OEM, it's your choice and you can cash out on the price of the OEM one and use that money to buy the Figs one. You may need to front the money to buy the part, but just confirm that you will be reimbursed by either the insurance company or the repair shop.

My 2GS was hit last year by an uninsured, no licensed, knuckle head kid. Similar damage.....all suspension and pretty much no body damage. As it turned out, the Figs Mega arms and toe links were less than what the OEM parts costed, so I actually put a little bit of money back in my pocket. Still sucks though having to go through it all. Hope it all works out for you.

AJT123

I just wanted to thank everyone for their well-wishes and concern.

I just talked to the appraiser, he says all so far is that I need 2 rims replaced and the front bumper cover touched up. He also says that it looks like there is no suspension damage, and that an alignment will tell the tale if there is any more damage.

Now, I'm kinda pi$$ed, because I could have lived with curbed rims (he didn't say if they were bent or not, but I assumed so...I :slammed: sideways into a vertical curb going 50MPH) and saved $500 and a premium increase. However, I don't see how an alignment is all, because there is a grinding noise when I drive. I know cars decently well and I don't see how there couldn't be any damage to, at the very least, the wheel components. The car wasn't rubbing against anything, so the grinding has to be some sort of wheel component, right?

I'll keep everyone posted!

Silver'04

iTrader: (13)

Typically on your type of hit, you may see damage to the lower control arms, knuckle, or tie rods and misc. arms/links. It is sometimes difficult to see if there is visible suspension damage, but if there is a constant grinding then something is clearly bent. I would be a little concerned for you to continue driving the car (You may cause further damage that the insurance company may not cover), so if you have rental reimbursement on your policy, you should get into a rental car and get the ball rolling in the mean time.

AJT123

Lol, I picked up my rental MINIVAN today....And I only drove it from where the wreck happened back home...had it towed off from there. It's in the shop now, he says it just looks like an alignment but we'll see. I will be so upset if the car doesn't drive/ride/track the way it did prior.

AJT123

Got my car back! There was about 3k in damages. Of course, like I predicted, I had to take it back because there was still a rubbing; it turned out to be a bad wheel bearing. They painted the underside of the bumper, replaced 2 rims, and a rear camber thingy in the rear. It's great and back to normal except for one small thing: there is still a rubbing sound when you turn the wheel right. Almost sounds like the brake pads are rubbing, but that can't be because I just had them replaced prior to the wreck. So I really don't know what it is, but they're gonna fix it! The work wasn't done at Lexus to my dismay, but there is a lifetime guarantee and other than the small issues they seemed to have done a good job. It drives, rides, and tracks the same as it did, which is a huggge relief. I seriously would have been like depressed if the magic carpet ride was gone!

Not having the car for a week (and driving a 2012 Dodge Caravan) sucked! I really, really missed it. You realize just how refined this car is when you drive others. That van had the new (and praised) Pentastar V6 in it, and good god it was rough. Got the job done fine but gee whiz it was loud and not very smooth. Didn't feel like a DOHC motor. I guess I'm just so spoiled by the Lexus V8...what a great motor!

So long story short, everything is fine except for the sound it's making now (anyone have any guesses as to what it might be?), but they'll fix it probably Monday and everything should be just fine! Glad this ordeal is over!

Dailow

Glad to hear everything is working out in the end.

I hear you about driving other cars.
I had to rent a minivan during a roadtrip in Florida and it only took 5 minutes for me to want to go back to the LS430.

CarGuy89

Great to see that it was repaired properly and that you're finally reunited with your pride and joy again!

The LS430 sets the bar so high that I am very rarely impressed by any other car. The dealer usually gives me an RX or ES and as nice as those cars are I am missing my LS as soon as I get inside. Glad to see you back man!