Road Hazard last night in Annapolis!

[foosh]

I have to agree, based upon the last picture, that it looks like the tub is damaged beyond "corporate specs" for repair. Sorry.

I live off Rt 50 in Annapolis, and I have a 4 post lift, if you'd like to explore it more closely. PM me if you're interested.

[Baysailor]

Originally Posted by Catbird

If it is truely toast... it will be replaced by another Elise... love the open top ... the top has not been on since I bought it..
SC? Hmmmm...

There is a nice new Solar Yellow Elise SC sitting at Euroclassics down in Richmond, VA (not too far for you). I bet they would be willing to make a deal.

(I was up in Annapolis just last Thursday for the Sailboat show!)

[Phantom]

DAMN!

Glad you're okay-

[serpent]

my dad drives to work everyday on rt.50 (if you see a alpina b7 wave cuz its my dad)

he said this is like the 5th time he remembers seeing big as **** on rt.50....apparently there's a lot of construction trucks that overhauls which results in things like pic on the road.

catbird: hopefully it ends there and there wont be any hassle with the insurance.

[Shaggy]

Totaled. I really hate to say that but the last photo seals the deal. The side sill is bad enough as its a bonded part and is very hard / labor intensive to replace but the tub damage really does it.

If insurance offers to sell it back you might consider picking it up to sell as it would be a good car to go with my old car ( Former member's car for sale - 05 elise project damaged salvage ). Someone would still need a good front clam but by stripping down your car and selling some major parts from it (drivetrain, interior, etc) they would be able to recoup enough money to make it a feasible project.

[brooksfletcher]

CATBIRD.....CATBIRD.....NO.....take the rope from around your neck, it will be alright......LOL dont worry, i wont reiterate the obvious (which i kind of just did) but please tell me you got some sexy a$$ insurance?

[Illumiloti]

Originally Posted by Phantom

Attachment 97305

DAMN!

Glad you're okay-

This is why I've resisted buying a street bike.

[serpent]

Originally Posted by Pestodude

This is why I've resisted buying a street bike.

on a bike..if you saw it and it was 10 feet until the object then you wouldn't have hit it (if your a good rider and depending on speed of course).

[DragonRider1]

Sorry to see your 3-week old (to you) car totalled but what strikes me is the picture of what you ran over. If it tore that easily into the bottom of the car, be damned glad that it didn't rip through your feet (or your passengers if you had one!)!!! A replaced car beats the hell out of destroyed lower legs and feet.

I'm sorry to say that our cars, for all their fun and frolick, are fragile. Pulling to close to a curb can cost you a new motorcycle worth of repairs. Getting a love tap on the rear clam could buy a new Honda Civic or Mazda 3... but we put up with that risk because of how the cars make us feel and how they drive. Hopefully the insurance company will do well enough by you to go out and get another one.

Also, look on the light side: someone from Atlanta had 52-56 miles on their brand new Elise when they ran over some concrete blocks on the way home from buying the car. Yep, totaled.. I can't imagine that one. "I just bought the insurance company a new car!"

[JoshS]

Originally Posted by serpent

on a bike..if you saw it and it was 10 feet until the object then you wouldn't have hit it (if your a good rider and depending on speed of course).

Uh, going 60 mph that's 87 ft a second. So you can see it and react in .12 second? But, more to your point you WOULD see the cars ahead hitting it and might avoid it because of that.

[brooksfletcher]

Originally Posted by serpent

on a bike..if you saw it and it was 10 feet until the object then you wouldn't have hit it (if your a good rider and depending on speed of course).

+1
Besides, when your on a bike, being in tune with the road and looking for big ass hunks of metal and random ass debris should be second nature...PERIOD

[Sleazy E]

that is horrible man, sorry to see this happen to you .

[IsellLotus]

Originally Posted by Catbird

If it is truely toast... it will be replaced by another Elise... love the open top ... the top has not been on since I bought it..
SC? Hmmmm...

I have a beautiful BRG with biscuit SC Elise here now!!

[BK_DC]

Holy cow, reading this thread and the other "totaled by crap in the road" threads is an eye opener. I knew these cars were fragile, but wow. My sympathy to the OP.

[goelise]

First, very glad your ok. second - WTH is that thing doing on the road? It can kill someone! But that goes without saying.

I have to agree with everyone else - the car appears totalled.

Whats most important is that your ok and now you can go get yourself a new Lotus.

Be safe!

[delise]

Originally Posted by brooksfletcher

+1
Besides, when your on a bike, being in tune with the road and looking for big ass hunks of metal and random ass debris should be second nature...PERIOD

Should be the same %100 of the time in an Elise or Exige as well, I notice /avoid rocks, small bolts and nails, gators all the time on the freeway. I also keep my left and right escape routes as open as I can at all times in case I need to suddenly swerve to avoid something tumbling off the back of a truck or such, this practice has saved me grief countless times in the Elise on the freeway. I am also very in tune with the cars far ahead of me, If I see one dip and bounce I know I have a nasty bump coming up, or if I see them start to brake or swerve I know something is up and can look for a safe way to stop fast or escape lane.

[CleanSC]

I find it pretty ridiculous that a small tear in the tub totals an otherwise perfect (and hard to replace) car.

I understand according to Lotus the car is compromised and the fix is expensive but come on. There are incredible advances in epoxies and bonding agents that can surely provide an appropriate fix for non-structural tub damage.

And if not, there are other ways to engineer the chassis to be repairable.

All this really accomplishes is high insurance rates and more rebuilt Elises on the street.

Any little thing totals these cars.

While I'm ranting the clams should have detachable lower halves (I mean the seamlines are even there) that cost less than breast implants to replace.

Good luck with the insurance, I hope they own up and take care of it for ya.

[kaiynne]

this is going to give me nightmares for weeks...

So to the insurance experts out there, what would you need to make sure you had on your insurance policy to make sure that this sort of damage was covered? Is there something in particular that needs to be in your contract that will make sure that a totaled car will be replaced? I just got my Elise and it is a brand new 08 if i hit something i want to make sure that i get a brand new car... Especially since there are potholes as big as my car in boston.

[foosh]

Originally Posted by CleanSC

I find it pretty ridiculous that a small tear in the tub totals an otherwise perfect (and hard to replace) car.

I understand according to Lotus the car is compromised and the fix is expensive but come on. There are incredible advances in epoxies and bonding agents that can surely provide an appropriate fix for non-structural tub damage.

And if not, there are other ways to engineer the chassis to be repairable.

All this really accomplishes is high insurance rates and more rebuilt Elises on the street.

Any little thing totals these cars.

While I'm ranting the clams should have detachable lower halves (I mean the seamlines are even there) that cost less than breast implants to replace.

Good luck with the insurance, I hope they own up and take care of it for ya.

While I understand what you are trying to say, what the OP hit was not exactly "any little thing." And, there is no such thing as "non-structural tub damage" since it is an integral part of the structure. It was a high-speed collision with a large, dense object.

It is a risk that we must accept for driving cars with very little ground clearance on the mean streets. Any other car with a similar ground clearance would also have suffered very severe damage. For example, an aluminum-framed Z06 could also have been totaled after a collision with a similar object.

[Aedo]

Originally Posted by CleanSC

I find it pretty ridiculous that a small tear in the tub totals an otherwise perfect (and hard to replace) car.

I understand according to Lotus the car is compromised and the fix is expensive but come on. There are incredible advances in epoxies and bonding agents that can surely provide an appropriate fix for non-structural tub damage.

And if not, there are other ways to engineer the chassis to be repairable.

All this really accomplishes is high insurance rates and more rebuilt Elises on the street.

Any little thing totals these cars.

While I'm ranting the clams should have detachable lower halves (I mean the seamlines are even there) that cost less than breast implants to replace.

Good luck with the insurance, I hope they own up and take care of it for ya.

Interesting first post. Welcome to LT!


As foosh says the tub is the structure so any damage is by definition structural. However - if the floor panel within the tub is damaged it can be patched (but obviously will not be "as built") although this may not be acceptable to the owner cosmetically. And as for "a small tear" - that was a maassive gash!

In terms of tub repairability it is certainly technically possible - but the tub would have to be removed from the car to do it (since the adhesives require high heat to cure) - and if you are fully dismantling the car for that you may as well buy a new tub than try to repair a damaged one (which is why Lotus do not approve any repairs to the chassis). An replacing the tub isn't the end of the world and is done in other countries where the labour cost isn't prohibitive and the value of the car is higher (basically everywhere other than the US)

So no - to "Any little thing totals these cars."

We love 'em