Wrecked Lotus ):

[Mike808]

Hello, new to posting here but I will tell you my quick story of what happened to my poor car...

I decided to mod my Elise and ship it to BOE Fabrication in Kansas for the work and on the way there the idiotic shipping company attached my car incorrectly through the bottom of the frame and there were small tears in the frame when the car arrived in Kansas. BOE assessed the damage and it was actually totaled out through my insurance company because the frame was compromised. The tears were minor but because the frame was damaged the insurance will not fix it because lotus doesn't allow it. The car was salvaged I received the money from my insurance minus what I paid them to buy my car back as a salvage, which actually was a lot because they assessed the salvage value very high because of how minor the tears were. I had someone fix the tears and the car was safe to drive.

I get the car back from BOE and wow was it ridiculous, I had Rev 310 SC, BOE Surge Tank, Oil Catch Can, ACT HD/SS Clutch, Fidanza Fly, De-Cat, ST-5 Exhaust, ClamHinge, BWR Sway, and new Toe Link Kit installed + a few other things.

At about only 300 miles into having my car back I was in a collision, going through a green light at relatively low speed and this old lady trying to turn left pulls right in front of me as of she didn't even see me.. I swerve left but still hit her she definitely had a solid green YIELD where she was but she told the cop she had a green arrow which was a lie. Nobody stopped but I had a passenger in my car that saw the light was green. The insurance figured each driver at their own fault so her insurance paid for her car which was barely scratched and unfortunately I only had liability because of what had previously happened. After I had the car salvaged because of the tears I was only able to buy liability insurance and nothing else so I am on my own with this. I have a lawyer and I'm filing suit against her but even if I win I will still lose 40% contingency. Everyone knows these are eggshells on wheels but its truly baffling how delicate they really are I can only imagine a high speed accident in one of these...

So my dilemma is if I should try to fix it or part it out. I'm not sure if it would be worth putting money into repairing it if even fixable into a salvage titled vehicle.

[yellow99s]

If I was in your position I'd replace the crash structure (maybe repair, depending on the extent of damage), repair the existing clam (while eliminating the turn signal lenses, license plate plinth, side marker lights and seams) and upgrade to '06 & ^ headlights. The under tray can be flattened out, toss the fog lights and egg crate grills for wire mesh and you'll end up with a better looking Elise for not all that much $. If you decide you're not up for repairing it shoot me a price before you part it out, best of luck!

[abechen]

Sorry to hear about what happened. I forgot who on this site repaired the crash structure himself. Do a search. It may be doable yourself.

[Ked67madison]

If you decided to part out please pm me.. I'm sorry for your loss..

[Harix]

Sorry for your loss.
Front clam, crash structure, radiator, everything there should be less than $10k. Don't salvage the car.

[nate379]

USAA will do full coverage on reconstruct titled vehicles (looks like you are .mil... at least have an old base pass anyway)

[Aedo]

Sorry to hear about the accident – hope you and your passenger were uninjured.

In terms of repair that is about $20k if you take it to any reputable shop. The parts alone will be at least $10k as you need a new crash structure (it is definitely not repairable), clam, LHS headlight, indicators, most likely radiator and condenser, and sadly the list goes on…

Originally Posted by Mike808

...
Everyone knows these are eggshells on wheels but its truly baffling how delicate they really are I can only imagine a high speed accident in one of these...

No … the crumple zone works to minimise impact to the occupants – it is not designed to save the car.

[shay2nak]

wow. Sorry about the car. Good luck.

[addertooth]

I do not know how recently your accident occured, but, go on foot, door to door, and look for video cameras at all businesses within 1 block of the intersection. You may discover there is video of the accident, which would be a game-changer as far as liability goes. The key is speed, many businesses recycle their recording media every few days. They only hang onto a recording if they are aware there was an incident recorded.
Fair warning, without video, a lawsuit will likely drag on for years. The best camera angle would be the one shot from behind her, as it will show the status of the light when she entered the intersection. It does not even need to show the impact, if it can show the light when she entered.
As a suggestion, if you drive a Lotus without comprehensive coverage, pony up a couple hundred bucks for a gopro camera, and always run it when the wheels are rolling. For a one time premium of 200 bucks, you will have hard proof of fault in all accidents, good video of hit and runs and periodically humerous videos you can post to the group.

[driftwood]

so what the op is trying to say is that his elise was involved in 2 significant $ accidents in about 300 miles timeframe on the odo...

that car is cursed!

[6i9]

How did they tear the frame the first time? Where did they secure the tiedowns?

[me73]

The question I'd ask myself is, do I want to have to pay to repair the car out of my pocket if this happens again? That's up to you, but paying for the car many times over because you can't insure it for replacement cost seems like a bad financial move.

[Glen]

Originally Posted by me73

The question I'd ask myself is, do I want to have to pay to repair the car out of my pocket if this happens again? That's up to you, but paying for the car many times over because you can't insure it for replacement cost seems like a bad financial move.

If you (me73) are suggesting this is likely to happen again, that's not true. In the two accidents described, the driver was not a contributing factor.

Apart from any skill you (the OP) have in avoiding accidents caused solely by others, the fact that your car has been involved in two previous accidents makes future accidents no more (or less likely). If you can't stand to lose the car, obtain comprehensive insurance or self-insure the comprehensive portion. The alternative is to dispose of the vehicle.

As an aside, totaled and really expensive to buy back seems like a contradiction. You might benefit from a different insurance writer.

Glen


Sent from my iPhone using AutoGuide.com App

[trichards]

For everyone's sake, what was the name of the shipping company that messed up in the first place?

[me73]

Originally Posted by Glen

If you (me73) are suggesting this is likely to happen again, that's not true. In the two accidents described, the driver was not a contributing factor.

I'm not suggesting anything. I'm saying what I said.

[Mike808]

Thanks for the replies..

Originally Posted by addertooth

I do not know how recently your accident occured, but, go on foot, door to door, and look for video cameras at all businesses within 1 block of the intersection. You may discover there is video of the accident, which would be a game-changer as far as liability goes. The key is speed, many businesses recycle their recording media every few days. They only hang onto a recording if they are aware there was an incident recorded.
Fair warning, without video, a lawsuit will likely drag on for years. The best camera angle would be the one shot from behind her, as it will show the status of the light when she entered the intersection. It does not even need to show the impact, if it can show the light when she entered.
As a suggestion, if you drive a Lotus without comprehensive coverage, pony up a couple hundred bucks for a gopro camera, and always run it when the wheels are rolling. For a one time premium of 200 bucks, you will have hard proof of fault in all accidents, good video of hit and runs and periodically humerous videos you can post to the group.

After the accident when she was lieing to the cop saying she had a green arrow I wasn't stressed because of all the "cameras" at that intersection so when I got home I called the city asking for recordings and it turns out they were all just for directing traffic nothing was recorded.. Pretty devastating I asked around like you suggested no one had anything.. She was coming from under the highway turning left I was going towards the highway about to go under and she pulled in front of me.. Probably age 65+ woman driving a e63 amg. The way she was driving there is no doubt in my mind she has a terrible history of collisions she seemed so rich she didn't care if she hits someone.. Should help my case even though as stated it could take many years before resolved.. Luckily we weren't injured, never had been in an accident before so it was a shock for sure.

[sizzflair]

Terrible story. I hope everything works out in the end, but glad you and the passenger walked away without any injuries. It looks like that without hard evidence, it's going to be a hard fight. That's just how the system is sometimes and it really sucks....

Makes me get a dash cam because of it.

[chilelise]

That sucks but sounds so familiar. It is always your word against theirs, unless you have a witness or video. You need to get a blackbox camera.

It records GPS location, speed, and sounds. It automatically turns on and off. Even records while car is parked. Quality is high even at night. It fits behind the mirror and less visible to potential thieves.

[Leebenstein]

So sorry to hear your story......I suggest you treat it like the girl with too many lovers before you, remember your best ride.. then encourage her her to find a new home.

[Mike808]

Originally Posted by trichards

For everyone's sake, what was the name of the shipping company that messed up in the first place?

I used MontwayAutoTransport I wasn't there when they picked up the vehicle or I would have obviously seen the guy was a complete idiot attaching it through the frame. I was surprised the tears were as minor as they were being hauled for that distance unless he realized what he did after he saw the damage and attached it by the tires half way there.

When the tears were mended the car was completely safe to drive and I wouldnt have had any problems in the future regarding that which was why I still paid the premium of buying the car back from my insurance. My insurance is actually still fighting a lawsuit against the shipping company because they accepted no fault to what had happened.