LEAF wreck

roperld · Sep 30, 2014

On the way a hospital to get an MRI this morning some guy ran a red light in front of me as I was starting out on a green light and we collided. The steering-wheel air bag saved me. I have a mild burn on my left wrist. The other driver was given a summons for not yielding.
Here is what my car now looks like:

It would not start after the wreck. The police had to push it off the road with very stiff steering.

What do you think? Is it repairable?

thankyouOB · Sep 30, 2014

i dont think so.
i had about that level of impact in the rear, where there are basically nothing but sheet metal and some structural body parts, and it ran to 13k.
you got lights and power elements and those to headlamps...eek.
sorry for your loss.

pkulak · Sep 30, 2014

If you do repair, it'll be a salvage title and worthless. It doesn't take much to total a car.

LeftieBiker · Sep 30, 2014

My guess would be that it is, although I can't see inside so it's only a guess. It looks like the nose took almost all the damage.

Berlino · Sep 30, 2014

Sorry about the accident. At least you will likely be able to get a 2015 LEAF with its new features.

DanCar · Sep 30, 2014

Yeah, the 2015's are much better for range and battery longevity. Cross your fingers and hope its gets totaled. Glad you injuries are very serious.

roperld · Sep 30, 2014

This is by far the worst car accident I have been in over 62 years of driving.

My LEAF lease ends on 7 May 2015. If it is ruled totaled by State Farm, how does the replacement work? Do I get a more expensive 2015 LEAF or do they try to find a new earlier LEAF model at a lower price?

dm33 · Sep 30, 2014

roperld said:
This is by far the worst car accident I have been in over 62 years of driving.

My LEAF lease ends on 7 May 2015. If it is ruled totaled by State Farm, how does the replacement work? Do I get a more expensive 2015 LEAF or do they try to find a new earlier LEAF model at a lower price?

Speaking from my experience, if they total it and pay for the car, they pay off the lease and you no longer have a lease. Means that you have to negotiate a new lease from scratch.
On the other hand it is possible to do a "substitution of collateral". That means that a dealer can attempt to find an equivalent car, i.e. same year and similar mileage to replace the car on the same lease. We tried this at first but our original dealer gave up on this approach. They were told that because of the $7500 federal tax credit that they couldn't substitute. However another area dealer spent weeks trying to sort it out and amazingly was able to get us a replacement. However, we had an almost new car so it was easier to find a like-kind replacement, same year and model since they were still being sold.
Good luck.

bbrowncods · Sep 30, 2014

Totaled. They will pay off the lease. If there is any monies left over, you will get that. Some companies are saying they will give you a year newer car. I guess you get the choice of a newer car, or the cash.

MikeinDenver · Sep 30, 2014

bbrowncods said:
Totaled. They will pay off the lease. If there is any monies left over, you will get that. Some companies are saying they will give you a year newer car. I guess you get the choice of a newer car, or the cash.

That insurance coverage doesn't usually apply to leases because the car is not owned by the policyholder.

MikeinDenver · Sep 30, 2014

bbrowncods said:
Totaled. They will pay off the lease. If there is any monies left over, you will get that. Some companies are saying they will give you a year newer car. I guess you get the choice of a newer car, or the cash.

I read the lease contract previously and the way it reads you have no option to get back any monies. I suppose states may differ.

kubel · Sep 30, 2014

Just to clear up a few myths- when you wreck your insured LEAF and it's a total loss:

If it's leased, you pay your deductible, and your insurance company pays off NMAC directly. If the payoff value exceeds the cash value, NMAC covers the difference (GAP). If the cash value exceeds the payoff value, NMAC pockets that money. You get nothing.

If it's paid off, you pay your deductible, and you get the cash value of the car (replacement value minus depreciation).

If it's financed, you pay your deductible, and your insurance company will first pay off your lien holder. If the cash value exceeds what you owe, you get the balance. If the cash value is less than what you owe, you have the pay the balance to your lien holder (unless you have GAP insurance).

roperld · Oct 1, 2014

According to the lease document the residual value is $17,613.40 and the disposition fee is $395. (Does a disposition fee apply in this case?). After the October payment of $386.06, I will owe 6 x $386.06 = $2316.36. Those 3 numbers add to $20,324.76 or $19,929.76 without the disposition fee.

NasGoreList · Oct 1, 2014

not sure it is total damage, with new bumper and some structural elements underneath and it will be good to go unless there is damage to powertrain..

I do wonder how do you reset the car so you can turn it back on after the accident if all vital systems are in tact?

jelloslug · Oct 1, 2014

NasGoreList said:
not sure it is total damage, with new bumper and some structural elements underneath and it will be good to go unless there is damage to powertrain..

I do wonder how do you reset the car so you can turn it back on after the accident if all vital systems are in tact?

You left out the airbag and seat belt and any the wiring harnesses that lead up to those devices. I would be VERY surprised if that car is not totaled.

RegGuheert · Oct 1, 2014

roperld said:
Here is what my car now looks like:

I'm sorry about your accident and I hope your injuries heal soon.

It's sad to see a VA LEAF looking like that!

roperld said:
What do you think? Is it repairable?

My bet is that it is totaled. However, we have seen at least one instance here where the insurance adjuster did not understand how expensive it is to repair a LEAF and tried to have it repaired, only to spend more than the total value. We'll see...

Slow1 · Oct 1, 2014

kubel said:
Just to clear up a few myths- when you wreck your insured LEAF and it's a total loss:

If it's leased, you pay your deductible, and your insurance company pays off NMAC directly. If the payoff value exceeds the cash value, NMAC covers the difference (GAP). If the cash value exceeds the payoff value, NMAC pockets that money. You get nothing.

If it's paid off, you pay your deductible, and you get the cash value of the car (replacement value minus depreciation).

If it's financed, you pay your deductible, and your insurance company will first pay off your lien holder. If the cash value exceeds what you owe, you get the balance. If the cash value is less than what you owe, you have the pay the balance to your lien holder (unless you have GAP insurance).

Sounds like you know a thing or two about how this all works. Perhaps you can answer this too - IF someone hits my property and damages it, I believe they can be held liable to restore my property (repair or replace with at least same level). IF that person has liability insurance, then they can get the insurance company to pay out this liability. However, in the end I (as the injured party) am still entitled to having my property restored, correct? So - what the insurance company does or does not do in this case, I have to agree to it and if I don't believe that I am being properly compensated for the legitimate loss, I don't have to accept it. In this case, is it just a matter of pulling in (and paying for) lawyers or is there some other avenue of expressing my perceived need for better compensation?

So - example in this case, the car may be totaled (I wouldn't be surprised). So once everything is settled, if the lease is paid off (no debt to the OP) and the car is gone, is that really compensation for the loss? Shouldn't the OP be entitled to whatever it takes to get into a satisfactory lease with similiar terms (i.e. if on a $199/mo lease, he shouldn't be required to take on a $299 lease after the accident, should he?)

Just trying to understand how this all works - thankfully I have yet to be in this situation.

jelloslug · Oct 1, 2014

You won't get more than the car is worth. Your fine negotiating skills or programs that were available when you leased the car don't have any bearing on the payout. This is exactly why you don't put money down on a lease.

MikeinDenver · Oct 1, 2014

Slow1 said:
kubel said:

Just to clear up a few myths- when you wreck your insured LEAF and it's a total loss:

If it's leased, you pay your deductible, and your insurance company pays off NMAC directly. If the payoff value exceeds the cash value, NMAC covers the difference (GAP). If the cash value exceeds the payoff value, NMAC pockets that money. You get nothing.

If it's paid off, you pay your deductible, and you get the cash value of the car (replacement value minus depreciation).

If it's financed, you pay your deductible, and your insurance company will first pay off your lien holder. If the cash value exceeds what you owe, you get the balance. If the cash value is less than what you owe, you have the pay the balance to your lien holder (unless you have GAP insurance).

Click to expand...

Sounds like you know a thing or two about how this all works. Perhaps you can answer this too - IF someone hits my property and damages it, I believe they can be held liable to restore my property (repair or replace with at least same level). IF that person has liability insurance, then they can get the insurance company to pay out this liability. However, in the end I (as the injured party) am still entitled to having my property restored, correct? So - what the insurance company does or does not do in this case, I have to agree to it and if I don't believe that I am being properly compensated for the legitimate loss, I don't have to accept it. In this case, is it just a matter of pulling in (and paying for) lawyers or is there some other avenue of expressing my perceived need for better compensation?

So - example in this case, the car may be totaled (I wouldn't be surprised). So once everything is settled, if the lease is paid off (no debt to the OP) and the car is gone, is that really compensation for the loss? Shouldn't the OP be entitled to whatever it takes to get into a satisfactory lease with similiar terms (i.e. if on a $199/mo lease, he shouldn't be required to take on a $299 lease after the accident, should he?)

Just trying to understand how this all works - thankfully I have yet to be in this situation.

The problem is it is a lease, which means NMAC owns the vehicle. They are being compensated for what they deem to be a fair amount. The only thing you own in this scenario is yourself. In this scenario a bodily injury claim could be filed for any sustained injuries and you *could* use the pain and suffering money to put down on a new vehicle but beyond that I see no means.

derkraut · Oct 1, 2014

So...if you "total" a leased (rented) car, they take the car away, you stop making payments, and that's it, I guess? Sounds about right to me. I bought mine, so if I total it, they have to replace it at no cost to me, except for my policy deductible.

LEAF wreck

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