Smashed the Sahara :-(
04-23-2011, 08:18 AM
#41
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Sorry to here that. Glad your ok. Most insurance agencies ive delt with have tried to save every dollar and spend the max amount before "total loss". Insurance rates are so competitive (for our advantage). If they can save on even the littlest percent of $$ before a total, then they will. I hope your rates dont go up and Good luck next time.
04-25-2011, 04:10 AM
#42
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04-25-2011, 09:42 AM
#43
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If you have a hartop, check and see if it still fits. It wont show with the soft top, but I bet your freedom panels wont sit right. That is if you have one.
04-25-2011, 10:21 AM
#44
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So the teardown has begun. Under the Nationwide "Blue Ribbon" Auto Repair I get updates with pictures everyday throughout the process. So far I have been extremely impressed with both the Nationwide claims folks and the "Blue Ribbon" shop they recommended. Here are the first pictures as they begin the dis-assembly. In the shot of the undercarriage you can see where the pitman arm was completely sheared off as a result of the tire being forced against the curb.
Attachment 151337Attachment 151336Attachment 151335Attachment 151334
Attachment 151337Attachment 151336Attachment 151335Attachment 151334
Word from the shop is the are repairing the Sahara. Lots of unseen damage to steering, suspension and front end components (Control Arm, pitman arm, brackets on the axle housing etc.) but nothing they can't fix. The body damage is $$$$. I'm at least getting new tires out of the deal. I'll keep the thread updated as I get pictures from the shop.
, and her car never drove the same again after being fixed.
04-26-2011, 05:34 AM
#45
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Really? Not cool. Just cause it was an 18 yr old girl, doesnt mean anything. She is someone's daughter and the Op said it was his fault.
Looks like some serious damage, cant believe the pitman was torn off like that.
I would be real leary about any other unseen damage. Hope they are able to get it fixed for you and it drives right. hate to see you go through all this and deal with gremlins down the road. My daughter got hit by someone, thus my displeasure with first post above, and her car never drove the same again after being fixed.
Looks like some serious damage, cant believe the pitman was torn off like that.
I would be real leary about any other unseen damage. Hope they are able to get it fixed for you and it drives right. hate to see you go through all this and deal with gremlins down the road. My daughter got hit by someone, thus my displeasure with first post above
, and her car never drove the same again after being fixed.Before they even provided the estimate or decided that they could repair it they did a complete teardown. They removed the seats, carpets, doors, hinges, rocker panels, etc. all the way down the frame. Then they pulled everything out from up front (suspension, control arms, bars, etc) and created a list of everything that would be replaced - which was almost everything! The shop manager walked me through and said that if it was connected to something that might be bent or out of line they were replacing it.
The additional peace of mind comes from the fact that both my insurance company and the body shop are providing a lifetime (as long as I own the Jeep) guarantee on all the work. If anything doesn't quite feel right they will fix it free of charge for as long as I drive her. Knowing that leads me to think they will do everything they can to get it right the first time when they are being paid rather than have to work on it for free down the road. I'll keep everyone posted.
04-26-2011, 05:38 AM
#46
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I was wary of the repairs for the same reasons (i.e never drives the same again, frequent problems, etc) until I went to the shop. They specialize in German cars (Audi, BMW and Mercedes) and the attention to detail was impressive (at least so far....).
Before they even provided the estimate or decided that they could repair it they did a complete teardown. They removed the seats, carpets, doors, hinges, rocker panels, etc. all the way down the frame. Then they pulled everything out from up front (suspension, control arms, bars, etc) and created a list of everything that would be replaced - which was almost everything! The shop manager walked me through and said that if it was connected to something that might be bent or out of line they were replacing it.
The additional peace of mind comes from the fact that both my insurance company and the body shop are providing a lifetime (as long as I own the Jeep) guarantee on all the work. If anything doesn't quite feel right they will fix it free of charge for as long as I drive her. Knowing that leads me to think they will do everything they can to get it right the first time when they are being paid rather than have to work on it for free down the road. I'll keep everyone posted.
Before they even provided the estimate or decided that they could repair it they did a complete teardown. They removed the seats, carpets, doors, hinges, rocker panels, etc. all the way down the frame. Then they pulled everything out from up front (suspension, control arms, bars, etc) and created a list of everything that would be replaced - which was almost everything! The shop manager walked me through and said that if it was connected to something that might be bent or out of line they were replacing it.
The additional peace of mind comes from the fact that both my insurance company and the body shop are providing a lifetime (as long as I own the Jeep) guarantee on all the work. If anything doesn't quite feel right they will fix it free of charge for as long as I drive her. Knowing that leads me to think they will do everything they can to get it right the first time when they are being paid rather than have to work on it for free down the road. I'll keep everyone posted.
04-29-2011, 10:19 AM
#47
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Update 4.29.30
Just got the most recent set of pictures. They shop is still waiting on some more of the "mechanical parts" before they start the body work. We're in step 4 of 10 for the repair process.
05-20-2011, 04:06 AM
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UPDATE - Body Work
So...the pictures look bad. The shop decided they needed to go ahead and replace the entire front floor pan 
They still think they can have it back to me by the 31st, in a "perfect world" they thought maybe even the 27th....
They still think they can have it back to me by the 31st, in a "perfect world" they thought maybe even the 27th....
Update again....