Hail Damage
 

I dropped my car off at the dealer to get the steering wheel lock replaced and I was told that I had hail damage from Monday. I am pissed! Why the hell was my **** parked outside when they had some cheap *** sentras in the garage?

Had to pay a $500 deductible and now waiting for an estimate. There are too many dents to count but it looks like it's over 100 dime size dents on the hood, both front fenders, roof, trunk, and both rear panels.

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Dents on the trunk and fenders are hard to see but there are a bunch of them. I'm guessing about 8-10K in damage?

Sorry to hear. That's fvcking bull$hit man :( If you have a garage at home, I would argue the dealer is responsible for the deductible...

I already tried. I told them they should be atleast responsible for paying my deductible but no luck.

Damn....where was this at?

Damn dude that sucks. I would of been going irate when I picked it up at the dealer. Reminds me of my brothers 350 his got beat to hell in a hailstorm.

that is going to be an expensive fix. sorry to see.

aluminum is a biotch to PDR so they will probably replace.

yeah the hood will probably be replaced but I think they can PDR the rest. Now the Z will be going back in the shop right when I got it back. I'm going to have to drive around in my old corolla coaster

Jeez...that sucks. That's a lot of work, even for paintless dent removal. The need to access the underside and basically push the dents out. I've seen it done with relatively good results, but it's going to be a huge undertaking. I don't think insurance is going to easily go the route of replacing every damaged panel, even though that's what I would want. The hardest part is going to be the rear fenders since it's technically part of the unibody. There's no easy way of getting behind the actual panel. I'm gonna guess around $2k-5k depending on the shop and what route they take in repairing. If they need to re-paint every panel on the car, basically a full re-spray, it's more like $5k-15k.

It's an act of nature, but the dealership should be partially liable while the car is in their hands. If you have a garage, argue that the Z would have been in the garage if the possibilty of hail was in the forecast.

wow.... that sucks *** man :(

This is my nightmare. I hate to see any Z in this state let alone a fellow Monty Blue! Good luck with everything man, hope it all works out.

Seems like an awesome opportunity to upgrade to a dry carbon fiber hood!
SEIBON® HD0910NS370-OE-DRY - Nissan 370Z 2009-2012 OEM-Style Dry Carbon Hood

Horseshít, it's 100% the dealers fault,

Get yourself a lawyer, the dealer is clearly liable.

The dealer should have lot insurance for anything on their property. Act of God or not. They just don't want to get hit with the insurance claim because I'm guessing your car wasn't the only one. You left it in their care and had no control over how they treated it. Why should you have an ounce of responsibility?

I had a dealer (MB) try to pull that on me when one of their lot lizards curbed two of my wheels. The SA pointed to the sign and said 'See, we're not responsible for any damages to you can while it's here.' I told him I'd have my lawyer call them. He ordered two new wheels.

It's the same thing with grocery carts in parking lots or 'not responsible for rocks coming from this truck' signs on a dumptruck. They can put up any sign they want or tell you whatever they want- doesn't make it legally binding one bit.

Omg! Thats brutal.

Sorry to hear about this. I had the same type/ amount of hail damage on mine as well. I did get a new hood and the rest was done with PDR. It came out like new and would have been just under 10K if not for my insurance.

was your car at the dealership when it happened? So I should be expecting around 10K in damages? I'm going to be pissed if the adjuster lowball me. My car was in excellent conditon before this happened.

What nissan dealer ship did you have it at? It seemed like most the people that got damage were on the West Bank. My friends brand new FRS looks just like your car!

I thank God my car didnt get caught in that hail storm.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune man.

:(

Ray Brandt Nissan. How much was the cost of damages on your friend's car? I'm still waiting for an estimate but it might take awhile since they have been flooded with beaucoup claims

The internet lawyers are coming out from under their rocks on this one. Sue. Sue..... :) Sorry to see the damage. I live in the hail belt and this is one of my biggest worries.
My $.02, I suspect if the dealer has any liability your insurance company will go after them.

Yep. I contacted my insurance company and they told me the dealership is not responsible for damages due to act of nature. I was just hoping they would of atleast cover my deductible. If I would of sue them, my court cost and lawyer fees will probably be more than my deductible

Sue them or at least threat them you will. The car is the dealers responsibility when they have possession of your car. Just like if you went to pick it up and it had a dent, scratch or anything that wasn't in the same state as you drop it off in.

Don't talk to the clown that just answers the phone get to the owner or at least a gm or someone that can approval this.

:iagree:
Fúck the dealershít

Oh... And go and put some NICE dents in the car at least

Just to add...There would have been blood spilled before I left the dealership if they told me they would do nothing.

My dealership knows this well, every time I bring the car in we take 5-10min and look over the entire car and note if there is anything wrong before they take it in. I know it's their policy and sure they do I for everyone but I make damn well sure they know the condition the car is received in and condition I pick up in. I don't fk around when I leave the car anywhere

Man sorry to hear about that.
I guess that's why they call them "Stealerships".

Make no mistake, they are NOBODY'S friend. They are friendly though when they have their hand out for our money....If you cross that line "watch out'!

I would consult a lawyer to get your options outlined, how much it would cost vs. your insurance.
Being a non a**hole to their face was the right thing to do.

He's also waiting for someone to come inspect his car.

Hate to tell you this, but you're S.O.L.! As your insurance company told you, it's an act of nature. If they would have taken a hammer to it, they're responsible. If they drove another car into it, they're responsible. The best you can hope for is be calm, show the dealer how good a customer you've been, that you're thinking of getting a new car, and hope they'll cover the damage. Your fight is with your insurance company.

I had similar hail damage once. Found the most expensive body shop in town and got an estimate. When the insurance company agreed to pay, I took the car to the dealer, traded it in as it sat, applied the insurance check, and bought a new car. Figured I came out on top by $3K.

did you have a lien on the car when u traded it in? so u had a 370z that had hail damage and traded it in for another 370z?

Man that sucks dude... I made it out of new Orleans right before it started hailing.

Noooooo... thats so painful to see... I would get a lawyer and sue them for everything you can even the shock and pain it put you in to see your beloved car in that condition..lol But on a serious note they are responsible for your car when they have POSSESSION of it!!!! make them pay to REPLACE all damaged parts or just let you take a new one off the lot....:tup:

No lien, 350 for a 350.

man... i bought my 2012 solid red 3months ago and now it look just like the ops blue 370z, with the same damages. im thinking about what 122554 said and trade it back in, but i don't want to lose out too much since i paid triple the car note for the last 3 months

mb370z, keep us posted with your situation and let me know what kind of estimate they give you. im in the same situation as you, just not with the dealer mess.

:iagree: Insurance companies are in the business of making money and generally have very deep pockets. If they thought in any way that they could avoid or even share responsibility beyond their contract for your deductible they would do so.
If they say that the dealer is not liable I would consider that the final word. Don't waste your time or money on a lawyer

I got hail damage last year, and it was all worked out.
the hood had a nasty dent on one of the lines, the worked done on the hood required a re-spray. Car looks like new, well almost, we all know about the paint :(,
I was lucky was only the hood/roof/hatch

I got an appoinment in Harahan to get the estimate on Tuesday so I will let you know.

Forgot I had an expert right here in my building - one of my tenants is an insurance agent. So I asked him. And what the OP said is correct (and I stand corrected).

He said that you would have to prove that they were negligent and did not exercise reasonable care for it to be under their insurance and not yours.

The example he gave was if a tree from your property fell on your neighbor's garage. If the tree was alive & healthy, it would be your neighbor's responsibility. If the tree was dead, it would be the tree owners responsibility.

i had to replace front left fender, door panel, side skirt, tie rods, power steering rack, and 19" alloy ray rim that was about close to 8 grand with factory parts. They should be responsible for your damage it isn't cheap but im assuming you have insurance with a 500 delectable. Thats ******** if they refuse to pay, it was in there hands. Fight it and dont give up, you'll win. Im just trying to say noting is cheap now a days and hopefully everything goes well for you good luck i feel your pain.

But what happens in another act of God, like this?
I'm sure someone knew a storm was brewing... Why wouldn't you put all the cars in the service garage? Or something to that effect?

I still think THEY should be paying for it...


Also, go to a PDR guy... And ASK how much they'd charge to take the dents out. 2 years ago before I bought my first Maxima, I was going to buy a brand new Salvage Title car that had hail damage, I went to a PDR guy, he said 2 days, $400-600 total... You essentially rent him out... The dealerships aren't paying more than $200-300 for a PDR guy to come pop dents out of their cars per day.

And it's a good way to keep it off CarFax

its the dents on the rear quarter panel that are a b1tch to fix.....

good luck OP, this is a fear of mine! :/