And Another Car Crash...

[GTAHVIT]

Not to be outdone by diarmadhi,

Today leaving the office for lunch I got rear ended.... GAH!

The good news is he was really cool about it. He called the Police to get a police report. Less than 3 hours later my car is at the dealership waiting for an appraisal and estimate, and I've already got a rental.... His Ins Company (Liberty Mutual) has been great. I haven't had to cough up one cent... so far.

The poor guy, he was driving a brand new Buick Enclave with less than 3k on it..... He was a little more upset than I was...

My car is what I would call a Unibody. So, I'm afraid it might get totaled out? Does anyone have any experience with a similar situation?

Here are a couple pics.

My Car.



His Car.

[Rallysport]

I own a bodyshop, so I guess I'm qualified to answer this. Looks to me like you need a new quarter panel. I doubt that your car is totaled, but that depends on the car's value. If the damages exceed 70-75% of your retail value, the car is toast. This all depends on your labor rates where you live. I'm surprised they gave you a rental already, that's great. Just be thankful you are not dealing with Progressive insurance. Believe me, they are the WORST CAR INSURANCE COMPANY on the PLANET. I call them "Regressive" Remember, you are the boss in this situation. Insist on genuine manufacturer parts, no imitation junk! When you get the estimate, and have questions, let me know, I'll help you any way I can. Hope you are okay...sometimes aches or pains may occur in a day or so depending on how hard you were hit. Good luck.

[bouncertime]

That sucks, I hope you are fine. Make sure you keep an eye out on any pains that you get from this, they can all lead to an insurance claim. I wish someone would hit my truck, it will worth more totaled than if I try to sell it. And I need a new vehicle.

[scotchsride09]

Glad you are ok! Get plenty of rest tonight, I agree with bouncer... your neck, chest, and back will probably be sore for a few days. Make sure you see your doctor if they do start to hurt, and report it to the insurance, too.

Hopefully your repair will be smooth and it will all work out...

...everyone else stay safe out there!

[GTAHVIT]

Thanks for the info everyone. I am a little sore. He hit me just hard enough for me to feel a little tight around my upper back and shoulders. Right now it just feels like I had a tough workout. I'll keep a close watch on it. If it gets worse or I feel any real pain, I'll get checked out for sure.

Back to the car.
If you look at the image below. The sheetmetal on the rear quarter panel is connected to the roof and all the way to the front A Pillar. I'm sure they can cut a section out and weld a new one in place. But I don't see any seams from the rear quarter up above the doors and forward to the A pillar.... It just had me a little concerned. It did move the body enough that the rear passenger door on my car sticks a little when you close or open it..... GRRRRR.

I'm gonna be positive and have faith they can fix it.

I got a cobalt as a rental!!! That's cool.

[lalometalik]

hope you're not too badly hurt. good luck with the ride!

[zebra]

seems like everybody's been getting in wrecks lately. a guy in an 03 MR2 hit my truck a couple weeks ago. nothing major though. a little front-end work for him & my truck... i just had to replace a center cap. he hit dead on the center of my rear wheel. good thing too cause i had my truck out for the homecoming parade that weekend.

[Matrix]

Hope you all are ok and not hurt. When people are civil in situations like this, this just work themselves out really quick!

All the best!

[camaro5]

That's too bad gtahvit, I'm glad you're OK.

I have a 2000 Maxima that was MUCH worse and they fixed it perfect. The body shop was great. So good, I sent them a cooler full of Omaha Steaks, with a little poem:

"My Maxima's like new, so here's a gift for all of you" on the shipping label for them to see.

Total loss depends on market value, compared to cost of repair. Good luck.

[The_Stache]

Good luck buddy... Sorry your in the same boat I am...

My truck got picked up this morning.. hopefully I hear something back tomorrow.

Looks like almost the same thing that happened to me.. but reversed... (I rear-ended the other guy)

[Mr Twisty]

You choose the body shop, don't let them tell you who is gonna fix it. Let the shop owner negotiate with the insurance company, and tell them OEM PARTS ONLY!!!

Even tho it doesn't look like a bad hit, make sure they send it to alignment, make sure everything is still square and running true.

Adjusters deal with fresh meat every day, they're trained well, "Oh I'm so sorry about your loss, you just sit back in your nice rental and we'll take care of everything." (even tho we're going to use our preferred shop, they're gonna use LKQ parts, and you'll never know it because you trusted us, and that was your first mistake)

Let the shop manager kiss their @ss, (sorry Rallysport, but you knew that when you took the job) you be a prick (in a nice way) about getting it done right. Ask the shop if they warrantee their work and for how long, it's mostly for protecting you from chipping peeling paint, but if it's prepped right it may outlast the factory paint.

Having said all that, don't look over the finished job with a magnifying glass...The paint should be (mostly) blemish free, closely matched and blended so that a picky painter would say it's a good job. All door gaps should match and be even. 4 wheel alignment should be within spec.

Adjuster: "It wasn't hit hard enough to cause alignment problems."
You: "Well, check it anyways and make sure it's right, because I'm going to have it checked after it's repaired, and I expect it to be in spec.. (Why? because I don't trust you)"

Get the idea I don't trust adjusters?

[The_Stache]

Originally Posted by MisterCamaro69

You choose the body shop, don't let them tell you who is gonna fix it. Let the shop owner negotiate with the insurance company, and tell them OEM PARTS ONLY!!!

Even tho it doesn't look like a bad hit, make sure they send it to alignment, make sure everything is still square and running true.

Adjusters deal with fresh meat every day, they're trained well, "Oh I'm so sorry about your loss, you just sit back in your nice rental and we'll take care of everything." (even tho we're going to use our preferred shop, they're gonna use LKQ parts, and you'll never know it because you trusted us, and that was your first mistake)

Let the shop manager kiss their @ss, (sorry Rallysport, but you knew that when you took the job) you be a prick (in a nice way) about getting it done right. Ask the shop if they warrantee their work and for how long, it's mostly for protecting you from chipping peeling paint, but if it's prepped right it may outlast the factory paint.

Having said all that, don't look over the finished job with a magnifying glass...The paint should be (mostly) blemish free, closely matched and blended so that a picky painter would say it's a good job. All door gaps should match and be even. 4 wheel alignment should be within spec.

Adjuster: "It wasn't hit hard enough to cause alignment problems."
You: "Well, check it anyways and make sure it's right, because I'm going to have it checked after it's repaired, and I expect it to be in spec.. (Why? because I don't trust you)"

Get the idea I don't trust adjusters?

Yep yep, good advice. I had them take it to a shop that i have had work done before (wife's neon got broke into, they replaced/repainted the door etc and the paint was a metallic and it matched!). The shop also has a general repair shop next door (dual business, keeps it all in house). When i checked mine out this morning in full daylight i saw that the front sway bar was knocked about 2 inches along its axis so i am going to require an alignment (along with 2 new front tires).

[TAG UR IT]

First, I'm glad you are okay.

Second, looks like you are getting some GREAT advice here. No matter how nice someone is, remember that they just want you to SIGN ON THAT DOTTED LINE! Get what you need to get it back the way it was.

[GTAHVIT]

that's all great info.

Luckily I was able to limp my car to the dealership. And just parked it there. Plus I gave the dealer his insurance information also and the police report number.

So, when he finally filed his claim and they called me to get my information I told them my car was already at the dealer's and I wanted them to fix it. They said, "so your car is driveable? and you won't need a rental."

I answered, "No, my car is movable and I used surface streets to get to the dealer less than 3 miles away."

I didn't really do that on purpose it just made sense to me.

The dealership has a great rep for great repair shop. So all in all I'm thinking I'm pretty good.

But I will continue to keep a close eye on the repair. But my guess is the dealer will squeeze the insurance company for every little thing they can... We'll see what the adjuster says when I talk to him.

Thanks guys.