wcoy

Okay so I’m going to try and make a long story short. I was in an accident 9 months ago in my 05 Redondo Red Pearl. The insurance company has been trying to fix it for 9 months and has put 28k into it. It has been at two high end body shops and the Acura dealer for 4 months who gave up on it. The car still vibrates on the freeway and they are going to total it now and I'm going to buy another RL, a 06 Opulent Blue Pearl in New Jersey, just put a deposit on it. I live in Cleveland and will be flying through Newark for work next Friday to hopefully make the purchase. I was wondering if any of you nice folks would be interested in cruising by the dealership to take a look at if for me. The car is at Acura of Denville New Jersey. I know this is a lot to ask but I imagine there may be at least one car nut like me who lives close. I love doing stuff like this, thanks.

neuronbob

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. It's awful that it's taken nine months for the insurance company to make this decision for you.

At least you get into a slightly better RL afterward.

Hopefully someone who lives close to that dealership will step forward.

wcoy

Yeah it's been pure hell. I actually have to take it tomorrow to another body shop for them to check the frame, which another place checked already. I told them I don't care if it is bent or not bent I'm done with the car and I want a check.

I'am excited to get another on though! Thought about a different used luxury vehicle but couldn't bring myself to get another car, didn't make sense.

wcoy

Well I just dropped the car off at the body shop this morning. Talked to my insurance rep after and he basically said if the frame is bent they are going to try and fix it, if it's not bent they are to frustrated and will total it. Hope it's not bent!

lland

Which insurance company do you have?

LL

wcoy

Progressive, I guess it's three levels up from my rep. I just want this car gone it's been a huge pain in the ass. The body shop also scratched my engine cover real good, the paint that they used is all gritty now and there is a dent in my roof. Oh and my battery was dead this morning and the radio was intermittent one day last week. I just want this car gone, I deserve a new one!

Blazing GT

sorry about the unfortunate events......

if i lived closer i would have checked it out

neuronbob

That makes no sense.

If it's bent, they should total it, end of story. Why put more money into a car that's likely not safe to drive? It's been nine months. How offensive of the insurance company to put you through that.

wcoy

That's what I said. If it's bent I'm going to tell them to keep it and I'm not picking it up from the collision repair center, cut me a check, end of story. I have been too accomodating. Either way I'm done.

djbonsu

iTrader: (3)

Wow! Sorry about your situation. I would get a new insurance carrier after u get the new car. 9 months? That's just total bullshit IMO... G' luck!

djbonsu

iTrader: (3)

Wow! Sorry about your situation. I would get a new insurance carrier after u get the new car. 9 months? That's just total bullshit IMO... G' luck!

smoka

Sorry to hear about that. It sounds like an awesul insurance company.

Oh wait, I have Progressive too!

wcoy

They have been so good in the past but now they suck. I'm going to tell them to keep it and give me a check whether it's bent or not, 9 months I'm done. And I want a check on Wednesday before I fly out for work and pick up the other one on my way home.

TampaRLX-SH

A bent frame would compromise the RLs ACE construction and making it unsafe or less safe than engineered. The insurance company is opening themselves up a HUGE liability situation making you drive a vehicle with compromised safety attributes. Totalling your RL would be much less expensive and appropriate risk for the carrier.

wcoy

I will use that tomorrow for sure. Thanks for the tips.

vinodc

wcoy,

I can feel your pain. My family was in an accident this summer, our jeep commander was run off highway and into the woods adjacent to the highway. I thought to myself, NO WAy this will be fixed.

The car was only 8months old, msrp of 44k. the body shop calls on the monday saying, good news, we'll fix it, give us 4 weeks! i was like WHAT?!!

the repair bill was 17k. they were insistant on them starting work right away, but i wanted my insurance company to total it. Well 5 weeks down the road, 17k in repairs. Go to pick it up, THE BACK of the car has never been looked it, scratches, dents, bent rim. i was lke WTF, u morons.

After 5 more trips back to bodyshop, another 4k in work. Engine bay was never checked, car overheating, brakes not working...coolant pipe bursts while im ready to pick it up, on my 9th "Car is ready to go" trip to bodyshop. they knew i was going to murder them after that. Sunroof was crooked, windshield leaking air.

Statefarms idiotic policy is...everything is "visually inspected"....but for some reason after 17k damage to front end, they didnt think engine would need to be looked at. Luckily, my state farm rep, who is great, and we've been loyal customers, had enough himself, and demanded it be totalled. so 3 months after accident, they spent a whopping 46k(repairs + payoff). The bodyshop was worried they would have to take it apart again, and wont get paid, but statefarm took the blame for not inspecting it right.(finally!) the bodyshop told me, they made about 14k on my car. After seeing hte manager a daily basis for 1 month, he opened up to me, tho i'm sure he hated that I found a million things wrong with there work. so DONT GIVE UP, DEMAND it be totalled. threaten legal action. i did, they took it serious.

wcoy

Vinodc, boy how are stories are similar, it sucks we both had to go through all of this. About to make the phone call will let you guys know how it goes.

wcoy

Well I told my rep that regardless of the frame being bent or not I want a check by tomorrow and if they decide otherwise the next person they will be talking to is my lawyer. He said he totally understands and we have actually become friends. He is going to pass along the information to his boss and will call me back ASAP. I told him I will be dropping off the rental car this afternoon to pick up my car and get everything out of it and then it is theirs. I will keep you guys updated. I also used the ACE being compromised and he agreed.

TampaRLX-SH

I have been fortunate to have had very positive results with collision damage repairs done a few times on my own cars. But I am very anal with my inspections, I keep my emotions in check and maintain a professional posture with the collision center. Some agents are helpful, but most make decisions on formularies and are not automotive engineers.

That said, I have had 2 family members go through very similar situations that dragged out for 6 months each. Both cars were eventually totalled by my urging.

I wonder if some collision centers will take a should-be-totalled claim, and quote below totalled value, with expectations to hook in the insurance carrier and work it with subsequent claims as the work progresses. The result is cashing in on a claim they would have missed if the vehicle was totalled from the get go.

My experience has been the insurance company rarely inspected anything beyond a visual, since the collision center was on their preferred vendor list. This left ME to do the inspection and test drive (and often I paid my mechanic to inspect before accepting delivery). Personally, I prefer to do so, but I also realize I am not the average car owner.

Cosmetic damage can be well repaired by reputable vendors. But no car I have owned would I keep if there was any frame, drivetrain or water damage.

wcoy

I have been fortunate in the past as well, I am very anal too but I was being too nice for too long.

I think you are right about collision centers trying to take on more work then they can. They did 20k worth of work and the car was not right, they made out like bandits.

wcoy

Just left a message for my rep. Talked to the guy at the body shop and he said they haven't even had time to put it up on the lift yet and probaby won't today. Think I should just tell him forget it and go pick it up, it is my car? That might show the insurance company that I'm in charge not them.I told him regardless of the frame being bent or not I want it totalled and he said he would too if it was his car.

vinodc

Tampa, you couldn't be more right. I seriously think body shops really love the big ticket items, and really tend to rush to start the job knowing an initial damage quote wasn't enough to Total it, and would thus give them a lucrative job. My body shop manager told me, very bluntly, they have 50% markup on parts and usual job is 50-60% profit. So anywork to them, is pure profit. And when tehy are on a list of pre-selected vendors, state farm basically lets the body shop decided, and only sends an inspector to "visually inspect" it. I dont know much about cars mechanically, but im very anal about apperance, and know how a car normally sounds, drives. I gave my bodyshop hell about it, but I can't tolerate crappy work, esp when my familys lives are in danger.

wcoy, you HAVE to take the offensive, you have to put ur footdown at some point. Because clearly they'll stretch this out as long as they can. I did exactly what you said. I told the body shop, leave it there, I dont want it. Keep the keys. State farm can deal with it. I had already cleaned out my car before hand. Just keep at it.

wcoy

That is what I will do if they tell me they are not going to total it. I was on the phone with my reps boss's boss yesterday for 45 minutes expressing my frustrations and told him I will not take it back even if they fix it. The body shop didn't even get it on the lift yesterday and who knows if they will get it on today. Will keep you guys updated.

TampaRLX-SH

We should form an RL posse and join wcoy in opening a can of whoop ass to get this resolved!


I feel for you wcoy. Just keep the emotions in check as frustrating as it can be. Once you lose your cool, they slam the door shut. Be firm, professional and TELL them how you feel. Don't demonstrate it. Do some searches for consumer rights on the matter (usually state guidelines). If you cite some, they will get the hint. Also cite diminished value, loss of use and track your time and effort to resolve this.

Meanwhile, we can all share a pitcher in support.

neuronbob

YEAH! More pitchforks and less talking! YEAH! Oh wait, we were saving the pitchforks for Torrance.

wcoy, which Cleveland area body shop is this so I can avoid them at all costs? You are being treated unreasonably by both the body shop and the insurance company in their expecting you to accept an unsafe car. You did exactly the right thing by saying that no matter what, you will not accept the car back.

Stay strong!

TampaRLX-SH

Am I THAT obvious? I want to form a consumer organization and call it: "The ANGRY Villager et al".

And recent media is indicating Torrance is not so safe anymore.....

wcoy

I am headed to the body shop right now to clean out all my stuff and hopefully make a statement. The boss's boss told me if it's something big they are going total it so I'm going to try and swoon the big man at the shop we know each other a bit. I have kept my emotions in check the whole time which is good, I run a sales team for the US so I have to stay cool under pressure. I did tell him about all the time I have spent on this its ridiculous! The body shop is Metro Accident Repair Center in Brookpark, on Brookpark. They better tell me ASAP as I'm flying out tomorrow with a check to buy the 06 RL in Jersey on Friday.

wcoy

I also told them if they THINK they have fixed it and give it back to me and I send my wife out to work one day in it and she gets in a accident and dies I will sue them for 20 mil.

phishfood

That might be the case when you look at it on a small scale.

But what the insurance company would do is look at it over a scale of hundreds of thousands or millions of vehicles. The money saved over a large number of shoddy repairs might just outweigh the financial costs of dealing with their estimates of how many may be disfigured, maimed, or killed from said repairs.

Just depends on how the spreadsheet looks.

vinodc

WOW! 20million isn't enough! joking aside, i told state farm, if anything happens to us in that car, i will sue them for every penny they have. When my car stalled, in traffic with family, and faulty brakes, and they deemed that to be "minor", i told them, if anything happens to my family, I will make it my life mission to sue everyone of you. When the guy at the regional corporate office downplayed the problems of my car, I told him to meet me at the body and ill point out over 20 minor things to him. BTW, it was AWESOME timing my engine coolant hose bursted as they were all there in person, I had the biggest smile on my face. 3days later, "sir, were totalling your car"

wcoy

Okay so big step forward in my favor today. Went and cleaned out my car which hopefully to set a tone. Later in the day body shop measured the frame and it's all good, so my rep and the boss's boss told me yesterday if that happens they are going to total it because that means they can't figure out where the vibration is coming from. Also I do have my OEM wheels back on and new Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D's on there that were Road Force balanced. Talked to my rep and he said they are going to go on a test drive tomorrow to check on the vibration, which another rep felt last Friday when he came to my house and we went on a ride for 30 mins. Son of a bitch I will be on my way to Raleigh! Going to have my brother in-law go on a ride with them since he has been with me many times and felt the vibration. Wish me luck I really want to get this 06 on Friday, the dealer is picking me up from the airport.

neuronbob

Good news that the frame was straight. That should trigger the total. Don't see why they want another test drive.

CDR A

Taggart: Well that's where we go a riding into town. A whomping and a womping. Every living thing that moves within an inch of its life. Except the womenfolks, of course.

TampaRLX-SH

Aye Burke,,,,,and then we will celebrate with haggis and libations.

wcoy

Okay so just got off the phone with my rep and he and his boss went on a nice long test drive and felt everything I told them they would feel, including the creaky steering column that was replaced! As he was telling me this the big boss called whom I spoke with two days ago and I told my rep call me back when you are done, cross your fingers gentlemen!!

wcoy

They bought it for $22K!!!! They tried to give me $19,500 and I had to go back into negotiation mode and won! Woo Hoo and I paid $21,400 I think it was one year ago when it had 35k miles, now it has 47k. Thanks for all your help guys really appreciate it. So hopefully I like the one in New Jersey tomorrow and after I put my 19's on and a fresh coat of P21S on Saturday morning I will take some pics.

TampaRLX-SH

A collective toast to success and your new RL.

*raising beer glass*

Here, Here!


I want to see pics when your put the spoiler on the OBP RL....I am toying with it for mine.

wcoy

Having a beer right now in my hotel room in Greensboro NC, will have the spoiler on before the end of next week for sure and will put up pics. I will be able to sleep tonight.

neuronbob

High fives all around.
Awesome!
And that's right, don't forget the pix!

wcoy

I'm also thinking I can tackle the steering wheel and rear spoiler myself after reading neuronbob's write up on them. Obviously the shift knob I can do myself. Paid the dealer to do the wheel on my 05 but it might feel good to do it myself.