Hit and Run. Suspect Still at Large.
11-07-2005, 07:11 PM
#1
checkmate...
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Red Stick, LA Chocolate City, LA
Age: 43
Posts: 1,422
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hit and Run. Suspect Still at Large.
I'm not exactly sure when this happened, but I was rudely introduced last Sunday. It was a nice, sunny day, and as I'm walking up to my car (that I parked in an open lot far enough from the closest potential door-dinger), I begin to realize that the bumper isn't showing a smooth, pleasing-to-the-eye reflection. What I see is evidence of criminal intent, and a felon on the loose.
Maybe someone left an envelope with a dozen benjamins underneath my wiper with a note you say? Or you might surmise that a good samaritan witnessed and videotaped the entire debacle on his, or her, hi-def digital camcorder. And that this same vigilante had time to whip out a damaging, testimonial sidekick to snap 8.0 MP still photos of the guilty party's face behind the wheel along with the plate which probably got intimately close enough to mine.
Ahh, but that only happens in real life, my friend. In my case, no one's around, no witnesses, no note, no apology, no "I'm truly sorry for not knowing how to back-up AND even more remorseful that I don't know how to own up to my mistakes AND I'll be damned if I didn't pay (literally) for my actions!"
Well, I must not be fortunate enough. Now I know that one can never avoid this predicament in their life, and so it was just my time. Surprisingly, I wasn't too angry about it. What was done was done, even though I didn't do it. Now, what can I do about it?
Here's my options:
1) Revive Einstein and force him to send me back in time so I can avoid it all
2) Employ myself as Inspector Gadget, Colombo, CSI (no such thing as Baton Rouge... so either Vegas, Miami, NY, you decide) to recreate that fateful day and hunt down the perp
3) Dent the left side of my bumper so as to create symmetric harmony with the right
4) Get it fixed out of my own pocket
5) Or attempt to perform (4) on my own
Would everyone agree that 4 or 5 is the most logical thing to do? Same here. Bodyshop estimates would most likely put a pricetag on a new bumper at $250 (?) and a new coat of paint at somewhere near the same (?). My insurance deductable is $1000 (I have my reasons on setting it this high), so I would rather foot the bill. Or maybe I would rather not. If deja vu played out, and this happened again on a new bumper, I would be less than overjoyed. So number 5 it is! This way, I repair it satisfactory enough and when someone does rear-end me eventually, and I'm there to see it unfold, I'll graciously let them pay for a new one. Besides, I can only justify getting a new one (whether it be just the paint or both) only if the visible damage is greater than 50% of the entire bumper.
So this weekend, I went to work...
First major dent, what a bummer...
My insurance adjuster surveying the damage...
This shot shows the depth of the indentation...
... which is several inches deep...
So, off comes the bumper cover...
I decided to perform a free exhaust tip mod (shown in later photos)...
By stepping on it (and using my weight), the dent popped back out...
...sort of. It's not perfect, but looks alot better. The paint on the other hand...
...will have to be addressed soon. A chunk is even missing, possibly stuck on the offending hit-n-runner.
And now the bumper is back on...
Where the hell is my Type-S badge? Oh, it's just a mirror image...
I polished the deep scratches as much as possible. This is the OEM exhaust tip...
... extended about 2 inches out. Some easy modding had to be done, but heck, it's free!
Paint piece still missing, along with some bubbled, lifted paint...
I'd rather live with this instead of $500+ out of my pocket...
Dent on the bumper, where?
The protruding tips will draw attention away from the less noticable dent...
I guess it was better that my car received damage on a less costly to fix plastic bumper than on a metal panel, like the doors. The dent is much less noticable now, although some raised edges and small punctures still remain. I can live with that. As for the paint, I will most likely have a bodyshop refinish that small section on the bumper and request that it be blended as best as possible. At the same time, I'll get them to body-color my front grille trim.
Hold on a sec... I could make a claim because I do remember a lady leaving the area quite recently. She caused quite a storm and spun out as she left in a hurry. Maybe I could blame this on her. Yea, she was quite large, on a scale of 1 to 5, I'd say she was close to a 5. If I remember correctly, her name was Katrina.
Maybe someone left an envelope with a dozen benjamins underneath my wiper with a note you say? Or you might surmise that a good samaritan witnessed and videotaped the entire debacle on his, or her, hi-def digital camcorder. And that this same vigilante had time to whip out a damaging, testimonial sidekick to snap 8.0 MP still photos of the guilty party's face behind the wheel along with the plate which probably got intimately close enough to mine.
Ahh, but that only happens in real life, my friend. In my case, no one's around, no witnesses, no note, no apology, no "I'm truly sorry for not knowing how to back-up AND even more remorseful that I don't know how to own up to my mistakes AND I'll be damned if I didn't pay (literally) for my actions!"
Well, I must not be fortunate enough. Now I know that one can never avoid this predicament in their life, and so it was just my time. Surprisingly, I wasn't too angry about it. What was done was done, even though I didn't do it. Now, what can I do about it?
Here's my options:
1) Revive Einstein and force him to send me back in time so I can avoid it all
2) Employ myself as Inspector Gadget, Colombo, CSI (no such thing as Baton Rouge... so either Vegas, Miami, NY, you decide) to recreate that fateful day and hunt down the perp
3) Dent the left side of my bumper so as to create symmetric harmony with the right
4) Get it fixed out of my own pocket
5) Or attempt to perform (4) on my own
Would everyone agree that 4 or 5 is the most logical thing to do? Same here. Bodyshop estimates would most likely put a pricetag on a new bumper at $250 (?) and a new coat of paint at somewhere near the same (?). My insurance deductable is $1000 (I have my reasons on setting it this high), so I would rather foot the bill. Or maybe I would rather not. If deja vu played out, and this happened again on a new bumper, I would be less than overjoyed. So number 5 it is! This way, I repair it satisfactory enough and when someone does rear-end me eventually, and I'm there to see it unfold, I'll graciously let them pay for a new one. Besides, I can only justify getting a new one (whether it be just the paint or both) only if the visible damage is greater than 50% of the entire bumper.
So this weekend, I went to work...
First major dent, what a bummer...
My insurance adjuster surveying the damage...
This shot shows the depth of the indentation...
... which is several inches deep...
So, off comes the bumper cover...
I decided to perform a free exhaust tip mod (shown in later photos)...
By stepping on it (and using my weight), the dent popped back out...
...sort of. It's not perfect, but looks alot better. The paint on the other hand...
...will have to be addressed soon. A chunk is even missing, possibly stuck on the offending hit-n-runner.
And now the bumper is back on...
Where the hell is my Type-S badge? Oh, it's just a mirror image...
I polished the deep scratches as much as possible. This is the OEM exhaust tip...
... extended about 2 inches out. Some easy modding had to be done, but heck, it's free!
Paint piece still missing, along with some bubbled, lifted paint...
I'd rather live with this instead of $500+ out of my pocket...
Dent on the bumper, where?
The protruding tips will draw attention away from the less noticable dent...
I guess it was better that my car received damage on a less costly to fix plastic bumper than on a metal panel, like the doors. The dent is much less noticable now, although some raised edges and small punctures still remain. I can live with that. As for the paint, I will most likely have a bodyshop refinish that small section on the bumper and request that it be blended as best as possible. At the same time, I'll get them to body-color my front grille trim.
Hold on a sec... I could make a claim because I do remember a lady leaving the area quite recently. She caused quite a storm and spun out as she left in a hurry. Maybe I could blame this on her. Yea, she was quite large, on a scale of 1 to 5, I'd say she was close to a 5. If I remember correctly, her name was Katrina.
11-07-2005, 08:22 PM
#5
Advanced
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Central FL
Age: 42
Posts: 74
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Nice, sorry it had to happen to you. I've had someone do the same except I was 5 seconds late noticing the incident. I just saw the driver driving away and realized what happened a few minutes later when I went outside. What will you do if you catch the person?
11-07-2005, 09:06 PM
#6
Burning Brakes
Join Date: Aug 2003
Age: 38
Posts: 924
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sorry that happened to your car. But it's great that you fixed it and it looks awesome! You have one very clean TL-S and the extended stock tips is a cool idea! Keep rollin' man. Nice job.
Trending Topics
11-08-2005, 03:16 PM
#16
checkmate...
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Red Stick, LA Chocolate City, LA
Age: 43
Posts: 1,422
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Brand Newb
... What will you do if you catch the person?
11-08-2005, 03:19 PM
#17
checkmate...
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Red Stick, LA Chocolate City, LA
Age: 43
Posts: 1,422
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by SiCrew
Sorry that happened to your car. But it's great that you fixed it and it looks awesome! You have one very clean TL-S and the extended stock tips is a cool idea! Keep rollin' man. Nice job.
11-08-2005, 03:23 PM
#18
checkmate...
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Red Stick, LA Chocolate City, LA
Age: 43
Posts: 1,422
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by TLsu
Sorry to hear it Roger. Man that sucks. I would have def. lost my shit. Great job fixing it...I'll keep my eye out for excess ABP on the cars around Baton Rouge.
11-08-2005, 03:30 PM
#19
checkmate...
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Red Stick, LA Chocolate City, LA
Age: 43
Posts: 1,422
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by tzakiel
That's really cool you salvaged the situation... always a good feeling. It looks great again!
11-08-2005, 03:34 PM
#20
Acura TLS are SLOW
same hit and run situation. 
But i wish i could pop my dent out.
As for the cost of the bumper, the first time i got backed into, cost the other guy(my friends dad) $980. That with a new bumper, repaint and labor.
But i wish i could pop my dent out. As for the cost of the bumper, the first time i got backed into, cost the other guy(my friends dad) $980. That with a new bumper, repaint and labor.
11-08-2005, 03:56 PM
#21
checkmate...
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Red Stick, LA Chocolate City, LA
Age: 43
Posts: 1,422
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by MotionEffects
same hit and run situation. But i wish i could pop my dent out. As for the cost of the bumper, the first time i got backed into, cost the other guy(my friends dad) $980. That with a new bumper, repaint and labor.
But i wish i could pop my dent out. As for the cost of the bumper, the first time i got backed into, cost the other guy(my friends dad) $980. That with a new bumper, repaint and labor.
11-08-2005, 09:50 PM
#22
Cruisin'
Join Date: Feb 2005
Age: 42
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
That sucks dude. Ive got a couple hit-n-run on my car everytime i park next to my job. The dented the d/side passenger door but lucky paint didnt come off and somebody dinged my trunk and roof. Fuckin haters.
11-09-2005, 12:04 PM
#27
RickRoush03
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: SoCal
Age: 45
Posts: 565
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
good deal, i had to do the same on my first stang, parked on a slight up hill spot, and didn't leave it in gear, fucker rolled back into a car, i had to pay his shit, mine i got one of my NCO's to pop it out, spidered the paint, but soon after i got the ROUSH. Like right before i left, i saw the paint spidered on the top of the bumper, thinking it was a factory defect, nope, turns out someone bumped into it light enough for no real visiable damage unless you looked right ontop of it and saw the paint. No biggie, got it all repainted along with the hood at my cousins body shop!!
I'd say $300 to repaint the whole bumper, $175 to blend in just that corner.
I'd say $300 to repaint the whole bumper, $175 to blend in just that corner.
11-09-2005, 02:56 PM
#28
checkmate...
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Red Stick, LA Chocolate City, LA
Age: 43
Posts: 1,422
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by rpsouthsider
is your bumper the oem bumper? if yes .. wasnt it suppost to crack.. isnt the bumper plastic?
11-09-2005, 03:01 PM
#29
checkmate...
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Red Stick, LA Chocolate City, LA
Age: 43
Posts: 1,422
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by RickRoush03
... i saw the paint spidered on the top of the bumper, thinking it was a factory defect, nope, turns out someone bumped into it light enough for no real visiable damage unless you looked right ontop of it and saw the paint. No biggie, got it all repainted along with the hood at my cousins body shop!!
I'd say $300 to repaint the whole bumper, $175 to blend in just that corner.
I'd say $300 to repaint the whole bumper, $175 to blend in just that corner.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
rp_guy
Member Cars for Sale
9
07-16-2017 07:33 AM
4drviper
3G TL Audio, Bluetooth, Electronics & Navigation
0
09-23-2015 09:00 PM
