Hi fellow TLers,

Today is the day I've got the first accident with my TL.
It's nothing serious, got hit from the behind probably at 5 miles per hour by 88 pontiac grand prix or something.

I've offered him if he has any cash to settle it on the spot, since I didn't want the hassel. But the guy insisted on claiming on the insurance...
I've glanced at the bumper and looked like something that can be buffed out, so I asked him if he don't even have the $20 for the wax, but he said his wallet is empty and insist on claiming from the insurance.

So to get each other's information, pulled out to near by gas station.
Now I've got the pen to right down the info, and guy was now offering me $20.
But looking closely at the bumper, I found some small concave dents, which is not a matter of waxing out.
So I've called the body shop and they are saying it will cost around $300 to $350.
I've told him this and the guy changed his mind and again wanted the insurance involved (his lincense says 21 years old in 2008).
If I were him, I would've settled with cash, but guess he likes his AAA Insurance.

Now, my concern is, he had his dad with him, and on my car just myself with "Baby On Board" sign on the back of windshield (fortunately, my 3 weeks daughter wasn't on board).
I maybe too precautious, but if this guy later lies that it's both parties fault or something, then it's another hassel and who knows what will be recorded on the insurance or DMV...

And to overlook this because of hassel, it would be really anoying to see this every week when I hand wash my car...

Does anyone have the similar experience?
Though my car is 05, it's purchased at 06 and only 5 month old...
Any advice, comments or direction is much apprecited!

Thanks Thanks Thanks in advance!

 

Def. go through insurance. My sister got rear ended in her evo, guy was going ~20mph, the bumper looked fine, but when she opened up the trunk the floor pan was pretty messed up. The guys insurance had to pay $3k to fix it.
Its not your fault, file a police report and make sure that state that it was his fault.

 

Thanks for the reply ubnpast!!

I didn't do the police report, since last time when mywife got hit and run and did a police report, DMV just messed it up and every time trying to get a new insurance, needed to prove that it wasn't her fault...just plain hessel.

Another concern is my insurance is cheap no name insurance, wonder if they would be able to handle this well...

Oh well, had a peace of mind when I was driving 96 Mazda Protege... I just let them go when I got rear ended...
More material you got...that peace goes away I guess...

More advice, comments pretty pleeease (no I'm not gay...)

 

cops. always call the cops. Otherwise these things come down to your word vs his.

 

Well, if this were a major accident, I've definitely called cops...
But now that I've missed the opportunity of calling cops...
And even if I've call the cops at the spot, he could've lied flat out at the spot...and there on, the cops gonna put this record to DMV based on whatever he is hearing, and more hassels would follow...
Gosh, I hate this kind of thing...wish the cars come with suround camera recording system instead of surround sound system...

 

do you want it fixed or do you want cash?

if you call his insurance co they will have to wait for a statement from their client before they will take action. most of the time its a pain in the ass because i get the impression the insurance company doesnt try very hard to get ahold of the insured. if he admits fault, they send an adjuster to low ball you on the estimate.

if he doesnt, well, i've never had to deal with that before but i dont imagine it would be much fun

 

Yeah, this things are just hassele adding to your already busy daily work to fetch the food for the family...

Optimally, I would just get a cash, take it to a body shop and handle it myself.
Don't need a rental car, I could just use my wife's car for a few days,
Body doesn't hurt much, just feels like getting off of a roller coster ride. Could live with that.

But can't stand my car being blemished, need to fix this one way or other!

It's like a broken window syndrome, where your neighbor's window gets broken and people starts don't care about these things...eventually, your whole town will go bad...(not sure if this is a proper anology)
Once your car gets some dent and blemishes, you start to careless about your car...and car goes in bad shapes soon...

All I want is justice done and get my car fixed to its original shape...
Sigh... mang, I can't stay cool even for this kind of small calamity...
Far away from being a cool guy...

 

always call the cops. if someone hits you make sure to call the cops.. one time when i was 16 and in high school someone hit my car at school. so i was being nice and deicide to get his info and he can just pay for it since thats what he wanted also. well when i called he said, i never hit your car etc.. well i had his name and phone # and he went to my high school.. so i went to the cops and the cop looked up his address etc for me.. lucky for me i had 5 other friends in the parking lot who saw what happen so with that and my lawyer i got my car fixed after 8 months.
another time someone pulls out in front of me and they wanted to just exchange info and i just called the cops which took 2 hrs to get to me.. the guy tried to run away, but i blocked his car in. when the cops got to us they towed his car and put him in the back of the car.
another time my mom got hit on the side on the freeway by some crazy lady. my mom did not want to be late to work so they exchange info, later the lady said my mom hit her..
always call the cops even if they dont take a police report they can make sure the correct info gets exchanged and look to see who is at fault.
good luck

 

No matter how small the accident is you need to always call the cops and get a report. Most insurance companies require a police report in order to file a claim for damage due to an accident. Also in most cases the officer who reports to the scene will state in the report that the tail car was at fault. Usually the driver is tailgating or using a cell phone since they don't have a hands free bluetooth link like we do. ;-)

I was rear ended in my old car. Luckily it was before my TL when I still had my RX 300. Got rear ended on the Bronx River Parkway by a woman on a cell phone who wasn't paying attention to the traffic lights. Was at a total stop when she nailed me. Called the cops and the Westchester County Police Dept. came and filled a report. She didn't want to call the cops either but I insisted and it turned out she had an expired license and a revoked registration on her car. But my insurance company required a police report in order to file my claim. Good luck.

 

Most times you can get a report after the fact. Go to the local police station and ask. Since he hit the back of your car it's hard for his insurance not to admit fault. They may subrogate but most likely will not. If he was going as slow as you say the damage is probably limited to the bumper cover. If its repairable they just need to fill in the dimples and repaint it. $300-350 sound right. If a new cover is needed add about $275 for the part and $100 for the labor to R&R it. He probably won't want to hand you $7-800 to fix it. Go through insurance. Put the claim in through his insurance. It's easier than dealing with individuals.

One lesson: Cheap insurance never pays.

 

Rule #1 - Always call the police and get a police report. Here in Indiana, if you rear end someone, you're at fault AND the cops will more than likely write you a ticket for following too close. All of this will be mentioned in the police report which your insurance company will see.

Without the police report, it's his word versus your word on what happened. Hell, he could say you put it into reverse and backed into him!!

Rule #2 - Call your insurance company and let them handle it for you. This is why you pay those iinsane premiums. If you're like me, you've got better things to do with your time than dick around with some schmuck who rear-ended you.


So, I'm in agreement with all the other posters.

 

when i called the LAPD after i had an accident in downtown, they asked if anybody was hurt, they told me to get the other persons information, and get the car towed.

that's what you get for living in LA....

 

well since you got rear-ended, i believe 95% of the time is the guy in the back's fault. so theres not much story changing he can do b/c legally he should keep enough distance between you and him to stop even if the you slam on your brakes.

 

My wife was rear ended in my new TL several months back. It was a simple rear end where the girl was not paying attention (cell phone) and bumped my wife. The girl that hit her was apologetic and said she was at fault and will pay for everything. We were in a hurry because we had to fly out of town so she just gave us her info and we did not call the cops.
Well, when we filed with her insurance, she said my wife cut her off and slammed on her brakes which caused the accident (swoop and dive scam). So it became a battle. When the insurance investigators looked at the damage, they easily concluded that the girl's vehicle hit my wife squarely in the rear and proved that it was not a swoop and dive situation like the girl was claiming. Her insurance promptly paid my insurance for the damages and that was it.
I learned that it is worth the time to call the cops unless the damage is minimal to the point where you would just let them go.

 

I dunno how it is there but pretty much 99% of the times the person who hit you from behind is always at fault for following 'too closely'...secondly the driver of the car is younger then you and he has that against him... younger drivers are considered more irresponsible behind the wheel and generally at fault as they are "still learning" compared to adult drivers...no matter what he was following too closely and there is no excuse for that even if the father came out and tried to lie saying you were both at fault

 

Thanks for the comments and advise!!!

I've called my insurance company and they contacted the other guy's insurance.
But looks like I have to deal personally with other guy's insurance company since my agent is saying I will get a call from other guy's insurance company...

And yeah, I will call a cop from now on no matter how small the accident is...

Hmm...let's see how it goes.

Again, Thanks All!

 

I dont think CA insurance companies require a police report. Most of the time if its not a significant accident the police dont care. It makes things a little easier but not required.

 

NEVER accept cash on the spot for an accident. You are not an auto body expert, and you need to get a professional estimate before accepting any cash. It is in your best interests to go through insurance to make sure that there are no surprises.

 

I see,

This insurance companies are so hassel...
And later if I want to change the insurance company, hope they don't get into this case...
Sometimes, they are so picky about this kind of records...

Anyway, I guess being able to be patient is virtue here...which I guess I need it now...

Thanks again to all, never though it could be comforting to have a forum like this...

 

I have been rearended 3 times in the past two months, the strange thing is no damage that I have been able to find... They have all been around 5MPH +/- a little, normally I hear the skidding and look in the mirror and POP... Pisses me off, the first 2 took off, and cops wont do anything because they say they cant prove who drove even though I had plates, 3rd guy I just let go and he actually stopped... I swear I am a target... The only thing I notice is that I do have two MINOR indents on the bumper but its VERY hard to catch them. No scuffs or anything though... Its like my Aspec kit is protecting it, haha... Just hope no real damage behind it...

 

Your insurance agent is laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazy. I'm glad my State Farm guy isn't like your agent.

In the accidents I've had, all I do is call my agent and tell him what happened and send the police report and that's it. He talks to their company and handles all the bickering/litigation back and forth. I NEVER talk to their insurance agent. Plus, State Farm has "service first" which means I just take my car and get it repaired at one of their authorized service shops.

 

My insurance handled everything as well once I called them. I told her what happened, gave the info of the other party and that was it, she handled it from there and just called me when she needed more info of gave me updates on the case. My insurance is 21st Century.
Since you went with a no name company I guess you get what you paid for. Whatever you do, do not let the other persons insurance company bully you into taking the first offer or going to their body shop, etc. Do what you want to do (take it to the shop you want) and only accept a payout of the full cost of the damage.
If they play games, tell them you want to see a doctor to just make sure you are ok from the accident since you are not a health expert. That will usually ruffle their feathers and make them back off of playing hardball most times.

 

I wanna get a AMEX insurance since I will be cleared of my last accident record in October...
I think they are cheap and guess reputable(?)...but so picky, and was denied the last time I applied.

(I've rear ended other car before, and I've clearly and honestly stated to insurance company that it was totally my fault...but the car that I rear ended, had 5 hispanics(?).
Though accident was a small scale one, they all bought a lawyer and got chunks of money out of my Allstate insurance, ouch!...which is the story where I ended up with no name insurance company.)

Yeah, as of my TL, it's minor indents, maybe I should have forget about it since these things happens everywhere (even in parking lot) and save the head aches...
Guess I'm babying my TL too much...

And Davenlei, I think that's a good advise in dealing with other persons insurance company...
Never encountered such thing, so it's a good overview of what would happen and now I have what to say to deal with them.

Thanks all !!!!!!!!!!

 

Gatsbi,

From my statement above, I said "tell them you want to see a doctor to just make sure you are ok". I meant to say "tell them you MAY want to see a doctor to just make sure you are ok". This gives you and them the option of avoiding that route and just getting your vehicle fixed.... unless you do feel the need to see a doctor of course.

 

I was hit by a kid who had state farm. They were alright, their adjuster was an asshole but I assume that doesnt apply to all of them. I just had to remember that their job is to give out as little money as possible and my job is to get the most out of them as possible (I dont trust my insurance co. to do a good job of that on my behalf)

 

Davenlei,

Got it!

BTW, your avatar, whatever those little things are, funky cute.
(and no I'm not gay, by saying a word "cute")

 

The State Farm kid hit you and he's at fault; therefore, State Farm was footing the bill - of course the State Farm adjuster was an asshole.

They've always handled everything I've encountered and never increased my rates. I do know I pay a little more than others that I know for the same coverage but they're always complaining about haggling with their insurance agent about this or that.

Sorry for your experience though - sucks that he was a prick.

 

I would hope that no one on here would judge you merely because you said "cute" - who cares if you're gay anyways? Gay people buy TL's and drive them too.

Black
White
Gays
Straight
Left
Right

We're all just people at the end of the day.

 

Well,

I have a friend who mocks of everything I do as gay...got a bit paranoid there...
(an ahole, but still a nice friend...)

And nothing against gay, black, white, blue, brown, green, etc people...
Like you say, people are just people.

If I were to categorize the human race at the moment, if I may:
Naggy wife
Sleepless baby
Punk who don't watch out when driving at 5 miles/hour
Uninformitive Insurance agent
...

Hmm...I guess I'm going off the topic here with bubbling...

gatsbi out.

 

Yea, no prob. I found the avatar somewhere online a long time ago. I have a little one at home too so I have no time to do anything anymore.

What part of SoCal are you from?

 

Oh Hi,

I'm at La Mirada (About 20 minutes from Irvine using I-5 and Jamboree)
I went to school and worked at Irvine for about 8 years before, so I'm familiar with the area...
Irvine is a very nice city!
Also nice to jog and stuff (which I haven't done a single time though...lol.)

 

ALWAYS carry an inexpensive disposable camera in your glove box. I have been rear ended twice (not in my TL thank god) and each time, i instictively turn on my hazards, go for the glovebox, and get some pictures (before the cars are moved), as i walk up to make sure the other guy is ok. It will come in handy if there is a dispute later especially if the cars are moved before the cop gets there. Buy in general ALWAYS call the cops and dont move the vehicles if possible

 

Yup,

Now since I have upgraded my phone, phone these days do everything... has capabilty to take pictures and even use it as camcorder (bought 1 gig micro SD card) to record the entire scenes including voices if these thing happens again....

I guess I was paranoid about it.
My no name insurance took good care of estimating (but dang, I had to talk to AAA agent to get paid). AAA didn't even ask question regarding who's at fault, maybe because its very minor and the damage is under $700...which they don't even report to DMV.

I got paid in full $550 in check, but instread of being able to fix my car, it just first went into my wife's wallet to pay for her vanity (ring), but then again she gave up the money to pay for my mom's emergency trip saying she won't ask for another ring (whadda good hearted woman), but then again she's now nagging again for the ring every other days....women, go figure....

yikes...too much detail to bore you guys with....appologies...

 

where are the brown people????