I am flamed. :silvermad

Anyways what happened is I was in downtown and was on the leftmost lane while the other car was on my right lane. Her lane was straight only, my lane was straight or left only. I went straight and she went left and BAM! hit my car. She didn't know how to get out so she pressed on her gas a little more and fucked up the fender even more. And so now she finally thinks about reversing and cops come and we get information, and the cops left and she does too. Problem is, my fender and the plastic stuff below my bumper is rubbing on my tire (afraid the fender will blow the tire) so I use my hands to pop up the fender, rip some of the plastic stuff, and push out the bumper that is falling off. I had to drive over 15 miles on the highway with that thing knocking on my tire. Anyways here are pictures, I had 3 classes today that I can't make, work I couldn't make, and a trip I wanted to make this weekend that I couldn't make and I am only 19 so I can't get a rental car till the Adjuster shows up to my doorstep (which could be today or Monday). Anyways I hope I can persuade the dealership to get me type-s front because I don't feel good at all. Anyways here are the pictures:



Anyways does anyone know if they will replace my gunmetal A SPEC rim or even my body kit (if they don't give me type-s)? It curbed it really bad and their were 0 curb damage on them before.

 

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Damn that sucks bro.

when the adjuster comes over to check it out tell him about the aspec kit that was damaged as well. aspec ktis are sold by acura dealers so you dealer should be able to get you another.

 

What do you think about the wheel?

 

Both A-spec kit and A-Spec wheel are Acura parts and are available through the dealer hence they wont have any issue replacing them. Not sure how they do it in TX but if the insurance company assess the damage and writes you a check for the repair then its upto you where you get the service done and what sort of parts you get.

My suggestion would be to get the estimate, get the check and then get the type S front with the check received through a trusted independent body shop.

 

depending what shop fixes your ride they may not use new parts

infact... they may just buy a china made fender and reuse that bumper.. if the light bracket is broken they may just twinkle with it to fix it

 

find out where she lives and secretly haunt her, till she goes insane

 

First, let me say "Damn". On a damn Friday 13 too. Stupid ass drivers.

Yes, this is how it is done in Texas too. I have a lot of experience... between wife and two "young adult" children.

You must "take charge"... aggressively. The bodyshops will prey on your lack of knowledge (of the repair industry) and your character weakness (not being able to assert yourself). It is a dirty business, ruled by greed.

Do like "JnC" said. Get the estimates. Submit estimate to insurance company. Insurance company writes you a check.... the check made out TO YOU.... not the bodyshop. This is one place where you will need to aggressively assert yourself.

Like "JnC" said, now you are free to do what ever you wish. You can upgrade to the Aspec. You can pick your own bodyshop and let them know that YOU are the boss... not them. I want QUALITY replacement parts (so me proof), I want you to install this ASPEC front end, I want, I want. Ask them, "can you do this and what's the price?". If they give you any crap... WALK. There are many bodyshop to choose from.

The asses (bodyshop) will have the nerve to ask what was the estimate or how much was the check from the insurance company. It is none of their damn business. They ask because they intend to take all of the check, plus a little more out of YOUR pocket. When they ask, just say "not that much".

But, all of this might depend on your insurance company. We have always used State Farm. I could see how other more economical insurance companies may not really be able to write the check straight to you. But, be aggressive first and demand that you get the check, not straight to the bodyshop. All you can do is try. But, realize in the end, that your company may not truly be able too.

 

True. And, the estimate will reflect this. So, if you are able to get your insurance company to write the check straight to you. you will need to kick-in the extra cash (out of your pocket) for the quality parts, and for sure pay for the Aspec piece.

Here is a bit of advice to help in this area. If you can get the check that is. Don't go to any fancy looking bodyshop. Look for a ratty ass looking bodyshop. Why? Because that ratty ass shop will most likely do a much better job for a MUCH lower price and be MUCH friendly in the process. If you wish, I can give you two references to places that we have used.

 

^^ Both posts are filled with great advice. One added advice that I'd give you is to talk to the insurance adjuster and ask for a body shop that also assess the damage for the pertinent insurance company, which in this case would be the insurance company of the lady that hit you since she is at fault. The recommended bodyshop/assessor in this case would assess the damage on your car and print out a rough estimate and forward it to the insurance company. At this point the assessor would think that you are planning on getting the work done from them hence, even when they are working for the insurance company, bloat up the final estimate since the more money that the insurance company pays the more they'll get paid.

Once the assessment is submitted the adjuster will call you and ask if you are ready to get your car fixed, state that you are ready but you have found your own body shop and you'd like the check to be mailed to you rather than the body shop. Once you get the check do as Inaccurate suggested and I couldnt agree more on being aggressive towards this whole situation.

Also, initial assessment is usually less than final cost of actual repair, assessment is done by doing a visual inspections. The assessors are usually very good at picking up damages done by the accident but there is always a chance of a supplemental claim which is when the car is in the shop to get fixed and the body shop finds out more damage or more work since the panels etc are off of the car. At this point they will file for a supplemental claim i.e. asking the insurance company to compensate for the damaged parts/labor invloved that was not assessed in the initial estimate.

 

Thanks for the advice, but first off, they never gave me a rental, the adjuster never came today, so I am without a car for the whole weekend and unable to go anywhere not even if I needed to get food. I was thinking about bringing it to a independent shop, but is that the best? For example, just say the adjuster gives me 6 business days for rental car, but if I brought it too a dealership and it took longer and I would have that rental for longer, or if the amount of money they gave me is not enough because as I know, the insurance company will write you a lower check if you do the service, but if you check it into a dealership that will handle the car, the car will get more pampered in the dealership as the check will increase since the advice is given from a certified service technician. I'm going to do my best to see if I can do it by myself (as in parts installation wise) and make sure their isn't more damage than shown (from Acura estimate). If it seems like it is bumper and fender problems, I can easily have someone pop out the dent in the fender, repaint it, buy the type-s grill and bumper and put the a spec on it all by myself hopefully in a day or too. But I know Acura parts from the dealership will cost a load compared to buying used, so now I'm not sure whether I wanna spend so much time on this and wasting time with friends, family, school, work, and other things. I just wish I can bring it too the Acura Dealership, they will replace the fender, front bumper with aspec type-s front + type-s bumper (do you think they can do that?) and the 1 gunmetal A SPEC rim that is badly curbed and scratched now.

Oh yeah I'm using AAA.

So basically my actual plan tomorrow is too bring my car to the Acura Dealership and get a estimate and make up a story about me hitting my friend's car and I will be paying out of pocket and try to deal with them then. We'll see how it goes. At least now when someone does do my bumper, I will tell him to put on my UR pulley for free!

 

Ron Jon front bumper maybe? Since it is tons easier. Choices, choices.

 

Why would you make up any kind of story? Just take it to the dealer and have them quote it and fix it. The least amount of hassle is to use one of the insurance company body shops. I have done this three times in the past and have been very happy with the results. The main advantage of using one of their shops is that any issue/complaint you have with the body shop, the insurance company will step in and make it right. If you take the check and go elsewhere, it is between you and the body shop.

Everyone has their own opinion and way of wanting things done. Just figure out what works for you and do it. No need for making up stories and other oddities. Don't cheat the system. Just let the insurance company do their job and get your car back to the original condition.

 

Sometimes you need to makeup a story. In your case, you exchanged info with other driver. You do not have the option to makeup a story. Not recommended.

 

You sound totally confused. :shakehead

First, let your insurance carrier (AAA) know about the accident-- either it will cover you or help you deal with the other driver's insurance.

If you need a rental, get one. Let the rental car company know that either the other driver's ins. co. (assuming you know it) or AAA will pay. The rental car company can hold any bill until you get a claim number and adjuster name next week. You get to keep the rental for as long as reasonably necessary for repairs to be completed-- esp. if the other driver is at fault and their insurance is paying (AAA generally has a 30-day limit for its insureds, if the insured is at fault).

Acura dealerships often don't have their own body shop, but use a good local shop. You should call the dealership to see which shop it uses, then go there. That body shop will have no problem dealing with the A-spec mods.

DON'T LIE about what happened, either-- the other driver's adjuster will talk to the body shop, so if you give a screwy story to the body shop and it's told to the adjuster, your claim can be denied and you'll end up in the middle of an insurance fraud investigation.

Bottom line is this: Do what is most convenient for you with regard to getting a rental and repairing the TL since the other side is likely paying, no to screw up the claim.

G/L.

 

Champ, let your insurance company work it out with the other insurance company. Take your car to the dealership to get evaluated & they'll give you an estimate. Then your insurance company will send the adjuster out to take a look as well and then record the incident from your perspective.. DON'T LIE!.. DON'T ADMIT FAULT IN ANY FORM!.. Just explain the incident plain & simple.

If you want the "goodies" tell your insurance to send you a check and get the parts yourself. Easy to R&R all those parts.

 

Sorry if I made my statements very vague and misleading, but I'm not going to lie to nobody, but I'm going to "trick" . The reason I said I was going to "lye" to the dealership is because I want to ask them a "TRUE" estimate of the damages, not some made up charges because the insurance will be paying for it. I just wanted to know this information, in the case where I end up bringing it too the dealership, all I have to say is that my cousin gave me his "insurance" to cover the damages that he caused instead of paying out of pocket. In any form something goes wrong, nothing can really happen, because I have a case number from the police that came that showed the the lady was truly 100% at fault. I want to know the dealerships opinion on the damages so I know the ballpark of the damages without telling them it would be paid by the insurance so I know whether I can decide if I want to do it myself, bring it too a independent shop, or just leave it at the dealer. The dealer I am bringing it too actually has its own Acura Collision center. AAA knows of the accident, but I decided to not file a claim at the moment, because I've talked to them and they said everything should be fine, in the case it isn't, they'll be gladly to provide help, as the statements and evidence has been given to them by recording on phone. Sorry if my statements were misleading, I was in a rush to explain because I was on the phone with their POS insurance company (not giving me a rental at least Monday/Tuesday when I'm unable to do have a car all weekend when I'm a college student living on my own). Thanks for everyone's advices, greatly appreciated! Hopefully everything goes well!

P.S Most car rental companies would not rent me car because I am only 20 even if its a accident case. Doesn't make sense to me... Only Enterprise allows it, called Budget Rentals, Avis, and Hertz, none of them allowed anyone to drive their cars no matter what unless you're at least 21.

 

In any case I do it myself, I will get some of my friends and family to help me as most of them are car mechanic geniuses. A SPEC wheel powdercoating cost about $150 a wheel professionally with warranty, Ron Jon TL bumper painted cost $900, fender will be $150 painted, Plastic Cover can be put back or replaced easily. Only dilemma I have is if the headlight was damaged or not. I just got them through JNC Average price of labor 70$ times 20 hours to do this job with painting along with material, bumper, and other things, will easily come up too over $2000. I can get it all done by myself (not sure yet) for about a $1200. But at the end of the day, I'll probably just leave it too the dealership to fix everything to avoid hassle, but we'll just have to see. Reason why I know the prices is because I have another car that had very similar damage, but with easier parts to find (civic) and it cost over 2k to fix.

 

If you have a lien on the car, most insurance companies will not make out the check to you alone. If paid for, then no problem.

 

First sorry about your loss, it pained me deeply when my lil Matrix was smashed the exact same way, by a side swooping manuever into my right fender and bumper. It must feel worse for a beautiful TL.

Some good advice on this thread, I suggest you follow, without tricking anyone. Dealers are good at quoting high prices anyway, and the adjusters I've worked with in the past, always have given me a satisfactory estimate.

If LA works the same as Houston for insurance claims, if you choose not to use their shops, they will send you a check for the estimate amount, and you will be free to do as you please with that.

Hopefully you'll be able to get alot out of the lady that hit you. I think I was quoted $1200-$1500 on right fender, front bumper estimate on my accident for a Matrix.

 

Fully paid for Only way I buy my cars, or I don't buy them (hate interest especially on cars).

 

hes an appraiser not an adjuster

 

I was responding to Turbonut's response.

 

the stealership will do just that steal

DUDE... ur local to Inaccurate... listen to him... SERIOUSLY...

 

I am, but the accident didn't occur in Houston but in San Antonio where I don't go to school(Austin) at nor my hometown (Houston)

 

when i got my accident just within 1 month of getting my TL, my body shop dealth with getting more money from the insurance company, or in my case from the other persons' insurance ( also was a hit and run). insurance first gave me a check for 880+ and was made to me, then my shop who is a very good guy at doing what he does best, takes the time and gets the proper parts and deals with the insurance company for me...basically when i looked at the final price sheet he handed to me, came to about $2200+...i was like DAMNN! sucked money right there, good thing i didnt have to pay a single penny...just the hassle of getting around w/o no sexy TL for a week and half...

but for your situation, i would just see if the other person's insurance is gonna cover everything w/o you paying for extra. i would find a good body shop cause dealers dont repair body work that often, they would get a shop to do it for them...and your insurance should know about the other car also so dont lie?

GL

 

Champ,

“Every dark cloud has a silver lining”

Wow dude. I learned a lot about your personality thru this ordeal.

You are Very mature and wise. God blessed you with the gift of wisdom and you have a bright future awaiting you. Do you feel comfortable to say what your college major is ? If not, no reply is fine. Cheers Champ !

 

lol thanks man

I'm going to a Doctor, Internal Med. and expect to work at MD Anderson Cancer Hospital in Houston so I can first cure cancer, diabetes, and sustain AIDS and STDs at low cost (as these should not be cured) And also eduacate doctors that only work for the money, one-minded, and doesn't think outside the box.

 

God bless you Champ, and Godspeed !

 

did it happen on Friday the 13th

 

Yes lol

I woke up like 15 min before that too

 

it's really important that you go to someone you know, trust or have heard good words of. most shops used refurbished parts; there's a non-oem bumper out there for our cars AND a-spec lip. when i had my little "incident," i absolutely INSISTED that they use ONLY oem parts, in which i verified myself. be careful! hope all of this works out for you...i know it's a damn pita!

 

thanks for advice! If I bring it too a independent shop, I'll provide all the parts (bumper, kit, etc...)

 

So Type S front bumper and A SPEC or RonJon Front?

 

IMO i will go with the Type S front bumper and Aspec

 

There's an accident bug?

 

If I could I would go with RonJon, IMO

 

I just decided too just get the base bumper with a spec. I'm using some of the extra cash to get a J-pipe and to fix some other deep scratches and chips on my car. All in all, I'm happy! Only thing I liked on the Type-S A SPEC were the fog lights. It does look bulky. Ron JON looks great, but I'm not sure it flows well with A SPEC sides/rear. Keep you guys updated with pics, decided to choose a independent mechanic shop. Owner seems honest and nice as this is a family owned shop (I love getting my repairs at places like this, but sometimes it can be a hit or miss)

 

thought I'd let you know if you are buying a front aspec you can put the type s one on it... egonz36 just completed his... I posted picture in photo section