So I was having a pretty bad end of the week. And I was driving in jersey to run an errand. I was literally 15 ft from my destination and stopped at a red light behind two other cars. So i glance up at my rear view like I always do at red lights and see a nice large navigator coming towards me. I see that the driver is not paying attention to the road and I figure she's gonna hit me. I had a little bit of hope but it was all lost when WHAM, she it my rear. Of course it was her fault and she didn't want to go through insurance. Me and my girfriend are fine and she seems trustworthy so I agree with ther plan to let her pay for the damages. I have already met with her body shop guy and have arranged for a monday drop off and I came up with a contract to bind her to fixing my car. She will also provide me with a rental so that I can get to work. The body shop guy tells me that it would take him about 2 days to complete the job. pretty fast service I would say.

Here are some pics of the car. You guys can help me by letting me know if its pretty bad, or if my car will neer be the same. The rear bumper has moved and the trunk seems like it was pushed in about half an inch so that it opens kinda wierd. Please let me know how bad this is and I hope you guys give me words of comfort. The worst part is, I got my car back from the dealer on wednesday for rear deck buzzes and they finally fixed them. It took about 4 tries but they eventually fixed it.

 

Sorry to see that happened... Sometimes I just hate how tri-states ppl drive their cars without paying attentions to the traffic.


Was roads icy?

 

No, roads were not icy at all. She was just not paying attention to the road.


So what do you think rets. Will my baby be ok?...I'm afraid it did other damage that I don't see. You know what I mean?

 

Come on guys, I need some consoling. I feel like crap. My beloved has gotten hurt and I need to know that she'll be ok...

 

Judging solely on the semi-blurry images...it really doesn't look that bad. Looks like the bumper took most of the damage and just got bent out of shape. Hopefully that's all it was and there's no damage elswhere. Sorry for your misfortune...Good Luck.

Probably just needs a new bumper.

 

It looks mostly like cosmetic damage. Sorry to see that. My rear bumper got hit twice while parked. So not only were the people too inept to avoid a stationary object, they didn't even have the decency to fess up. Oh, well, I used it as as excuse to buy the RonJon kit.

 

Do you guys know if it is difficult to realign the trunk if it was pushed in slightly? I don't care of the costs since i'm not paying for it but can it be done?

 

The actual trunk itself got pushed in? Or are you talking about the trunk door?

BTW....are the people from this body shop friends of the woman who hit you?

 

It's a little hard for us to imagine how serious damage your TL had got... more pics? or details? Thanks.

From the view of the rear bumper, it seems not very hard to get repaired... but we really don't know how hard she hit you...

 

Well, the trunk lid was pushed in.

The way we got in contact with this body shop guy was pretty much by chance. The lady owns a restaurant. Now in this restaraunt works a girl. Her family came in for dinner and we found out that he owns a large body shop. So we ask him to do the work. So that is the relationship of the lady and the body shop guy. I don't think that they are close at all. They do eat at her restaraunt on ocassion since the daughter works there.

 

Rets, I would have to say the impact was somewhere between 5-10 miles per hour. I could see her car lift up in the rear so she slammed on her brakes. Also the accident took place on a very local street. She couldn't have been doing more than 25 down the lane and then slammed the brakes.

I think our bumpers are rated at like 4 mph before taking damage right? Correct me if I'm wrong.

I'll try to get more pics.

BTW, thanks guys. Your replies are keeping me sane...I would be going nuts thinking the worst possible scenarios if it weren't for you guys.

 

Glad no one was hurt. I think you should still report this to insurance. If she is irresponsible in driving her living room in the company of others, what is to say she won't be responsible in covering your damage. Basically when you rear-end someone, you are at fault. Not much can be disputed.

I think your damage appears cosmetic. My last vehicle was rear-ended 4 times in 3 years here in Tampa. Here, red lights are only as suggestion, and I had the audacity to stop. The 4 drivers that plowed into me didn't think I should have, and accosted me for it. I can tell you exactly what the repair costs, timeframe and parts needed for a rear bumper on an '02 Isuzu.

In my opinion, auto body repairs do phenomenal stuff. Aside from a new bumper cover, likely some under bumper parts and a new trunk lid (or repaired) I would expect your TL to be difficult, if not impossible for you to see the repair. I would have your Acura dealer do the repairs, or who they use for collision repairs, and verify they use OEM parts! These places are in business to deal with insurance claims, so again, I would take THAT route. And if you are not satisfied with the repair you have recourse through the insurance company. If she does not want to shell out more, you are immediately in a claims dispute with a nice stranger.

It's a hassel, but make her pay for your rental (preferably her insurance) while you await the return of your TL. Insurance can cover damages, but never inconveniance brought upon by others.

The only blemish you will live on with will likely be your memory of the accident and the notation on the VIN record.

 

TampaMike:

Not to stray too far off track, but I noticed your avatar and wanted to say that I've noticed in recent times that when theres a red car in front of me and the sunlight is shining directly behind us (in early morning or early evening), it is EXTREMELY hard to see the brake lights because there is no easy way to distinguish the color of the brake lights with the car's body. Have you noticed that when you drive behind another red car? Could be a reason for a rear end right there!

 

Yep, I would agree with that. One reason the 3rd brake light is beneficial. But that does not explain running red traffic lights and mowing down pedestrians here in Tampa. I guess we need to legislate brake lights on them too. But yepper I agree, a red car can be at a disadvantage in those conditions. But a traffic judge friend of mine says: "Do you NEED brake lights on ANY object in front of you? The lights are an AID to driving, you judgement of speed and distance takes priority OVER aids." I gave him an autographed Judge Judy portrait. <snicker>

 

your car will be fine , stop fretting like a little woman - @ 5-10 mph - only exterior body damage - ANY body shop can handle little job like that.

Was that bish talking on the cell btw ?

Now this :

Why do things have to get so complicated ??? with all these "connections" left and right ?
Bish hits you. Her fault totally.
Bish wants to pay.
You call dealer and ask for a shop recommendation
You take car to that shop for estimate.
(This is where/how you can ensure total impartiality and your "baby" get the best care)
Present shop estimate to bish.

 

I decided to go through the lady's insurance. She called her iinsurance company up which is GEICO and they said that they would pay for all my damages. She did the right thing at least and fessed up to it.

I took the car in this morning to their drive in estimate place and got an estimate of $1246.47 and I stopped by my dealer so they can fix it for me. I trust my dealer's work because they did my old integra in the past and they do great work.

They are ordering the bumber and new rear emblems for me today. I have made an appointment to bring the car in on Monday to allow for delivery of the parts. GEICO is also giving me a rental so that I can get to work. The dealer said that it should take 3 days to fix so I should get the car back by wednesday night or thursday morning.

I'll take pics of the car after.

Thanks for the support guys!

 

It sounds like a fair and routine deal. I think it was wise to utilize the insurance company route. If the TL was not repaired to YOUR satisfaction under HER terms, would SHE shell out more? Likely not. You are likely to have better recourse with the insurance company and the legalities that guide them should anything go awry with the repairs. I doubt that will happen being a reputable insurance company and the repair being done by Acura. Adding a loaner or rental makes it more a one stop shop transaction and will lessen the hassel you live with.

Your TL will be renewed. Good Luck!

 

glad you don't have to bother with too much insurance headaches.

 

So here is an update.

I have been back and forth with the rental company since GEICO is giving me a rental.

My body shop has taken the bumper off on Monday and found that there was more damage underneath. They called GEICO to have someone come out and look at it. The guy was supposed to look at it today(thursday). Don't know for sure if he came out or not but I will call my body shop in the morning to find out. I am assuming the repair estimate has now been raised to over $2,000.

For an accident like this, the body shop would have to report this on my VIN, correct?

My baby's value will drop right? If so, I can get this diminished value thing from GEICO right?

 

Yeah, this report will most likely show up on CarFax.

 

gbriank,

Would it be unwise to contact my insurance company to ask questions on how I could get diminished value from the other insurance company?

 

Does your insurance company know about the accident? Are you insured with the same company as the other party is?

 

I am with Allstate and the other person is GEICO. My insurance company does not know of the accident AFAIK. I haven't told them.

 

Have you received the police report showing whom is at fault?

 

I have not filed but the lady has already admitted fault to her insurance company and they are taking care of repairing all my damages.

I have sent out a report to the police department however.

 

Excellent choice.

As for contacting your insurance company, not sure what to do. I've always contacted my insurance whether or not the accident was my fault. Hmmmm..... I guess you could pose the question as a hypothetical case.

 

I'm sure my insurance could care less of what happened since the other person's insurance is covering everything. I had no fault whatsoever. I was rear ended at a red light.

I'll just call up my agent tomorrow and ask if the diminished value thing is valid in New York. I'm hoping it is.

Thanks for all your help!

I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

hukashi,

the only thing i would say is to make sure the paint job on the bumper is to your satisfaction when you get the car back... i had my wdp for a month when i got rear ended, the kid's insurance paid, but now i have a yellow bumper- hard to match the color (so they told me, cause its a plastic bumper)... i got the work done through acura's body shop too! it kills me that i have to suffer for other people's stupidity... i want to repaint my whole car!!!!

you prob won't have that same issue being you have a darker color (hopefully easier to match), but just beware!

 

gbriank,

I was able to find out from my insurance company that New York State does indeed do diminished value.

I will contact GEICO as soon as the repairs are done and will let them know that I will be pursuing this.

Thanks for all the help once again.

 

You said you took your car to "the dealer", I assume you mean Acura dealer, have you talked to them about maybe renting you one of their loaners?

 

Actually I didn't even think to ask about that. Thanks!

I'll give them a call later.

 

I was in line at a local car wash several weeks ago when the guy behind me took his foot off the brake and rolled into the back of me. He rolled from about 10 ft back in his Dodge Durango. Cracked the bumer cover and popped it out on the driver's side. It was $750 to repair which he paid for. The inconvenince of being without the car for a day while it was being fixed was a PITA though.