TL BPJ

So I am a freshman in college and I leave my car parked in the lot. I live in NJ so we recently had a huge blizzard and unfortunately some stupid f*cking car reversed into my car and basically hit and ran... How much do you think it would cost to fix up this? Where should I go?




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lamar2626

insurance.

Trunk Monkey

iTrader: (1)

I feel ya. I'm a senior...shit pisses me off. Park elsewhere if you can. I dont park on campus and I walk a little farther but it's worth it

Ruby

that really sucks. unfortunately hit and run is comprehensive. So basically you'll be out your deductable. Which if it was me would be $500. Sorry to hear that man.

P1zzaman

iTrader: (1)

My deductible is $50 for comprehensive just for crap like this

Trunk Monkey

iTrader: (1)

What does it mean "insurance wise" when you say comprehensive?

Chessie724

"Comprehensive" part of the policy covers the car for pretty much everything that happens to it while you're not driving. Scheit-happens kind of stuff, again, while you're no one's driving. Because you're not at fault, the deductible is usually lower. A tree branch falling on your car, a hit-and-run driver hitting it while it's parked, anything you can't possibly be at fault for causing the damage are things that are covered by the comprehensive policy. The flip side is the "collision" part of the policy and that is the coverage when you're driving or possibly when someone else is driving.

Trunk Monkey

iTrader: (1)

So if someone hit my front bumper at school, do your insurance rates go up?

shellready

that sucks man, FYI, hit and run would fall under your collision coverage not comprehensive

KillerG

Bro, im in jersey and in college, and i park my fucking acura in the corner spot FAR away from other cars in the parking deck and never in the outside lot. Sometimes i come to school early just to snag a sweet spot for my car. I feel your pain, people are fucking morons and have no respect for anyone else's car. You can bet some retard in a corolla hit your car and didnt even think twice about it

Trunk Monkey

iTrader: (1)

Haha wtf....in your sig it says you drive a Corolla

TL BPJ

how much do you think it would cost to repair it at a body shop or maaco?

lilsid112

iTrader: (7)

I would rather leave it damaged then go to maaco personally ......Check local body shops for estimates.

Steve5.9

Do this:
-call your insurance company
-give them your policy number and tell them you want to open a claim
-tell them what is wrong with your car and ask if them if it is filed as a part of you collision insurance or comprehensive insurance (different deductibles for each, deductible is what you pay while the insurance company pays the rest)
-they will give you a claim number
-ask if they have any body shops they recommend
-go to that shop and give them your insurance claim number for an estimate (all you will pay is the deductible - ex: mine is $500)

Keep a folder of all claim numbers, receipts, invoices, etc

vietxquangstah

iTrader: (7)

damn man i just got my 08 TL a few days ago and i can't imagine someone else running into my car. i'd probably slash their tires out.

i've had someone hit my car while trying to pull into a parking spot (i was driving a isuzu rodeo sport). i got out, and there wasn't really much of a scratch so i didn't really care much. the other dude was driving a big ass dodge truck, surprised it barely did anything.

i bet he did it, lol jk

TL BPJ

yeah I think I'm only covered under liability so I may need to pay out of pocket. I am completely aware that its just one of the smallest dents ever, but it really hurts my heart because I baby the shit out of my car more than my own girlfriend sometimes :X Hopefully I'll be able to clean out that little dent for under $200 and the next time i see someone attempt to hit and run, I'll slash their tires.

TheChamp531

iTrader: (3)

You don't have comprehensive? You really need to get it especially driving a TL/newer car.

Trunk Monkey

iTrader: (1)

Yes...but he's 18 and likely will get hit with a rising payment. I'd find out if it will raise your rates. If so, just pay out of pocket. Shouldn't be too bad

TL BPJ

nah i don't bro. i just needed insurance and now I'm paying the price. I'll just stack dough til i hit $500 and go to Maaco and maybe i'll get it fixed. It's annoying ugh i just payed for firestone lifetime alignment and two new front tires, and now I have a tranny fluid change coming up, plus this. -.-

jpgayan

For the record, Collision is for when the driver is at fault for damage while the vehicle is being operated, comprehensive covers when the vehicle is damaged while parked. I've had to use it twice in my relatively short lifetime. First time a jerk backed into my Neon at Blockbuster and ran, second time someone broke into my Maxima and stole my radar detector, gps, and ipod. I know, my own fault for leaving them in the car overnight. Taking them in two thirds of the time isn't as good as all the time.

ThreePointTwoTeeEl

iTrader: (1)

Find them, put them in a garbage bag, tie some weights to the bag. Throw in river

TheChamp531

iTrader: (3)

Maaco is bad.

Not to sound rude or anything, but I don't think you should mod your car at all unless you have full coverage insurance including comprehensive.

18 is not an excuse IMO. I've had insurance since 15 and worked to pay an extra $180-200 it added to my parents insurance. Now I know different lives, different situations, etc... But worst case scenario, you hit someone and it totals your car. You now have nothing. Now I don't want to change the thread from College Students and there lack of driving and insurance, but it's very vital.

I say don't worry about it for now. It's not that noticeable. Get some sort of touch-up paint or from paintscratch.com and "touch it up". Use any money to buy full coverage insurance

loc05tl

wow that sucks man. im also going to a college where parking is horrible but nice cars around so at least theyll watch their own rides.

Ruby

+1.

jimmyl

This is such good advice!! Take it!!

On a different note, the "dude/bro" and cussing quotient of this thread is off the charts! Sheesh.....

KillerG

i've been caught...
sorry to the owner of the black acura that i backed up into

pretty sure the model was a TL

huystAr

iTrader: (3)

that cracked me up KillerG haha

well i do the same, i have class @ 7am so the parking lot is literally empty so i grab single parking spots every morning (: sucks that it happened to you though id be pissed...it's one of the reasons i kept my side moldings to avoid door dings from idiots if i ever have to park between cars

DuoDSG

Comprehensive, although pricey, is a must especially for someone going to school (I would know- I'm a college senior right now).

Granted, I've never had to use it, so I've been spared the headache with insurance. But until I do, paying $500 every six months sucks because without ever having to use it, it feels like a money sink.

I don't regret it though. Get comprehensive and you'll never have this problem again.

VQPower37

sucks man especially with the insurance and stuff ... see if u can get some paintless dent removal done and apply some touch up ... it will prob be cheaper then getting the whole hood redone

jchan2

I go to college too, but thankfully there are several people in my parking deck with nicer cars. There's an M-Class, an X3, couple of 3-Series, a few C-Classes, a GLK-Class, a few Lexus RXs, and a Land Rover LR2, to name a few.

I figure if thieves strike, they'll go after those before they go after mine...

Also, I second the necessity of comprehensive and collision coverage on something as new as the original poster's car.

218TL

Weird, someone hit my bumper Friday..no note, nothing. Just a nice gash and webbed paint

I'll be driving the Ford Taurus the rest of the year.

1995hoo

In addition to the points others have made about why you should have comprehensive coverage, consider that it will pay for things like windshield replacement if it happens due to something like a rock hitting it on the highway or the like. "Shit-happens" stuff is one way to look at it; the term commonly used in the insurance and legal fields would be "acts of God," i.e., stuff you had no control over and couldn't really foresee. An example of comprehensive coverage that ought to resonate with anyone in the DC, New York/New Jersey, or New England areas this week would be if a tree branch, heavily-laden with snow, breaks off and lands on your car and smashes out the moonroof. That's something you submit to insurance under your comprehensive coverage.

Most (though perhaps not all) insurance carriers will not raise your rate if you submit a comprehensive claim, whereas they will raise your rate if you submit a collision claim. That's because, as others have noted, the stuff covered by comprehensive coverage is not tied to what sort of a risk you represent to the carrier. Insurance carriers have all sorts of actuarial tables where they measure how much of a financial risk you pose (i.e., what are the odds they'll have to pay out money because of you), but an "act of God" is not something you did.

With that said, depending on your deductible, it's sometimes not even worth submitting it to insurance if the cost of the repair is only a tad more than the deductible.

shellready

so much misinfo on here about insurance. someone backing into your vehicle is not comprehensive, it's collision. definately would recommend looking at adding comprehensive since that does cover someone vandalizing your vehicle.

MofroS

That 19 year old that will hit and run will most likely become a 39 year old who will hit and run. It happens in my parking lot at work often enough to prove that.

Sorry about that man. Nothing worse than walking up on something like that.

AznBalla

That's not even that bad. It currently looks worse than it really is. You'd be losing money going the insurance route IMO. If you were local, I could clean that up and it'd look pretty unnoticeable.

Just work out the kink on the bumper with a heat gun/hair dryer, then buff the paint on the bumper. That should be a quick repair on that. As far as the hood, you'd have to slowly work the metal back to it's shape, but it won't be flawless like it was before as the metal is now stretched and you're working without tools really. Once you smooth out the crease a bit, make sure to get some touch up paint on that ASAP. It's vulnerable to rusting at this point with the open paint chip like that. Rust moves quick, so move quickly on that one.

EDIT: Upon a second look, the bumper doesn't look bad. Just hit it with some polish and it should look like nothing happened. So take care of that hood. The dent doesnt even look severe so if you're comfortable, slowly work it out using say, a round dowel. Or, a PDR guy could even work that out and you just hit it with some touch up after to seal the open paint.

leedogg

Why would somebody doing damage to you vehicle and then running not be considered vandalism and therefor comprehensive? My guess is it remains comprehensive unless the other person is actually identified and their vehicle was determined to cause the damage and then your insurance can file a claim against their insurance at which point it can become collision.

TheChamp531

iTrader: (3)

^that's what I was thinking. Comptech chime in since you work at a insurance carrier

anx1300c

iTrader: (2)

Ouch, $500 every six months for just comp? I pay $38.50 with a 500 deductible, full glass with no deductible.

+1

Maybe this will clear up the confusion.

http://www.carinsurance.com/kb/content31561.aspx

Vandalism is an intentional act of malice, not a car accident.

DuoDSG

My bad, I should've clarified.

The $500 covers the following:

Bodily Injury Liability- $50/100k
Property Damage Liability- $50k
Uninsured Motorist- $50k
Uninsured Motorist Liability- $50k

Then again, my comprehensive is $100 with a $500 deductible.

Problem is, I've had a number of people look at it and my policy is the cheapest out there, as far as they can find. Sucks too, I would expect a better deal with a perfect driving record, no collisions or any claims...

Aman

If your car is hit by another car, it's considered collision. I was a victim of a hit & run too, my car was sideswiped. Had to pay my collision deductible.

All this is pretty much useless though, considering OP only has liability.