JediMindTricks

well i got into my first accident yesterday morning.

i hit the corner of a curb and now, this is what my car looks like:
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the curb was on a residential neighborhood, and it was like a foot high. i was only going 30mph too.

the car was towed to an autoshop. i spoke with the owner today, and he said that the wheel and the front area is not too much of a problem to fix.

but he's concerned with the roof. i dunno if you can see, but the area near the sunroof has buckled up a little bit.

he says he will not fix the roof because he's decided 20 years ago that he's not going to mess with roofs. too many problems are involved, he says, such as the sunroof, doors may not open/close properly, etc.

an adjustor has been assigned by state farm to look at the car.

the shop owner says that he think it's better off it the car is totalled because of the type of damage. he thinks that there are problems with the frame if the accident caused the roof to buckle. he says if i can get it fixed at another shop, then i should sell it asap.

however, i'm worried that the adjustor will say that the roof damage is NOT a result of the accident to the front wheel...in that case, i'm screwed because there's no way i can prove otherwise.

anyhow, i'm gonna just have to wait until the adjustor comes and looks at it and hear what he says.

so now i'm driving a rental RAV4 for who knows how long.

and get this. i JUST paid off the car 3 days ago.

and why did i hit a curb? because i swerved to avoid running over a cat. i didn't break because there was a car right behind me, and i didn't change lanes because there was a car next to me on the left. next time, i will just run over the cat.

what do you guys think?

and before anyone else says it, "it'll buff right out" and yes, i should have just ran over the cat.

LuvMyTSX

That sucks, Jedi.

I honestly have no clue what they'll say about the roof. It doesn't sound good, though, considering the first guy already said he won't touch it.

I'm paying my car off this Friday.

Whiskers

Ouchy...

joerockt

Wow, that sucks ass. Sorry man...

Bdog

That sucks! Something major is going on to buckle the roof like that. The whole frame must have twisted a bit and the body gave around the sunroof.

Moog-Type-S

Time to get a 335

JediMindTricks

yea that's what i was thinking too.

i'm just worried that the adjustor will say that the roof damage isn't a result of the accident...

because if he/she says that, how can i contest it?

well, last night, i did start looking at what cars i can get with the amount that state farm will give me if they decide to total it.

but a 335 will probably be out of my price range. having just paid off the car 3 days ago, i'm not looking forward to another car note...

i'll probably be looking at a used car to just buy outright.

but this is all irrelevent right now.....(but it's fun...sort of)

joerockt

Is there a way you can get the guy at the body shop to vouch for you that the damage was most likely caused by the accident?

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Damn, that sucks. At least the only thing damaged was the car...

JediMindTricks

i dunno...the guy was pretty straightforward and honest. but i don't have any prior history with the shop.

he told me that what happened to the roof is a freak incident (those were his words), and he'll give his opinion to the adjustor.



i was lucky that there weren't any other cars or pedestrians involved. and i didn't hit an trees, signs, fire hydrants, etc.

at the end of the day, i know it's just a car.

but it was my first car, i just finished paying it off, and i was so proud of myself for paying it off quickly.

anyways, i'll for the adjustor.

Sarlacc

Simple. If you they ask you prove it did, you ask them to prove it didnt. Play their game and you can win.

The damage you did you shit your wheel like that, its pretty obvious you hit the curb with quite a force, so there is no reason not to believe you couldn't have damaged the frame.

And next time, hit the cat.

srika

damn dude sorry to hear about this - glad you're ok - hope things work out for you

joerockt

Im sure you're not the first person the adjuster has seen hitting a curb like that. I think it will work out for you.

virtualbong

Damn, that sucks! Hope everything works out...if it gets totalled, get yourself into a nice G35 coupe like me

TheMirror

First of all, Jedi, who is the girl in the Avatar?

OK, on to business. The bodyshop guy will be the first one who will vouch for the source of the roof damage. The adjuster may want you to go to one of their approved shops for a look-see, which is fine. Collateral damage like the damage on the roof is strange, but there will also be traces of damage through the car on the pathway to that roof damage. It SHOULD be clear to any body shop that the accident caused it.

That is a bummer man. Must have been a pretty big hit. Wow.

JediMindTricks

1. she's a french news reporter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissa_Theuriau

2. thanks for the info.

3. yea it was a big hit. i mean, i wasn't going above 30 because i ALWAYS stay at 30 on that road. the police there are infamous for giving you speeding tickets if you go 32 in a 30. houston members will know that West University cops are notorious for that.

but the curb was very high. i've never seen curbs that high before. when i hit it, there was a huge "BOOM" noise. like a gun went off. just thinking about that noise last night before going to sleep was giving me the chills.

-------------------

and thanks, everyone, for your advice, help, and insight. i'll keep you guys updated.

teranfon

That sucks. If they do write it off, I hope they give you the proper amount for it. And kudos to you for attempting to take action not to hit the cat. I know you paid dearly because of it, and perhaps in retrospect it wasn't the best thing to do, but a nice thing to do nonetheless.

Terry

JediMindTricks

thanks.

as they say, hindsight is 20/20.

but as they also say, it is what it is.

i do believe everything happens for a reason.

i'm at peace with everything right now because i understand there isn't anything i can really do except wait for the adjustor.

but i dunno if it's just me being a sissy or if this is normal with accidents. but each time i reenact the accident in my mind and "hear" the bang when i hit the curb, it gives me the chills.

AMGala

iTrader: (4)

Wow, reading that made me cringe a little

Sorry to see it happened JMT.

JediMindTricks

^thanks, man.

Will Y.

Just take a look at your car's right fender and where it meets the door and A-pillar-- I think the frame (along with the roof) was seriously tweaked-- those gaps aren't factory tolerances. The entire right side of the frame may be twisted much higher than the left side, and the A-pillar was pushed up enough to twist the roof.
It would be hard to say what else could have caused that damage other than the car hitting the curb.

Glad you are unhurt, though!

te3point5

this is probably the worst part of all...

Moog-Type-S

1 Series

:wink:

JediMindTricks

TheMirror

My gawd, hottest newscaster chick ever.

nokiaman

Sorry to hear the news man, glad you were ok though. I like your attitude,-everything happens for a reason-,wait but like many others said, the frame was damaged. About the chills, it's normal after every accident, to hear that noise, definitely a bad experience but you'll be up and running soon.Like a friend of mine says, the scariest in an accident is the noise...and thanks for not hitting that cat

Melissa Theuriau is

Dr. Colorado

jmt, glad you're ok. the car is just a possesion and can be replaced. your life otoh is priceless and thankfully you weren't seriously hurt.

btw, sexy french tv reporter is best avatar by far

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

It'll be repaired by someone. A roof panel is only $500.

ChrisQ1980

I'm so sorry to hear that. You really do have a great attitude about it. You should have taken the cat in, so at least you can say you saved him for a reason. lol I definatly think the adjustor will be able to see that the roof damage is from the accident. Good luck and keep us posted.

JediMindTricks

thanks.

at this point, i feel like there's nothing i CAN do but try to keep a positive attitude.

i mean, don't get me wrong. i'm VERY upset about wrecking my car and possibly losing my car.

i know we all criticize acuras on this board, and i know my car may not be the greatest car out on the road.

but i LOVED my car, and i did everything i could to keep it in great condition. it was the first car that i bought for myself, and even with all the faults that the TSX has, it's a GREAT car. and i'm very sad about what happened and possibly losing it. i'm always posting in the car threads here, but i would have kept that TSX for at least another 5,6,7 years.

but i do believe in blessings in disguise, and i have no choice but to try and maintain a positive attitude about it.

but i don't think it's really hit me yet. so much has happened since yesterday, and my mind's been all over the place. (i've been stressed out over moving to a new apartment this saturday.)

at times, i still can't believe what happened. it's surreal.

CCColtsicehockey

had that happen to my car they put it on a frame machine and I came in and looked at it and it was still within specs that the frame flexed during impact but the car didn't bend permanently due the the impact being so sudden. they just removed the roof panel and put a new one in and it drives as good as new. pm me if you want me to put you in contact with my body shop that did it so you can figure out what they did atleast or have them contact your local body shop. they only had the car for 2 weeks.

JediMindTricks

thanks.

problem is that the shop where my car's at now says they're not going to touch the roof.

so if the adjustor comes and says they're gonna fix it, i'm gonna have to tow it to another shop, which poses another problem:

anyone recommend any shops in the houston area?

Costco

Good to hear you're ok at least. Its a crappy feeling to see your car like that though.

Reminds me of my one of auto teachers. He would always tell us to never swerve whenever we see a small animal. Instead, he would put up his hands like he was driving casually, then all of a sudden tippy-toe twice like he went over a speed bump. Some good advice, not to mention its funny as hell to see it in a classroom. I've almost been on the lookout for squirrels just so I can practice suppressing the swerve reflex.

JediMindTricks

update:
the adjustor went to look at the car this afternoon. i was at work, and my phone died when the shop owner called to let me know that the adjustor came by.

i didn't get the message until i got home around 5, but the shop was closed by then.

so i called state farm, and they told me that the adjustor did give an estimate of $7,334.17 to repair the car. and that includes the roof damage (good news). state farm said they mailed the check to me today.

so they're not going to total the car. i dunno if that's good news or bad news but it's news...

now, i'm gonna have to drive by the shop tomorrow morning and talk to the shop owner since i'm not gonna be able to fix it there since he said he's not touching the roof.

so now, i don't know what to do. i don't know any good body shops, and i hear bad stories about the insurance company's "select" shops.

but wherever i take it to get it fixed, i'm gonna have to get it towed. this will be the second time it's towed. (first time was from the accident scene to the current shop, and the insurance will cover that.)

do i pay out of pocket for the second time it's towed or do insurance usually cover that?

*sigh*

joerockt

Ok, if the shop guy says he wont fix the roof, then the onus is on your insurance company to find a shop that will. So, they should be paying for the tow.

And why would they mail you a check before the repairs are complete??? That's why its called an estimate. It could be thousands more by the time their done. I've never had a check mailed to me, ever.

JediMindTricks

well the insurance said they just sent me a check for the estimate amount. if the actual amount is over, then the shop would call state farm, and state farm will pay the rest.

at this point, i'm wondering if i should just have it fixed at a dealerhip...

Dan

I never get over how people like to tell others about their lack of driving skills. Unless the curb jumped out in front of you?

JediMindTricks

but nobody's really criticized me for my "lack of driving skills"....well, except for you.

Dan

Just yanking your chain. There were some extenuating circumstances right, you did not just run into it at random?

joerockt

Reading > YOU

Read the thread before you start making stupid comments.