My First Car Accident

[BerryBoy 0]

Yeah, so fender bender's suck. I was on my way home from work and some lady rear ended my BMW. She kept wanting to "just write me a check" but I wasn't having any of that and just called the police and the insurance companies right away.

What really sucks is that her insurance company, Progressive, is running around in circles trying to get me to go with their affiliates. But for those of you that have foreign cars, especially like BMW's, you know that just anyone can't repair those cars. For mechanical service, I can only take my car to all of four places in all of Nashville! The insurance lady keeps threatening me that I will have to pay any differences if her quote doesn't match the trustworthy collision center that I am wanting to take my BMW to instead of her scamming pal's work-shacks. Why would I want some half-wit shack to screw up my car with after-market cheapo parts when I wasn't the one at fault here??!!!??!!??!!

Anyone else out there just HATE dealing with insurance companies that are just out to get out the cheapest they can at YOUR expense?

[Ashtanga 0]

BEER!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BillyVance 34]

I can understand your pain. I have a Toyota Tundra that I was driving when I ran over a tire and rim that had fallen off a car and was still rolling on the highway at night. $5000 worth of repairs at Progressive's contracted shop in my area. Oh they did a good job except that the center of the hood dips up and down at highway speeds, and it took them 3 weeks to fix everything. Progressive (my ins. co.) did cover my rental for the entire period, so I can't really complain, now that my truck has an additional 80K miles on it and still going strong (now 142K overall).

But I can understand your frustration with the foreign luxury cars needing specialized shops to repair them.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[stitch 0]

You should hook-up with Adventure-Chick.

"No cookies for you"- GFD
"I don't think I like the sound of that" ~ MB65
Don't be a "Racer Hater"

[skydemon2 0]

Just another reason you should support american companies! keep that european trash in europe !!

Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone!

I like to start my day off with a little Ray of Soulshine™!!

[ryoder 1,590]

If you get damage on a car severe enough to need paint:
1. Get it fixed ASAP.
2. Get rid of it ASAP.

Let it be someone else's problem. A body shop can never make it as good as it was.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[piratemike 0]

Okay, so I have a uncle that owns a European car body shop. A good number of the members of my family have been in the auto body business at one time or another.

It's like this:
The Insurance company is liable in some states to repair the car back to it's original state. You may request they use only OEM parts. (not in all cases, but in some, this is the best.)
In some states the insurance companies don't have any real laws that make them pay much of anything.

They have this bullshit tactic that they pull where they send a appraiser to your house and they do this estimate. They will either mail you a check or cut you a check on the spot.
DO NOT cash that check.
Cashing that check is your way of agreeing to their amount as a settlement. The check is usually for 50% or less of what it would take to cover the repair, not including a rental while your car gets worked on.

Take that check to the body shop, hopefully you can get a good recommendation from one from the BMW dealership in your area. Give them the check and explain the situation. If it's a good bodyshop, they will know how to deal with the insurance company antics.

You are entitled to a rental car (a modest one) while your car is being repaired.

The insurance companies usually have preferred body shops that they like to use. Sometimes, these body shops can be pretty good ones, and the insurance companies are happy to let you drop the car off there, and let that body shop work out the problems.
This might be a good thing for you. See if the BMW dealership can give a positive or negative review of the preferred body shop in your area.

One bit of advice: do not say anything about your physical health to a insurance agent until the car is repaired. When they ask, you say things like "I'm unsure about my (neck, back, whatever)" . Insurance companies are known to not worry about how much the car costs to repair if they have this possible medical claim hanging over them. Don't completely lie about being hurt when you aren't. It's a whole can of worms you probably don't want to deal with.

So, get your own appraisal for the repair of the car. If the insurance company is really low balling you, be prepared to detain the use of a layer to get your car repaired. If you can get a layer on your speed dial, even better.

Anyhow, I really dislike insurance companies and believe that they should be run for the benefit of the population in a non-profit model. Right now, the insurance companies are designed to make their very wealthy owners more wealthy. They have systems set up to deny claims, and trick the claimants into accepting far to little money for a repair.

[piratemike 0]

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If you get damage on a car severe enough to need paint:
1. Get it fixed ASAP.
2. Get rid of it ASAP.

Let it be someone else's problem. A body shop can never make it as good as it was.

Ehh, that's not really true, particularly minor stuff can be repaired just fine if done right.
You munch a fender or bumper, the repair is fairly simple, replace the body part, and paint it to match the car.

Even major damage can be repaired quite well with a good body jig.

Don't get it repaired with that back yard person that uses things like bondo.

[sharimcm 0]

I feel your pain. I've been dealing with the insurance company for almost two years regarding the repair of my Honda. Some asswipe pulled out in front of me and I smacked in to her. I took it to one of the "preferred shops." They told me if I took my car to the Honda collision center, I would have to pay the difference. I found out that was not true after I supposedly got it fixed by the not preferred by me shop they sent me to. Three weeks later, they get my car back to me but it didn't even look like a Honda. There were huge gaps by the lights, debris in the new paint, the hood is flimsy. Needless to say I was pissed. After two more months, the car was still not repaired correctly. Now, the alignment is still off because the fucksticks said they didn't need to do an alignment even though it was a front end crash. Grrrr... I'll stop talking or I'll start getting pissed again.

Good luck! You'll need it.

"I had a dude tip his black cowboy hat to me after I provided him with a condom outside my hotel room at 3-something in the morning." -myself

[BerryBoy 0]

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Take that check to the body shop, hopefully you can get a good recommendation from one from the BMW dealership in your area. Give them the check and explain the situation. If it's a good bodyshop, they will know how to deal with the insurance company antics.

Ok...so I started calling around and the local BMW dealership highly recommends a certain collision center in the city where they do a lot of body work on BMW's and have many happy customers. I am going to take it there despite of the sneaky insurance lady.

So I get on the phone with her and told her what I planned on doing and she said "Ok, but your making a mistake by not going with OUR guys." That's crap. So she puts me on hold for like 5 minutes and says that she can't get a hold of the body shop that I personally wanted and proceeded with pushing on another one of her "preferred" shops AGAIN! I told her I'd call her back and we can try again.

This tops it all: I immediately called the body shop after I put down the phone and got someone right away. She said that "Oh, the insurance lady just called us like 5 minutes ago and hung up on us."

I'm so freaking mad... I need a punching bag like pronto!

[dannydan 5]

dude... you know WHAT to do!!! Go with your GUT and then send the fricken bill to PROGRESIVE! and be done with it!

Do not let them work u uP like they al ready have!

Ask yourself this..." How would my EXPIERENCED Father handle this"? "How does ANY shrewd business man handle this situation such as Donald TRUMP"????

Dont sweat the small shit here, and just get it DONE!! SO like whom is your carrier? You have a company thats been around since 1866 or do you have one of these Progresive types? Let YOUR carrier HELP you and or do this work for yazzzz...

QUIT ALLOWING them to get under your skin... You will LOSE if you do!!



Oh and one more....

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BEER!!!!!!!!!!!!

DITTOS....... lol

[ryoder 1,590]

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I feel your pain. I've been dealing with the insurance company for almost two years regarding the repair of my Honda. Some asswipe pulled out in front of me and I smacked in to her. I took it to one of the "preferred shops." They told me if I took my car to the Honda collision center, I would have to pay the difference. I found out that was not true after I supposedly got it fixed by the not preferred by me shop they sent me to. Three weeks later, they get my car back to me but it didn't even look like a Honda. There were huge gaps by the lights, debris in the new paint, the hood is flimsy. Needless to say I was pissed. After two more months, the car was still not repaired correctly. Now, the alignment is still off because the fucksticks said they didn't need to do an alignment even though it was a front end crash. Grrrr... I'll stop talking or I'll start getting pissed again.

Good luck! You'll need it.

You just made my point. I've heard too many stories like this.
Anyone who thinks a body shop can make a car "like new" is living in fantasy land.
That is why the only thing to do is get it fixed ASAP, then get rid of it ASAP.
(Preferably trade it in to a dealer so the next owner will be bitching at them rather than you.)

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[auburnguy 0]

Done the car accident thing, twice. Both times my fault, low speed rear enders. Hit a truck and an SUV, both times they had trailer balls hooked up and they pierced the radiator and engine mount. Totaled one of them and did over 7k worth of damage the other time. Accidents suck.

"If you don't like your job, you don't strike! You just go in every day, and do it really half assed. That's the American way."
- Homer Simpson

[BerryBoy 0]

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Dont sweat the small shit here, and just get it DONE!! SO like whom is your carrier? You have a company thats been around since 1866 or do you have one of these Progresive types? Let YOUR carrier HELP you and or do this work for yazzzz...

QUIT ALLOWING them to get under your skin... You will LOSE if you do!!

Some good advice...I have let them get to me already. I've got an insurance company that's been around for years and have no problems with them at all. I'll probably start to get them involved to make sure the other person's insurance company (Progressive) doesn't take advantage of me. This stuff is a mess.

[dannydan 5]

ata'BOY!

[newbloomer 0]

I just had my first car accident not too long ago too. I HATE dealing with insurance companies. I decided to get a lawyer to deal with them for me. A lot of times they won't charge anything until after the insurance company settles with you. Now I don't have to talk to them at all and I go directly through my lawyer for everything. Good luck to you, if you have any injuries, I would highly suggest getting a lawyer. The insurance company will want you to settle as quickly as possible because they know that a lot of injuries don't get noticed for a few days or weeks. After you settle it's too late to go after them for help with medical bills.

"not all grief is bad grief, just ask Charlie Brown"

[funjumper101 15]

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Done the car accident thing, twice. Both times my fault, low speed rear enders. Hit a truck and an SUV, both times they had trailer balls hooked up and they pierced the radiator and engine mount. Totaled one of them and did over 7k worth of damage the other time. Accidents suck.

Both my trucks have trailer hitches and ball mounts. I have been hit once. A low speed hit by someone who was tailgating. As you describe, the ball mount does a lot of damage. Their car left on the back of a tow truck. My truck didn't have a scratch. I pull my boat and I haul the garbage/recycling bins down to where they get picked up. Even if I didn't need them I would leave them on anyway. I like having a "radiator killer" on the back of my rides. It helps keep the tailgaters away.

WRT to repairing the BMW, follow the advice of the BMW dealer. Use the shop they recommend. The advice regarding injuries is excellent. Go see your MD and get checked out. Many times neck and back pain takes a while to kick in after a rear end collision. The insurance company should be on the hook for all costs, including a comparable rental car (don't settle for a sub-compact) and any other expenses incurred. If they get wind of the medical stuff, they'll bend over backwards to make you happy. By having medical records related to the accident, you greatly increase your leverage.

[Beerlight 0]

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Dont sweat the small shit here, and just get it DONE!! SO like whom is your carrier? You have a company thats been around since 1866 or do you have one of these Progresive types? Let YOUR carrier HELP you and or do this work for yazzzz...

QUIT ALLOWING them to get under your skin... You will LOSE if you do!!

Some good advice...I have let them get to me already. I've got an insurance company that's been around for years and have no problems with them at all. I'll probably start to get them involved to make sure the other person's insurance company (Progressive) doesn't take advantage of me. This stuff is a mess.

You need to let your insurance company run with this. Some lady backed into my truck. My insurance company handled everything, including a rental etc..etc....

[virgin-burner 1]

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Just another reason you should support american companies! keep that european trash in europe !!

as long as you keep your shit to yourself, we're gonna be alright.. thank you!

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
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