MdFormula350

iTrader: (4)

straight shot into middle of the bumper maybe about 20 to 30 mph I was mostly stopped saw him coming let off the brakes when I got hit, then hit the brakes to prevent hitting the person in front of me.

the trunk opens up fine, the bumper isnt really cracked, just has impact marks, my exhaust tip on the left side is slightly bent. no cracked tailights which is good.

nothing looks really out of place other then the bumper looks to be pushed down away from the tail lights alittle bit.

I dont have pics yet but will soon, going to get some estimates and getting the frame checked out is my top concern. tomorrow going to pull all panels from the trunk to look for any damages, if I have frame damage I am going to be pissed, I cant keep nothing nice anymore

it figures I try to get to work early, didnt feel like taking my older firebird and sure enough the first accident in about 5 years.

the 2007 nissan versa that hit me was drivable but pretty screwed up so hopefully it took most of the hit, his airbag didnt deloy but he had front bumper hanging off almost and cracked headlight.

from my guess I need a brand new bumper thats most likely 700 bucks painted. impact things behind the bumper not sure on cost. new catback 360 bucks.
Labor I am sure is going to be some money, however, I am going to do the work myself other than frame checking / fixing. I dont think any parts of the quarter panels have any damage but I will get that checked out as well.

if theres no other damage other than bumper and bumper supports I will be very happy since I can get an estimate and do the work myself and pocket some of the money since I deserve that for pain and suffering.

what others points/areas on the car should i look at?

thanks.

SparkyJJO

iTrader: (11)

Once you get the rear bumper cover taken off you'll be able to tell any damage behind it.

If all the visible metal is fine, the hatch lines up, and nothing underneath the car is out of place (besides the exhaust tip, which really all you may need to replace is the end of your tailpipe) then odds are it isn't too major. The quarter panels are the more major "frame" pieces of these cars IIRC. Get a couple estimates, then once you get the money for the repairs do it yourself. Get a new bumper cover, get it painted, mount it yourself and do the work on the exhaust yourself then pocket the extra.

MdFormula350

iTrader: (4)

well i know there will be damage behind the bumper cover, but that stuff is suppose to take the hit so in theory unless where it mounts to the frame is bent I should be fine.

thanks for the reply.

yeah other than having the frame checked out which I will make sure happens before I get an estimate then I will say this is the price I want and cut me check and end of story.

MdFormula350

iTrader: (4)

I guess I answered my own question.

pics basically sum it up.








I am not a happy camper.

Whistler

iTrader: (46)

The frame rails are kinked a little, they'll pull back no problem. That's a pretty easy fix.

Tainted

iTrader: (9)

very simple fix

andrew69_04

iTrader: (148)

ya thats nothing. simple fix

SparkyJJO

iTrader: (11)

definitely minor. Won't take much to straighten that little bit out. You did the right thing to not brake until after impact, definitely lessened the damage.

MdFormula350

iTrader: (4)

ok here are the 3 estimates I got.

830 (nothing new at all and also didnt believe the frame was messed up from this accident, I said well u should look at the other car, put down 2 hour frame pull.)

1130 (new bumper, but did say they would check everything behind it if I got it fixed there, so it would go up in price maybe but I wouldnt be able to see that money since they would be fixing it, frame pull.)

1490 (new bumper and reinforcement, frame pull.)

the third quote stated that is mostly all I would need but in order to get %100 estimate the bumper would need to come off and most likely once they touch it they would have to fix it as well. he most likely once frame goes back the rest of trunk would slightly move back.

so i think i am going to fax the last quote, also ask for money for a rental and call it a day. I want the money for a rental but not going to take one however that will cover my cell phone bill I have racked up and unneeded gas and stress. so I am going to ask for a total of 1800 bucks and if they give me **** I will look at different options.

does that sound fair?

I am going to use my friend to pull the frame back for a few bucks, then I am going to find a used pewter t/a bumper and a used bumper support if I do need it. I dont want to make money on this I just dont want other people with my car for untold amounts of time plus I trust myself more anyway.

I am going to pull off the taillights to make sure they look good, then I am going to pull off the bumper and rear interior to make sure everything looks fine. my exhaust was bent slightly in but none of the estimates out that in, however, I am re doing the exhaust anyway so I could care less.

I guess it could be alot worse but **** seems to rain on my sometimes.

SparkyJJO

iTrader: (11)

Yeah I'd go with that. Considering you need a frame pull (however minor it may be) and a rental for a couple days it sounds fair enough to me.

Your exhaust looks like it could be easily straightened out until you replace it later so no biggie there.

MdFormula350

iTrader: (4)

Is it worth fighting for extra money? like the depreciated value since now it has been in an accident and will effect the resale value?

I was thinking about asking for the third quote doubled so it would cover the physical damages then the damages to me affecting resale value? is that too much out of line.

if this was just a regular car i wouldnt care as much, but i spent a few months and went 2 hours to Pa to get his car and it was fairy close to mint and only had 11k miles and now has 16k.

I am not here to make a quick buck I just want to cover the damages to the car and the damages the cars resale value. I am not going to lie to someone and say its never been in an accident I will be straight forward about it but that will hurt what I could sell it for to most people. I mean the damage isnt huge but still a bent frame is a bent frame.

Fast_94_Z

iTrader: (12)

when my buddies car hit i ordered all the parts for him which saved him 30% from gm and then i did all the work for him for my own rate instead of the shops rate. then he pocketed whatever was left. just be careful doing doing that though because if the car ever goes for a reinspect there could be a problem for the shop that did it.

MdFormula350

iTrader: (4)

yeah i plan to do most of the grunt work myself and hopefully go used on most stuff.

there is nothing else behind the bumper cover other than the reinforcement and my last quote had that in there so I think 1800 to 2k would be fine to fix it. most of the work is just getting things pulled back to spec hopefully without any problems.





I think I will pull the bumper off, but I didnt really want to touch the car too much till I get my money, but just to prove there is more damage than how it looks from the exterior.

Evilways

iTrader: (1)

It's always worth fighting for the depreciated value.My 2000 TA WS6 got rearended at a dead stop from an idiot going 55mph and she didn't hit the brakes. Since I was certian the acident would show up on CARFAX at some point, I sought the DV and got a nice check,the car repairs,and when I sold it, a pretty good price when added to the DV check. Without the DV to add to the price I got, I would've been under the going price for a medium mileage,modded 2K Ram Air WS6. You have to think long term, you may not sell it now, but the value ,even if perfect,will decrease with age (until about the 30year mark) and you deserve to get the most for your ride.

MdFormula350

iTrader: (4)

so if they cut me a check for the estimate i got, that doesnt mean I am done right, I can ask for a DV check, or should I just get it all done with one check and then sign off the paperwork I am sure they will have me sign?

Yeah believe me I am not going away with just one check for the estimate, I want the money for the any money I will lose from trying to sell it the day after I fix it, even though I am not going to sell it.

kail

iTrader: (2)

i would fight for a dv check, the only time i was in an accident i was driving my old 98 z28 and i was 17, so i didnt even think of it..when i found out you could get a dv check it was a kick in the ***, i still wish i woulda got one, people pay insurance for a reason

MdFormula350

iTrader: (4)

yeah I added another page to the estimate of what I want.

I added roughly half the estimate to the total, cell phone bill, and rental car money even though I dont need one. so basically its near 2300 bucks for what I want and wont take less. I faxed them personally at the local agent for this company and waiting to hear back or see the check, I havent heard back yet.

so I am waiting for this one check with the total I gave them in the mail, if not I will seek help.

I will not stand and let them low ball me since I didnt ask for this at all, I am curious to see if they try and low ball me if not I will be surprised if they say my total I want is on par for what it should be.

BOTTLEDZ28

iTrader: (1)

If I where you, I would take the bumper off yourself and then remove the plastic panel behind it and maybe the impact bar. Then take it back to a shop and get an estimate to fix it correctly. Tell the shop to add in for GM parts only. if the estimate shows a new bumper cover going on then it must be painted and that means blending the paint into both sides of the quarter panels. That means more money. Then show them the frame and add in for that along with anything else that may be bent or cracked. Take the estimate and submit it to your insuance company and ask for them to cut you a check and you will have it fixed at a shop of your choice. it is your decision on where you get the car fixed. Once the check arrives, fix what you want. From the looks of it, I wouldnt fix anything at all. Not even the frame rails, you said the hatchs shuts just fine right? if it does then leave the car alone. Take the money and buy something for your car. if the paint is cracked or scuffed on the cover them maybe you could throw some money into having it painted but I would wait and see how bad it gets over time and then go from there.

I did the same thing with my old 97ws6ta. I fishtailed off the road and it slid down into a wet ditch. The front cover was pushed in a little and the driver side ground effect was cracked. a little water had seeped into the driver footwell too. I called my insurance company and they came and looked at it. Before they did though, I manually turned the drivers hardlamp up half way and then unplugged it, I then swapped over a curbed rashed wheel from the other side to the drivers side and then deflated my tire. I took a spray bottle and sprayed a mist of water on the rug to make it feel wet. I also popped my hood latch and "jammed" the hood there so he couldnt look into the headamp assembly. I also pulled the fuse for the windows and told him water got into the door. The adjusted wrote in for:
new 17x9 polished ws6 wheel
new tire
new bumper cover
new ground effects
new drivers headlamp and motor
new window motor assembly and a lot of hours to replace it
countless hours removing the interior to be cleaned
a few hours on the frame machine to insure it was straight
and then paint and materials and labor.

he printed me a check right there in the driveway for $4,300.

After the guy left, I filled my tire up, plugged in my fuse and motors and then pushed the cover back out. The paint on the cover was still perfect and you couldnt even tell. I ordered a new ground effect piece and had it painted off the car and picked it up from the shop and put it on myself. As for the water issue, I took the carpet out and cleaned it all up the day of the accident. The water I sprayed on the rug that day the adjuster looked at it, evaperated in a few hours. I think the ground effect cost $150 total at the time. Not that bad of a deal I must say. The only reason for doing this was because the insurance company screwed me over BIGTIME on my last car. I was the last one laughing.

MdFormula350

iTrader: (4)

Yeah trunk closes fine, tail lights line up fine with the trunk, the quarter panels have no damage that I can see on the outside all looks straight like before the accident.

Yeah the estimate I picked was:

new bumper bumper painted
new impact bar
left frame pull which includes setup up labor, pulling, measuring, etc...
it came down to about 700 in parts, and about 650 labor then tax.

I already found an impact bar and energy absorber that havent been hit before off a used car locally for 60 bucks, I am going to fix stuff from front to back.

so slight frame pull from my friend for cheap, put on the new bar and energy thing.

the company called me today but I havent called back, apparently they want me to meet their adjuster or something, which I think might be the one that cuts the check?? either way if they give me **** I will tell them to pull the bumper while I wait and to see if there is even more damage like bent metal, etc... that would add more money to labor at any shop.

small update, I am waiting for an adjuster from the company to meet with me. anyway they have to "verify" the damages then I guess cut me a check right there. I hope this will be the total I asked for, the claim guy didn't mention anything about the page I gave him he just kept on saying the adjuster verifies the damages, cuts the check, and there is no papers to sign however if the check is not what I want then I will not take it, because if I do I probably wont be able to get anther one. so if this is an adjuster he / she should be able to handle depreciated damages which I have my own research pages I will show them on the spot.

MdFormula350

iTrader: (4)

Update:

Basically the claim person had me setup up an appointment for an adjuster of the company to "verify" the damages.
However what he was really doing was making his own estimate and sending me a check weather I like it or not.

I asked him I dont have to take this once it comes it right? he said this is the money initially we can give to you off hand till the bumper comes off and I or a shop starts fixing it. His estimate was actually slightly more minus the impact bar (so it can in around 1,350 something vs. 1,490) because he said I cant right it up because I cant see it. He said once the bumper comes off document it and give us a call and we can come look at any other damages.

The thing I am not happy about was why the hell did I get estimates in the first place?

So I guess thats fair, I asked him what about the other damages I am asking for. He said all he does it property damage so I need to call the claim people for that info.

I asked about depreciated value and he said I cant get nothing for that till I sell the car? And I have to prove I cant get more than with the damages.

Apparently they only cover property damage to the car and thats it. its like here let my insured hit ur nice car, then we will jsut pay to get it fixed and be on ur way. they dont really care that it never had damage before, etc...

Well I am going to stay firm and start calling the company claim guy again. This should be fun.