Got backended by an Audi.

[zoiks]

Update Friday June 14th. Written off as totaled by Insurance company!

I was driving up on Central Expressway in Mountain View CA and had just stopped (in stop/go traffic during rush hour) when this lady drove her S4 right in the back of my car causing my car to plow into the truck ahead. This really sucks since I liked my G37.
The S4 and the Tacoma in front went relatively unscathed.




Update: Got hit again in the back in my new 2013 G37. On the same road. At a stop light. By yet another Audi.

I think I'd better stop going on that road or stop driving Infiniti vehicles.
This was a brand new 2013 G37 coupe that I was driving. Got hit when I was at a stop light at Alma and Meadow in Palo Alto (for those of you who know the area). I was at the light and was waiting for it to turn to green when this guy behind me mistakenly thought it was time to go and rammed behind my car. Not as severe as the first incident that I had but it felt pretty hard. The bumper is bent in some places and the license plate lights are broken.

The guy has the same insurance company as the driver who hit me in the first incident (Geico). Sucks.

 

[Kaido]

Ah man, that stinks Get an estimate on it yet?

 

[Insomniator]

Her license should be suspended for 6 months. I can't take it anymore, I see 2-3 accidents a DAY on my way to work. People are ****ing stupid.

Sorry about the car...

 

[JTsyo]

Well at least the car didn't lose it's sense of humor. It's still smiling.

 

[herm0016]

Well at least the car didn't lose it's sense of humor. It's still smiling.

more of a smirk really.


sucks for the car man.

 

[zoiks]

Ah man, that stinks Get an estimate on it yet?

Not yet. I called my insurance who arranged for it to be towed to a body shop. I'll call them today to see about the damages. The car was undrivable and was making all sorts of noises at idle; you could see that the radiator was pushed back in.
Anyway, the insurance adjuster will come down either today or tomorrow so we'll see how it goes.

 

[zoiks]

Her license should be suspended for 6 months. I can't take it anymore, I see 2-3 accidents a DAY on my way to work. People are ****ing stupid.

Sorry about the car...

Thanks. Yeah, that woman wasn't even sorry about it. She just shrugged about it.
The car has substantial damage on the back too where she rammed in.

 

[vshah]

did you get a police report?

 

[z1ggy]

Have her phone records checked if you think she was texting or on the phone, too. That's some BS..If somebody is messing around so much that they crash into the back of your car, they should have to pay your deductable, too.

 

[zoiks]

did you get a police report?

No. A police car did stop by but he said that he's only there to make sure that no one was injured or required assistance.

 

[Topweasel]

Don't know about the state laws or how insurance works in CA, but I would keep in mind, that you could be considered at cause for the front end damage. Don't know if its even a worry if the Police didn't make a report, which again I don't understand. They want a report for every transgression here and certainly if they saw it and saw that it was a three car incident.

 

[Kaido]

Not yet. I called my insurance who arranged for it to be towed to a body shop. I'll call them today to see about the damages. The car was undrivable and was making all sorts of noises at idle; you could see that the radiator was pushed back in.
Anyway, the insurance adjuster will come down either today or tomorrow so we'll see how it goes.

This is why I want to get a 4-channel Car DVR, so you get a 360-degree view of what happens and can prove your side of the story. A friend got cut off by a guy a few months ago - my buddy was in the left lane and the other guy was in the right lane, and the guy decided he wanted to make a left turn, so he cut my buddy off and then slammed on his brakes. Totaled my buddy's car and my buddy was at fault because of Connecticut's rear-end laws, even though he wasn't following the guy closely or anything - the other guy just changed lanes and braked in a split second. So having some sort of video proof would have been awesome in that case. Seems like overkill to have one, but it's like insurance - when you need it you need it.

Was she insured? Hope she was...I hear stories like every month now about people getting hit by uninsured drivers.

 

[fstime]

Jesus Christ dude, not to be blunt but are you crazy?

How can you not get a police report in an accident like this which isn't cut and dry.

I'm sure the truck driver will back your story but still, you never know when it comes to one persons word against another and people try to flip the script since no third party documented the incident.

 

[thegimp03]

That looks like the cutoff from Central onto 85N.

 

[GoodRevrnd]

I thought the po are supposed to file a report if it's over $500 in damages. Sounds like he was being lazy.

 

[zoiks]

Jesus Christ dude, not to be blunt but are you crazy?

How can you not get a police report in an accident like this which isn't cut and dry.

I'm sure the truck driver will back your story but still, you never know when it comes to one persons word against another and people try to flip the script since no third party documented the incident.

My insurance company took all the info when I was there with the other parties. They did not leave until I was done with my insurance company (about 30 min or so). Plus the guy whom I ended up hitting in front should relay his story as well which should be the same as mine. He talked to the lady who hit me, took pics and my information. I took pics of the front of her car where it hit mine (shows my car in the pic as well). I should be covered there.

 

[zoiks]

Don't know about the state laws or how insurance works in CA, but I would keep in mind, that you could be considered at cause for the front end damage. Don't know if its even a worry if the Police didn't make a report, which again I don't understand. They want a report for every transgression here and certainly if they saw it and saw that it was a three car incident.

The police guy said that it was the city's policy to not have them write accidental reports unless there was an injury involved. I thought that was odd as well but I guess I should have been a bit more insistent there to have him write it up. I was a bit distraught so I wasn't thinking straight at that time.

 

[Dirigible]

Jesus Christ dude, not to be blunt but are you crazy?

How can you not get a police report in an accident like this which isn't cut and dry.

I'm sure the truck driver will back your story but still, you never know when it comes to one persons word against another and people try to flip the script since no third party documented the incident.

What do you do when you say you want a police report and the police say no?

 

[sgrinavi]

Jesus Christ dude, not to be blunt but are you crazy?

How can you not get a police report in an accident like this which isn't cut and dry....

Police don't do accident reports on minor fender benders where I live either.

 

[Kelvrick]

What do you do when you say you want a police report and the police say no?

Thats why you clutch at your back/neck and go off in an ambulance. Report will be issued.

 

[JackBurton]

Thanks. Yeah, that woman wasn't even sorry about it. She just shrugged about it.
The car has substantial damage on the back too where she rammed in.

I'd be livid if this happen to me. Why? Because I have no patience for stupidity. If you can't be bothered to pay attention while you're driving, you don't need to be on the road.

 

[zoiks]

Okay here's an update. The estimate came out to be 10,500. The adjuster sent the estimate report to me today and once I looked at it, I found that they had added many parts as 're-conditioned' and 'Like original'. So, not willing to compromise for non-oem parts, I called the body shop first and told them that I needed my car to be fixed with the same parts as it had before the accident. The guy in charge of my car at the body shop then said that he'd need to ask his manager which immediately struck me as odd as why the fuck would he care. His manager called me and tried to talk me out of getting the oem parts saying the re-conditioned stuff is just as good. I told him that I wouldn't settle for anything else other than oem. He then asked me that this would be better relayed to the insurance by me and not them (which I thought was odd as well).

So I called the adjuster next and spoke with him. He also tried talking me out of the re-conditioned parts. I told him no. I wanted original or oem. He finally gave up and then started indicating that they may need to tear down the front and back to see if there's more damage inside the car that's non-visible and that the car could still be totaled. I agreed to that since I don't want a car that's damaged inside or underneath. One thing the adjuster said that he'll let the claim owner at Liberty Mutual and the body shop owner know what I want so everyone is on the same page.

After I hung up with him, I realized that the adjuster was likely trying to avoid to tack on more expense on the repair since that would likely cause them to 'total' it off. The body shop also was trying for me to not use oem parts since that would drive the price of the repair up and if the car ended up being costly and hence 'totaled', then they wouldn't get the business.

I hate dealing with this shit.

 

[phucheneh]

That still seems like a crazy-high estimate for that damage. My first thought upon seeing the pictures was 'it will live.' Looks like it needs at least one fender, bumper cover, bumper foam, bumper rebar, headlights, possibly a radiator support, hood...it seems like a lot, but the important part is that it all looks aesthetic and non-structural aside from the steel part of the bumper (rebar/support), which is obviously meant to be pretty sacrificial.

What kind of lights do you have? If they're HID's with motors (at least up and down, maybe the side-to-side ones, at well), they're likely a solid thousand bucks a piece.

Ooohhh...probably took out the laser module for your adaptive cruise, too, didn't it? There's another grand.

I can't believe you didn't get a police report. :/ It might not matter...sometimes they're so shitty (inaccurate) that it hurts more than helps. But I've never heard of not getting one unless the damage is very minor or you're the only car involved (and you didn't run into someone's house or otherwise cause mass property damage).

 

[Midwayman]

After that experience I'd probably be shopping around for my own body shop. Their behavior doesn't give me great confidence they'd do the repair the right way. IE they'll cover up damage and leave it unrepaired if they think it'll cost them the job.

 

[MrWizzard]

What do you do when you say you want a police report and the police say no?

Police used to take reports for all accidents. But due to cut back and the high number of accidents in CA where I live they usually only will do it if there is blood or REAL injury. OP could asked as much as he wanted for a police report but the police do not have to do it unless there is a problem or blood. This is FOR CA though.

I think OP handled it the best he could. Now if he has the right insurance and a good company that is a different story.

OP you probably do not have the "RIGHT" to get OEM parts all companies have the right to use used or 3rd party parts in repairs. There are higher quality companies out there that will MAKE SURE you get only OEM parts but they come at a cost. People these days get a KIA type insurance policy and want BMW type experience. There are difference quality insurance companies out there. Unfortunately most people are not educated about insurance and when people do not know the difference they buy the cheapest thing. Usually the 3rd party or used parts are required to meet or exceed the OEM parts. Also body shops, good ones at least, have a lifetime guarantee that their work will hold up.

You may be able to get OEM parts if you wine enough.. The company does not have to give them to you though. Unless you have a special endorsement that adds that but based on what I am hearing your company would not be the one who would even offer that.

That estimate does not seem high, people don't realize how many things and safety features that cars are required to put in. Add labor which is where a lot of the cost is and it gets expensivene fast. If a cars repair is 3/4 to the ACV of the car a company will start to think about totaling it.

OP if you really want OEM parts pay the difference. Like I said unless you have a higher end company and you paid for the endorsement there is no "I HAVE THE RIGHT" to get OEM parts. All budget companies are this way. Budget = AAA, State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, Geico, Progressive, Mercury, etc.