Another wrecked Z!!! VDC was off...
 

... because the car was off. :rofl2: Oh, and it's my definition of wrecked, not Webster Dictionary's.

So today I was over at a friends house. It's in a neighborhood where you basically are required to park in the street, due to small driveways. A neighbor came over my friends house and rang the doorbell, and then preceded to tell him that "someone" had hit my car. Immediately I had a bit of a panicked thought that it was a hit and run, but luckily the person that did it was still there.

Fucking idiot was backing up from the driveway across the street as they were leaving their friends house and backed into my car. It was a lady with a toddler, and a f*cking Jeep Liberty.

On to the damage. Luckily it isn't too bad, and her Liberty was actually much worse off. My rear quarter panel is dented in a few spots, one big, the other two are more subtle (those I am worried about). The bumper was also scrapped badly, and it looks like the angled portion of the bumper might of been shaved/dented. Also noticed a scratch through the paint on the wheel.

Of course her insurance is covering it and also a rental. I'm also making sure they file a diminished value claim. I go in tomorrow morning to have a estimate done by a shop that the insurance company requested, but I can go to a shop of my choice to perform the work.

Any thing else I should look out for or make sure happens? I'd like to try to make sure they replace parts and not try to repair them, but I'm not sure how successful I will be with that?

Here is a pic:


I actually expected it to be way worse when I saw her monster SUV, but any damage is bad in my book. Really shitty thing is I just spent 5 hours waxing/detailing my car on Friday!

sorry to hear that. nothing that in my previous accident experience will indicate they won't try to repair it instead of to replace it, but be sure to get something in writing that they will replace it if you can, and maybe mark the current one in the inside panel or something?

Well I think the problem I'll run into in repair vs replacement is when I go to get an estimate tomorrow. If I can get them to give an estimate for replacement, I know the place I'll go to will do it, they are extremely well regarded and do fantastic work. They mostly deal with exotics.

GL with the repair!

Oh man, it hurts seeing a fellow PG Z owner in pain. The fact that the lady did not just drive off is comforting, especially seeing as how hit and runs are the norm these days.

Yikes that sucks! Good luck with the repairs and the diminished value claim.

Damage estimate was around $1500. He suggested for the little amount of damage on that panel to have it repaired instead of replaced, because that panel would need the welds removed and then rewelded, since that isn't a panel that just pops off. I thought that sounded fine, as long as the repair looks perfect, which he assured me wouldn't be a problem. They are going to repaint the entire bumper too, which is nice since I have a few nicks and scratches on it.

Now I have to see if the shop I've gone to before agrees with the estimate and work needed.

Does anyone know if it's possible to have the insurance company reimburse me for my time/gas spent driving around and dealing with this? Figured I'd ask since I wasn't at fault and I am dealing with their insurance company, not mine.

Make sure the shop is Blue ribbon certified. This means the paint and body work will be covered for life of the car.

Thanks. I don't think they were, I think it said 3 year warranty on the work.

This is the place I'll probably be taking it to, but I need to find out about the warranty:
Auto Body Exotics - Longwood, FL

They did my tail lights and blended my front bumper from a small mishap a while ago, and it came out perfectly.

damn it, someone needs to come up with a way to keep VDC on while the car is parked. :mad:

GL with the repairs! :)

Just an FYI, I had the driver side rear corner panel replaced on my 350Z a few years ago. I thought it was the better choice. But when I went to sell it or got it appraised, they dropped the value of it. They said some consider it frame damage because it isn't a part that can be easily bolted on/off. PLUS, its a dead give away when all your stickers and VIN info in the door jam is gone. This tells the buyer it's been in a accident. Luckily for me, it never showed up in the carfax, and the dealer that bought it from me never noticed it.

Good to see everything is being taken care of. i make it a habbit NEVER to park on the opposite side of the street as a driveway. even if i have to park a few doors down, i just never park opposite a driveway. my dad's car got backed into twice like that.

jeff- that's a smart move actually. i do the same as much as possible. :)

I was about to post that! Yes, never park in a spot where someone will be backing out. Happened to my Dad as well. The ID10T was flying blind and backed out of his driveway like he does every morning and that one day my Dad parked his truck, he must of not even looked in his rear view and BAM!

Yep, I learned my lesson! I don't often park in the street (totally makes me nervous), so I only have to do this at one friends house. I'm going to make sure to park that way from now on.

Where in Orlando? Small driveways and parking in the steet sounds like Avalon Park?

:tup:


i actually hate when people park behind my driveway too. it makes it really annoying to get out without hitting them hahaa, but its no excuse to HIT them.

i hate when my neighbors have company. They will park like this.


--------------------------------- / neighbors driveway \--------
| CAR | CAR | CAR | CAR |


| CAR | ____________| CAR |
----------\ driveway /----------------

It was actually in Sanford.

I didn't think it would be an issue (and wouldn't if the dumb bitch looked), because the streets in this area are extra wide due to people having to park in the streets so much.

yes, someone with at least a half a brain would at least look and say 'oh look there is a car behind me let me back out cautiously' just like how one might say 'oh hmm the kids across the street are playing outside, let me back out slowly so in case someone runs into the street i don't kill them'

same kind of unaware idiot, but thankfully no one got run over.

I get anxiety parking the car in the drive way and not in the garage. I wake up sometime and go click the lock button just to hear the beep...lol I live in a gated comm too.

Yeah, exactly. When I drive, I drive as if everyone around me is a fucking moron, and sometimes, they are. I just need to remember to apply that to people once I park my car as well.

Damage is not too bad. Definitely have it fixed rather than have them cut and weld a new panel. It will diminish the car's value more and there is always the risk that the new panel will not align properly.

Yeah, if my car wasn't parked in my garage every night, it would drive me nuts, I'd be constantly checking it, haha.

So I got off the phone with USAA and everything is taken care of except they are just waiting for the estimate to be uploaded to the server. The lady called last night, explained what happened and admitted guilt, which I'm glad for, since you never know what kind of **** someone will pull. Now they will either cut me a check or just pay that shop if I go with them. They said it would be no problem adding any supplemental payment for damages found or if another shops estimate is higher (but passes the audit), so I'll probably just take the check, and hold on to it until I decide on who I'm going with.

I'm really glad that the law allows me to have the work done at a shop of my choosing. I'm pretty sure it wasn't always like that, and was changed because of abuse by the companies involved.

Yep, that's the plan. I'm really shocked at how the damage wasn't worse than it was, considering it was a Jeep Liberty that hit me, and their bumper and back end was damaged much more than mine.

too bad it wasn't like a front bumper or rear bumper or something so you could have gotten part of a nice kit paid for by insurance.

that looks like pretty much like the damage on my car currently :p

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...cture078-1.jpg

mmmmm twins.....

http://d2eosjbgw49cu5.cloudfront.net...olsentwins.jpg

Lol its even the same color

i'd rather have the olsen twins then 2 crashed Z's :p

:icon18: Yep, I thought the same.