chunkisagoonie
VW Lifer
- Location
- Phoenix, AZ
- Car(s)
- '97 Golf Jazz
So, I was over at a Home Depot to buy wood screws. I left the store and started driving out of the parking lot towards Taco Bell (I was starving). All of a sudden, I hear a loud "THUNK". An older dude (mid 60s) backed straight into my ONE AND A HALF MONTH OLD GTI with his '06 Nissan Titan. And of course the typical "My gosh, I didn't see you!" Typical truck people, I swear...
As you can see in the pictures, the rear passenger side quarter panel is totally f**ked and the damage spread to part of the passenger door and also to the inner edge of the rear bumper. The guy was very apologetic and initially tried phoning the police but of course they can do nothing with private property collisions that don't have injuries involved. He then phoned his insurance company (Allstate) to file a claim and essentially admitted fault for the accident. They talked to me briefly to get my information and told me that one of their claim adjusters would contact me in the next two days. So, okay...fine. I got his insurance and license information and a contact phone number. Judging by his confusion of my actions, it became very apparent to that this guy probably hasn't filed an insurance claim in like 20 years.
I was close to my dealership and the car was still somewhat drivable, so I took it in for a recommendation on a good body shop. I called Roadside Assistance and after about an hour and a half, they towed my car to the recommended body shop. While I was waiting for this to happen, I phoned Allstate to inquire about getting into a rental because I was 20 miles away from home with no car to drive. I got the typical "sorry sir, we can't authorize payment for a rental until our adjuster looks at the damage." And then my insurance company tells me that getting a rental covered under my own policy would require similar action. It's funny how things change, because the last time I filed an insurance claim (at least 5 years ago), I got into a rental, fully paid for within TWO HOURS.
Luckily, I still have my old Golf to hold me over because God only knows how long this thing will be in the body shop. Insurance companies only cover so many rental days....
So, here's my dilemma:
I worked my ass off for this car. I seriously want to cry.
As you can see in the pictures, the rear passenger side quarter panel is totally f**ked and the damage spread to part of the passenger door and also to the inner edge of the rear bumper. The guy was very apologetic and initially tried phoning the police but of course they can do nothing with private property collisions that don't have injuries involved. He then phoned his insurance company (Allstate) to file a claim and essentially admitted fault for the accident. They talked to me briefly to get my information and told me that one of their claim adjusters would contact me in the next two days. So, okay...fine. I got his insurance and license information and a contact phone number. Judging by his confusion of my actions, it became very apparent to that this guy probably hasn't filed an insurance claim in like 20 years.
I was close to my dealership and the car was still somewhat drivable, so I took it in for a recommendation on a good body shop. I called Roadside Assistance and after about an hour and a half, they towed my car to the recommended body shop. While I was waiting for this to happen, I phoned Allstate to inquire about getting into a rental because I was 20 miles away from home with no car to drive. I got the typical "sorry sir, we can't authorize payment for a rental until our adjuster looks at the damage." And then my insurance company tells me that getting a rental covered under my own policy would require similar action. It's funny how things change, because the last time I filed an insurance claim (at least 5 years ago), I got into a rental, fully paid for within TWO HOURS.
Luckily, I still have my old Golf to hold me over because God only knows how long this thing will be in the body shop. Insurance companies only cover so many rental days....
So, here's my dilemma:
- I have to call/visit the body shop tomorrow first thing and make good and sure that they intend on repairing the damage properly, as if it were a brand new vehicle (which it is). To me, this doesn't look like something that you can just pull dents out of and do a cheap Bondo job to. Factory paint would be a must because I'll be damned if the paint doesn't match the rest of the car.
- Since this accident happened on private property with no witnesses to speak of, it's hard to say whether Allstate will try to screw with me or not. While this guy did openly admit fault over the phone, it's not to say that things can't all of a sudden change (I've seen it happen before to a lot of people). My best friend thinks I should call my attorney ASAP just to keep Allstate in check. But this has always been a moral dilemma for me - I'm not the type of guy that likes to sue people just because. I guess I'll just have to see how things play out.
I worked my ass off for this car. I seriously want to cry.
