I got in an accident. Coming around a loop exit onto a road, I hit a patch of that melted/refrozen snow/ice shit that was left from the pisspoor excuse for plowing around here that was dusted with new snow & I smunched into a guardrail.
I'm OK...but Sheyja's hurt. The rundown: --Shattered front driver's side quarterpanel (I found only a small portion of it) --Cracked aft driver's side quarterpanel --Slightly bent hood --Bumper in need of a repaint --The blinker won't turn off when you turn right --Out of whack alignment --Forward passenger side wheel canted inward about 1 degree
I have to call my insurance tonight & play the hypothetical game. Then tomorrow, I wake up at 0500, shower, take the bus to work where I left my car, and then show up at Saturn when service opens at 0700, drag someone out, & say, "She's hurt. You're her doctor. Heal her. NOW."
Without the car...no work. Or not MUCH work. Tonight, I used the Lumina. Ugly annoying car made for tall people. I was higher off the road, but lower in the car...had to scrooch up to get to anything...kept hitting my body on various parts... annoying.
So. Yes.
Posted by LOA (Member # 49) on :
Okay... 1st off... you're fine? For sure? If you hurt at ALL, you're best off being checked. I thought I was fine after my accident, too... didn't even go to the dr. until 3 days later.... It was over six months before I could normally after that.
second, are you sure your insurance will cover it? Some companies get a little flaky on people in accidents that don't involve other drivers... be sure you're covered before you sign up for repairs, or you could be looking at a HUGE bill that could be made much smaller if coming out of pocket.....
Third, and just to warn you, make sureto come up with a "plan b" in case your car take a few weeks to be fixed... it IS the busy season for bodyshops right now, you know.... check on car rental insurance, if your company is being cool.... they may be willing to cover you for a few days, depending on the coverage you have.....
Let me know if I can help you with anything.... I know a fair amount about car accidents, insurance companies, and body work at this point in my life
I'm hoping for the best!!!!
~LOA
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
I am fine. Diagnostics all check out.
My company is not cool enough to pay jack SHIT.
I called the insurance company. they said 2-3 business days for an adjuster to do an inspection. That's 2-3 days too fucking long. My insurance looks to have a $500 deductible. I don't HAVE $500.But we'll see what the mechanicals are, if my Saturn plan covers it, & what that's about. Maybe I can get them to bill me...? I can pay it..just not all right now.
The bodywork's going to be like $2000, though. Probably. Ai ao...
Posted by The Mighty Monkey of Mim (Member # 646) on :
Damn, Shik! You just don't seem to be a very lucky fellow, do you...
I hope things get sorted out all right.
-MMoM Posted by Tahna Los (Member # 33) on :
Hell gets crapped on you all at once, huh?
Did you see a fortune teller or a Tarot card reader or something?
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
I assume Sheyja is the name of your car, right? Because you had me worried that it was something important, like say a girlfriend or something...
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
Yes, the car, & yes, the most important woman still in my life. She USED to be the #2 spot.
Posted by LOA (Member # 49) on :
$2000? Probably not the best news in the world, but it could be MUCH worse.....
Thoughts for getting it done cheaper:
Get estimates - LOTS of them. Big body shops, little body shops, Saturn dealership - all of them. If worst comes to worst, at least then you know you'll be getting the best possible price.
(What kind of car is it, anyway? S-series, or L-series? Year??) Do you know any mechanics? Or even people that are married to mechanics? If oyu do, see what they can tell you... then may just be able to hook ya up with a deal of some sort.
Better yet: Do you trust yourself with a screwdriver? If you're not going to go through insurance, call the local wrecking yards to see if you can get any of the body parts you need off of other wrecked cars. YOu may even get lucky enough to get the right color, and then it's a LOT cheaper to just have things mounted than it is to have the body shop find new ones, paint them, and do all their things.
Above all, just stay calm - hardest thing you'll ever have to do, but the last thing you need is an ulcer on top of everything else *hugs* Wish I was there - I'd fix the car for ya
~LOA
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
You think your car's female, and have a name for it. You trying to cop an insanity plea?
Posted by Tora Ziyal (Member # 53) on :
My former roommate's boyfriend and his buddies think computers are female and give them girl names. Makes sense, actually, if you think about how many guys are into them (no pun intended). But this is really not that uncommon if you look at all those European languages with gendered nouns.
Posted by E. Cartman (Member # 256) on :
Filed the claim & just got the body shop estimate back--$3682. That includes mechanicals & cosmetics, about 30/70.
Good News --The insurance company seems to be accepting the claim. --If I give them all the money I have right now plus my paycheck, the deductible is paid. --The "big boss" offered me an advance on money to be paid back over a few checks. --The body shop is willing to work with me on the availability of the vehicle; that is to say, do the bent tie rod & alignment first to get her back in commission, then handle the cosmetics when all the pieces come in.
Bad News --I have to wait for the adjuster to show up within the next 24 to 48 hours. --I won't have a car before the end of the week. --When they DO do the cosmetics, it'll be 4 days out of commission until it's done.
[ January 06, 2003, 09:04: Message edited by: Shik ]
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
quote:Originally posted by Tora Ziyal: My former roommate's boyfriend and his buddies think computers are female and give them girl names. Makes sense, actually, if you think about how many guys are into them (no pun intended). But this is really not that uncommon if you look at all those European languages with gendered nouns.
Yes. Except that, well, computers aren't female. They are computers. And your former roomates boyfriend and his mates spent far too much time having Quake III sessions when they should have been down the coffee shop going "wahay!". Or something.
Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
...and there is the basic substance of my arguement against having to do French. It is NOT female it is a TABLE!!!
Sorry. I don't have to do French anymore though. (...and there was much rejoicing... )
Hope it all works out OK Shik.
Posted by akb1979 (Member # 557) on :
quote:Originally posted by Shik: Filed the claim & just got the body shop estimate back--$3682. That includes mechanicals & cosmetics, about 30/70.
JESUS CHRIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
$3,682?!?!?!
Bugger that for a laugh. I'd put that kind of money towards a new car.
$3,682?!?!?! Posted by Fleet-Admiral Michael T. Colorge (Member # 144) on :
At least everyone is okay physically Shik. I just saw in the news earlier there was a Metrolink derailment when a passenger train hit a car in Burbank, causing the train to derail and having people crushed and all. At least you can talk about it.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
There's no "everyone." Just me. But...yeah.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
quote:Originally posted by Fleet-Admiral Michael T. Colorge: I just saw in the news earlier there was a Metrolink derailment when a passenger train hit a car in Burbank, causing the train to derail and having people crushed and all. At least you can talk about it.
Remind me not to book you if I have a family member in need of cheering up.
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
$3682 US is about $5743.92 CDN... There was less damage than that on our Taurus when I put it in a ditch and the insurance company wrote it off...
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
It's primarily labor costs. To get the car driveable again only requires the realignment & the new tie rod. However, as the body shop guy told me, "The only panels we won't be touching are the right front fender, front passenger door & the roof." Everything else needs a replacement; some of it has been waiting for 15 months. It'll take 4 days to repaint the car.
Interestingly enough, Rick Bressler from Satrun told me when he called with the initial diagnosis that "it was an act of god that that wheel didn't fall off." THAT, ladies & gentlemen, is why I drive a Saturn.
Posted by Snay (Member # 411) on :
The Saturn: God's Choice of Automobile Conveyence!
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
God sucks are choosing automobiles then.
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
I drive a Saturn. It's by the grace of God and super-extra-strength masking tape that the muffler is still attached to the car.
Glad to hear you're okay, Shik, but that's a bum deal on the car.
Posted by LOA (Member # 49) on :
Shiky, that's GREAT news, but what about car rental insurance? Did you check int othat at all?
And $3500, give or take, isn't that bad at all.... granted, it's a fairly large sum of money, but as Shik said, it's mostly the labor costs. Plus, when accidents go through insurance clains, they always cost more because the body shop is held to different standards (no used parts there, ladies and gentlemen!)...
I'm just glad it's all quasi-working out....
~LOA
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
If one is going to have to spend all of one's money to fix one's car, and 70% of those repairs are cosmetic, and most of that money is labor costs, one would really be better off doing the cosmetic repairs oneself, or skipping them entirely.
Posted by Snay (Member # 411) on :
Because we all know that cosmetic repairs to a vehicle are child's play.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Two words: Blues Mobile.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"Because we all know that cosmetic repairs to a vehicle are child's play."
If a person is really so concerned about the outward appearance of their car that they would spend themselves into debt to avoid having the car look damaged, that person should immediately seek professional psychological help.
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
Cosmetic repairs to a vehicle are child's play... It's just time consuming.
Posted by LOA (Member # 49) on :
Tim, need I remind you how much money was put into repairing the Civic during her time with me? Over $10K.... of course, very little of that came out of pocket because my ins co covered it all, but still...
While cosmetic rapairs aren't the most important of all repairs, they do serve a purpose... not only in looks, but also in that if a cosmetic problem is left alone long enough, it could BECOME a mechanical issue. Rust isn't a Good Thing for a car, and most body pieces serve the purpose of protection - both to the cars occupants, and to the mechanical gadgetry that makes that car go "vroom, vroom"
As for people doing their own body work, it's a very solid point that you have there - body work may not be childs play, but a LOT of it is easier than one would think. all ya really need is a screwdriver and a little bit of confidence and a lot of replacement body pieces can be mounted by oneself. Furthermore, if a person can get lucky enough to find replacement pieces off of an identical totalled car at their local wrecking yard, no painting is required, and the entire thing looks good as new again
If I was to hurt my car though, you'd better believe that I'd fix it 100%.... she's my baby! I have a paint chip in the front bumper that'd driving me crazy enough - dents, dings, and crumples are WAY more than I could handle....
~LOA
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
Not when said person has no experience, time, or money to do it themselves, Se�or Neeks, & the cosmetic repairs consist of:
--full replacement of front & rear driver's side quarterpanels --filling & sanding passenger side rear quarterpanel & door, trunk deck, driver's side mirror, & front bumper --repainting of entire vehicle
It's going to cost ME $500. Plus however much my rates explode to. If I could sue the town, I would, because it IS their fault--you fucking plow the road right the first time, assholes.
Liz: my policy doesn't have a rental clause in it currently. I might add it on later, but right now, it's not a problem. I can take the bus into work & then drive Anton there. I HATE Anton. Luminas SUCK. The only thing they're good for is snow stability, & Anton is the worst of the lot. A big, lumbering, brutish Germanic BITCH, he is.
Posted by Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
So, Anton is your name for the Lumina?
Posted by LOA (Member # 49) on :
luminas aren't realy THAT big....
Posted by Snay (Member # 411) on :
Shik,
No matter how well plowed or salted the roads are, in a snow storm, they're going to be shitty. Drive slow, drive carefully, and if you don't have to, don't drive!
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
If it were up to me, the store would close in heavy snow. But hey, that's logic, & I'm the only one who understands, knows, & respects snow & ice. If my math skills were the suck, I'd be studying glacial morphology & all that shit.
And yes, Anton is the Lumina. Today I drove the Avalon, which I named Watanabe Hiro because it has the attitudes & actions of a middle-level Japanese businessman. Try & figure that one out as you will.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
I reiterate: "professional psychological help".
Posted by Peregrinus (Member # 504) on :
Hey, Shik... You ever do past-life regression? You seem to be paying off karma at a vastly accelerated rate.
--Jonah
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
Do not belittle my inherent beliefs in the fundamental sentient nature of things, Man Whose Name Is A Lice Remover.
And Jonah? This may be payment for something I'm GOING to do. Remember, effect does not always come after cause.
And I just got a call from GEICO. Bad news: the insurance adjuster for the area is off for a couple of WEEKS. Good news: because of that, they're taking the estimate as is & paying them off! Woohoo!
Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
quote:Originally posted by Shik: And yes, Anton is the Lumina. Today I drove the Avalon, which I named Watanabe Hiro because it has the attitudes & actions of a middle-level Japanese businessman. Try & figure that one out as you will.
I will now raise my right eyebrow in an enigmatic manner.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"...Man Whose Name Is A Lice Remover."
Hey, now, my ancestors had that name long before any damned shampoo company...
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Were they sex monkey gods too?
Posted by E. Cartman (Member # 256) on :
Tim is far too strapping a paragon of masculinity for his traits to have been passed down by mere mortals.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
If only there was a way to crossbreed Simon & Tim's DNA...
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
We need the Impregnator!
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
That sounds like an uncomfortable way to spend the weekend. And if you crossed myself with Tim, all you would get would be someone who was way into proper grammer and self-loathing.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"Grammar".
Wait, did I just help mock myself?
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
With flying colors, sir.
Posted by Grokca (Member # 722) on :
quote:"Grammar".
Wait, did I just help mock myself?
Too hard to resist even when it's about you, sign of a true obsession.
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
Well, if the hybrid - TSolN? - loathed itself for it's obsessiveness about grammar as the rest of us loathe Tim for his, then everyone would live in harmony. And bad grammar. 8)
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