F 150 pulled out in front of the wife

id be going to that cop with the adjustment in hand, telling him next time he wants to give expert advise, he should stick to the law he is there to serve and protect...not try and be a body man too.
Im not usually an arse to officers, either.

that kid was probably scared to death...thinking to himself "if someones crazy enough to mod a II, hes definately able to kill a guy!" (no offence intended, im in the market for a II coupe)

good to hear everyones a-ok..and the car is getting fixed.

You have to understand that in many jurisdictions, officers at the scene are required to include an estimate of the damage in their report. This is sometimes used by the district attorney to decide, in part, what charges, if any, are to be filed.

They generally are very conservetive in their estimation of damages, as overstating the damage can open a real can of worms from a litigation standpoint.

Nobody expects them to be experts, and most officers that I've discussed this matter with would be overjoyed to see that requirement go away. I'm sure the assessment was based on a very cursory look at the car, as most traffic officers have neither the time nor the inclination to examine a damaged car in any detail. Nor should they, as that's what the entire loss claims process is for.


This is based, again, on my discussion with several different officers from several different departments, and is not to be construed as being the status quo in all locales.

From a repairer's standpoint, everybody expects that the damage will be more than the estimate, but vehicle owners become very suspicious when the repair is less than the estimate. You'll either be accused of not repairing correctly, or trying to gouge.

Add to this, that many NOS parts were documented to have been installed, and if they were sourced from the vendor I would suspect, were priced considerably over what a good used piece would be. This will drive up the cost considerably (rightfully so).

The general public has no idea what it costs to repair a car, let alone a specialty or collectible car. Had a guy this week that thought getting his 2003 Altima painted complete at Maaco for $750 was a bit high. REALLY didn't like our estimate.

Yeah, they're bad apples in every job, I guess. Not doing much for police image in that locale, I'd say.Sux that some always seem to have a bug up their posterior. Guess that writing accident reports wasn't in his dream of being a cop.

Unfortunately, the prevailing attitude is that their obligation is to the public at large, and that they are not responsible to any individual party. Even though it's only property damage, one would hope for a little more concern.

Amazing how many people "used to be a bodyman". Get that all the time. Always wonder why they don't fix 'em themselves...

Like was said, the important thing is that it's getting fixed!

Let me translate what the cop said to you.

"I used to try to repair rust and dents on cars in my backyard with duct tape and spray cans."

I think that police view this type of an accident as a nuisance and do not like to be bothered completing the extra paperwork that is required in an accident over the limit in their respective jurisdiction. They look at it as an insurance issue, which unfortunately it is. I have been an insurance adjuster for 27 years now and find that the attitude is changing with police and they do not even want to get involved in break, enter & theft investigations any more as they feel if you got insurance, it is a victimless crime. My son is a police officer and I found it very interesting to get his perspective on these types of scenarios. My advice is to do your own investigation at the accident scene and attempt to get all of the information possible before you leave. Many police departments, especially in Canada, are getting tight with the info they collect due to recent privacy legislation.

And locally ...

There was a city/town that wanted to start charging for police services. They had a fee schedual drawn up that included writing police reports.

That opened the issue of private police forces and having to pay for justice, and how would us DIY types handle it when we need a cop?

And the question was raised: If we are paying law enforcement when they provide a service, why are we paying them when they aren't actively providing service?

No more discussion on charging for writing accident reports or fees for services.

glad to see no one was hurt but MAN! that really sucks. hope you get her fixed up well and soon

I know what you mean about cops and not writing a report. My wife got rearended in her Grand Am and the cop said it would be less that $600 worth of damage. $3000 later we got the car back. What the cops DONT see is the "not so obvious" damage. In my wifes case, it was the damage underneath!

76_Cobra_II said:

I know what you mean about cops and not writing a report. My wife got rearended in her Grand Am and the cop said it would be less that $600 worth of damage. $3000 later we got the car back. What the cops DONT see is the "not so obvious" damage. In my wifes case, it was the damage underneath!

Click to expand...

I've picked up slightly more than 6000 totalled wrecks in the last 3 years, so I'm getting pretty good at guesstimating a total loss when I see one. I see a lot of cars with less visible damage than the one in that pic, that were totalled. Judging by the damage on that Grand Am, it looks like it's one of those cars that could have turned out to be a total.

Even the body shops often make mistakes with damage estimates, and in these cases I pick up the car in pieces, due to the body shop beginning to do repair work on what they thought was a fixable vehicle. Then they run into some hidden damage and after the insurance guy comes back and checks it out, the car becomes a total loss.

OUCH!!!! I'm sorry man

*double post*

OUCH that hurts man. Thats BS the cop argued... he needs to shut up and do his job and that is to WRITE REPORTS.

Just got to page 2... when I saw the second cobra... you've got to be kidding me! You better stay indoors for awhile man.

Damn. Yes, I'd say the green car is definitely totalled. That sucks, dude.