This only happens to me...

[joeymustang]

4 days...thats all it took for someone to hit my car...


I was in the left lane waiting for my light to make a U-turn when a woman didnt stop at the light, hit a Econoline 250 (the old ones with the metal bumper) and the van stopped right in my bumper...

It sounds worse than it is but I'm in need now of a new bumper, new grille, new left headlamp and the hood is uneven on one side...guess its time for an upgrade

 

[bigcat]

take it to a good shop, and dont let them mess it up! hold them to the highest of standards for repairs! any ideas on how you would upgrade the parts?

 

[Jenns01TA]

That blows Joey. Listen to bigcat. If you need advice on what to expect from a body shop bigcat has a good idea as he worked in the industry for years.

 

[joeymustang]

well i was thinking of buying a gt bumper cover and the grille with the fog lights...at the local ford dealership they estimated 1300 on parts...got to take the car for the electronic estimate...

 

[Jenns01TA]

Is this under an insurance claim? The estimate will be for which electronics?

There is limited visual difference in the GT and V6 front bumper. Structurally there are differences in the tabbing/mounting locations. Why not go with the V6 front bumper cover and the GT grill. After a couple minor modifications to the GT grill you can make this work. Many other members have.

For $1,300 you could get a whole lot of lovin' for that six.

And again these parts are available on the NewTakeoff.com website
http://www.newtakeoff.com/ for a fraction of the cost. (I am not touting them because they are a sponsor. I am touting them because they carry the same parts you will get from the dealership. Most likely, you would get a take off from the stealership.)

It may seem a little intimidating at first, but you can do it. Hell, if a chic can do it, I have faith that you can too. hahahha

 

[joeymustang]

yea I just hope that the insurance covers everything. The estimate over at the dealership is using a computer and it gives out the numbers, thats why I said electronics, and the 1,300 is without labor so I'm guessing a lot more.

I got a couple of friends who have taken their gt bumper cover for other types and would sell them for "cheap" (more or less the same as in the site) its just that i would like the gt bumper look and since I'm going ahead and painting the side skirt and mirrors then heck get the gt bumper and rear one, make it dual exhaust and it should look nice...right?

 

[Jenns01TA]

yea I just hope that the insurance covers everything. The estimate over at the dealership is using a computer and it gives out the numbers, thats why I said electronics, and the 1,300 is without labor so I'm guessing a lot more.

Copy that. Indeed - labor is always 2/3 more than the parts.

I got a couple of friends who have taken their gt bumper cover for other types and would sell them for "cheap" (more or less the same as in the site) its just that i would like the gt bumper look and since I'm going ahead and painting the side skirt and mirrors then heck get the gt bumper and rear one, make it dual exhaust and it should look nice...right?

Right. You have the plan well thought out. Carry on and yell if you need any additional help from us.

 

[homebrewer]

Damn, I really sorry to hear that man.... I wouldn't be surprised if a cell phone was involved....

Either way, you're not the only one. I had my old POS mazda for about 8 years without a scratch on it. I had my brand new Mustang GT for all of two months before some girl rear ended me. And to top it off, she wasn't even cute....Granted, I would have killed someone had it been only 4 days, but don't worry. Take it to a good shop, and make sure that they pay for EVERYTHING

 

[stangdude2000]

That is terrible. I am afraid something like that will happen to me soon in my new place... The driveway is somewhat blind RIGHT after an "onramp" for lack of a better word, so people constantly are trying to pull onto the road looking at oncoming traffic rather than in front of them.

Hope it all works out for ya

 

[joeymustang]

Damn, I really sorry to hear that man.... I wouldn't be surprised if a cell phone was involved....

Either way, you're not the only one. I had my old POS mazda for about 8 years without a scratch on it. I had my brand new Mustang GT for all of two months before some girl rear ended me. And to top it off, she wasn't even cute....Granted, I would have killed someone had it been only 4 days, but don't worry. Take it to a good shop, and make sure that they pay for EVERYTHING

same thing here...had my pops "old" car (98 grand prix) for about 3 years, the only accident I had in that car involved a pole and my gf hitting it accidentaly lol (she stuck the car in neutral accidentally...rolled of the the pole)...first thing i said when i got out of the car "f#!k 4 days with this car and this s#!t happens to me!!!" lol

 

[bluecar]

If there is an insurance claim involved, hopefully you'll get it fixed the way you want but I kinda doubt it. Insurance companies will have their client go to a body shop that is on their list of shops to use. Insurance companies have special arrangements with body shops and the estimate will be what it will cost to put the car back exactly the way it was before it was hit. I suspect there are pricing arrangements on original parts so aftermarket is not normally considered. Basically the insured pays the deductible and the car is fixed. The insurance company then recovers from the opposing insurance agency. (What a racket) At least, that's how it is here. If such is the case with your insurance company, you might want to find out the difference between repairing it to original and fixing the way you want and you would shell out the difference.

Otherwise, see if a cash settlement is possible or available to you.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[joeymustang]

yea that is how it is over here. The only difference (i dont know if they do this over there) is that we have a goverment issued insurance policy. It covers all cars for damage up to 3,000. So first I'm going there since im not the one responsible for the crash and I'm fully covered by this insurance (although they give whatever they want not what the estimate says). If it was my fault then I'd have to go to my private insurance and do what you said.

 

[bluecar]

Keep us posted. Of course, sorry to hear about the accident.
-kl

 

[bigcat]

If there is an insurance claim involved, hopefully you'll get it fixed the way you want but I kinda doubt it. Insurance companies will have their client go to a body shop that is on their list of shops to use. Insurance companies have special arrangements with body shops and the estimate will be what it will cost to put the car back exactly the way it was before it was hit. I suspect there are pricing arrangements on original parts so aftermarket is not normally considered. Basically the insured pays the deductible and the car is fixed. The insurance company then recovers from the opposing insurance agency. (What a racket) At least, that's how it is here. If such is the case with your insurance company, you might want to find out the difference between repairing it to original and fixing the way you want and you would shell out the difference.

Otherwise, see if a cash settlement is possible or available to you.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

i am not sure if this is just a midwest thing, but there is no law that requires you to go to their shop. you can take the car anywhere. they cannot steer you into one of their shops so it is cheaper for them. they can have their list of "members" for their direct repair program (DRP), but they can NOT say you have to go to one shop over the other. i know for a fact that nebraska and wyoming are this way, not 100% about all states. check into it.

joey, not sure where you are located, but that gov't insurance sounds good for those times when you get hit by an uninsured motorist. here you would be SOL, and have to try to get the money by suing the uninsured.

look for a shop that specializes in high end cars, like lexus, mercedes, BMW, jaguar, or even more exotic cars if you have them there. those shops KNOW the high expectations required for repair and will not try to do a hack job. they are the quality shops that you need to go to to be satisfied. trust me on this. i have been around the game for too long to let you go to any old shop.

 

[Wazoo151]

Sorry to hear that, Joey. I'm pretty paranoid right now with my new GT, 1.5 days into owning it. People in Texas, at least in Houston, are pretty bad about running red lights. I nearly had my old DD's front end taken off by a tow truck running a red.

Robert

 

[joeymustang]

i am not sure if this is just a midwest thing, but there is no law that requires you to go to their shop. you can take the car anywhere. they cannot steer you into one of their shops so it is cheaper for them. they can have their list of "members" for their direct repair program (DRP), but they can NOT say you have to go to one shop over the other. i know for a fact that nebraska and wyoming are this way, not 100% about all states. check into it.

joey, not sure where you are located, but that gov't insurance sounds good for those times when you get hit by an uninsured motorist. here you would be SOL, and have to try to get the money by suing the uninsured.

look for a shop that specializes in high end cars, like lexus, mercedes, BMW, jaguar, or even more exotic cars if you have them there. those shops KNOW the high expectations required for repair and will not try to do a hack job. they are the quality shops that you need to go to to be satisfied. trust me on this. i have been around the game for too long to let you go to any old shop.

I live in Puerto Rico, and yea thats exactly what it is for its an added insurance for people that dont have the money for private insurance

The person thats gonna fix it is the same that fixed my older car when it hit the pole...he did a fantastic job and is family so I can trust him. I'll take some pictures of the car today and post them. Thanks everyone for all the advice.

 

[bluecar]

People in Texas, at least in Houston, are pretty bad about running red lights.

I imagine if you stopped for a red light you might get rear ended depending on the freshness of the red.

In SF there are cameras that catch the red light runner. $270 or $340 fine depending on how busy the intersection is. We're also required to have a front plate. We also have crosswalk timers which incidentally tell a driver how much time is left on a green.

 

[joeymustang]

Here are some pictures of the car, as I said it doesnt look that bad but just cuz it happend four days after i bought it hurts lol...

you can see that it broke the bracket that holds the headlamp and chipped it too...also the plastic fasteners that hold the black plastic cover...gone...

 

[bluecar]

Correction: Insurance Company Preferred Body Shops

I should have done more homework before I spoke. My insurance carrier say I can use any body shop I want. Its just that if I use one on their preferred list, there is no initial out of pocket cost for me.