Wow, my Yaris got in an accident. You won't believe the situation

[A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby]

OK

I have heard of stupid things but this one is right up on the list
----------------------------------------------------------------

October 30, approx 1:30pm
sunny, 41deg, wet roads, no ice, some slush on sides but not in road.

was traveling east northeast on Foster Road Burlington Ma
(nearest intersection is Bradford road and Foster Road)

approx 15mph there was a Blue 2010 Sienna van a few car lengths in front of me traveling same speed and direction.

The van slowed and came to a complete stop in the middle of Foster Road.

I also safely stopped approximately 15 yards behind the van.

I wonder what is going on, because the road was clear and there was no apparent reason to stop in the middle of the road. So I waited.

Then for no apparent reason and no type of signal from the Van driver, the Blue van reverse lights came on, then backed up and proceeded to come toward me. No time for me to react, and I was afraid to suddenly reverse my own vehicle in case someone was behind me. I held the brake and honked my horn repeatedly to no effect. The van continued to reverse into my front bumper, slamming my car. Then the van driver stopped.

Visible damage to the Yaris is: cracked bumper near driver headlight, damaged
front wheel well plastics, damaged and scraped paint, visible front end bumper
misalignment.


the other driver exhibited such a douchtastic level of driving prowess I had to post it up

[Yaristeve]

Any witnesses?

Hopefully, Mr. Douchetastic won't try to claim that you rear ended him.

[A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby]

yah he freely admitted fault, his daughter was in the van, and his house is 2 doors
down and his wife came over and he freely admitted fault. I explained it to my
insurance company and they said that should be no problem...just go get it
appraised (they will meet me at my work) and then go get it fixed...

zero cost to me,
except a pain in the arse to deal with...

[A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby]

this is not me,

it is Mr. Derp observing his handiwork

[jpmck03]

Yikes, about the same thing happened to me in the commuter lot at school today!

As I was pulling out of a spot (forward), I see that a girl is backing out one spot over across the lane, so I stop. She just keeps backing up, and I think to myself, 'This idiot is going back right into the front of my car!'

So, I lay on the horn and she just keeps backing up, the whole time I can see that not once did she look behind her, she just was looking out of her side window. Luckily, she stopped inches away from my front bumper.

Sorry to hear you weren't as lucky, but seriously, what's wrong with a person that they would throw a car into reverse and not once look behind them to see that, oh gee, there's another car back there?

[ilikerice]

whats up with the stupid accidents lately.. A friend backed into my yaris saturday night when leaving a party. dented and scratched my drivers door, thats it.. but Sibling Rivalry car show is in 2 weeks and autox the next day..

Sorry to hear about this mishap.. What was he doing? What was his excuse for not looking behind him while he was driving in reverse?

[Altitude]

I think it was an attempted suicide. Wife, kids, drives a van... Just look at his face, the guy is miserable!

BTW - Did he explain why he stopped and reversed for no apparent reason?

P.S. If you haven't already - check out the threads for replacement horns and get yourself a nice loud set.

[thebarber]

time to get an oem S bumper

[fnkngrv]

P.S. If you haven't already - check out the threads for replacement horns and get yourself a nice loud set.


Mine has been on a couple weeks and let me tell you that it has already saved my car and me some serious pain twice!

Sorry to hear about the mishap dingo...people are getting worse and worse on the roadways.

[A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby]

I am thinking of a train horn in my future

[cali yaris]

I think it was an attempted suicide. Wife, kids, drives a van... Just look at his face, the guy is miserable!

LOL. Obviously!

[bronsin]

I GOT IT!

If you ever rearend someone CLAIM HE BACKED INTO YOU!:thumbup:

[Black_griffin6]

I am thinking of a train horn in my future
I've been wanting a train horn for my car for a while now.

The problem is...you need an air compressor and other stuff. Which does come with the kits i've seen, but I have no idea where to put it. :laugh:

Hope your Yaris get's fixed soon! My Yaris got backed into as well, it's crazy how people don't pay attention.

[carnageehw]

but seriously, what's wrong with a person that they would throw a car into reverse and not once look behind them to see that, oh gee, there's another car back there?

I teach driving, and the amount of people who think it's normal to back up while looking forward is insane. It's one of the things I nag people about the most.

[jpmck03]

I teach driving, and the amount of people who think it's normal to back up while looking forward is insane. It's one of the things I nag people about the most.

:eek: Wow. Just wow. I don't know how you'd ever keep your sanity teaching folks that would even think that would be normal. That's pure idiocy. :bonk:

[DebbyM46227]

What was his excuse for backing up?

Wait till you hear this one. I always park way out in parking lots to avoid door dings. A couple months ago I parked in the farthest out spot behind a guy maybe early 60's on a cell phone in a Cadillac, gabbing away. I had a funny feeling about pulling in behind him but did anyway. His car was facing out of the parking space so if he was leaving, he would pull straight out. The front end of my car faced his trunk.

I get out of my car and I'm halfway across the parking lot when I hear BAM!!! I knew before I turned around, it was my car. He backed into my car when there was no reason for him to be backing up.

He started to pull away but I ran over and stood in front of his car and every other word out of my mouth was "you stupid MF". He was either going to run me over or turn off his car. I screamed at him to turn his MF piece of crap car off.

Then I went over to the driver's door and every other word out of my mouth was you stupid MF - WTF are you doing? Can't you f'ing drive??? He got out and went around to the back and I was afraid to look but there wasn't a thing wrong with the front of my Yaris and he hit it hard! I had some bug splatter on the front bumper and got a towel out to wipe it off to make sure the bug splatter really wasn't paint.

Normally I'm a very easy-going person, but something came over me and I shoved him up against his car and he said "woman don't touch me again or I'm calling the police" and I said you go right ahead and I will get you for trying to leave the scene, all the while calling him a stupid MF.....I told him my car was new and a stupid asshole like him that can't even look behind before backing up shouldn't be driving (my car is a year old now but still new to me and smells new).

I proceeded to call him MF probably another 100 times before I got in my car. He took off but I decided to harass him more so I followed him. He was weaving in/out of lanes in lots of traffic around the shopping mall but I managed to get behind him - he tried to swerve to another lane to lose me :evil: but I wanted to make sure I got his license plate in case I needed it later. Finally he pulled over into a muffler shop parking lot thinking we're going to duke it out or something but I kept on driving :) I bet he won't forget me for awhile!

Anyway, I'm very protective of my Yaris and no one is going to hurt it and get away with it! :wub:

[A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby]

apparently he lives 2 doors down, and he was out gawking at trees
that fell over in a neighbors yard...and for some damn reason he stopped and
backed into me

he is a shi**y parent...with his daughter in the car, his responsibility is
to demonstrate at all times how to be a safe driver, no matter what, because
that is what parents are supposed to do....and he failed miserably.
I just cannot stand stupidity.

[DebbyM46227]

Geez....just looking at him he looks like a real loser. I'm sorry about your car.

[jpmck03]

What was his excuse for backing up?

Wait till you hear this one. I always park way out in parking lots to avoid door dings. A couple months ago I parked in the farthest out spot behind a guy maybe early 60's on a cell phone in a Cadillac, gabbing away. I had a funny feeling about pulling in behind him but did anyway. His car was facing out of the parking space so if he was leaving, he would pull straight out. The front end of my car faced his trunk.

I get out of my car and I'm halfway across the parking lot when I hear BAM!!! I knew before I turned around, it was my car. He backed into my car when there was no reason for him to be backing up.

He started to pull away but I ran over and stood in front of his car and every other word out of my mouth was "you stupid MF". He was either going to run me over or turn off his car. I screamed at him to turn his MF piece of crap car off.

Then I went over to the driver's door and every other word out of my mouth was you stupid MF - WTF are you doing? Can't you f'ing drive??? He got out and went around to the back and I was afraid to look but there wasn't a thing wrong with the front of my Yaris and he hit it hard! I had some bug splatter on the front bumper and got a towel out to wipe it off to make sure the bug splatter really wasn't paint.

Normally I'm a very easy-going person, but something came over me and I shoved him up against his car and he said "woman don't touch me again or I'm calling the police" and I said you go right ahead and I will get you for trying to leave the scene, all the while calling him a stupid MF.....I told him my car was new and a stupid asshole like him that can't even look behind before backing up shouldn't be driving (my car is a year old now but still new to me and smells new).

I proceeded to call him MF probably another 100 times before I got in my car. He took off but I decided to harass him more so I followed him. He was weaving in/out of lanes in lots of traffic around the shopping mall but I managed to get behind him - he tried to swerve to another lane to lose me :evil: but I wanted to make sure I got his license plate in case I needed it later. Finally he pulled over into a muffler shop parking lot thinking we're going to duke it out or something but I kept on driving :) I bet he won't forget me for awhile!

Anyway, I'm very protective of my Yaris and no one is going to hurt it and get away with it! :wub:

Yikes!

Well, I'm going to offer you some perspective from an outside reader, based on what you wrote:

So, you were walking to the store, with your back to your car, heard a loud noise, "knew before [you] turned around, it was [your] car" and turned around to see him pulling out of the parking spot he was in?

Then ran in front his car, verbally berated him, forced him out of his car to look at the damage (or lack there of) to your car, committed battery on him, and continued to verbally berate him?

Which was followed up by threats of filing a police report in which there's no evidence that a crime occurred (you didn't see it happen and didn't see any damage), continued to harass him by following him around in your car.

So, (I'm not a lawyer, but) we have:

Assault
Battery
Harassment
Reckless driving
Stalking

And all of this, when there was absolutely no damage to your car whatsoever.

Granted, I don't know every detail of what happened, and maybe you didn't write it down, but it sounds like you were really in the wrong here. There was obviously a better way to handle this situation, as A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby mentioned. You know, calm, cool, collected?

Personally, I know that if I was in that man's situation, as soon as I was shoved up against my own car, the gloves would have been off. Hell, I'm surprised that he showed as much restraint as he did. Luckily he was a lot cooler than you were.

[ilikerice]

^was thinking the same.. I actually feel bad for the old man..

[DebbyM46227]

Whatever, people. It's not like I'm some young punk - I'm in my 50's but I certainly don't act my age (obviously) and if I must say so myself, I look really good for my age. And I don't like people trashing my things that I work hard for.....and you were not there to see what happened....there were others who came up to me and were ready to be my witness should I need one-which I told them thanks but no thanks. He was trying to leave without even getting out to see if he did any damage. And I knew it was my car before I turned around as there were no other cars parked in that area of the lot.

I'm tired of punks on cell phones who can't drive and talk at the same time, no matter how young or old they are. This guy couldn't even drive in a parking lot and talk on his cell at the same time.

Not like he was some "old man" either. Very fit for early 60's.

Now I'm going, be-rate me all you want. I'm not hijacking this thread any longer. And I don't even know why I bother with this forum, I see some of the stupidest questions being asked sometimes.

So there.

[Dadams]

.....It's a forum, just sayin'

"Well, I'm going to offer you some perspective from an outside reader, based on what you wrote:"

No need to get bent out of shape just cuase someone put in their own opinion...

[bronsin]

People make mistakes. They do bad things. We all do.

Sometimes the best thing to do is say:

"Hey let me buy you a beer."

[Hamster]

Man, this just pisses me off. I've amazed at how fantastically bad people can drive. A few weeks ago, I was driving along on a Sunday afternoon, and some stupid lady in a Camry who must've been in her 30's was driving northbound....in my southbound lane. Scared the crap out of me. Luckily, it was only a 35 mph street, and there was no one on the road beside me. I was able to switch lanes before she had the chance to hit me.

Anyway, back to the OP. You are very lucky that the guy admitted fault. There are crooks out there who intentionally back up into people, and claim that the victim rear-ended them. It's a type of insurance fraud. Be careful out there.

[Dadams]

People make mistakes. They do bad things. We all do.

Sometimes the best thing to do is say:

"Hey let me buy you a beer."

+1 :thumbsup:

[Black_griffin6]

Whatever, people. It's not like I'm some young punk - I'm in my 50's but I certainly don't act my age (obviously) and if I must say so myself, I look really good for my age. And I don't like people trashing my things that I work hard for.....and you were not there to see what happened....there were others who came up to me and were ready to be my witness should I need one-which I told them thanks but no thanks. He was trying to leave without even getting out to see if he did any damage. And I knew it was my car before I turned around as there were no other cars parked in that area of the lot.

I'm tired of punks on cell phones who can't drive and talk at the same time, no matter how young or old they are. This guy couldn't even drive in a parking lot and talk on his cell at the same time.

Not like he was some "old man" either. Very fit for early 60's.

Now I'm going, be-rate me all you want. I'm not hijacking this thread any longer. And I don't even know why I bother with this forum, I see some of the stupidest questions being asked sometimes.

So there.


I'm sorry but you really need to chill out.
A car in the end is just a machine, it's not worth trying to assault someone over when he really didn't even do anything.

My car is barely even 3 years old and it's already been hit twice.
The first time was by some lady in a Jetta who decided it would be a good idea to use the middle left turning lane as a merging lane to turn right (hate it when people do that), I got some of her paint on my car and ended up with a little ding. Nobody was hurt, no harm done.

Second time was by my girlfriend's father who backed up his Audi A4 into the passenger's side of my car.
He caused over 1,600 dollars in damage, and yeah I was upset but I was calm about it and he paid for the damage and in the end nobody was hurt and it was fixed.

And you know what? I gained a lot of respect because I was calm and cool about it, if all I did was blow up on him and tell him what a futhermucker he is and throw him up against his car then he'd hate me and think i'm some asshole.

Above all that, i'm only 20 years old and I think i'm setting a better example then someone who is more then double my age.

Now granted, I don't care for people who talk on their phones while driving. I say either talk on the phone or drive the car. But still, chillax a bit.
I don't blame you for acting the way you did, but I think you could have handled it differently.

Anyways. Sorry for the hijack again.

/rant

[ilikerice]

Whatever, people. It's not like I'm some young punk - I'm in my 50's but I certainly don't act my age (obviously) and if I must say so myself, I look really good for my age. And I don't like people trashing my things that I work hard for.....and you were not there to see what happened....there were others who came up to me and were ready to be my witness should I need one-which I told them thanks but no thanks. He was trying to leave without even getting out to see if he did any damage. And I knew it was my car before I turned around as there were no other cars parked in that area of the lot.

I'm tired of punks on cell phones who can't drive and talk at the same time, no matter how young or old they are. This guy couldn't even drive in a parking lot and talk on his cell at the same time.

Not like he was some "old man" either. Very fit for early 60's.

Now I'm going, be-rate me all you want. I'm not hijacking this thread any longer. And I don't even know why I bother with this forum, I see some of the stupidest questions being asked sometimes.

So there.

I understand people get outraged about things that are important to them.. your yaris is one of them. nothing wrong with that. like jmpck03 said, I am sure there is more to the story. But as you wrote it, it sounded like you over reacted.

Like my post earlier, we had a Halloween party saturday night, I was parked across the street on a curb. A friend backed into my door. (ill take pictures later). I was PISSED, cuz out of all our friends, I am pretty much the one that obsesses about my car. Everyone else puts any money into their cars, which is fine, to each their own. She came to me and told me what she did. but I was calm and said, we will work this out. It will get fixed.

[Dadams]

futhermucker

Nice use of language! :laugh:

[Hamster]

I'm sorry but you really need to chill out.
A car in the end is just a machine, it's not worth trying to assault someone over when he really didn't even do anything.


So true, at the end, it can be fixed, which is something to always keep in mind. My nerves were really tested when my car was keyed by my futhermucker (hah!) neighbors at the apartment/townhouse complex where I was living a year ago. Caused around $2,000 in damage, and meant that four panels on my Yaris (which had only around 5,000 miles on the odometer at the time) had to be refinished. I mean, I absolutely knew these neighbors did it, but I couldn't prove it. It took a lot of nerve to not beat these people up. While I'm really crazy about my car, I decided that it wasn't worth getting arrested for assault. So, everytime I saw these neighbors, I just gave them a dirty look. Whenever I saw them coming home, I lifted the miniblinds and stared at them through my window. I think it must've creeped them out, because they never touched my car again. See, there are better ways of handling things, even though it's really hard. I wound up moving to a new place, where I now have a lockable garage. I also got the car fixed, so I no longer have to stare at those key scratches. I was out my $100 deductible, but it's just money. I'm glad I didn't do anything that would've gotten me a criminal record.

[DevilGirl]

To the OP:

I know how you're feeling. While I wasn't actually hit, I had 2 scares in parking lots yesterday.

In the first one, I was already backed out of the parking spot, getting ready to put it in first gear and go, when I noticed that the backend of another car was getting progressively closer to my drivers door. (Angled parking spaces). I laid on the horn, threw it in first gear, and slammed the accelorator so I could get out of there as fast as I could in case the guy continued backing up. It was an older guy (60's-ish) talking on a cell phone... I don't know whether he looked before backing up or not, but even still. If he had, he would have seen that I was already backing out of my parking spot (and yes, I did look, and continued to look while backing up slowly).

The second instance was in a Walmart parking lot. I had parked about midway up the aisle. I backed out of my spot without issue, starting going to the end of the aisle away from the store, was in a forward movement, when all of a sudden a young kid (late teens/early 20's) started to pull out of their parking spot on my passenger side. Going forward! How/why he did not look before pulling out, I have no clue. But thanks to fast-acting wheel jerking, I was able to manuever away from his car before he could hit my front passenger panel.

Needless to say, I was quite upset after those 2 instances. Especially since they happened within less than an hour and a half of each other, in either not busy parking lots or in the section of parking lots that are not as busy. You'd think this would have happened in the parking lot where there was a line of cars just trying to get into the lot, let alone getting out of there, with the whole lot being pretty much full.

[A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby]

bumper now off

if you know what a normal Yaris looks like, you can tell what damage is here.

or use the handy insurance adjuster yellow X's

Just some more bent metal needs replacing and a busted clip. over double the original estimate.

[A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby]

some of the first words out of my mouth at the time of the incident, were
'this is gonna be a 1000 dollar repair'

actual itemized list

1 E 6 01 Cover,Front Bumper 5211952961 $210.68 S1 0.9 SM
>> RECOND COVER WAS 3 DAYS FOR DELIVERY SO SHOP ORDERED O.E.M.
2 L 6 13 Cover,Front Bumper Refinish S1 3.5 RF
2.4 Surface
0.6 Two-stage setup
0.5 Two-stage
3 E 21 Reinf,Front Bumper 5213152280 $153.05 S1 1.0 SM
>> BENT ON LT SIDE REPLACE PER INVOICE
4 L 21 Reinf,Front Bumper Refinish S1 0.7 RF
0.7 Surface
5 E 1038 Clip,Frt Bumper MULTI-PART $0.95* S1 INC SM
>> TOTAL OF 1
6 L 116 Prep Raw Frt Bmpr Cvr Refinish S1 0.5 RF
0.5 Surface
7 N 30 Emblem,Frt Bmpr Cover Additional Labor 0.2 SM
8 L 16 Cover,Tow Hook Access Refinish S1 0.4 RF
0.3 Surface
0.1 Two-stage
9 RI 40 Brkt,Front Lic Plate R & I Assembly S1 0.1 SM
10 E 26 Brkt,Front Bumper Mtg LT 5201252020 $110.42 S1 0.3 SM
>> BUCKLED / MASHED REPLACE PER INVOICE
11 L 26 Brkt,Front Bumper Mtg LT Refinish S1 0.1 RF
0.1 Surface
12 E 460 Brkt,Front Bumper Mtg LT 5316552030 $30.92 S1 INC SM
>> BENT REPLACE PER INVOICE
13 L Bracket, Front Bumper Refinish S1 0.4* RF*
14 I 63 Crsmbr,Rad Panel Upr Repair 1.0* SM
>> align
15 EC FACTORY HARDWARE QUALITY REPL. PART $5.00* SM*
>> clips
16 EC FLEX - ADDITIVES QUALITY REPL. PART $12.00* S1 SM*
17 SB P&M INCREASE-GUIDE Sublet Repair $142.90* S1 SM*
>> SHEET 3-10
18 SB P&M TAX @ 75% Sublet Repair $11.41* S1 SM*
19 EC RUSTPROOF QUALITY REPL. PART $10.00* S1 0.1* SM*
20 L TINT COLOR-ADDITIONAL Refinish S1 0.5* SM*
>> INC IN ADP REFIN, INITIAL TINT,SPRAY TEST PANEL, COMPARE TO VEHICLE
>> ADDITIONAL TINTING ALLOWED VS. BLENDING DUE TO SLIGHT COLOR
DIFERENCE
>> PRIOR TO LOSS & STONE CHIPS ON HOOD
21 N WET SAND & BUFF Additional Labor S1 0.5* SM*
22 SB Hazardous Waste Removal Sublet Repair $3.00* SM
22 Items
MC Message
01 CALL DEALER FOR EXACT PART # / PRICE
13 INCLUDES 0.6 HOURS FIRST PANEL TWO-STAGE ALLOWANCE

Gross Parts $506.02
Other Parts $27.00
Paint Materials $100.80
Parts & Material Total $633.82
Tax On Parts Only @ 6.250% $33.31
Labor Rate Replace
Hrs
Repair Hrs Total Hrs
Sheet Metal (SM) $38.00 2.9 1.7 4.6 $174.80
Mech/Elec (ME) $38.00
Frame (FR) $38.00
Refinish (RF) $38.00 5.6 5.6 $212.80
Paint Materials $18.00
Labor Total 10.2 Hours $387.60
Sublet Repairs $157.31

Gross Total $1,212.04
Less: Deductible Waived-
Net Total $1,212.04

[joe keeney]

A guy in a mini van that explains everything honey do henpecked miserable no brained idiot.

[Betrivent]

Ouch.. the rad mount is bent up and back..

[LEXX]

and i thought the moron who decided to make a right hand turn from the left lane... going 50 mph... while i was driving in the right... was one of the dumbest nofos breathing... he ended up paying for all my damages also ... left bumper and wheel

i haven't posted any pics on here since because the car doesnt look the same to me with the new painted bumper :o/

[Yury]

Labor Total 10.2 Hours $387.60
[/B]

the labor rate is 38$? that's cheap. this would've cost more around my neck of the woods

[A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby]

Apparently it can happen anytime

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRC7RO2tOJQ

[Hamster]

the labor rate is 38$? that's cheap. this would've cost more around my neck of the woods

Yeah, I agree, that's definitely at the low end. The place where I took my car was $46 an hour for paint and body work, and $98 (!) an hour for mechanical.

[A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby]

^ you realize these are insurance company negotiated rates at a preferred shop, doncha ?

shop is preferred as they do great work
insurance company keeps the business flowing to preferred shops
costs half what the general public might may

[Yury]

^ you realize these are insurance company negotiated rates at a preferred shop, doncha ?

shop is preferred as they do great work
insurance company keeps the business flowing to preferred shops
costs half what the general public might may

around here it's just the opposite, the insurance tends to get abused by garages. i once damaged the front bumper (flying debris on the highway). normally, to refinish a bumper it's 400-500$. i think the final bill was 2 grand - bumper repaint + replacing some broken clips and a busted foglight. they kept the car for a week, sending it to a specialized shop to 're-create the texture on the bottom of the bumper', which was just plain silly. it was a grey 05 vibe for god sakes, not a lamborgini.
i could've gotten it fixed for just the deductible.

as to 'preferred shops'...these are usually likes of Carstar. not the best. the best guys are independents.

[A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby]

as to 'preferred shops'...these are usually likes of Carstar. not the best. the best guys are independents.

that's what this shop is. independent.

[Hamster]

A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby:

I'm a little confused now. Was that estimate you posted (with the low labor rate) written by the insurance adjuster? But you took it to a shop of your choice (rather than an insurance-preferred shop), and was the final cost more than the adjuster's estimate? Just trying to get the narrative straight. After I posted my comment, it suddenly hit me that the low labor rate you posted must've been based on the insurance-preferred shop. I just didn't feel like editing my post, though. My sister used to be an insurance adjuster for Progressive. I know through her that many body shops are willing to work for a lower rate and basically be bossed around by insurance companies in exchange for business being sent their way. An independent shop, on the other hand, is working for you, not for the insurance company.

Yury:

When you refer to "the texture at the bottom of the bumper", are you referring to orange peel? Orange peel is that texture you can see in the clearcoat when looking at it at an angle. Was there more orange peel at the bottom of the bumper as a way to reduce rock chips? To me, getting the orange peel just right is extremely important. Of course, I'm a real stickler for the paint being perfect. It wouldn't matter to me if it were a Lamborghini or a Vibe, I'd want it in precise pre-accident condition. To me, it seems that the body shop you used went the extra mile to get your car just right.

[Betrivent]

^ No, I think he meant a rough texture on the bumper itself.

[Hamster]

But wouldn't it be important to get that texture just right? I mean, after all, insurance companies by law are required to repair the car to pre-accident condition.

[A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby]

A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby:

I'm a little confused now. Was that estimate you posted (with the low labor rate) written by the insurance adjuster? But you took it to a shop of your choice (rather than an insurance-preferred shop), and was the final cost more than the adjuster's estimate? Just trying to get the narrative straight. After I posted my comment, it suddenly hit me that the low labor rate you posted must've been based on the insurance-preferred shop. I just didn't feel like editing my post, though. My sister used to be an insurance adjuster for Progressive. I know through her that many body shops are willing to work for a lower rate and basically be bossed around by insurance companies in exchange for business being sent their way. An independent shop, on the other hand, is working for you, not for the insurance company.

Yury:

When you refer to "the texture at the bottom of the bumper", are you referring to orange peel? Orange peel is that texture you can see in the clearcoat when looking at it at an angle. Was there more orange peel at the bottom of the bumper as a way to reduce rock chips? To me, getting the orange peel just right is extremely important. Of course, I'm a real stickler for the paint being perfect. It wouldn't matter to me if it were a Lamborghini or a Vibe, I'd want it in precise pre-accident condition. To me, it seems that the body shop you used went the extra mile to get your car just right.

what ?

1) this is a shop I personally prefer
2) they do good work
3) they just happen to be on insurance company preferred shop list by coincidence
4) I dropped the car off and had it fixed, it was done right
5) that's it.

[Yury]

yes, i think they were trying to restore it to pre-accident condition. i don't have any more details at this point, been a while, but an average bodyshop should've been able to refinish that bumper without sending it anywhere and for such high cost.

[Hamster]

A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby:

Alright, thanks for the clarification! The story was spread over multiple posts, so I was just trying to get it straight.

Yury:

It could simply be that the bodyshop knew that they didn't have the expertise to do that type of paintwork themselves, and decided to farm it out. Someone else more knowledgeable can chime in, but I don't think it's all that unusual for a repair facility to have specialists to do certain things. When the liftgate of my car was refinished, the bodyshop had to bring in a glass specialist to remove and re-install the glass on the liftgate. This increased the cost greatly, but the glass guy they used did a great job, so I can't complain.

[Yury]

^ you are right in principle, but in this particular case...no, refinishing a bumper cover on a vibe should not be tricky. I had that done on other cars. The max bill I even got was 1000$ for a brand new accord, INCLUDING the new cover (because mine was busted).

tailgate seems more complicated because of the glass...i can see that.

it's a pretty known fact that the insurance work gets overcharged around here. pretty often mechanics are willing to throw a few freebies in for a customer because of what they can get from the insurance. with the insane rates we are paying in Ontario it's no surprise.

[Hamster]

We're in two different countries (I'm in the US, you're in Canada). I wonder if Canadian laws are different from US laws in terms of the insurance company's responsibilities. Here, insurance companies are just required to pay to have the car repaired to pre-accident condition. I'm sure a body shop would be charged with fraud if they tried to rip off the insurance companies.

As an aside, insurance companies here do whatever they can to try to screw over people who were accidents. For example, they try to pressure people to use their in-network body shops. And if you're the person who was hit by one of their customers, they'll tell you that they're paying for aftermarket parts. When in fact, you can choose any repair facility you want, and if you're the "victim", you are entitled to OEM parts. Everyone ought to know their rights, so they don't get screwed.

[Yury]

We're in two different countries (I'm in the US, you're in Canada). I wonder if Canadian laws are different from US laws in terms of the insurance company's responsibilities. Here, insurance companies are just required to pay to have the car repaired to pre-accident condition. I'm sure a body shop would be charged with fraud if they tried to rip off the insurance companies.

I am very sure it's the same here, but from what I heard the insurance companies somehow pay more to the shops than the street price. When you do it on your own, you can shop around and get the same thing done well for less. Don't know why and how and whether their paid rates are higher, or adjusters approve too much work, I don't know.


As an aside, insurance companies here do whatever they can to try to screw over people who were accidents. For example, they try to pressure people to use their in-network body shops. And if you're the person who was hit by one of their customers, they'll tell you that they're paying for aftermarket parts. When in fact, you can choose any repair facility you want, and if you're the "victim", you are entitled to OEM parts. Everyone ought to know their rights, so they don't get screwed.

It's about the same here...The whole thing is pretty disgusting considering that and how high our rates are (significantly higher than south of the border and keep going up every year). Because of all this I only keep the minimum legal coverage. My cars are not expensive and over last 15 years I had maybe 3 small fender benders, barely above the deductible each.

[Hamster]

Wow, that totally sucks! My insurance premiums are so low (just under $500 per year) that it's basically a negligible expense (and my policy is well above the state minimum coverage, and I have super-low deductibles).

[ChitownY@Ris]

Similar incident almost happened to me.. Van in front of me, stops suddenly, reverse lights pop on. He was trying to reverse into a parking space (no signal..who uses those, eh).
I blare the horn, he keeps coming. I throw it in reverse and quickly roll back just enough to avoid collision.
Guy jumps out of parked van, and walks up to my pax window and asks "wtf I'm looking at.."
I say watch your language (my kid was in the back seat).
He goes, "Well, get out so he can see his daddy get his a-- kicked."

I get out. He comes in for a takedown (he's prob 6'1 220, same as me). I jab and land it on the nose. His takedown's rendered less effective as my jab stunned him, but he's still grasping at my waist.
I reverse the momentum, squat, place my forearm under his crotch (accident), but lifted and slammed him on his back nontheless. Audible thud is heard from body hitting pavement, as well as audible air exhale from getting the wind knocked out of him.

Bastard gets back up, keeps coming. I'm thinking I'm gonna kill this doosh. Not worth it. And I'm also tired (first fight in years), so I try to end him unconscious by headlock. I succeed, and squeeze harder and harder as he knaws, claws, and swings at anything connected to me.

I look down at my jeans, see them soaked in blood (must've been his nose). Anyways, 2 minutes of choking him, two or three dudes run out of a building (dressed like maintenance), and pull us apart.

Cops show up 5 minutes later, see him bloodied. Place me under arrest. My kiddo got picked up by his mom.
I was released later that night. A month later, he never came to court.

So that's the story. Terrible moment, frightening. Should of been smart and just drove away from his taunts. It was just the way he said that in front of my kid that triggered psycho-mode.

Glad your situation ended civilly. Sorry about the Yaris though.

[Yury]

^ this guy was asking for it, so I am glad you kicked his ass. But it is a scary story in that it could end up in death and/or long term incarceration (of you most likely)..unfortunately honest brawls like this one only work when you are in high school. even though nowadays I am not even sure of that.

[Dadams]

agrred! and you laid it down nice!