Fender Bender Woes

[ern-diz]

UPDATE: Images fixed. The first is on the night of using flash and the second is from the following day.

Drove out to Palos Verdes Estates to visit a friend and his neighbor backed into my car while pulling out of his garage. Said he didn't see it because it's black :bonk:

It definitely put a damper on our hang session, but i'm trying to be positive about it by thinking about how no one was hurt, the damage isn't terrible and at least the brain surgeon had the decency to come knock on my buddy's door and alert us of what he'd done. He has a 2017 Mazda 3 with personalized plates and was initially upset about the scuffed paint on his car, saying he wasn't going to pay for my repairs, but quickly changed his tune when we threatened to call the cops. I feel better after making the claim with the insurance co this morning because they said given that my car was parked, it's his fault. They said even if it was illegally parked, it was PARKED and he hit it. The gal said they like to get statements from their customers but that even if he claims he didn't see it because it was dark and my car is black, or because he's not used to having a car parked there, it's on him. They'll move forward with repairing my car and providing a rental either way.

Fender benders are never fun but I'm focusing on the positives, will work through the process of getting my Vader helmet fixed and put this unpleasant experience behind me.

[kimona]

Bummer!

[ern-diz]

Bummer!

Trying to focus on the positives but yeah, it's a bummer.

[WeeYari]

That's right up there with my July 2017 $2000.00 McDouble.

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[06YarisRS]

Sorry to hear. Always a drag.

Can't see the pics, unfortunately.

[NYC-SE]

Not fun. Sorry.

[tmontague]

Tough luck but at least you know the person who hit you and it will be covered.

I find it ridiculous that he didn't want to pay for your car just because... but was upset about his new car - here's and idea - don't back into someone else's car and problem solved

[Kalispel]

Been there, done that last Dec-Jan. At least your particular selfish douchebag c*nt was properly insured so you aren't out a $500 deductible or whatever for repairs. :wink:

[justanotherdrunk]

ouch sorry this happened

pics inop

[justanotherdrunk]

At least your particular selfish douchebag c*nt was properly insured so you aren't out a $500 deductible or whatever for repairs. :wink:


:laugh:

[kimona]

What happened to the photo?

[ern-diz]

That's right up there with my July 2017 $2000.00 McDouble.

Sent from my Elite_5_5_Octa using Tapatalk

It's a total headache, right?

Sorry to hear. Always a drag.

Can't see the pics, unfortunately.

Thanks; big time drag. Pics uploaded directly.

Not fun. Sorry.

Thanks, I appreciate it.

Tough luck but at least you know the person who hit you and it will be covered.

I find it ridiculous that he didn't want to pay for your car just because... but was upset about his new car - here's and idea - don't back into someone else's car and problem solved

Totally! My buddy and I couldn't believe the guy's nerve. He also had the nerve to have his insurance agent call me after I placed the claim and wanted to pay out of pocket to avoid the insurance rate increase. Given the way the guy acted on the night of the incident, I feel I already did him a solid by not calling the police. Not involving the insurance co only raises my risk so I declined. The insurance co accepted liability so I just need to get it into a shop. The hard part now is finding a shop I can trust to do the work as good as it can be done.

Been there, done that last Dec-Jan. At least your particular selfish douchebag c*nt was properly insured so you aren't out a $500 deductible or whatever for repairs. :wink:

Yeah, for as much of a douche as he was on the night of the incident, I have to give him credit for at least coming to alert us in the first place. He could have just pulled back into his garage. I probably wouldn't have noticed the damage until the next day, or later, and I would have never known what happened.

ouch sorry this happened

pics inop

Thanks, much appreciated. Pics updated.

What happened to the photo?

I inserted them by link from Google Photos and although it seemed to work at first, apparently something changed after I logged off. I've since uploaded them directly after resizing.

[ern-diz]

Here's the rental I'll have for the next week or so. They gave me a choice between this and a Chevy Cruze, so really, it was no choice at all :biggrin:

A bit of a trip to go from my little second-gen to a car like this; with a tablet on the dash, push start, leather, push parking brake, etc. I also found it interesting that it has Nevada plates.

[WeeYari]

I'd have taken the Cruze just for the opportunity to see what the domestics are bringing to the table.

Rental company must register their fleet in Nevada. Just like all things U-Haul sport Arizona plates. Even up here (Canada), any U-Haul trailer, truck, van, whatever carries Arizona registration.

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[ern-diz]

I'd have taken the Cruze just for the opportunity to see what the domestics are bringing to the table.

Good point; it would have been interesting for a week but I just couldn't lol.

Rental company must register their fleet in Nevada. Just like all things U-Haul sport Arizona plates. Even up here (Canada), any U-Haul trailer, truck, van, whatever carries Arizona registration.

That's probably it. I assumed someone rented this car in Nevada and returned it here in California but the fleet having been registered in AZ makes more sense.

[kimona]

The Chevy Cruze is actually an excellent little car that gets outstanding reviews right up there with Toyota Corolla.

[ern-diz]

The Chevy Cruze is actually an excellent little car that gets outstanding reviews right up there with Toyota Corolla.

I considered buying a Mazda 3 in the past, so thought it would be cool to have one for a week. I'm sure the Cruze would have been fun since it's also very different from my Yaris. I remember there being a performance version of the Cruze but the one they would have given me wasn't that model.

[NYC-SE]

I like the look of the Cruze hatch, the sedan not so much. With the Mazda 3 it's the opposite, I like the sedan version and don't like the hatch.

[ern-diz]

I like the look of the Cruze hatch, the sedan not so much. With the Mazda 3 it's the opposite, I like the sedan version and don't like the hatch.

Interesting. Early on, I preferred the Mazda 3 hatch to the sedan but this later model, with its updated lines, alloy wheels and low pro tires is not bad. I think i still like the hatch better but I don't dislike the sedan as much after seeing/driving this model.

[Runethecursed]

the chevy cruze is also a good car to drive. I rented one in Oregon last week and it has a huge seating adjustment ability and the mysync was good, the milages was good and it felt decent to steer and brake.

[ern-diz]

the chevy cruze is also a good car to drive. I rented one in Oregon last week and it has a huge seating adjustment ability and the mysync was good, the milages was good and it felt decent to steer and brake.

Funny you mention seating adjustment ability. This Mazda 3 is the first car I can remember not needing to put the seat all the way back. It feels too far when I do. Even in my wife's Accord I put the seat all the way back.

This thing is also pretty zippy. Push button Sport mode keeps it in lower gears longer and it giddy-ups.

[justanotherdrunk]

Funny you mention seating adjustment ability. This Mazda 3 is the first car I can remember not needing to put the seat all the way back. It feels too far when I do. Even in my wife's Accord I put the seat all the way back.



bmws and porsches are the only cars ive leased/ owned that the seat actually goes too far back

i automatically put the seat all the way back in 99% of vehicles ive driven in my life

[ern-diz]

bmws and porsches are the only cars ive leased/ owned that the seat actually goes too far back

i automatically put the seat all the way back in 99% of vehicles ive driven in my life

Same here lol! The force of habit makes me want to do it in this Mazda but it's just too far.

[ern-diz]

State Farm's adjuster's estimate was just over $1,200, which is ~$400 lower than the body shop estimated. In any case, the car is over 50% complete and the target return date is this Monday, 9/17 --unless a supplement for more hours needs to be put in. As long as it's repaired as best as possible, I don't really care how long it takes.

[justanotherdrunk]

State Farm's adjuster's estimate was just over $1,200, which is ~$400 lower than the body shop estimated. In any case, the car is over 50% complete and the target return date is this Monday, 9/17 --unless a supplement for more hours needs to be put in. As long as it's repaired as best as possible, I don't really care how long it takes.

getting it back will be a good time to detail the crap out of her

especially the interior

im talking about the car!

:laugh:

[ern-diz]

getting it back will be a good time to detail the crap out of her

especially the interior

im talking about the car!

:laugh:

:biggrin:

[ern-diz]

Rec'd the check from State Farm late last week and am supposed to be picking the car up from the body shop today. Just waiting on the go-head.

Having had more experience with the Mazda 3 rental, I can say it's not a car I would buy for myself. There's a lot to like but for my size/shape, I don't find it to be very ergonomic. My wife, who is much shorter and smaller than me, also wasn't a fan. Zippy car that looks nice and has some nice features, but not something I'd be comfortable in.

I'll drop another update with some pics of the repaired damage once Vader is back in my possession.

[bentjazz]

Sorry this happened, but glad it's getting fixed. Looks exactly like my black Yaris, only yours has way cooler hubcaps.

[ern-diz]

Sorry this happened, but glad it's getting fixed. Looks exactly like my black Yaris, only yours has way cooler hubcaps.

Thank you! :biggrin:

[ern-diz]

Was supposed to get the car back yesterday but due to waiting on a window molding, protective decal and supplement approval, it's been pushed to tomorrow.

On a positive note, they are taking care of a few items that weren't part of the damage from this incident, so as long as the car doesn't have overspray or some other silliness, I should be getting it back in better shape that it was in prior to the incident.

Fingers crossed.

[ern-diz]

Got one of the auto-update texts yesterday saying the car was all fixed up and that the body shop would be calling me to arrange pick-up, but a call never came. I assume I'll hear from my point of contact today...

[Runethecursed]

Fingers crossed!

[ern-diz]

Fingers crossed!

Thanks, man. The car is finished, but I don't have it back lol. There was a supplement for a couple hundred bucks, so instead of issuing payment for it directly to the body shop, the insurance co voided the check they'd already sent me (for the initial estimate amount) and printed/mailed a whole new check for the new total amount. The body shop has a policy of not releasing a vehicle until payment is made, so I'm stuck waiting for the mailman to bring me that new check so I can sign it over to the body shop and get my car.

I'm considering just paying the body shop myself and depositing the check in my account when it arrives, but I don't feel like I should have to do that. The check was issued last Tuesday, so I'm hoping it arrives soon.

[Runethecursed]

what a lengthy roundabout process. My insurance just pays the work shop directly and if theres a lack of service or whatever it's done outside of the customer basis so we get the vehicle sooner.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Ouch, sorry to hear that happened.

But why was a window molding needed? I would have imagined they cut out as little of the panel as possible, and definitely not reach the window.

[ern-diz]

what a lengthy roundabout process. My insurance just pays the work shop directly and if theres a lack of service or whatever it's done outside of the customer basis so we get the vehicle sooner.

Yeah, I originally instructed State Farm to send the check to the body shop, but they sent it to me and said that's what they typically do to make sure if a customer isn't happy with the body shop's work, they can hold payment. I imagine that even if the check had gone to the body shop, they would have voided it and sent another after the supplement was approved. Either way, yeah, it's just more waiting for me.

Ouch, sorry to hear that happened.

But why was a window molding needed? I would have imagined they cut out as little of the panel as possible, and definitely not reach the window.

I doubt they cut the panel at all. All the body shops I took it to for an estimate talked about body working it and needing to take out the rear window in order to paint that entire panel, including the part that runs along the roof over the door and the rocker under the door. Apparently they were afraid the paint wouldn't match well if they didn't paint the entire panel. With that came removal of the rear bumper, taillight, window, moldings and protective decal.

[ern-diz]

Picked the car up yesterday and am overall happy with the result. There were some minor annoyances but all things considered, they did a good job getting the panel back to factory condition, matching the paint and taking care of the other odds and ends I asked for beyond the damage from the incident. Once I get it cleaned up a bit more, I'll post some pics.

[Runethecursed]

Yay! a happy man is a man in his yarii

[ern-diz]

Yay! a happy man is a man in his yarii

:biggrin:

[ern-diz]

Was out running some errands yesterday and since there was a ton of light, I snapped some pics of the body work result. I've never done body work myself but unfortunately, have had my cars in the body shop a bunch of times because people seem to love to hit my cars. In my experience, this is about as good as you can fix a panel, especially given the location. I'm happy with it. Just waiting on my mobile detail guy to come by later this week and clean her up for me.

[eTiMaGo]

looks good as new!

[kimona]

Looks great!

[justanotherdrunk]

what fender bender?

:biggrin:

:thumbsup:

[ern-diz]

looks good as new!

Looks great!

what fender bender?

:biggrin:

:thumbsup:

Ha, thanks, guys!

[bentjazz]

Looks real good, ern-diz. Wish my black 2010 looked as shiny and crisp. Just curious, how much did those hubcaps cost you and where did you get them? I still have the original hubcaps on mine, and I really kind of hate them.

[kevinj93]

I think you will find they are actually Enkei RPF1 alloy wheels.

[bentjazz]

Thanks, kevin. A little more than I'm willing to spend. Guess I'll stick with what I have....

[ern-diz]

Looks real good, ern-diz. Wish my black 2010 looked as shiny and crisp. Just curious, how much did those hubcaps cost you and where did you get them? I still have the original hubcaps on mine, and I really kind of hate them.

Thank you!

I think you will find they are actually Enkei RPF1 alloy wheels.

Thanks, kevin. A little more than I'm willing to spend. Guess I'll stick with what I have....

Yes, they are RPF1's.

There are some very cost effective options, that in my opinion, look better than the stock hubcaps. Have you looked at chrome trim rings? They can usually be had at regular auto parts stores, like Pep Boys. You'd pop the original hubcaps off to expose the steel wheel behind it and then pop the chrome trim rings on which hide the ugly edge of the steelie. If you combine it with a nice center cap, it actually looks really good. If I didn't have alloy wheels on my car, I would totally rock the steelies naked, or with chrome trim rings. Here's a couple threads with pics of other members' rides with the setup I'm describing...

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54517&highlight=chrome+trim+rings

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21816&highlight=chrome+trim+rings&page=2

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57563&highlight=chrome+trim+rings&page=3

[bentjazz]

Thank you, ern-diz. Appreciate the links! :)

[ern-diz]

Thank you, ern-diz. Appreciate the links! :)

My pleasure!

My mobile detail guy came through this morning and finished the job proper. Did a light polish to remove the micro scratches the body shop created when they rinsed and wiped it down before I came to pick it up.

Up close, it has its fair share of blemishes but overall, I'm feeling good about it --especially for a +11 year old car.

[justanotherdrunk]

looks great ! ^

[ern-diz]

looks great ! ^

TY, sir!

[zoidberg444]

Looking good. That's not a bad repair!

My car has similar damage in basically the same place where i got back to my car and found it dented!

[ern-diz]

Looking good. That's not a bad repair!

My car has similar damage in basically the same place where i got back to my car and found it dented!

Ugh, so annoying. Sorry to hear that.