"The Big Sexy" and I were rear-ended today

[redmanfx]

Yep, .. a women plowed right into me as I was making a right hand turn! Car held up good for as hard as I was hit. smashed my elbow on the end of the armrest to get a nice burning bruise, but no other injuries to report including the woman who hit me. She was driving a Dodge Caravan and sustained a couple of thousands of dollars damage to her bumper, bumper cover, passenger side front light assemblies.

She hit me on the drivers side half of the rear bumper very hard, but visible damage at first glance didn't look all that bad,......until I noticed the drivers side back Quarter Panel was crumpled a bit. I got hit right above the mufler and am not sure she didn't jar the exhaust somewhere under the car enough to buckle the exhaust system. Got red paint on the back bumper cover and muffler tips. No broken lights or buckled trunk lid! I bet the bumper reinforcement under the cover is crumpled but I won't know until I get an estimate tomorrow. I would show some pics that were taken but Nico doesn't seem to have a gallery (Very LAME!) anymore.

[CrimsonQ]

damn dude thats ****ty luck!

why do people love to hit the Q's?

bastards

put the pics on q45.org hosting thingy

[redmanfx]

Here's some pics. I got hit right above the muffler and it doesn't look all that bad, but what does the reinforcement look like behind that cover???

Closer

Closer still. Check the Muffler tip, got some Caravan bumper cover.

Quarter Panel fold

Another View

I thought that I was in worse shape because of how hard I was hit with broken lights and buckled trunk, but thank the Lord it was what you see here. Next we'll see about repair cost and if they try to total her out.

[cabal1024]

Talk about armor. Glad I'm behind that stuff.

[3Q Jay]

Red, that sux. don't mean to be negative, but the quarter crumple looks like the rear bumper shifted forward. trunk still line up good along left seam? can she afford to settle outside of insurance? might be the way to go...

[redmanfx]

As far as I could tell the trunk was still lined up nicely along the seems, but I'm sure something shifted forward just because of how hard it was hit. Doesn't look like it but she nailed me. I'll see tomorrow when it gets looked at. I just don't want the exhaust to be buckled anywhere.

[Jesda]

Nooooooo!Whats with Qs on the forum lately getting injured?

[rsiwicki]

sorry to see you got whacked there red after you put so much into you car and it having survived already a major rebuild before you owned it.

From personal experience.....it is very difficult to deal with an insurance company once they already know you car has been totalled before. They will say that cars once totalled out can never be put back to 100% factory specs and therefore will incur more damages when they get into their next accident.

While the trunk looks like it lines up okay, have you tried opening it and closing it? I was rearended in my mom's 83 XJ6 back when I was 18 years old. The guy hit me in a S10 pickup truck dead center while I was stopped at about 25mph. The guys front of the truck was totalled but the jag seemed to fair well with no quarter panel crushing and very minimal visiabl damage with the cop writing an estimate for $900. Afterwards we found the following:

1. Exhaust system bent midway under car2. Motor mount broke3. Body Flex - this is the major issue. What the car does when it gets hit so hard is all the joints/seams contract absorbing the impact and the uncontract very close to their original position but not exact. Every door including the trunk looked like they lined up okay but acted very funny when you tried to open and shut them. Yes they did work but it was like the doors were sprung off the hinges. The body shop pointed out to us where you could see along all the door jabs how the body flexed/contracted for a brief second allowing the doors to hit against the main part of the body on the car and then uncontracted. The paint had rubbed/scratch marks both on the body and door edges where this had occurred whcih was very visable on all 4 doors. Even the sunroof had the paint messed up around the edges from the body flexing. The crush zones now take up the energy from impacts such as this saving the rest of the car.4. While processing the insurance claim (mom just wanted her car back and about killed me for taking it out while they were out of town) the truck's insurance company surprised us with the car had been totalled out before 3 years prior to us buying it which was when the car was brand new. They then used a 2 point attack on the settlement. Frist being that previously totalled cars are at most worth 2/3 current market value and secondly that the damages sustained were more than what should have occured because the car was previously totalled.

In the end....we were able to settle with the trucks insurance company for what they said 2/3 market value and we had lawyers, etc. involved big time going to trial, etc. We were able to get the rest of the monies owed to us from our own insurance company as they went after the Jag dealer in Birhmingham, AL that sold us the car as they somehow they got around issuing a salvage title when we bought it and brought it back to Florida. So in the end after a ton of legal fees, etc. we were no better off if we had just settled for the initial 2/3 offer after the legal fees, time, etc. We did find out the extent of the damage with pictures from the previous wreck and it was not too bad. It was a front passenger side hit having nothing to do with the mid to rear section of the car.

Good Luck....

[elwesso]

assuming you can get it fixed, this may be the paint job you've been asking for!

[Falkdesigns]

^werd.

Sux man, hope you get her fixed soon!

[lino]

Real sorry to hear about the accident. I'm glad you weren't hurt. I got rear ended last month and the person who hit me doesn't want to put it through insurance, because he's 16 years old, and his mother asked me to give them some time to pay for the damage, because of Christmas and the holiday expenses. Fortunately, for me, when he hit me, I took my foot off the brake pedal immediately, and the only damage I have is a few scratches and peeled clearcoat. Estimate for repainting rear bumper at Infiniti $1200 Canadian.

[maxnix]

So sorry. That fender may be a deal breaker.

I would start scouring the SE US and TX for a corrosion free one and transfer the good parts from your car.

The G50 is cheap life insurance. It is sad when one dies but good when a member is not injured.
Modified by maxnix at 12:18 PM 1/14/2007

[redmanfx]

assuming you can get it fixed, this may be the paint job you've been asking for!

Well, I got 4 estimates today and nothing was under $1950.00. High was "TOTALed" as I expected, so the Insurance company faxed over the $2,395 estimate to the claims worker. Value of a 92 Q45a to them is $3600. I found out that the trunk floor also buckled and the Drivers side back door is pinched shut due the the Quarter panel being shoved so far forward. Need a new foam collision insulation, reinforcement bar, possible new bumper cover, 3 out of 4 said I did. Needs to go on the frame machine and the paint would be the bumper cover, Quarter panel and blended on the rear drivers door, so the whole car isn't getting painted.

Just have to wait and see what the claims women says. I sent her all my pictures because the Insurance women didn't take good ones and the claim is a little high for what she saw.

p.s. My title has been cleared by the state so the previous damage to it in 94 is gone. It's a clear title again. hopefully it stays that way.....

[rsiwicki]

Hey Red....from the sound of it, things are not looking too good especially with frame damage and alsot the trunk floor bent up.

Trust me....I work in the insurance industry and know for a fact that they keep a separate database of every car' history so don't bet that they won't find out that it was previously totalled. The title on my mom's car was clean yet the insurance company did a search (standard procedure) of the vin against the auction house database's. That is how they found out the car was auctioned as a totaled car in GA and then somehow ended up at the AL Jag dealer.

[redmanfx]

Gee Thanks Rob. Your just full of good cheer this new year aren't you?? It does seem they are moving fast at least because they know I hurt my elbow in the accident and may want to settle before they get some medical to go with the car. It was the womens first wreck and I have a high threshold for pain, so I just want my car fixed. Everyone said they could fix it and that it would be like new, so we'll see.

I guess when it comes down to it, the title thing doesn't matter that much to me because I have no plans to ever sell it, so if it's totaled it'll suck, but it won't be the end of the world. I'll still have my Q and it'll still be as BAAAADDDD as ever. Engine mounts??? You can sure bring a guy down my friend!

Some wheeeeere oooover the rainbooooow.............

[rsiwicki]

sorry my friend....I did not intend to be so harsh, but accidents are never any fun. A jolt that hard could easily break the motor mounts.

Here is a hug

[maxnix]

It does seem they are moving fast at least because they know I hurt my elbow in the accident and may want to settle before they get some medical to go with the car.

Follow Rob's advice and go to the doctor tomorrow. Be a hypochondriac if you must. It will give you leverage as long as you are being treated.

[Rex]

Use the phrase "I want to wait and see what my Dr finds when he exams me/my elbow" when talking with the claims adjuster.

Also, keep in mind your insurance company should be working to "handle" the other drivers company, but ultimately you decide if the offer is acceptable.