fierostetz

im stopped at a red light, and out of the corner of my eye i see someone coming up fast behind- that semi-familiar ugly sparkle green from a 1994 honda civic- look full on in the rearview in time to see him dart into the lane behind me- i even saw the look of recognition on his face when he realized he was going 15 over, locked up the weels, and hit me FULL ON still going about 50 into the back of my max. traffic clears, and we pull over. his excuse is " i knew my brake pads were going bad, but damn" im thinking "i could break this puke with one hand" his civic had shogun-looking front end. blue lights, corners, fogs, etc. all smashed, plus he was leaking some sort of fluid. the back of my max has a few holes clean through the bumper, but thats not the damage that worries me. due to his car being lowered, and mine being NOT lowered, he went UNDER the back of my car and nailed my exhaust. after exchanging information with the other driver, i survey the damage. paint is TOAST on the rear bumper, exhaust tip is wasted. i try to use my remote to release the trunk, it clicks but won't open. uh oh, not a mark on the trunk or anything above the rear bumper, that might mean chassis damage. turn the key, idle is hunting from 2k to about 350 rpm- no good- give it a little rev, sounds like exhaust noise coming from under the front hood- again, not good. (stock exhaust) for the drive home, theres a serious lack of power, as well as a buzzy exhaust sound, and the back end doesnt seem to want to follow the front.

summary -

1> paint is toast
2> bumper has huge holes
3> exhaust tip MANGLED
4> exhaust rattiling against the bottom of the car
5> exhaust BUZZING loudly, from somewhere under the front /3 of the car
6> trunk won't unlatch electronically
7> rear end wanders a lil' bit
8> power way missing

his insurance is geico, mine is USAA

anyone have any ideas things i need to look out for, ways the ins. company (his, geico) might try to screw me? im gonna bet they try to say the engine problems, buzz, etc. were already there. any advice would be great. also, i will be insisting upon NISSAN replacement parts (a 5th gen muffler if possible) also, couldn't frame damage be grounds for totaling the car? i got the car way below blue book, will they only give me what i pay? thanks for any info, still kinda shaken, but the geico people are already being kinda wierd to me (because I called THEM) thanks for any responses!

fierostetz

BTW his civic was totalled- theres a hole in my rear bumper from his throttle body, all his lights were popped out, looked like eyeballs popped out of the sockets.

s0ber

iTrader: (7)

I would hunt him down and beat his with a ricey intake full of nos stickers on it I feel your maximas pain.... No idea on insurance sorry just venting...

justmax

Nothing weird about you calling them man it's your car and your money... did they expect you to sit around and wait for them to call you? That's weird.

1. They'll try to screw you as hard as they can. They don't want to give you money. Their entier reason for existing is charging their customers monthly and paying as little as possible. With that in mind, think about this: if you let them, they will qoute you used part prices, they will ignore anything wrong with your exhaust escept the tip, and any time possible they'll quote you for refinishing body parts that you think should be replaced.

2. In an attempt to avoid all that, go to several collision repair shops and get written estimates. Make sure to point out anything wrong with the suspension and the exhaust so they include that info in your estimates. Take them to Geico with you if they ask to see your car.

3. Call USAA and see if they'll help you deal with Geico.

Good luck.

Edit: oh yeah, and I'm being *very* serious here... if Geico gives you any hassles you make sure and tell them you're feeling a shooting pain in your neck and lower back and that you've scheduled an appointment with a chiropractor.

fierostetz

actually i HAVE had repetetive headaches and upper back pain since, will be telling them about this when i talk to them this week. this is total oo poo: because i am scheduled to do a LOT of driving this week. the accident occurred 5 minutes after leaving my house for a weekend getaway with my girlfriend i have not seen in a month( wink wink) but that was disrupted, so i have to wait another 3-4 weeks to see her i will be REQUIRING NEW OEM parts if they decide to fix it, but according to my neighbor, i might have frame/chassis damage, in which case, it may be totaled. thats gay. would mean getting a new car, though... who knows. the way i have it set up, is USAA is giving me an estimate on monday or tuesday with the understanding that it is supposed to be compared to the offer from geico. usaa says i can get it fixed anywhere i want, and they would pay (except for the 500 deductible) but geico says the closest place is 40 minutes away. i should get a quote from a nissan dealer, definately cheaper to replace then, i think i am trying to keep a positive attitude about it, but its kinda hard, ya know? its going to cut into the money i can make (independent computer consulting) and generally be a pain. thanks for the responses, keep them coming. also, anyone an insurance adjuster who could give me pointers? you'll be anonymous

fierostetz

would i get more response if i posted this in general too? or can it be moved there? or what? i want to maximize responses.

Ant96GLE

iTrader: (4)

I had a similar thing happen to me on the Southern State Parkway here in NY. This guy in a Cavalier cut me off, slammed on the brakes because of traffic and I slammed into him. He wasn't even in my lane completely, he was half in. After talking to the State Troopers, I found out that if your rear end someone, its your fault no matter what. You should always keep a safe distance. Even though it wasn't my fault because he cut me off, it would've been my fault according to the insurance companies.

In your case, you should be fine in that aspect. It was his fault without a doubt. As for the damage, the insurance company is obviously going to try to asess the damage as low as possible. They're going to make it seem like alot less than what it is. What I would do is get an estimate from somewhere, or find someone who can tell you more or less what happened to your car. I'm no engineer but if your exhaust got bent up, it could be it mashed it all the way back up to your Y pipe if it didnt give way and bend in between. As for it running the way it is now, something must've been knocked up. Either way, back yourself up by trying to go to someone who knows what they are doing. In my case, I couldnt do anything so I made no report because then my insurance would've skyrocketed. In your case, you fight and get whatever you can, it wasn't your fault. Look on the bright side, atleast your alright and you got to fry some rice at the same time.

fierostetz

yeah. that things phucked up man, he was leaking tranny fluid and oil, i heard the fan hitting something, and missing when he took off. i think his civic was totalled. ha ha. serves it right.

Rogo02SE

1. Call his insurance and report the accident.
2. Give them the police report#. Just tell them that he was at fault and you need service. Don't go too much into details.
3. If you're in pain go see a doctor ASAP should be #1.
4. Ask them for a rental, YOU have the right to one.
5. Geico is pretty gay when it comes to dealing with them.
6. Don't contact your insurance unless they're messing with you. If you do the accident will be on your record. Even if it's not your fault.
Good Luck.

sislen

GEICO is one of the worst insurance company to deal with when it comes to making a claim. They offer extremely low prices because they only take drivers with a squeaky clean record. Their customer service department is EXCELLENT. But when you have to deal with their Claim department, you feel like you are dealing with entirely another company. I have heard countless stories from friends about people making a claim while GEICO drags their feet forever.

Take a look at this site:
http://www.epinions.com/finc-Insuran...splay_~reviews

Most of the people on that site give GEICO great reviews until you scroll down to a review where someone ACTUALLY had to make a claim. Read their stories. It's amazing.

I would call GEICO first and see how they respond to your claim. Did you get a police report??? (Please say "YES").. Otherwise you need to go to the police station and file a report ASAP.

good luck.

BadKarma99-4spd

iTrader: (4)

Do this go to about every body shop in town and have quotes from each of them. most or all of them are free and it only takes a couple of minuets. Most of these quotes should be within a couple hundred dollars of each other. These companies are going to quote you nissan dealership prices, so....if riceman pays you instead of the insurance company you can get the body work done then get aftermarket replacements(usually cheaper than nissan oem) for everything else.


#1 check to see if he is willing to pay without the insurance companies interfearance

good luck

Blackmax96

iTrader: (1)

I was hit by a grandma about 5 months ago in a parking lot. After a long drawn out battle between insurances, in which she actually claimed that she was parked and i hit her with my door! (do u beleive the nerve of some people, if a cop hadn't witnessed it she may of even gotten away with it)(ps saying a cop lied is not a good idea!)Well, in the long run she paid for everything except the alighment that i needed to be able to drive the car while the battle ensued. So low and behold the other day i'm driving around about 3 weeks ago and i'm at a stop light. BAM! i get smacked by a frigin dump truck with a full load of bricks! In this case it was slightly easier, he excepted his fault and his commercial insurance is paying for it(probably makes a big difference because he doesn't pay the premiums himself). Well back to the car. My family has been bringing this guy cars for years, and he is a perfectionist, thats why we love him. Well, when he did the repair for my first accident his technician accidently used 03 nissan black instead of 96. Even though i never saw a difference myself, nor anyone else, he claims that there is one. So, being the perfectionist that he is, HE IS REPAINTING MY ENTIRE CAR!!!!!! FOR FREE TO ME!!!!!! A FULL TOP QUALITY PAINT JOB VALUED AT $5,200. He is fixing every little dent and nick, because he feels bad about the mistake as well. So in the long run i should probably call up mr. dump truck driver and thank him. The moral of the story if there is any at all is i guess: Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes u don't. Good luck with insurance, they are bstrds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sil SE

iTrader: (21)

you should total HIM
and then stick a nos sticker on his cheek and take a pic

ORBRIT

I agree with all apart from your last point.

You should definitely go to your insurance - looks like you already have - if they don't know about it, the next thing you'll hear is that you were at fault, and the guy is claiming against you.
Your insurance company does not want to have to pay, so they'll make sure that they get the money from the other insurance agency - and it shouldn't cost you a dime - not even your deductible - you're not claiming on YOUR insurance, you're claiming on the other driver's.

You were stationary and he hit you from behind - there's no doubt whatsover that he is at fault.

speedemn

iTrader: (14)

This seems like a clear cut case that he is 100% at fault. Basically that means that him and his insurance company have to bend over and take it as hard as it comes. Let your insurance company do the work for you. Leave it in their hands but keep an eye over what is going on. Call every few days to make sure that they are getting you everything that they can. You WANT "OEM Replacement parts, brand new." Then you can get the "shop of your choice" to install whatever aftermarket part you had on there, at the least.

MaximaMoJo

You can claim under your insurance by paying the deductible and taking it to a shop of your choosing. Then your insurance will collect from the riceboy's insurance company(Geico), this is called subrogation. After YOUR insurance company collects from Geico they will reimburse you for your deductible. Also, since the accident was riceboy's fault Your insurance rates will not be affected.

Accidents suck! I have to take my car back into the shop because when the shop repainted it the first time after the install the paint cracked on the bumper! So, three days without the Max.

99Maxima5sp

That really sucks, ive only been involved in one accident and it was of my own doing. It ws just my car meeting a retention pond , i loved my past car (95 Probe GT, first car i purchased myself)

You can see some before and after (the wreck) and the retention pond pics HERE



Accidents SUCK!!!!!!!


eric

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Don't think he was going 50pmh, because if he was, both your quarters would be toast. Here's how you do it:
1) Take all info down.(done)
2) Take the car to a very good/reputable body shop if YOUR choice and have them do a quote(with all NEW Nissan parts, not used!)
3) Tell HIS insurance, where the shop is(address, phone, contact person)
4) Then let HIS insurance and the bodyshop hash it out.

This minimizes the chances at being screwed. If they want to TOTAL it, it's another story and you are much more on your own.