Got hit today

[mgroeger]

take it to a dealer. most insurances will cover the dealer making the repairs. thats would i would do.

!?!?!?!?! The dealer is the ABSOLUTE LAST PLACE TO TAKE YOUR VEHICLE FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN WARRANTY WORK... ESPECIALLY BODY WORK.

The guy who told you to take it to a Mercedes place was on the right track. In my old Toyota I got hit and I called the local Porsche dealer and asked who did their body work. I figured if they were working on Porsches they had to be top notch and they were. They didn't excellent work.

That will easily be over $2k imo. Don't take anything less than a brand new rock rail either and then ask to keep the old one so you have it as a spare should you ever damage it on your own off roading, etc...

And don't let them rush you.

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[Maverick909]

!?!?!?!?! The dealer is the ABSOLUTE LAST PLACE TO TAKE YOUR VEHICLE FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN WARRANTY WORK... ESPECIALLY BODY WORK.

The guy who told you to take it to a Mercedes place was on the right track. In my old Toyota I got hit and I called the local Porsche dealer and asked who did their body work. I figured if they were working on Porsches they had to be top notch and they were. They didn't excellent work.

That will easily be over $2k imo. Don't take anything less than a brand new rock rail either and then ask to keep the old one so you have it as a spare should you ever damage it on your own off roading, etc...

And don't let them rush you.

yall must have some sh*t dealers. ive never had a problem using my insurance to take a truck to the body shop at the dealer. never had a bad experience myself and always had top notch work.. and if i didn't like the dealer i have a second shop that works on on top notch restored older cars and trucks that i would be using. But i would still have it looked at and quoted by the dealer as your going to get a higher price for all the parts and have more cash to get it fixed with if you choose to go else where

 

[Erbium]

before you do anything call a PI lawyer, they will handle their insurance company and you should go get checked out at an chiropractor or doctor the first 48 hours asap. you don't know if you've sustained any injuries that could come back to bite you in the ass down the road, it's important to get checked out within the first 48 hours as that has an affect on how much $ down the road you will receive if you are injured. Even if you aren't injured this will be covered by their insurance since they are at fault.

you should get a check for the diminished value of the vehicle because a brand new jeep that was hit is less valuable than a new one without any accident history.

a quick google resulted in---

"
Texas is a diminished value state, which means you may be entitled to the diminished value of your vehicle after an auto accident. The statute of limitation on diminished value claims in Texas is 2 years, and Texas does have uninsured motorist coverage for diminished value."
www.collisionclaims.com › texas-diminished-value

good luck mate.

 

[rickinAZ]

Agree with everyone. Do NOT rush into accepting a check. Take your time getting estimates and get your own insurance company involved.

This isn't legal advice, but a former office mate of mine was a PI attorney and he advised taking your time when dealing with an insurance company after an accident, such as when I got hit on my motorcycle. The insurance company wants to get it off their books and are hoping you want the money quick so they don't have to pay what it is worth.

EDIT: And sorry to hear about the damage. Hope you get it looking good as new!

If you accept a check, and there is hidden damage, they will supplement. The exception is when there is a possibility of physical injury.

 

[mgroeger]

before you do anything call a PI lawyer, they will handle their insurance company and you should go get checked out at an chiropractor or doctor the first 48 hours asap. you don't know if you've sustained any injuries that could come back to bite you in the ass down the road, it's important to get checked out within the first 48 hours as that has an affect on how much $ down the road you will receive if you are injured. Even if you aren't injured this will be covered by their insurance since they are at fault.

you should get a check for the diminished value of the vehicle because a brand new jeep that was hit is less valuable than a new one without any accident history.

a quick google resulted in---

"
Texas is a diminished value state, which means you may be entitled to the diminished value of your vehicle after an auto accident. The statute of limitation on diminished value claims in Texas is 2 years, and Texas does have uninsured motorist coverage for diminished value."
www.collisionclaims.com › texas-diminished-value

good luck mate.
https://www.collisionclaims.com/texas-diminished-value/

Well that escalated quick... lol. A PI for a 12" scrape and dent? At most he probably felt like he bumped a curb.

 

[Erbium]

Well that escalated quick... lol. A PI for a 12" scrape and dent? At most he probably felt like he bumped a curb.

Well their insurance company will certainly have their own attorneys assigned to this claim - why wouldn't you want to be on even footing by having someone represent your own interests? After all their insurance company is in the business of trying to pay you as little as possible which is demonstrated by how fast they are trying to close this claim. I had a friend who walked away from an basic accident thinking all was fine, and then 2 months down the road he was in the ER for a collapsed lung from the same accident he thought he was fine. I'm not a doctor and I'm certainly not an lawyer, he should get checked out by professionals to cover his ass -- better than looking back in regret.

at most the frame on his whip is damaged and that 40k car is worth 1/3 now if he takes a check for 3k to just fix the whip when he goes to sell in 3 years from now that car fax comes to bite him in the ass.

Different strokes for different folks i guess.

 

[rickinAZ]

Well their insurance company will certainly have their own attorneys assigned to this claim - why wouldn't you want to be on even footing by having someone represent your own interests? After all their insurance company is in the business of trying to pay you as little as possible which is demonstrated by how fast they are trying to close this claim. I had a friend who walked away from an basic accident thinking all was fine, and then 2 months down the road he was in the ER for a collapsed lung from the same accident he thought he was fine. I'm not a doctor and I'm certainly not an lawyer, he should get checked out by professionals to cover his ass -- better than looking back in regret.

at most the frame on his whip is damaged and that 40k car is worth 1/3 now if he takes a check for 3k to just fix the whip when he goes to sell in 3 years from now that car fax comes to bite him in the ass.

Different strokes for different folks i guess.

Recall that earlier in this thread I said that one needs to be wary about hidden physical injuries. So...I would normally agree with you, except this isn't even a mole hill let alone a mountain. The damage is barely one step worse than "It'll buff out". This accident doesn't even need paintwork. [I doubt if the OP's coffee even dribbled down the side of the cup.]

 

[mgroeger]

Well their insurance company will certainly have their own attorneys assigned to this claim - why wouldn't you want to be on even footing by having someone represent your own interests? After all their insurance company is in the business of trying to pay you as little as possible which is demonstrated by how fast they are trying to close this claim. I had a friend who walked away from an basic accident thinking all was fine, and then 2 months down the road he was in the ER for a collapsed lung from the same accident he thought he was fine. I'm not a doctor and I'm certainly not an lawyer, he should get checked out by professionals to cover his ass -- better than looking back in regret.

at most the frame on his whip is damaged and that 40k car is worth 1/3 now if he takes a check for 3k to just fix the whip when he goes to sell in 3 years from now that car fax comes to bite him in the ass.

Different strokes for different folks i guess.

Dang man, "at most frame bent" are you kidding me? Different realities for different folks I guess.

That thing needs a rock rail and a good body shop to pop that dent and paint it. It ain't like he got plowed by a garbage truck while sitting at a red light.

 

[Erbium]

Dang man, "at most frame bent" are you kidding me? Different realities for different folks I guess.

That thing needs a rock rail and a good body shop to pop that dent and paint it. It ain't like he got plowed by a garbage truck while sitting at a red light.

I don't recall op ever telling us what happened, guess we'll have to see when op posts the damage write up by the shop.

 

[Jasonep]

I am a car crash lawyer in Seattle. I’m not sure if everyone that thinks they know what they are talking about has my 20 years of experience dealing with situations like this and seeing exactly how shitty all insurance companies are. The truth is, I wouldn’t have a job if insurance companies just treated people fairly in the first place. Instead, people have to hire someone like me just to get what the law says they should. OP, feel free to PM me if you want a referral to someone I know in your area. Your always going to better off getting a lawyer on your side to make sure you don’t get screwed.

As an aside, diminished value claims are difficult but not impossible. Contrary to what someone said above, the claim is immediately available. You don’t have to wait until the car is sold. However, most of the time to have a viable finished value claim, the car either had to be an exotic, or the damage has to be substantial to a very new vehicle.

 

[clemson]

Yep Screw the bastard for hitting you. Such a minor scrap and you people are talking about hiring a PI lawyer, diminished value, hidden damage. Bet your neck hurts now. What wrong with you people?

 

[NBB]

The best body shop is a can of worms. It's generally your right to choose. I wouldn't bring my MB to the local MB dealer for anything, not even an oil change. I wouldn't assume the best shop is a dealer shop, much less assume the best work comes from the most expensive shop. Could be, depends on your local - but I've actually found the opposite myself - my local MB shop for example is a bunch of lazy, entitled, overcharging, no-talent twits.

Per the posts who said waiting too long caused a claim denial and they wouldn't pay a lawyer for a case already in motion. Waiting too long or waiting at all is a bad idea in general - however, that's not really why the claim was denied in this case - the insurance company is no longer your agen when you've already made choices that wound you up in court. The insurance company as your agent has a right to settle over going to court, and that right was taken away by your decisions - that's why the claim was denied.

Per another post about it being no big deal to take a check, they'll cut another one later if the costs are higher - that's not necessarily true either. It depends what else you signed or is implied or in writing by you cashing the check. In general - don't do this.

TLDR: this is a nothingburger. If getting an accident resolved were complicated, the world was grind to a halt. Call your insurance company and file a claim, then get trusted local recommendations for a body shop - schedule the repair - get it done - move on. Ignore further calls from Geico.

 

[Erbium]

"Yep Screw the bastard for hitting you. Such a minor scrap and you people are talking about hiring a PI lawyer, diminished value, hidden damage. Bet your neck hurts now. What wrong with you people?"

Sorry for offending your fragile sensibilities if being competent and being made whole rubs you the wrong way. Fender bender or not injuries aren't a joke. The fact of the matter is there's a million dollar industry revolved around selling information regarding if an vehicle has been in an accident because it DOES AFFECT their value. If you want to bend over for the insurance company and pretend like it's just a scratch and doesn't affect your property and you're perfectly fine without getting checked out by a doctor because you know better than everyone else then by all means help yourself live in that world. There's a bridge in Brooklyn i should mention you might be interested in. But let's not pretend people who take it upon themselves to protect their interest are somehow dramatic and shameful. By giving op pertinent information that affects his circumstance he can make an informed decision for himself about how to proceed, take that as you will.

Or you can continue to speculate until the cows come home.

 

[Pourboire]

Does anyone have a rough estimate on what it's going to cost to get this fixed? The other driver was at fault, and their insurance is trying to rush me in to accepting a check. I just wanna know how bad they are going to try to screw me. Thanks!

From my experience, go to your preferred shop who you trust, and don't except any money.
Their adjuster will work out the final payment. I'm assuming there was no one in the vehicle.
Best of luck. I had a ford pickup crew cab which suffered damage in a Safeway parking lot, no note ...etc and Safeway didn't have cameras. Total cost $2300, I had to pay for it through collision which cost me $500.00. Two months later at a hotel from home someone side swipes the truck. $6500
in damages and $500 out of my pocket. What happen to honesty and responsibility for ones actions.

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