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

[A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby]

Apparently it can happen anytime

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

[Hamster]

Originally Posted by Yury

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]

Originally Posted by 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

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]

Originally Posted by Yury

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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!