Refrigerator on the Freeway= Not Good

[killak007]

So I'm cruising home in my 03 A4 3.0 Quattro 6spd from a playing tennis, feeling good about my performance and all, going about 70, and I suddenly see the car in front of me swerve to the lane to the right. I see a big black box come into my lane and didn't want to swerve into a car on my sides, so I hit the brakes and go crashing into a refrigerator. The airbags pop out, and I really hope I don't get rammed from behind. Luckily I didn't and pulled over to the side. But anyway, my car is smoking and its bleeding everywhere, not good.

The CHP (California Highway Patrol) comes and tells me it might be my fault if it was stationary, but not my fault if it wasn't. The statement I gave stated that I couldn't tell if it was moving or not but there was debris moving around. He said the case was still under investigation and he didn't want to tell me one thing and then have another thing actually happen. So we'll wait for the statement in two weeks.

As for the car, I need to see what the insurance company thinks. Not sure if it's totaled or not. If it is totaled, can I part out the car? How does that work, who gets ownership of the car if it is considered totaled?

Anyway, my family says "oh, its just a car, we're glad you're okay". I'm ecstatic I came away unscratched, but still extremely bummed my car is screwed up. I'm pretty sure everyone here will feel my pain. At least I don't have to bring it in because of the MIL light tomorrow...

[04_A4_1.8T]

How could that possibly be your fault? did he think you put it in front of your car or something? sorry about your car though that totally sucks...

[Audi-ence]

Glad to hear you're O.K., hopefully everything works out for you and your car....that's just crazy!

GOOD LUCK!

[OCMI_Teddy]

damn it seems like everyone and there mother is crashing their a4 lately

[norcatalyst126]

If you need a recommendation for an EXCELLENT body shop (i've used them twice) in Elk Grove, let me know.....Glad to hear you're alright tho....

[killak007]

thanks for the sympathy and my well being haha
what's the name of the body shop? I will have to see which direction my insurance wants to go.

[Papachristou]

if you hit a stationary object of any kind its always your fault... thats why you say "yes Officer, it was sliding across the freeway "

[Coderedpl]

if you hit a stationary object of any kind its always your fault... thats why you say "yes Officer, it was sliding across the freeway "

But then how would a stationary object in the middle of the highway be your fault?
Doesn't really make sense.

[Arclight]

Glad you were not hurt.

I would get an attorney if they decide to give you some type of ticket...

[A4ringedONE8T]

But then how would a stationary object in the middle of the highway be your fault?
Doesn't really make sense.

Because you should have your car under control and be far enough back from the person in front of you to stop in an emergency. BS yes but understandable on both sides.

Good luck getting everything taken care of and glad your alright! A4 safety FTW!

[vdubstreets]

Fucken maytag guy


in reference to parting the car, its called a "buy back" or something to that sort. The insurance company gives you a certain amount of money when the car is totaled. and you can buy back the car for a certain dollar abount. sometimes its worth it , other times not.

[widgget]

yeah, if it's totaled they are paying off or reimbursing you for the car so you can get a new one, the totaled car is theirs, but like vdub mentioned you can normally buy it back from them, if it's worth it or not is another question but they aren't just going to let you keep the totaled car and then give you a payout for it.

[norcatalyst126]

thanks for the sympathy and my well being haha
what's the name of the body shop? I will have to see which direction my insurance wants to go.

Auto Body Expressions on Dino Drive in Elk Grove.....916-685-5078....I know the owner well, some of the staff, and the service advisor drives a TT....

[BlackB6]

Hopefully it's totaled, then you'll get a new car

[chadb2434]

Thats crazy! A frickin Fridge! haha! Sry it had to happen to your car, I don't know what I would do!

[T0M3K]

I was thinking about that parting out idea. I have some components on the car and I have original OEMs, like radio, exhaust, if my car gets totaled, I wouldn't want those to go to the insurance, especially since our cars are so undervalued.

[killak007]

yeah, if it's totaled they are paying off or reimbursing you for the car so you can get a new one, the totaled car is theirs, but like vdub mentioned you can normally buy it back from them, if it's worth it or not is another question but they aren't just going to let you keep the totaled car and then give you a payout for it.

If my car is considered totaled by the insurance company, can I get back some aftermarket parts such as rims and exhaust?

[BlackB6]

If my car is considered totaled by the insurance company, can I get back some aftermarket parts such as rims and exhaust?

Yes, dibs on your exhaust

[Kittrell]

But then how would a stationary object in the middle of the highway be your fault?
Doesn't really make sense.

I know right, like there were emergency flashers on the fridge or something. I think that law should be conditional. You are normally paying attention to the car in front of you swerving out of the way, not whats in the road ahead of him. So you don't see why he swerved until all you can do is swerve. But if there is a car on either side of you, swerving is not an option. You just put it into emergency and pray that you live. There is no logical reason that it should be your fault.

[LampyB]

my gf hit something the size of a softball that punctured her belly pan and blew out the coolant pump. insurance would only cover it because i explained that it was moving across the highway and due to construction, traffic, and a closed lane there was no way it could have been prevented.

basically you must say it was moving to your insurance company or they may decide not to cover it at all. BS!

[Papachristou]

your insurance company will cover it either way lampy but how the claim is filed is what will be different... he may have to pay his deductible if they rule it his fault (collision claim). if its not his fault (which it clearly wasnt IMO) then it will go under comprehensive which usually has a lower or zero deductible

[Shi-Fu JaY]

I've almost been in two accidents at night!
one was a metal filling cabinet in middle of the freeway, and the other was a 1990's Toyota Celica, laying dead in middle of the freeway, with no emergency lights on.
both objects were in parts of the freeway that did not have light around.
I didnt see these objects until I was REALLY damn close!
I dont see how its your fault.

[Papachristou]

But then how would a stationary object in the middle of the highway be your fault?
Doesn't really make sense.

dude, im not the bad guy here. insurance companies are cheapo mofos who look for ways to eff over their customers....its their stupid rules, not mine...ive been working for enterprise rentacar for years and i am very familiar with lots of different types of claims (my wife is an adjustor as well) so im just telling you what they are going to say... its free advice, if you dont want it, throw it away....

i would always tell them it was still moving or sliding across the interstate...

[forevraudi]

whoaa that really sucks. i live in cali and ppl do seem to throw alot of shit out of their car while on the freeway.... Ive already run over a caution cone and a big ass construction blanket. And a....refrigerator? thats like worst case scenario stuff right there

hope everything works out for you man

[BOPOH]

sorry to hear about that. none the less got any pics? i think its just horrible time for A4s, when i was driving in VA i had caution barrel flying at me while i was doing 50 mph, barely missed by driving on a grass. Good luck with your case

[chadb2434]

I think it depends on how much you owe and the miles on the car..blah blah

[ThatGuyAlex]

whoaa that really sucks. i live in cali and ppl do seem to throw alot of shit out of their car while on the freeway.... Ive already run over a caution cone and a big ass construction blanket. And a....refrigerator? thats like worst case scenario stuff right there

hope everything works out for you man

I almost took out a full size garbage can! Ran over a 2x4! Hit a cardboard box! and almost took out a cone!

So 2 out of 4 for me. lol

But ya people seem to lose alot of stuff on CA highway.

[jon102034050]

glad your okay, and now youve got a good story out of the deal, its certainly one ive never heard.

[chadb2434]

hit a shovel once. and various small animals

[italian a4 1032]

that sucks
what parts would you be looking to part if its totaled?

[Kittrell]

I think it depends on how much you owe and the miles on the car..blah blah

No, it has to do with how much it will cost to fix versus how much the car is worth. It has to be within' a certain percentage.

[lauderdale75]

As much as I'd love to know more about the story, I'd be wary of posting on here about it; certain unscrupulous insurance adjusters are known to troll automotive message boards to make sure your story is consistent with the one you provided to them/police.

[Audituning02]

It would be dtermined totalled if the damage meets or exceeds 70-80% of the vehicles ACV(Actual Cash Value). Usually the buy back option is approximately 10-15% of what they are valuing the car at. Sometimes worth it sometimes not.. Sorry to hear about that shiat

[Kittrell]

that sucks
what parts would you be looking to part if its totaled?

The vultures are already circling.................

[Killerteve]

The fact that ur airbags went off will greatly increase the chance of the car being totaled. I don't know if this is a 100% true for Audis, but when I crashed my Expedition a few years back replacing the airbag system and everything that's damaged when it goes off(in that case most of the dash and some instruments needed to be replaced) cost around $4000. If you need some serious body work or the frame got bent past a certain tolerance I would say there's a good chance it's totaled. The difference is I hit a 2500 Suburban going 28mph vs a fridge at 70 lol.

[Maverick]

The statement I gave stated that I couldn't tell if it was moving or not but there was debris moving around.
.

you should have never done that. just say it was moving!

anyway, good luck with getting everything fixed.

[passatkid]

If its totaled they won't really give yo anything above book, but you can sometimes negotiate they give you the car for say a week to remove the mods. I did this with progressive insurance when I totaled one of my passats.

[norcatalyst126]

The fact that ur airbags went off will greatly increase the chance of the car being totaled. I don't know if this is a 100% true for Audis, but when I crashed my Expedition a few years back replacing the airbag system and everything that's damaged when it goes off(in that case most of the dash and some instruments needed to be replaced) cost around $4000. If you need some serious body work or the frame got bent past a certain tolerance I would say there's a good chance it's totaled. The difference is I hit a 2500 Suburban going 28mph vs a fridge at 70 lol.

I have been told by several different people who work with insurance companies that the insurance companies and car manufacturers kind of work hand in hand, and when a car does have its air bags deployed, its 95% of the time a total loss......It works out for both parties.....

[AudiA4_20T]

ok, so lets learn something here, the moral of the story is coilovers and upgraded brakes are not really "mods" but rather "safety precautions" that everyone should have

[QTC]

If my car is considered totaled by the insurance company, can I get back some aftermarket parts such as rims and exhaust?

If you're friendly with the body shop where the car is at, and have the stock parts from your car to put on, then you should be able to take the aftermarket stuff off. But you can't take off the wheels and leave it sitting on cinderblocks...

Sorry to hear what happened. Best of luck with everything