11,000 miles and I got hit by a Ford Econoline .... what to do now? Advice?

[Pop.Tremuloides]

Hi everyone,

Well today WAS a good day....

Coming home from the store I was turning into my neighborhood and a guy in a Ford Econoline Van decided to smack into me....OUCH!

Totally his fault. I have no earthly idea how he couldn't have seen me as all I could see was the grille and bumper of his van. Essentially he had a brain fart and just hit the gas from the stop sign. Oh well....he was a nice guy and was fully insured with the same company I have insurance with.

The damage is minor that I can tell. His vehicle had no damage aside from the tire mark on his steel bumper and the paint transfer. The drivers side rear quarter panel is dented up and lots of paint scratches. The wheel appears to be OK but what concerns me is the fact he hit me square dead-center on the wheel/tire. I opened the trunk and the compartment on the driver side when opened shows a little buckled metal.

The accident had to have happened around 5-10 mph from his vehicle. I was doing roughly 10 mph in a left turn. Thankfully I wasn't going any slower or he would have T-boned me. No airbags deployed. He was cited for something but the officer would not tell me what and said I was free to go while he chatted with the young man.

Soooo.....the car is literally one year old within a couple of weeks (our baby :) ) and I was wondering what I should have done when it comes to the estimate? Our dealership is about 50 miles north of us and I really like them. They have a collision center there as well.

I am concerned about the fact the vans bumper hit the tire square on. There is no apparent damage to the rim. The rear bumper section is gouged into the sub surface.

What should I be asking of the estimator? What should I be asking to the repair folks?

Alignment? I have only driven the car .5 miles to my house at only 30 mph but did not feel any vibrations.

I haven't been in an accident as the driver in over 30 years so this is all new to me at this point.

Thanks for the advice and suggestions. I would hate to have a problem when the spring season starts at High Plains Raceway!!!

Cheers,

Pop

[mdgrwl]

If you can drive the car and you don't get vibration, the tire/wheel are probably fine aside from cosmetic's.

You have insurance, call up and file a claim man - they will take care of it, thats why you have insurance.

[bknewtype]

sorry to hear

let the insurance adjustor take care of it. they are usually good with seeing whats damaged. worst comes to worst if they miss something, they will fix it post repairs. good luck.

[dtronics]

I don't think anyone here is going to be able to tell you an exact dollar figure to ask for. Make sure that you take your car to a couple shops prior to meeting with the insurance claims person. My old B8 was dinged on the door by another person and it went through insurance. The claim adjuster wanted to give me 400 bucks for the damage and tried to cut me a check on the spot. Luckily I took the car to the Audi dealership for an estimate prior to meeting the adjuster and they told me in order to do the job right, basically half the car had to be repainted. A small door ding on my car cost around 2K to fix. If I didn't know any better I would've taken the $400 check and then had a horrible time trying to find a place to repair my car.

Obviously this wasn't your fault so just make you get some quotes and you have the right to get your car fixed wherever you want. Your car should be fixed to the same or better condition than before this accident happened.

[Pop.Tremuloides]

The claim was filed about 20 min after the accident! Gotta love USAA. What I am asking is just what to be certain to have the collision repair shop look at.

I will be driving it later this afternoon to see how higher than 30 mph works out with it.

I am not concerned about the cost of the repair as I will not be paying for it. 100% from insurance it seems as it was not my fault. If they can make it good by repairing the gouges and the dents whoo hoo I am happy! If not they may have to replace the lower portion of the bumper as it is separated from the top portion and is gouged up pretty badly. I just want it to look and work like it did previously.

I just went out to the car and it appears that the lower section of the rear bumper with the parking sensors is really A O K :) It is just the damage in that area where the bumper hit and the panels where the upper section meets the lights is bowed out now several millimeters. Not a big deal for a body shop.

My biggest concern is the bulge in the metal inside the trunk. No cracking of the paint so I would "assume" that they only need to pull it out hopefully.

Here is one of the pics....

[xuandatou]

I don't think anyone here is going to be able to tell you an exact dollar figure to ask for. Make sure that you take your car to a couple shops prior to meeting with the insurance claims person. My old B8 was dinged on the door by another person and it went through insurance. The claim adjuster wanted to give me 400 bucks for the damage and tried to cut me a check on the spot. Luckily I took the car to the Audi dealership for an estimate prior to meeting the adjuster and they told me in order to do the job right, basically half the car had to be repainted. A small door ding on my car cost around 2K to fix. If I didn't know any better I would've taken the $400 check and then had a horrible time trying to find a place to repair my car.

Obviously this wasn't your fault so just make you get some quotes and you have the right to get your car fixed wherever you want. Your car should be fixed to the same or better condition than before this accident happened.

+1

[i1overice]

So sad! At least no one is hurt. Don't let adjusters give you a check, let them do the work through the body shops. If not, make sure you get a reputable quote.

[Mops@Nemesis]

No biggie at all, and they will fully inspect the car for damage you may not see. Either way, the quarter panel repair will be simple, and you'll want to request a new bumper cover.

[Pop.Tremuloides]

Thanks!

Thanks Mops......I am assuming the bumper cover is the plastic that was gouged out that is flexible. Am I correct in assuming that?

Just got off the phone with a few shops...they all asked if I was able to drive the car. At 30 MPH it is....this afternoon I'll bring it up to 65-75 and see. I think I am in a good situation here as the wheel seems to be just fine :)

The rubber taken off the sidewall is another story. Cosmetically it is not to "my" tastes but that is because I am a shade tree garage detailer......the marks won't come out. Thankfully the rim appears to be just fine....glad FORD Motor company accounted for their bumper height in the 1990 Econoline Van series....LOL.

The dealer stated that I should think about an alignment due to where the Van hit......is that something I should ask the adjuster when he/she comes? Either way I will be asking for one as I spun about 120 degrees from the hit.

Thoughts?

[Mops@Nemesis]

Thanks!

Thanks Mops......I am assuming the bumper cover is the plastic that was gouged out that is flexible. Am I correct in assuming that?

Just got off the phone with a few shops...they all asked if I was able to drive the car. At 30 MPH it is....this afternoon I'll bring it up to 65-75 and see. I think I am in a good situation here as the wheel seems to be just fine :)

The rubber taken off the sidewall is another story. Cosmetically it is not to "my" tastes but that is because I am a shade tree garage detailer......the marks won't come out. Thankfully the rim appears to be just fine....glad FORD Motor company accounted for their bumper height in the 1990 Econoline Van series....LOL.

The dealer stated that I should think about an alignment due to where the Van hit......is that something I should ask the adjuster when he/she comes? Either way I will be asking for one as I spun about 120 degrees from the hit.

Thoughts?

You are correct.

I'd be the same way. I'd request a new tire. There may be structural damage to the tire as well. Is the set relatively new? Only thing is, I would not want 3 tires at say 40% tread and one new.

Damn, you were hit pretty hard. Yes, I would also want the align checked after a side hit.

Again, you'll be good. Just make sure and express all concerns to the adjuster. From there, they will ensure all repairs are taken care of properly.

[Pop.Tremuloides]

Thanks!

Yeah the A5 didn't stand a chance vs the Ford Econoline!!! Oh well.....have to get it to a repair shop in the next week or so. Still waiting for the USAA folks to get they other guy's statement. I'm not paying a dime for this as it was 100% his fault. I just have to wait for them to get in touch with the kid.

:)