BG Auto: What the ef

[richardd]

you cant just take it to some cheap place like mako's for the paint job after the scratch is buffed out? ive had friends who actually been in similiar situations but ended up paying 500 just by jewing it out

than again, i dont know if the scratch was as deep. the car she hit was a honda. lolwomandrivers, but she sure got a good deal compared to the 1100

[jmc]

you cant just take it to some cheap place like mako's for the paint job after the scratch is buffed out? ive had friends who actually been in similiar situations but ended up paying 500 just by jewing it out

than again, i dont know if the scratch was as deep. the car she hit was a honda. lolwomandrivers, but she sure got a good deal compared to the 1100

Sister took her car to maaco to get painted, shit was peeling 8 months later.

Get what you pay for >.<

[richardd]

well technically, you're paying for the repair of that other guy's scratch <_< . for your car, you can take that shit to a professional, but they dont have to know that

[Kyo]

My insurance for full coverage is $50 a month, feels good man.

[Jakson]

What kinda car is that? Looks like maybe a late 90's Jetta?

Also reminds me of an accident in my altima. Some guy made an illegal left turn, I hit him in his trunk, his insurance paid. No dent on my car was more than 2 inches in any dimension, but because it was right where the front bumper, hood, and right front panel met, they all had to be replaced and was like $2500 plus rental fees. Sucked for that guy.

[zoobernut]

Why would your premium go through the roof? How old are you? Do you get in a lot of accidents or get a lot of tickets or something?

Most companies have accident forgiveness now and will not raise your rates for an accident if they only happen once every couple of years. You really have no choice but to go through insurance but it might not be that bad.

[Celeras]

Ive never got in an accident before. I've gotten one ticket ever, and it was a $400(not a typo) speeding ticket for 75 in a 55. 2 pts. That falls off my insurance this year actually, so maybe this will just cancel it out.

[Brill Weave]

Easy way to solve this. Ask the person you hit if you can have one of your guys take care of it or at least get a second estimate. As long as you weren't a dickhead, most people are at least receptive to the idea. When you take it to said other garage don't tell them it's an insurance job until you've been given a quote.

The reason they are getting this quote is because the first words out of their mouth were "insurance job." And the second that happens, the dollar signs go rolling in their eyes. It's the same way with the companies that work for me for AAA. A tow we send them on(AAA) they get paid 15-25 dollars. If they can convince the person to go through insurance that same exact tow is now 100-200 dollars plus time and mileage.

Long story short, the repair garage is gouging. That shit is $800.00 tops.

[Shagoa]

I don't know where you live, but in NY/NJ they destroy you after one incident and not to the tune of 20-30 bucks a month. Higher risk, etc

I live in Oregon, and you're right that I don't know how accidents are perceived in each state. I've been in 2 accidents (1 when I was 17, 1 when I was 19). The first one bumped my liability only coverage from 68 to 91 dollars a month. The second one when I hit the Lexus bumped my rate from 155 to 171 a month for a newer model truck I was driving at the time.

Maybe he'll be lucky and get that accident forgiveness for this one! Maybe they consider not only higher risk, but because there's more people living there per square mile?

[Cephius]

I live in Oregon, and you're right that I don't know how accidents are perceived in each state. I've been in 2 accidents (1 when I was 17, 1 when I was 19). The first one bumped my liability only coverage from 68 to 91 dollars a month. The second one when I hit the Lexus bumped my rate from 155 to 171 a month for a newer model truck I was driving at the time.

Maybe he'll be lucky and get that accident forgiveness for this one! Maybe they consider not only higher risk, but because there's more people living there per square mile?

Yeah, they might have accident forgiveness, that all depends on the company the OP uses. I'm 25 with a clean record and my insurance is still through the roof compared with other states. A few friends of mine have gotten in relatively small accidents (fender benders, stuff like that) and seen their premiums go up hundreds of dollars after it. Just wanted to make the point that auto insurance in NY/NJ is a different animal because of the population density and higher risk of accidents.

[Quixon]

Ok first thing:


That dude should be getting at least (3) Estimates. No less. Just keep in mind he is doing you a favor by not going through insurance.

I had a similar thing happen to me, guy hit my parked car in the parking lot. I went to a Ford dealership around me $1500 Estimate. Then he saw that and shit bricks. I went over to a more local guy, that I still knew did fantastic work. His estimate was $650. This was a little bit of front end damage on my front bumper.

In the end I just took the $650, and had it fixed by my Finace's Uncle for $100 lol.

And yes your insurance will most certainly charge you out the ass for this accident. And if your car is leased or financed, you have a $500 Deductible that is NY State Law. The deductible can be lower, but you would be paying higher premiums than what you listed.


Pay it out of pocket and don't go through insurance. You will be saving in the long run.



Edit: For "surchargeable" Accidents, you will be surcharged by your Insurance Company for 3 Years from the date the surcharges (increased premiums) start. This would be considered a surchargeable accident.

[volcanicweather]

Just pay out of pocket and be done with it - like others have mentioned. Sure it may cost a little more up-front, but it will be worth it in the long run.

Also, you're getting drilled on insurance. Given your age (I'm a similar age - 25, and I know 25 is the "golden age" in the driving world) and if you don't drive a ton you should really opt for "by the mile" insurance. I live right next to a light rail stop here in Dallas and got a 5,000 mile/6 month plan... I'm saving over 60% off my old insurance (~$1,000 for 6 months with progressive) on my brand new Mustang despite having a couple BS tickets on my record. I shopped around pretty extensively for quotes and even received some at over $200 per month. Granted I don't choose the cheapest option possible, but insurance prices are getting ridiculous.

My girlfriend is getting a car soon and she's just going to opt for the 1,000-2,000 mile insurance because she takes the light rail to work... depending on what kind of car she gets, her insurance will only be about ~$20 per month. Pretty amazing.

Link: http://milemeter.com/

[Quixon]

He is getting railed as much as you think.


Insurance in NYS costs a fucking fortune. I have (1) $1500 Claim against my insurance that I am surcharged for, and am 25 years old (turn 26 in 2 months).

I pay $992.60/6 Months for my Car, which is financed.

This is my policy breakdown, which is essentially the minimum you can carry for a financed/leased car.

Coverages
$992.60

Property Damage Liability $25,000

Basic Personal Injury Protection $200 Deductible


Comprehensive $500 Ded.


Collision $500 Ded.

That milemeter site looks interesting to say the least though.



Edit:

That milemeter shit is only available in Texas -_-

[Warudo Ecksu]

Is that a 3series bmw? Kinda looks like it from what little I can see in this pic. If so that's why it costs so much. My bf had the tiniest dent above his tire and it cost just a little more than 1200 to fix cuz they replaced the panel as well. That price would be pretty accurate.

Personally, if anyone put a tiny dent in my car, I'd be getting be getting the panel replaced as well, not some shitty hammer job.

[Xiona]

i thought it was so expensive for body work due to labor. its a good thing that scratch didnt span onto another panel as i think they do work on the whole panel not just affected area. most likely he went to a friend, or a really expensive place. while banging out that curved lip might not be easy i would suspect that is why the labor portion is higher.

the 4 wheel alignment is most likely not needed but this isnt about that, this is about what they can get out of you. it does indeed look like you hit the wheel from the marks on it so its common to tack shit on. especially when he is driving what looks to be a tiny car compared to the red beast i assume youre driving in the reflection, they assume his shit is fucked and talks like a fag

[Takedown3]

estimate is accurate, get a better paying job

edit: or pay attention when you are driving

[Celeras]

More the fact that I'm saving for a mortgage downpayment and would rather not chalk it up all at once ;p I woulda been willing to shell out maybe 500 to keep it off the insurance, but ef it.

And nah not a 3 series, it was a VW... older Jetta I think.

[Jojothemidget]

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/463...9105513.th.jpg

I work at a body shop and there is no way that quarter panel can be hammered out.
Looking at this picture the sheet metal has been creased <sp?>. If you were to try assuming you could get a hammer in there the metal would tear. Most likely the Estimator priced an OEM <dealer> part for replacement. The estimate of the damage would be about what he quoted.

Ps. In most cases replacing the part rather than "hammering it out" actually cost's you less.

Pss. I would explain but it would be TLDR.

[Plow]

The high cost could be something you don't even see, when some guy hit my mustang in a parking lot it looked like the worst damage was a broken turn signal, it turned out to be 1500+ in large part because there's basically 2 "shock absorber" thingies behind the bumper and one had gotten compressed and had to be replaced.

[netz]

The high cost could be something you don't even see, when some guy hit my mustang in a parking lot it looked like the worst damage was a broken turn signal, it turned out to be 1500+ in large part because there's basically 2 "shock absorber" thingies behind the bumper and one had gotten compressed and had to be replaced.

Yeah, this sometimes happens. The initial estimate never factors in everything, because they haven't done a full investigation of what they need to do the repair. Someone backed into my passenger side door, and I went through my insurance company and had them deal with the other driver's insurance company for me. The body shop had to get my insurance company to authorize another $600 to repair other broken stuff that they only discovered after peeling off the door panel.

As far as insurance surcharges go, Massachusetts uses a fun thing called SDIP. I got 4 of those points (by way of being a dumbass) for an accident at the end of 2007. They carry a penalty of somewhere in the neighborhood of $150 a point, and I only lose 1 next year after two years of carrying all 4. The year after, they'll be completely gone -- supposedly, according to my insurance agency. MA's opening up of insurance competition caused my rates to go up, so I'm in the process of switching providers again. qq