Body work

[bousozoku]

I just enjoyed a collision at a red stop light. I think I'm going to buy a yellow car so people will notice it, although people have hit school buses and they're hard not to see. I really don't want to drive any more. There just seem to be too many people who aren't paying attention. This woman didn't even speak enough English to explain to the police that she didn't know what was going on and just ran into my car. :rolleyes:

Definitely, I need a new rear window and hitch, but the exhaust sounds funny too.

[macka]

Hmm...sorry about your car.

At least it'll be the woman and not you who'll pay for your new all-noticing yellow car with a solid rear window, hitch and a fantastic sounding exhaust. :p

[neut]

lame; sorry you have to deal with that ****, did she have insurance?

just get a H2 (j/k) or ride your bike all the time... and stay out of the way of crazy people!

cars AND their drivers suck.


peace.

[iJon]

i bet that rack did a nice job on her car :D

iJon

[JesseJames]

I hope that you jumped on her and started biting her about the face like a rabid wolverine.

[bousozoku]

Thanks for your thoughts.

The bike rack obviously took the brunt of the collision and survived it beautifully. Thule is so good! :) On the other hand, I got the hitch at U-Haul and it's more than somewhat bent. I should be extremely happy I didn't have a bike on the back.

Her parents' car (the one she was driving) looked as if it only had scratches but I wasn't too concerned so I probably didn't examine it so carefully. It's probably the first time a woman has gotten into trouble watching a guy's rack. :D

[eyelikeart]

Ouch. Glad u are ok though. ;)

[LimeiBook86]

Maybe she was checking you out and was stunned by your beauty and crashed... ;) Or she is just a bad driver... :rolleyes:

[G4scott]

Ouch. That sucks. I've seen cars that have rear-ended trucks with trailer hitches on them before... Lets just say creased bumpers aren't a pretty thing, but the truck was fine...

Fortunately I've only been in 1 accident, although it happened to be with a woman (and it was her fault!!!)

I find it hard not to see a big white suburban when you're pulling out of a parking lot, but somehow she managed. It did a good number on the suburban too... 1 door replaced, frame bent, wheel screwed up, and several side panels screwed up. She T-Boned me at full, ramming speed. Lets just say that I was lucky there was nobody else in the lane to the left of me...

[Sun Baked]

Female driver runs into a large object on the road...

Does he need to say anthing more?

http://forums.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=12555&stc=1

[bousozoku]

Thanks to you too.

I've been dwelling on this a bit much. Last year, about this time, some female did the same type of thing as we were all leaving school. It was at night though, but I had my lights on and those are very bright. Two or three weeks later, some old fool pulled out into the lane where I was and we scraped mirrors. Had I not moved and accelerated, I would have gotten a couple of new doors.

I want to move back to Philly and give up cars. I liked using public transportation and with all these people around Orlando, it's even more of a reason to give up driving.

[Koodauw]

Don't give up faith. There are plenty of responsible drivers out there, and it is only a few bad apples who ruin it for others. Be thankfull that you were not injured and that no one else was as well. Sorry to hear about your car, like my father always told me: "This too shall pass"

[bousozoku]

lame; sorry you have to deal with that ****, did she have insurance?

just get a H2 (j/k) or ride your bike all the time... and stay out of the way of crazy people!

cars AND their drivers suck.


peace.

Yes, she had insurance. In fact, it was the same insurance company as mine. Hopefully, things will be processed quickly because of it.

I've ridden my bike in traffic quite a bit. One day, some dude didn't want to stop for a red light and almost hit me. Then, he drove slowly down the block cursing at me and honking the horn the whole way.

I'm still awake. The aches have finally taken hold and it seems funny to me that she didn't even try to apologise--not even in Spanish. I guess since she didn't think that I could speak or understand Spanish, she didn't have to feel bad about it. She was only worried about what her dad was going to say.

Koodauw:

I'd like to believe that there are good drivers out there. I've seen two or three in the last seven years in this area. Maybe if more of the bad drivers run into me, they'll be charged and won't be able to afford insurance and eventually, they'll not be able to drive. (There are plenty of unisured drivers in Floriduh--they don't remove their tags/plates or put a boot on the car here.) Faith? I don't have any left.

[iGav]

I just enjoyed a collision at a red stop light. I think I'm going to buy a yellow car so people will notice it

ouch matey! glad to hear you're dandy except for the customary aches though...

yellow cars are cheaper on the insurance here than any other colour.... ;)

[wdlove]

I'm sorry to hear about your accident bousozoku. Just glad that you are OK, that's what is really important. I had an accident in 1988 and haven't driven since.

Silver is also considered to be a safe color for safety.

[bousozoku]

Thanks!

Yellow seems safest to me, although we've had a couple of incidents where people ran into school buses, which are orange/yellow. :eek: :rolleyes:

I guess there is a silver lining to this story. I was examining the underside of the car, concerning the hitch, and found that at least one tyre was seriously in trouble. I just replaced all 4 tyres today. Had I gone much longer, I might have caused an accident. :eek:

[Sun Baked]

Thanks!

Yellow seems safest to me, although we've had a couple of incidents where people ran into school buses, which are orange/yellow. :eek: :rolleyes:

I guess there is a silver lining to this story. I was examining the underside of the car, concerning the hitch, and found that at least one tyre was seriously in trouble. I just replaced all 4 tyres today. Had I gone much longer, I might have caused an accident. :eek:Good thing you caught the tire problem...

Can you get a Golf GLS in yellow?

I remember Beetles and GTIs being offered yellow, every now and then -- but not Golfs.

[Opteron]

I hit a car on my bike @ 40km/h on my way to school (it was wet) ($2000 damge to car and $3000 to my bike, insurence picked up the whole tab.)

bad luck dude, though the person that hit you should have to pick up the tab.

[bousozoku]

Good thing you caught the tire problem...

Can you get a Golf GLS in yellow?

I remember Beetles and GTIs being offered yellow, every now and then -- but not Golfs.

No, plain Golfs cannot be yellow. The anniversary GTI was shown in yellow. For that matter, so was the Corrado, before I bought the blue one.

If i had a choice, I would probably go with the new Mazda 3 5-door.

http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayPage.action?pageParameter=Mazda3c&sectionParameter=

After all the power window problems and denial from VW, I think I want another Mazda. Now, if I had the money. A Subaru Impreza WRX looks good too but someone would run into me.

[Doctor Q]

I had an accident in 1988 and haven't driven since.How's the public transportation in Boston? The rail system here in Los Angeles is fairly new, but it covers only a miniscule percentage of the city. You pretty much have to take a bus from most places to most places, which makes it very slow to get across town. Which, in turn, makes more people want to drive instead.

[wdlove]

How's the public transportation in Boston? The rail system here in Los Angeles is fairly new, but it covers only a miniscule percentage of the city. You pretty much have to take a bus from most places to most places, which makes it very slow to get across town. Which, in turn, makes more people want to drive instead.

I think that the public transportation in Boston is great. I'm able to get anywhere that I want to go. I have 3 bus lines that go on the next street from my house. There is a Commuter rail right behind my house, with the stop only 2 blocks away. It goes to downtown Boston. There is an additional bus line 2 blocks the other way from my house. So that I can get to three major subway lines. It costs a $1.00 for the bus and $1.25 for the subway.

[bousozoku]

I think that the public transportation in Boston is great. I'm able to get anywhere that I want to go. I have 3 bus lines that go on the next street from my house. There is a Commuter rail right behind my house, with the stop only 2 blocks away. It goes to downtown Boston. There is an additional bus line 2 blocks the other way from my house. So that I can get to three major subway lines. It costs a $1.00 for the bus and $1.25 for the subway.

That's fairly inexpensive.

In Philly, it used to be $1.50 for any one way trip and certain cross-overs onto other lines, but you could go anywhere. It was also fairly reliable. Where I lived in Northeast Philly, there was a train and bus stop within 5 minutes walk.

Here, around Orlando, they have massive buses which are rarely filled and the routes aren't always useful. The only good thing is that, you can take your bike with you as all the buses have bike racks.

[mnkeybsness]

Thanks!

Yellow seems safest to me, although we've had a couple of incidents where people ran into school buses, which are orange/yellow. :eek: :rolleyes:


ACTUALLY, red is the most noticeable color to the human eye as well as the last color embedded in the cones of the retina. If you are going to get a color that is noticeable, get RED

[macka]

ACTUALLY, red is the most noticeable color to the human eye as well as the last color embedded in the cones of the retina. If you are going to get a color that is noticeable, get RED

Unless of course you happen to be colour blind. :(

[bousozoku]

ACTUALLY, red is the most noticeable color to the human eye as well as the last color embedded in the cones of the retina. If you are going to get a color that is noticeable, get RED

Actually, with men 30 and over, red is increasingly difficult to see. Of course, noticing that two women have hit me in a year in the car's rear, anything other than black would be good. :)

I'm really disappointed with Nationwide Insurance. It's been 1.5 days now and I still have no rear window or even a phone call about repairing it.

[LimeiBook86]

Actually, with men 30 and over, red is increasingly difficult to see. Of course, noticing that two women have hit me in a year in the car's rear, anything other than black would be good. :)

I'm really disappointed with Nationwide Insurance. It's been 1.5 days now and I still have no rear window or even a phone call about repairing it.

Call'em back, give'em hell ;)

[bousozoku]

Monday, someone called me about the person who caused the accident. He wanted to know if I had a phone number for them as their phone had apparently been disconnected. When I didn't have the information he wanted, he suggested that I should go to the Florida Highway Patrol to get the report and then, FAX it to him. Maybe, I won't be doing that. I don't really care when they have their car repaired. Is it customer service or the customers must service?

Someone finally called to handle my side Tuesday morning. He asked for the details again. It would seem that they're worried about fraud. He told me to wait about an hour and go to a certain body shop. Before we finished, he said that "it went through" and there would be someone else calling later to ask about the details again, concerning the injury to the other person.

When I got to the body shop, their computers were down, so they didn't have any information. I filled out some paperwork and they took some photos of the damage. They were going to call for a rental car and I was going to leave the car. The coordinator called Nationwide about the rental and they told her that it had not been assigned to any body shop. Well, obviously, it couldn't really go any further.

In any case, at the earliest, my car will be finished next week after they get the parts.

[Doctor Q]

The only time I had to take a car in for body work (for damage caused by a hit and run driver), the insurance company recommended a body shop, saying things would go more smoothly if I used that shop instead of one I picked. I took their advice and I'm sorry I did. The body shop promised me a completion date, then missed it, promised another date, missed it, promised yet another, and eventually finished about a month after they had first said they would finish. Every week they had a new excuse. I wrote a letter of complaint to the insurance company and they said "thanks for the feedback" and "we are constantly evaluating our recommendations". Who knows if anything came of it.

[krimson]

Wow, that sucks..
I think Apex-i makes the world sport muffler for that model. :)

[bousozoku]

Wow, that sucks..
I think Apex-i makes the world sport muffler for that model. :)

Right now, the hitch is pressing against the muffler and I get that sort of sound without paying for a sport muffler. :D

[Sun Baked]

The only time I had to take a car in for body work (for damage caused by a hit and run driver), the insurance company recommended a body shop, saying things would go more smoothly if I used that shop instead of one I picked. I took their advice and I'm sorry I did. The body shop promised me a completion date, then missed it, promised another date, missed it, promised yet another, and eventually finished about a month after they had first said they would finish. Every week they had a new excuse. I wrote a letter of complaint to the insurance company and they said "thanks for the feedback" and "we are constantly evaluating our recommendations". Who knows if anything came of it.I did that and ran into the same problem, it took 2 years of saying the car is unsafe to drive to get the car fixed well enough to drive straight.

What finally got them to fix it was a damaged brake line that started leaking and the crease (aka brake line imprint) in the shock right next to the leak.

Nice thing was their lifetime warranty, it finally got them to pay me to sell the car.

When the damage was within a couple hundred of a total wreck without frame damage, and they find frame damage that pushes the cost beyond it -- it's fun.

Especially since all the repairs over five years were double MSRP, and I was prepared to take it in for another repaint. ;)

[bousozoku]

That's definitely scary, you two. I wish you better luck in the future.

Considering how long the insurance company is taking to get in contact with the other person to confirm the accident, it looks as though the body shop will have the parts and they should be able to finish fairly quickly. Something should work out. :D :(

I'm certainly getting to know Nationwide. :rolleyes:

[bousozoku]

Another person has called, telling me that she's an adjuster on my policy's claim. Apparently, the person who caused the accident filed a claim to have my insurance repair their car and mine.

Funny how they keep giving a phone number that doesn't work, so no one can contact them. :(

[iGav]

Another person has called, telling me that she's an adjuster on my policy's claim. Apparently, the person who caused the accident filed a claim to have my insurance repair their car and mine.

Funny how they keep giving a phone number that doesn't work, so no one can contact them. :(

you're kidding... :eek: that's unreal... have you instructed your Insurance Company to tell them to pi$$ off?? :eek: :) :D

[bousozoku]

you're kidding... :eek: that's unreal... have you instructed your Insurance Company to tell them to pi$$ off?? :eek: :) :D

I told her that she can visit me and take photos of my car, take my statement, and by no means, will anything come out of my policy to pay for anything.

I'll driving my car in this condition for a month, if I must, to keep my policy record pristine. Well, of course, it's already been dirtied by the person who caused the accident.

This insurance company is one of the top five in the country. I had more luck with smaller companies. Does this sort of mess happen in England? Do the police and various companies share information easily or does it take 2-3 weeks to get a report?

[timmyOtool]

I'd like to believe that there are good drivers out there. I've seen two or three in the last seven years in this area. Maybe if more of the bad drivers run into me, they'll be charged and won't be able to afford insurance and eventually, they'll not be able to drive. (There are plenty of unisured drivers in Floriduh--they don't remove their tags/plates or put a boot on the car here.) Faith? I don't have any left.
The funny thing about good drivers is that if they are driving well you don't notice them. :)

[timmyOtool]

I have only had the need for body work once, but my brother owns a Body shop so its not that big of deal for me.
I would suggest that in the future you get the adjustment made and then take it to several shops and find a better price, that way you might even get to keep a little of that money. Also, if you can find someone who has used the shop before and can testify to there workmanship all the better. Trust me on this one, going with the insurance companies shop is not alway a good thing, they typically over change and cut every corner.
sorry about your bad luck, I hope you can get everything worked out.

[Sun Baked]

Another person has called, telling me that she's an adjuster on my policy's claim. Apparently, the person who caused the accident filed a claim to have my insurance repair their car and mine.

Funny how they keep giving a phone number that doesn't work, so no one can contact them. :(Go grab a copy of the police report.

But it insane to think that it's the person with the smashed tail is at fault at a red light, unless she planned on running the red light and it's all your fault for stopping her from breaking the law. :rolleyes:

Of course it is Florida, and I do remember how drivers use red lights there.

I remember several car that actually swerved around me to go through red lights when I was there.

[iGav]

This insurance company is one of the top five in the country. I had more luck with smaller companies. Does this sort of mess happen in England? Do the police and various companies share information easily or does it take 2-3 weeks to get a report?

they're no different here at all if that helps ease the frustration... they'll all happily take your money off you and be all buddy bud... until you actually need them, that's when you find out the good ones from the bad. :rolleyes: don't even mention the Police... :rolleyes:

so then, these red lights in the States, what's the deal with sometimes being able to turn right on a red at junctions??

[Sun Baked]

so then, these red lights in the States, what's the deal with sometimes being able to turn right on a red at junctions??You're still supposed to stop, then proceed after you determine it's safe to do so.

But everybody has basically forgotten that red means "STOP" on the right lane.

Some assholes even get mad at the people who aren't turning right (on the non-dedicated lanes.)

I've had people go around me and turn right from the left-hand turn lane to get around me when I'm going straight at a red light.

[bousozoku]

In the 1970s, they made it legal to turn right on red at most intersections/junctions. Otherwise, there are signs saying "No right turn on red" or electronic signs with the automatic signals. You may also turn left onto a one-way road which goes toward the left.

Here, it's likely that you'll also see people making a left turn on red at any intersection because someone told them that it was okay. People don't seem to stop before turning right at the intersection on red lights. Certain intersections are worse than others, including the one where I was riding my bike that one day.

I should probably not get started on the meaning of yield/give way. :D :(

If you consider that you're not tested when coming into Floriduh from most states, it's no wonder there is such chaos. Oh wait! My vision was tested.

For all the things that people say about driving around Philadelphia and New Jersey, it's not as bad as here.

[bousozoku]

The 2nd adjuster arrived this morning and we discussed the situation and she took some photos.

She had talked to the adjuster for the other insurance policy and she told me that she "couldn't believe that we worked for the same company", which makes me feel a bit better. She is definitely the bright spot in the whole experience.

Now, if she can interview the other driver and get a real phone number, that will probably get things moving late next week. :) :eek:

[bousozoku]

Sorry if you're tired of updates; however, this one is positive.

The other driver has acknowledged responsibility and I'm dropping my car off this afternoon and taking a rental car. It's unfortunate that Enterprise doesn't have any interesting cars in their lineup. Still, having a rear window is a plus if it rains.

[Doctor Q]

The accident that led to my car repairs was an interesting test of the traffic laws. Driver A was parked at the right of a street that had two traffic lanes in each direction. Driver B was driving in front of Driver C in the left lane. Driver B signaled right for a lane change and then moved into the right lane. Driver A pulled out (left) into the right lane without signaling, just in front of Driver B. To avoid hitting Driver A, Driver B pulled back into the left lane and was rear-ended by Driver C. At the moment of impact, Driver C was in the middle of the left lane while Driver B was straddling the lane line, moving left. Driver A drove away without stopping. Witnesses gave a description of the driver and car, but nobody got the license plate. The police could not locate Driver A.

Questions:

1. Which driver(s) is/are legally at fault for the accident?
2. Is Driver A guilty for leaving the scene?
3. Which driver is financially responsible for damage to Driver B's car?
4. Which driver is financially responsible for damage to Driver C's car?
5. Do the answers depend on whether Driver B's car had completely crossed the lane line while moving to the right, before moving back left?

[Sun Baked]

Of course Doctor Q will probably come back and say it's a no-fault state, unless he was still in LA LA land at the time.

Hand it on A if you can catch him for improper entry into traffic -- that's for a traffic ticket, civil liability may not follow the criminal code if you don't run into him.

B would probably get stuck with the bill for improper lane change if B had completed the lane change.

C would probably get sacked with failure to maintain control if B never completed the lane change.

[wdlove]

Sorry if you're tired of updates; however, this one is positive.

The other driver has acknowledged responsibility and I'm dropping my car off this afternoon and taking a rental car. It's unfortunate that Enterprise doesn't have any interesting cars in their lineup. Still, having a rear window is a plus if it rains.

No problem, bousozoku it's nice to hear updates especially when you have finally received resolution. Good luck, I hope that repair will be completed on time and to your satisfaction.

Doctor Q, driver A is definitely guilty of leaving the scene. He can be arrested for that. The other problems will depend on if the start has no fault or not.

[neut]

Sorry if you're tired of updates; however, this one is positive.

The other driver has acknowledged responsibility and I'm dropping my car off this afternoon and taking a rental car. It's unfortunate that Enterprise doesn't have any interesting cars in their lineup. Still, having a rear window is a plus if it rains.


glad to hear things are finally coming along...

what kind of car did they give you? at least it has a rear window right? ;)

****

Driver A's suck. i hate Driver A's.

i seem to be a driver D; though i have been in driver B and C's position without injury (thankfully).


peace.

[Doctor Q]

Here's how the case was handled. The police told me that Driver A was not guilty for driving away, because there was no proof that he knew an accident had occurred! If he didn't hear the crunch behind him as he drove away, he was not guilty of leaving the scene of an accident. He was an old man with his wife as passenger and drove slowly. We'll never know if he knew about the accident.

Driver A would have gotten a ticket if the police had seen him pull out when it wasn't safe. As it stood, there was no way for them to know if Driver A was the cause of the accident, although the policeman said it was likely, given that Driver B and Driver C gave matching descriptions of what happened.

Meanwhile, the insurance companies for Drivers B and C argued with each other, each defending its own driver, and decided in the end that Driver B was responsible for damage to both cars, having made an unsafe lane change. They never stated, however, whether it was the lane change to the right or the lane change to the left!

I was Driver C. The resolution of the case leaves my record intact: I've never caused a car accident.

[bousozoku]

glad to hear things are finally coming along...

what kind of car did they give you? at least it has a rear window right? ;)

...

peace.

Ford Focus and it seems okay, but not exactly what I expected from the rave reviews. The other choices were a Chevrolet Cavalier (uggggh!) and a Toyota Corolla (zzzzz!) Yes, the rear window has a huge effect on me. :)

Thanks!

[bousozoku]

The car is home. The body shop called me an hour before closing. This raised my suspicions as the last time someone did this, they tried to give me something that was broken.

It looks good but the hatch has "2.0" on it, which the other didn't. For that matter, I'm not sure I've seen one that did. They cleaned the interior (I'll be checking for glass later) and washed the exterior too. Some bird blessed it as well.

It looks okay but I'll reserve judgment until I have someone help me determine whether the lights on the hatch work correctly, etc.

It was a good Friday. :)

[neut]

It looks good but the hatch has "2.0" on it, which the other didn't. For that matter, I'm not sure I've seen one that did

2.0... is that an upgrade? :D

It looks okay but I'll reserve judgment until I have someone help me determine whether the lights on the hatch work correctly, etc.

id like to help you out, but i'm a bit too far away to see. ;) glad to here you've got your ride back. <here's hoping it's been taken care of...>


peace.

[Neserk]

Buy a RED car. You can see them for miles. Just don't speed ;)

[bousozoku]

2.0... is that an upgrade? :D

id like to help you out, but i'm a bit too far away to see. ;) glad to here you've got your ride back. <here's hoping it's been taken care of...>

peace.

Thanks. I really feel like driving. If you're in North America, I wouldn't mind visiting. :D

Well, I think the newest Golfs have 2.0 on the hatch but those from my year didn't have any badge except for the VR6, which unfortunately, I don't have. I guess we could consider the hatch version 2.0. ;)

[neut]

Thanks. I really feel like driving. If you're in North America, I wouldn't mind visiting. :D

Well, I think the newest Golfs have 2.0 on the hatch but those from my year didn't have any badge except for the VR6, which unfortunately, I don't have. I guess we could consider the hatch version 2.0. ;)

i'm on the other corner (nw). quite a drive... even for a 2.0 ;) i'd meet you half-way, but it's tornado season. :p

i've been to florida, but the humidity is hell. i'm a desert indian, so it's not the most ideal environment for me. :D

i guess the 'hatch 2.0' has a bit more character than 'VR6'. i mean, who else has one of these rarities? anyways anything with a '.0' in it's name is just automatically cool... like my Acura 3.0 :cool:


peace.

[topicolo]

ACTUALLY, red is the most noticeable color to the human eye as well as the last color embedded in the cones of the retina. If you are going to get a color that is noticeable, get RED

Actually, according to insurance companies, red is the most accident prone color. The reason is that in normal conditions, it doesn't provide enough of a contrast under day or night conditions. Red is practically invisible at night and it doesn't stand out as much in the day as white or black cars.

[bousozoku]

i'm on the other corner (nw). quite a drive... even for a 2.0 ;) i'd meet you half-way, but it's tornado season. :p

i've been to florida, but the humidity is hell. i'm a desert indian, so it's not the most ideal environment for me. :D

i guess the 'hatch 2.0' has a bit more character than 'VR6'. i mean, who else has one of these rarities? anyways anything with a '.0' in it's name is just automatically cool... like my Acura 3.0 :cool:


peace.

Humidity here? I haven't really noticed much. It's even less apparent after a trip to Japan, The Philipines, or Southeast Asia, I'm sure. ;) People kept telling me how I was going to hate July and August. In July, I asked when it was going to become hot. :D

Well, considering what the VR6 means--the oddity of it all--I wouldn't mind, especially with the extra power. The only good thing I can say about this 2.0 litre engine is that it doesn't stink like the earlier 2.0 or 1.8 litre engines. :)