Car accidents and insurance

[Gsst98]

The other day I was involved in a car accident it wasnt a bad one. The problem is I was just quoted the damage they said its $5800 which basically totals out the car, the car runs fine, the front right fender, bumper, radiator, hood and one head light needs to be replaced. Anyone been in this situation and does anyone have any advice its starting to turn into a nightmare?

[Thor06]

Your pictures dont work.

I think you've only got two options home boy, either report it and have them total your car or dont report it and fix it yourself.

If you've already reported it then I dont think theres much you can do. I tihnk you can take your check for the car, then buy it back from the insurance company and fix it.

[JoeShmoe]

Agreed, there is no $5800 worth of damage. You can fix it yourself and you would probably keep more than half of that amount of money. Don't know about the whole buying back bussiness.

[Gsst98]

alright cool thanks, ive alaready looked at parts on ebay it would be less than a 700 for the parts so ill prob end up doing it my self, if thats what it comes down to

[TalonEclipseMixGsx]

Originally Posted by Gsst98

alright cool thanks, ive alaready looked at parts on ebay it would be less than a 700 for the parts so ill prob end up doing it my self, if thats what it comes down to

Good call, that's exactly what I would do in that situation. With all the aftermarket parts I've put on my car, I'll be damned if i let them total it and take all of it.

[Thor06]

No shit. If I were unfortunate enough to get into an accident, my insurance company would be none the wiser regardless as to how much damage happened. I could probably part the bitch for more than the $900 KBB value and even if I couldnt I would rather strip it down and either keep or sell the parts than just have it taken away. I figure I would rather lose a few bucks on the deal and help out someone than make all those parts go to waste.

[vanilla gorilla]

Yeah I would try and fix it myself. Or buy it back....hmm...not sure. It you report it your insurance is gonna go way up right? In that case then I would fix it myself

[JoeShmoe]

Tehy still have to give you some flow for it, right? with as much time and money we drop into our cars, Fuck that, nobody is going to scrap my car!!!!

[rock0134]

Was it your fault?

You need to have another estimate done that is way too high.

What year and model is it? A 98 GST?

I bought mine back from the total and fixed it for a looottt less.

[david-b]

OH OH OH OH PICK ME PICK ME!!!!

Looks very similar to my accident, although my hood and front radiator support were trashed. To fix myself, I spent about $1300 and that was with upgrades, like better radiator, CF hood (used but coulda got stock cheaper), and after market headlights. But that was with:
-Radiator support
-Support install
-Bumper
-Fender repair
-Radiator
-Headlights

I pulled the AC so I didn't have to replace my core, but looks like you don't need it.

I would say fix it yourself. It's not hard. You can drive without a bumper with no problems. I did the whole thing (once the frame was fixed) in 2 days, and that was with dicking around. Pretty easy to do. Some of those little braces may need to be straightened out, but it's very doable.

And to remember mine:

[kittay]

Who was at fault?

Just because it's considered totalled doesn't mean it's a loss. If you have the title in your posession, then there will be no initiation on the title. If you still owe money on it and the bank has the title, then it will show up as being a rebiuld.
I've been through this quite a bit. If it was someone else's fault, then go to several different shops and get quotes. They will usually cut you a check, then you can keep whatever is leftover from fixing it (if you buy used parts).

[Gsst98]

David-b your car has pretty much the exact same damage as mine, Every thing should be ok i took it to another shop they quoted it for $2000 instead of $5800 everything worked out. I was blamed for the accident but my insurance is going to cover everything minus a 500 deductable. Im very relieved, I cant belive how much of a differnece the quotes were. I took it to a place called Car Star I dunno if they are as good of a shop but thats where im getting it fixed.

[Gsst98]

One other quick question if the AC core is bent just a little bit will it still hold charge? I cant really test it since its winter.

[david-b]

As long as the main "passages" on the core aren't bent in a way to not allow air through your should be ok. Mine had holes in it afterward so thats not good. Even if the fins are bent, you'll still be fine. Best way would be to take it off, make sure it's empty and submerge in water and see if it bubbles anywhere, but that takes a little longer. It doesn't look like from the pics that you would need a new radiator. Since the AC core is in front of the radiator, it seems like it would be damaged also. Pics?

[Gsst98]

sorry i dont have pics i left my camera at school ill post them by the end of the week the core is bent maybe a half an inch but the radiator mounts on the top got ripped off, ill prob twisty tie it to hold it back in place