pawe

What a hassle! My car was backed into by a 63 yr old woman.
she was trying merge on a busy street when I suddenly saw her backing lights turn on and then BAM! rammed the back of her car into my front bumper. She got out,looked at my car and said "sonny (i guess I still look like an 18yo) I wouldn't back up if I saw you behind me, and besides, it doesnt look that bad". Unbelievable!

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^^^Im sure the reason she didnt see me was because of all the stuff blocking her view.

Anyway, anyone here had the same experience/insurance expert that can give advice if I should ask for a replacement bumper or do what the old lady's insurance company said by taking my car to one of their affiliated bodyshops. Im worried about the alignment and paint job.

Plus, Is it possible to ask for a Rieger bumper instead of the OEM? OEM bumper is $970(w/o fogs, mesh, impact strips) and the Rieger is $900 with fogs.

SickSpeedMonte

I JUST went through this!! Except my old lady was 86 and suffering form dimensia! She came barreling into our parking lot and jumped a curb, threw it into reverse and peeled out (left tire marks) making a 180 degree turn. Luckily, my freshly painted '85 Monte SS with like 20 g's invested was there to stop her or she might have hurt something.

So she jumped the curb next to the car, destroyed my front bumper cover, and redesigned the whole driver side.

And that wasnt enough, so she throws it back into drive and tries to get off the grass, meanwhile her wheel is still pointed towards my car and she lodges it inside of my front fender, pulling it damn near off the car.

She had no idea where she was or what she did. Lucky for me, a neighbor witnessed the entire thing from their balcony and ran down to make sure she was alright. She just asked if he could help her get or car off the grass so she could go home. He called the cops and they came and took a report. As she was walking back inside, she asked, "Did I do this?"













We both had the same insurance co., and they tried to immediately total the car without even seeing it. I told them to send an appraiser out and that they will NOT be totaling the car. I also managed to throw together $11,000 worth of the receipts I have, and the guy took one look at the car and said it's clearly not totaled. (Just an interesting side story, this obviously won't be your case)

They cannot dictate where you must go to get your car fixed. What you should do is go to a couple of the (more expensive preferably) body shops and get a few written estimates. You can take it to one of their approved shops, but you dont have to. They will cut you a check, in your name, and you are free to do with it as you please. Their insuree caused damage to your car, and they reimburse you for the damage. If you take it to a shop and they determine that they need more money, there is a process they can go through to get more, but they will have to prove its justified. I've never had to deal with that, and I hear its a PITA.

So my advice is be prepaired for the adjuster with estimates (you wont need to prove the value of your car in this case). You should be able to get your bumper, but if it turns out the money they give you isnt really enough to fix the car, it will be next to impossible to get the money from them to finish it.

SickSpeedMonte

BTW, this is the third time that car has been hit while parked. I paid for the first paint job, and its been painted two other times in the last two years because of this BS. The first time, I went to the appraiser, the second time they came to me (on their dime). It all just depends on what is more convenient for you, you dont even have to be there unless you want to present them with the estimates or in my case, receipts.

The second time I got hit, the old guy backed into me and offered me $50. It didnt even look as bad as what happened to you. I told him it would be more like a few hundred and he said there was no way. So I got $730 from his insurance.

pawe

They should have a law that tests seniors every 6 months or 1 year if they are still capable or driving or wont be a danger to anyone else. Someone could have been seriously pinned between your car and hers.

They will cut you a check based on the estimate of the body shop you went to right? So, what will the role of the appraiser be? Is he going to be the one to see if the bumper should be repaired or replaced? Or will he be the one to determine the amount that you will get?

Thanks for your detailed input, I dont have any idea in dealing with insurance companies.

willc55

I believe, although I may be wrong, that the appraiser is only required in certain situations, e.g. deciding whether or not to total the car.

I was rear-ended a few years back by some idiot woman who was texting and did not even touch the brakes before plowing right into the back of my car which was stopped at a red light at the time. All I had to do was get 2 estimates from body shops, fax them to the insurance company, and they cut me a check. I never dealt with an appraiser. Hope this helps!

pawe

Thanks! Any tip or info definitely helps!
I hope I wont have any problems getting a new bumper specially with the economy right now, everyone is bankrupt. I know I deserve a new bumper just for the hassle and inconvenience plus my car's value just went down.

Moviela

I would persue a diminished value claim against the insurance carrier.

Take your car to a Mercedes certified shop. They have the tools, information, and parts to fix the car properly. Why take a chance that the car will not perform properly and protect you in case of a more severe accident?

SickSpeedMonte

I've had to deal with appraisers all three times I was hit, and two of those times, a total loss wasnt part of the question. I think its probably got more to do with the insurance company, although all three were different co's with me.

Either way, get yourself some estimates, and definately get one from an MB dealer. You should be fine.

pawe

Didnt even know bout this. Do you have to hire an attorney or just file for it?
More info bout this and your experience would be really great!

BlackLiquorish8

OMFG!

wmasmb430

haha that pic with the old lady in it just crossing her arms is hilarious hahahaha
Sucks about your cars tho that really stinks hope everything turns out good.

Buellwinkle

One thing I would look for is a place that knows MB's and how to apply the PPG Ceramiclear clearcoat the car came with. Very hard finish and way more chip resistant than old school clearcoat.

This is how insurance companies think, they want you to go to their shop, that shop is going to send your old bumper out to get "reconditioned" or glued back together and bondo'ed and primered or they may get one from a salvage yard. Then they spray it with primer, color and clear, not MB quality paints, just whatever they would spray on a Camry or Monte Carlo. This paint is really soft, why, because it's easier to spray and easier to buff when done. It will chip, swirl and scratch very easily and a year later your bumper will look like poo. Also, what they do to make sure their inferior paint matches is they will spray about a 1' into each surrounding panel, they call this blending.

Don't know AZ laws, but in CA, when the insurance company wants you to take it to one of their authorized repair centers, there are some advantages, the law says the insurance company is liable for the work, don't like it, you can still take it to your guy and they have to pay. Also, you never write a check or fill out a form, they take care of it. I had a 4runner, rear ended at a light. They fixed the car and I wasn't happy with the paint, they redid it 2 more times, still not happy, took it to another body shop of my choice, painted it an they paid both shops, not my problem. Also, CA, licensed body shops are required to change like for like on insurance claims, it's the law. This was made to protect you from them using inferior aftermarket parts from Korea and China but it works against you because the bumper you want is aftermarket, even though it's your choice. I wanted them to put a steel hood on my kid's Mustang, it's half the price of the fiberglass factory hood, they wouldn't do it even though they know the fiberglass hood's paint gets spider cracks. But if you can get a cash settlement from the insurance company, you can do whatever you want with the money, but if for some reason, you discover more damage when taking it apart to fix, you are on your own, so there's risk there too.