Another 'I got into an accident' thread :(

[dz]

So I was going eastbound on 76 towards Philly. Traffic all of a sudden comes to an abrupt stop.

The car in front of me slams on their breaks and they make it ok. I slam on my breaks and I made it ok. I actually still had about a foot or two of space. The truck behind on the other hand didn't make it ok. They ended up nailing my car in the back which also ended up pushing me into the guy in front of me.

Luckily, everyone was ok.

I have to say, my car held up like a goddamn tank. The front hood is dented up a good amount, the front fender is cracked pretty bad, the back bumper is bent and cracked pretty bad and it seems the left and right quarter panels need replacing.

The biggest thing I'm worrying about now is getting everything fixed. Both the other 2 people acknowledged to the cop that I had come to a full stop, so I'm not too worried about getting it fixed. The only thing I'm worried about is when they end up putting the new pieces on and repainting, are they gonna repaint the entire car or just the broken pieces?

I'd like the whole car so my car doesn't have two tones of paint, but I'm not sure what the standard is. I've never been in an accident before, so this is all kinda new to me. I'm on the phone with Geico now getting all this sorted out.

[vanbibber]

normally they just paint whats replaced. im sure you can get them to repaint the whole car though.

[dmw319]

some places can get the paint to match exact. youd be suprised. just give them the actual paint number from your model car and tada. worked for me. an entire fender was perfectly matched.

[Fbody3400]

I'm gonna go ahead and make the assumption your frame might be a little bent up...

[vanbibber]

yeah it could be./\/\

[Fbody3400]

Yeah, my friend got rear ended in his '97 30th. anniversay Z, didn't look to bad at all. The rear bumper was barely smashed, wheels/suspension looked ok. But it had to be totalled cause the frame was bent :(

(Oddly enough 1 month later he found a '98 Z28, already made to look exactly like a 30th anniversay edition...)

[asdf1234]

When they repainted my car, they only freshly painted the new peices, but they blended the rest in, so you can't tell the difference.

[BiH]

Originally posted by dmw319:
some places can get the paint to match exact. youd be suprised. just give them the actual paint number from your model car and tada. worked for me. an entire fender was perfectly matched.

actually you cant match a paint on a older car with the original paint code,they can scan the paint with a computer and it will show the paint that will match [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[dz]

Well, I'd imagine if the frame was bent I'd be able to tell with my alignment being off. I'm not sure though.

I hope the frame isn't bent, cause if they totalled it I bet I'd just get 'fair market value' which is probably nowhere near what I'd like for the car.

I'm waiting for them to call me today so someone can come look at my car. Hopefully I can get this taken care of as soon as possible.

[Pewter2K1]

consider it totalled..... if both quarter panels need replacing, plus a bumper, plus hood.... also factor in lights, supports and labor... thats like $4000..... and you ahve a 97...... odds are against you

[kristen]

hey a newer philly person. sorry to hear about your baby! i would get the frame checked out for sure

[dz]

Yaa this weekend I'll take it into my parents' garage where I do all my car work. Hopefully I can fully assess all the damage.

Do you know if it's possible to just do all the work myself and bill them for it instead of taking it to a shop? I can do everything besides the painting myself, and honestly I trust myself more than any old mechanic.

[Red94]

turn it into inmsurance, get the check do it yourself. i almost did it but i didnt want insurance to find out it ever happened.

[dz]

So, it's official that I am not at fault. Now I have to deal with the other persons insurance company. They're called 'New Jersey Manufacturing'.

Anyone have advice with dealing with the other persons insurance company? I've heard they can be pretty nasty.

[camaroman1181]

yeah man, sounds like its not lookin good for you gettin your car fixed. they totaled my 95 out 3 years ago with less damage then that (one less quarter panel needed to be fixed)... in any case, you could always buy it back and fix it up and get an R-title...

dealing with other peoples' insurance really sucks too. i was in a car accident where an old guy ran a red light and clocked me in my mom's car. we had to put up a lot of money up front for things like rental car and such and then hound them for reinbursement. good luck and hope everything turns out ok for ya..