[Devinn]

So I just bought my first ever new car. Newest I had previously owned was a 2002 impala, and before that was a 1995 firebird firehawk. Took a big leap 3 weeks ago. Last weekend, someone side swiped me in a parking lot. I only had 700 miles. Hit and run. Luckily someone saw it, and got their tag number for me. My insirance agent managed to track down the vehicles owner, but im still waiting to hear back from that persons insurance company. Otherwise i have a $500 deductible. (Awesome.)

I was wondering if anyone had any idea on how much the repairs would be. I plan on taking it in for a quote this afternoon. The pictures really don't do much justice. Hard to get a good picture on the black vehicle. The bumper trim doesn't line up with the rear quarter. Has a small dent in the rear door as well.

The bumper has some scratches, but I'm thinking it should just buff out. Not sure how that works though with all the metallic flake

 

[CruzeTech]

So I just bought my first ever new car. Newest I had previously owned was a 2002 impala, and before that was a 1995 firebird firehawk. Took a big leap 3 weeks ago. Last weekend, someone side swiped me in a parking lot. I only had 700 miles. Hit and run. Luckily someone saw it, and got their tag number for me. My insirance agent managed to track down the vehicles owner, but im still waiting to hear back from that persons insurance company. Otherwise i have a $500 deductible. (Awesome.)

I was wondering if anyone had any idea on how much the repairs would be. I plan on taking it in for a quote this afternoon. The pictures really don't do much justice. Hard to get a good picture on the black vehicle. The bumper trim doesn't line up with the rear quarter. Has a small dent in the rear door as well.

The bumper has some scratches, but I'm thinking it should just buff out. Not sure how that works though with all the metallic flake

What??? Noooo!!! 700 miles? Ugh!

It’s really hard, or, I should say, impossible to determine the cost of a repair. Different states, and even different cities charge different prices. Some repair shops choose to use aftermarket parts for the repair, and keep their profits up. Some choose to use factory parts.

Either way, your insurance company will have a list of repair shops that they will pay for repairs. So, best thing to do, would be to consult your insurance company. They will point you in the right direction. And there shouldn’t be much need to drive around and get estimates, you’re only paying the deductible. I would hit yelp and try to find a some customer reviews on the places the insurance company offers you to go to, before committing. That way, you may be able to alleviate any hassle with bad workmanship.


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[neile300c]

Man, a FIREHAWK!!!! I wanted one of those when I was growing up. I loved those!!!!

So I just bought my first ever new car. Newest I had previously owned was a 2002 impala, and before that was a 1995 firebird firehawk. Took a big leap 3 weeks ago. Last weekend, someone side swiped me in a parking lot. I only had 700 miles. Hit and run. Luckily someone saw it, and got their tag number for me. My insirance agent managed to track down the vehicles owner, but im still waiting to hear back from that persons insurance company. Otherwise i have a $500 deductible. (Awesome.)

I was wondering if anyone had any idea on how much the repairs would be. I plan on taking it in for a quote this afternoon. The pictures really don't do much justice. Hard to get a good picture on the black vehicle. The bumper trim doesn't line up with the rear quarter. Has a small dent in the rear door as well.

The bumper has some scratches, but I'm thinking it should just buff out. Not sure how that works though with all the metallic flake

 

[Devinn]

I still have the hawk. 95, black, hard top, black leather interior, 6 speed, and only 49k miles.

On another note, I just got off the phone with insurance, and the guy who hit it is denying it. My insurance company is saying there's nothing I can really do. So now I'm out the $500 I don't have to spend hahaha. I just bought the damned car 3 weeks ago. My first payment is due on the 11th. My last day at my current job is next Thursday, and I start my new job the following Monday. So I'll be out on some pay next month, during the pay day overlaps. Sonofa....

 

[Taxman]

What??? Noooo!!! 700 miles? Ugh!

Like a friend of mine, who buys a new car every ten years or so, recently said:
"Just once, I'd like to be the one to put the first scratch in my new car" (the same friend did it to both his 2001 and his 2013)

Either way, your insurance company will have a list of repair shops that they will pay for repairs.

Either his insurance is different from mine, or that list is the same as the list of licensed body shops in the area.
The insurance company might have a list of preferred vendors. Their preferences may or may not conflict with OP's preferences. Sometimes you get perks, like body repair warranty, when you use the insurance company's choice of shops.

I'd assume the shop will give OP an estimate for pulling the dents out of the back door and right quarter and straightening the bumper mounts, and repainting a large portion of the car. OP will probably be surprised at how cheap the repairs are and how expensive the paint is.

It shouldn't have to go on OP's insurance if OP was legally parked. OP can try to file with the responsible party's insurance, or sue the responsible party in small claims court, or OP can put it on his insurance and they can subrogate the claim against the responsible party's insurance. If the latter, OP may still have to sue to recover his deductible.

Luckily someone saw it, and got their tag number for me. My insirance agent managed to track down the vehicles owner, but im still waiting to hear back from that persons insurance company. Otherwise i have a $500 deductible. (Awesome.)

You have a witness, and the responsible party is denying it? And your insurance agent or a claims rep from your insurance company is saying "oh, well, you lose, we're not going to fight over this little money"?

Call the cops, report a hit and run (should have been step one), and sue the [email protected]#$%#^%.

 

[Rivergoer]

Well THAT sucks. On the bright side it's easily fixable and you're insured. You're taking all the right steps.

All that aside, extending a big welcome and congrats on your new Cruze. In a short time all this will be history. Stay positive and soon you can start really enjoying your first new car!

:th_dblthumb2:

 

[CruzeTech]

Yeah, that’s exactly what I meant. Just use who the insurance company provides. They should know best, how to tackle the claim.

I would at least file a police report, and name that individuals plates. The police will investigate, and determine if the other car is damaged, and if that car has any indication of hitting yours.


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[Devinn]

It happened in a parking lot. First thing I did was file a police report. They told me they don't really follow up on any parking lot accidents. Not much they can do. I am going to go look through the lot and see if there's any cameras today. And yeah. Insurance company is saying there's nothing they can do. The guy whose truck it was, is saying he was out of state, and has pictures of his truck with no damage. The witness told me it was a black truck with a big bumper. So I'm assuming a brush guard, which he could have just washed

 

[CruzeTech]

Definitely a tough situation. I would scope the area for cameras. That’s your best bet. Looks like you may be swallowing the $500 deductible, after all.


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[Taxman]

Hit and run is a crime, requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
Small claims court is preponderance of the evidence.
If it's 51% likely he's responsible, a judge/magistrate will make him pay.

1. Is your car damaged? Yes.
2. Do you have evidence that his truck damaged it? Yes, an unbiased witness saw the truck, can describe the truck and wrote down the license number in contemporaneous notes which he hopefully still has in his possession.
3. Does he have evidence that he didn't do it? Yes, his personal word that he was never there.


Well, if you didn't whack plaintiff's car with your truck, who did? (silence...)
Judgment for the plaintiff in the amount of $500 plus costs. (you can prepare in advance for him naming another driver by filing suit against Joe Truck Owner and John Doe #1)

 

[Merc6]

Welcome to the forum. Damage like that at 700 miles I was expecting you to have a Maryland or Virginia location in your profile. Being a brand new gen 2 it's nowhere near totalled. Luckily they found the person, I had about 3 hit skips on my Cruze and 0 leads to who did it.

 

[Blasirl]

I would research body shops in your area. Get estimates from the top three (it's a brand new vehicle you know) and submit to your insurance company. Request that they use factory parts if needed. It looks, aside from the door, there are no removable parts damaged. It is possible they would reskin the door, but I think they will probably purchase a replacement from a salvage yard if they consider the cost to repair the damage to be more than 50% of the replacement door cost.

Oh Yeah ...

Welcome Aboard!:welcome:

 

[goochman]

Had a similar situation with one of my cars - got hit and someone left a note. The Police Station was across the street so went over to file a report. They tracked down the address and went to the persons home. They admitted to leaving - the Police then asked if I wanted to file charges or just get on with the insurance claim - I just did the claim.

It stinks the Police didnt go to that guys house - Im pretty sure if the Police showed up he might have a different story - its pretty easy to tell an insurance agent over the phone it "wasnt me"

 

[1988gmc355]

That sucks, but you can still drive it so keep fighting it. Make the insurance companies work together and work for you. So many people accept sorry no and go on. You can fight this for an indefinite amount of time as you are not out a usable vehicle.

 

[IndyDiesel]

Welcome to the forum...hope you can get this all sorted out. I might be inclined to take the dude to small claims court with your witness. How would one get the plate number if he was out of state?

 

[Taxman]

Welcome to the forum...hope you can get this all sorted out. I might be inclined to take the dude to small claims court with your witness. How would one get the plate number if he was out of state?

1. They got the plate number wrong, in which case the witness' description of the truck wouldn't have matched the truck.

2. The owner loaned the truck to somebody else while he was out of state, in which case he's not getting away from the responsibility in court unless he names the other driver.

 

[chevrasaki]

Wow that sucks. If it were me, I wouldn't spend the time and effort persuing small claims. $500 is worth less to me than the stress required to fight it. I'd just pay and try to forget it ever happened. Chalk it up to the cost of driving. Sometimes you gotta pay deductibles, sometimes you gotta buy gas & insurance, sometimes you gotta pay speeding tickets, and sometimes it breaks down and you have to pay for repairs. In my eyes, it's part of the cost of getting to use the world's largest go-cart track.

Don't worry though, that guy is likely living a much worse life than you are living, and he will not get the last laugh. Karma is pretty real.

 

[BU54]

Devinn a couple years ago a friend of mine backed into my '13 cruze with similar damage. Had two estimates in the $700-$900 range. Difficult to tell if there's damage to your door but none to mine in my situation.
PS small claims court doesn't mean ship!! The only way you can collect if someone refuses to pay after a small claims court ruling is to garnish their paycheck. That will take even more court time.
Our justice system is setup to protect the government not the individual against each other.

 

[jsusanka]

So I just bought my first ever new car. Newest I had previously owned was a 2002 impala, and before that was a 1995 firebird firehawk. Took a big leap 3 weeks ago. Last weekend, someone side swiped me in a parking lot. I only had 700 miles. Hit and run. Luckily someone saw it, and got their tag number for me. My insirance agent managed to track down the vehicles owner, but im still waiting to hear back from that persons insurance company. Otherwise i have a $500 deductible. (Awesome.)

I was wondering if anyone had any idea on how much the repairs would be. I plan on taking it in for a quote this afternoon. The pictures really don't do much justice. Hard to get a good picture on the black vehicle. The bumper trim doesn't line up with the rear quarter. Has a small dent in the rear door as well.

The bumper has some scratches, but I'm thinking it should just buff out. Not sure how that works though with all the metallic flake

The view from the rear makes it look like your door is untouched. Which is good and wonder if paint less dent repair could be done with some professional buffing with a good compound to get out the other marks.