I dont really have time to discuss it. Ill explain more later. But basically i was trying to avoid hitting another car and my car lost control and went over a curb and hit a brick wall. I have the pics below. I think I was going about 10 mph when the car hit.

So heres the problems. Bent intercooler. Broken radiator. Broken front bumber and driver fender. driver headlight is misaligned. The driver side skirt popped out as well. and the driver front tire rubs against the side skirt now too. No airbags depoyed. What other damages might I be looking at?

Also the insurance agent is coming later this week to give me an estimate. How does this work? If only the radiator, intercooler, and bumper and fender are messed up i would rather fix it myself. Or do i need to take it to a shop for the insurance check.

pics:

 

o man bro. that sucks. depending on your company they might give you a check and let you take it to a place or they might tell you where to take it.

 

You do not have to take it to the shop that an insurance company requires.

If they tell you that call BS because they cant make you do it. They should cut the check and let you do whatever you want, for whats its worth though i would take it to a shop of your choice rather than do it yourself (unless you own a shop).

If you find something else wrong with the car while you are fixing it your going to have to come out of pocket for it where as a shop that finds something wrong will provide the insurance co with proof that more $$$ is needed to make the necessary repairs and if you do it yourself and this happens you might be SOL.

 

well im with allstate. They told me they would give me a check and take it to my own shop of choice but that since im still paying for the car that my lein holder has to sign off on the check so i dont know what that means??

 

the check will be written to the owner( lein holder) they have to sign it for you to get your money.

 

so is the bank gonna ask me about the shop im taking it to? how do i get the money and still do it myself.

 

that i really dont know. i havent crashed a car yet. im sure they will give you the money what you are there to get it repaired.

 

Take it to a shop that the insurance recommends. I say this due to the fact there is most likely more damage than is seen. Did the rim (DS) get bent? Have them go over the car to do the estimate. Then take it where ever you want to get it fixed. Make sure you ask the Insurance company how they handle unseen damage. Cover your self so you don't get burnt.

I bet there is more damage to it than you can see..

 

the insurance company will cut you a check. then you deposit the check buy the parts you need used, have a little or alot left over depending on what you pay for parts then you can use the extra to upgrade. thats what i did. thanks for the front mount geico. lol

 

WTF! wei where'd this happen ?

 

and another one bites the dust!

 

actually its coming back better than before so i wouldnt say that

 

Incidents like this are the exact reason that whenever I move to a new city, which I have done alot in the last 10 years, I immediately get with a local club of some sort and find the guy who works at a body shop.

The estimator will cut a check for damage they see as obvious, but unless you get it inspected and get an estimate from a licensed shop, that first check is all you're going to get. Generally the adjuster and the shop will see things differently, as the shop will remove stuff and find more damage. So the shop puts in an addition to the original estimate that the insurance adjuster made. This is totally common and happens with almost every repair.

You best bet is have the insurance adjuster look at it. He/she will report back to the insurance company an initial estimate based on external observations. Take the car to a shop that offers free estimates or where you know someone. Have them do a second estimate and send your insurance company the new estimate. Your insurance company, provided they like the shop you went to, will base the new repair estimate on the shop estimate.

The insurance adjuster will almost always lowball the initial estimate so the second estimate is pretty much mandatory. The adjuster is not going to tear into the car and wont see anything wrong other than whats on the surface.

If you know the shop, tell them what your doing and either work the repair through them with parts that you outsourced or have the insurance company cut you the check directly. I did this with my car when my wife hit a tire the first day she had it. I had a friend at a Ford dealer body shop do the adjustment to the initial estimate and had the shop do all the work. The insurance company wanted to replace parts with in kind parts but since I did it through my friend, I ended up with the APR IX front end and had a couple of dollars in hand.

/brox

 

Ouch.

 

I would prob bring it to a shop also just bc you hit on the drivers side, and behind the bumper on the drivers side is a 2000 dollar acd pump!! Also your control arm and sway bar and end link could be damaged!! It will just be hard to get extra money from the insurance co... If you have any questions LMK...