Opinions on what to do with my wifes MINI (accident)

[Blacdout96]

Well a few days ago while me and my wife were sleeping, a girl decided to ram her car into my wifes MINI, my Ford Ranger, AND our house. Though the house's only damage was some dented siding, and the bed of my tuck is what got pushed in, the most damage was done to my wifes MINI. Geico just came out and assessed the car totaled, missing by a few hundred dollars to be repaired ($10,500) and to buy back is 8,000!!. Do I have the option of taking it to a repair shop to get a second opinion to see if it's less then they estimate?

[sweetbmxrider]

Yes, please do! Geico and all the other big insurance companies can **** themselves. That buyback price is insane, there is no way that is correct. Go to a few different shops and have estimates done. They will then do the dirty work with the insurance companies. They may write it close to the totaled threshold to get the repair work started, then submit for a supplement to finish the repair. Nothing you have to worry about, adjusters are just trying to go the most cost affective way for their company and in no way give a rat's ass about you and your life.

[maroman88]

8k$ buy back?! wow

[Mike]

Adam is 100% correct

[Blacdout96]

I thought so, for a car that's total, and yet the buy back price is that of a same model with higher mileage that is in perfect working order, hell there is even John Cooper Work editions at that price! Not only that but he didn't list a few options the car did have, and he wasn't all that thrilled when I brought out receipts of recent work performed on it.

I'm going to take it to a few shops then, cause I'm not an adjuster but even I felt I was getting ripped off.

[Featherburner]

My question is, why would you want it fixed if it has that much damage?

[Blacdout96]

I don't care about the resale, it's my wife's "baby" her first car.

We right now have a Chevy Sonic LTZ for a rental, and she hates it, it feels like your steering the car with sticks and rocks. She loves her car, and wants nothing else except another MINI Cooper, but we don't have 25K to shell out ( But I believe I'll be persuing legal action as well because there is a lot more to the accident story I decided to keep out.)

[Featherburner]

I'd be worried that it would never be "right".

[WildBillyT]

I don't care about the resale, it's my wife's "baby" her first car.

We right now have a Chevy Sonic LTZ for a rental, and she hates it, it feels like your steering the car with sticks and rocks. She loves her car, and wants nothing else except another MINI Cooper, but we don't have 25K to shell out ( But I believe I'll be persuing legal action as well because there is a lot more to the accident story I decided to keep out.)

In my opinion,

Have it checked out, but be prepared to let it go.

If it's mashed sheet metal like a quarter panel and that's some of the expense, that's one thing. If there's anything structural, let it go. I would not trust a loved one in a car that needed an assload of repair work.

[Mark B]

Fight for a few more dollars and let it go. You dont want a car back that has had that much dammage. I guess the only exception would be if it was all sheetmetal dammage.

[sweetbmxrider]

If the shop doing the repair work has the proper equipment and training, I don't see why you couldn't repair most anything? :shrug: It just comes to a point of being cost effective for you to repair or replace the car. The fact that its european also ups the pricing quite a bit. I'm sure they wrote for as many aftermarket parts as they could but you can demand OEM. You are going through the person who hit you's insurance, not yours, correct?

[rickyd13]

i know of a really great body shop right by me not sure where you are but he will make sure the car is 100%

[Blacdout96]

Yes were going through them. Got the police report back btw, the driver is 17, and only has had her driver's permit for less then 4 months :bertstare:

[Blacdout96]

So I just jacked up the car to take a look underneath to see how bad it is.....and it isn't. I see no frame damage, what happened is MINI's famously weak control arms bent in a Z-shape, making it have camber I wish I could have when auto crossing lol. Other then a new sway bar, sway bar link and upper control arm, I see no damage underneath, and if there is, it's very minimal, it's all cosmetic. I felt it wasn't that bad when I was able to close the door without it binding/crooked, and no broken glass. I think I have some calls to make tomorrow.....this one's not going anywhere.

[sweetbmxrider]

Since they tried to f you, make sure you f them :D

[Mark B]

How are you going to force an insurance company to fix a car that they want to total? On top of that, if they got an estimate using aftermarket parts, and you force them to use OEM, the cost to repair just went up even more.

[sweetbmxrider]

How are you going to force an insurance company to fix a car that they want to total? On top of that, if they got an estimate using aftermarket parts, and you force them to use OEM, the cost to repair just went up even more.

So long as he doesn't have a policy with Geico, they can't tell him what to do with his car. Their policy holder did the damage and the owner has every right to have his car 100% the way it was before the accident. This is why your rates go up when you cause an accident or your carrier drops your policy, you just cost them money.

[greenformula92]

Yeah thas the key. Although I have to say if my car got totalled i would be a little upset but happy I didn't have to pay for it anymore.

What insurance companies are we talking about? Are you doing it through yours or thiers?

[Mark B]

So long as he doesn't have a policy with Geico, they can't tell him what to do with his car. Their policy holder did the damage and the owner has every right to have his car 100% the way it was before the accident. This is why your rates go up when you cause an accident or your carrier drops your policy, you just cost them money.

I understand that it wasnt his fault. However, if totaling the car is cheaper for the insurance company, how do you force them to fix it instead of totaling the car?

If this girl had ripped his Mini in half, you couldnt force the insurance company to spend 50k to weld it back together.

[Mike]

I understand that it wasnt his fault. However, if totaling the car is cheaper for the insurance company, how do you force them to fix it instead of totaling the car?

If this girl had ripped his Mini in half, you couldnt force the insurance company to spend 50k to weld it back together.

The entire issue is that he believes that the estimate was over blown. Which is why the first reply is to take it to a certified but unaffilliated body shop for a second opinion.

If the car was "ripped in half" there probably wouldn't even be a thread.

[WildBillyT]

Jeff, can you post pics?

[sweetbmxrider]

Right, maybe I don't have a full grasp on the inner workings but in this situation it sounds like the vehicle should be repaired and that buy back price doesn't make sense. Hence the company trying to stick it to him when he should do the same in return.

[1320B4U]

If the car was "ripped in half" there probably wouldn't even be a thread.

I'd want the back half if that was the case..for the 'man cave'

[Blacdout96]

Here's some pics and a update. We called Geico and found out that they will only settle 10K max for both vehicles, AND the rental car is taking money out of that 10K, that's what the guy had on his plan, so whether you own a K car, or a Bugatti Veyron that was totaled, they will only pay out 10K!!!! How is this legal? So we called State Farm, and they are going to take it from here. I have to pay the $500 deductable, but at this time I don't give a rats ass. I have another adjuster coming out from State Farm to give a more "fair" adjustment, and will persue to have the vehicle fixed if it is found not to have frame damage, and they will go after Geico for everything...so sometimes it pays to pay a little more for insurance, instead of going with some green lizards words on tv.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/Balcdout96/IMGP7900_zps9d46042b.jpg

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[WildBillyT]

Here's some pics and a update. We called Geico and found out that they will only settle 10K max for both vehicles, AND the rental car is taking money out of that 10K, that's what the guy had on his plan, so whether you own a K car, or a Bugatti Veyron that was totaled, they will only pay out 10K!!!! How is this legal? So we called State Farm, and they are going to take it from here. I have to pay the $500 deductable, but at this time I don't give a rats ass.

1.) Based on the pics, I'd say this can be fixed

2.) This proves a previous point. You cannot comment on how good an insurance company is until you process a claim. Cheap monthly rates and cute advertisements do not matter if you get chump change when you actually need their services.

[Blacdout96]

WBT, can we make your statement a sticky? and just send it to everyone in New Jersey :rofl:

[sweetbmxrider]

Eh, that's all repairable. You don't have a policy with Geico, right? They are just trying to bully you. You don't have to have your insurance company fix it if you want to wait. You should really take it to a body shop you trust and have them write the estimate, let the adjuster write theirs, and then let the shop go after the insurance company for the difference. They can write it for less so it doesn't total then go for a supplement when they find more damage than was originally written/approved for. Really makes it simple for you.

It looks like a bumper, both quarters or possibly repair the passenger, trim, door, tail light, refinish wheel, and whatever suspension parts are bent. It will probably go on a frame machine first to ensure everything is straight. I know a couple local shops around here I would trust with the repair work if you don't have or know any close to you. Hold your ground and get a written estimate from a body shop and explain your situation, most should be willing to help with you.

[88WS-6]

Wow. Looks like a busy street, but how did she do that? Good luck getting it fixed.

[BullittSVT]

Yes were going through them. Got the police report back btw, the driver is 17, and only has had her driver's permit for less then 4 months :bertstare:

If they're a Galloway resident I probably know/know of them :bertstare:

Hope you get your Coop and everything fairly compensated!

[transmaro93]

well i just read this over quick... car looks repairable but i dont know the value of it and im sure parts are through the roof for that car being its a mini and thats means bmw.I will say that usually when the write cars on the street they write them low so if he wrote it that close to total without tearing it apart they are probably assuming there will be more damage that you cant see from the outside. And the salvage is probably really good on that car and thats why the buy back is so high and also why they are more willing to total it out then repair it. If the other guys insurance is only good for 10k (which is ******** and shouldnt be legal) then i think your doing the right thing buy going through your insurance and paying the deductable and letting the insurance company worry about going after the other guy. If your company doenst total it right as it sits. it will go to a body shop (of your choice or they will point you in a direction but ultimatly the choice is yours where your car gets fixed) and get torn down and a full correct estimate will be done at which point the car will either total or it wont and the adjuster will come back out to look the car over and the shops estimate to make sure its all legit... hope this helps... i work for a body shop and see and deal with this stuff on a weekly basis... good luck to you and on the bright side no one got hurt...

[sweetbmxrider]

Boom, there you go. I told him to chime in cause he knows wayyyy more than me. My info is all hearsay I guess.

[BonzoHansen]

Considering state liability limits are 15/30 - $15,000 per incident/$30,000 aggregate per policy period - any talk of $10k cap is BS - I guess unless she has already exhausted the $20k in other incidents during this policy period. If the guy told you that he is likely a liar. Good thing you got your carrier involved. If her car insurance does not cover it, then go after her parents as you know the car is probably in their name and she is a minor and lives at home. Oooh, their homeowners & maybe an umbrella policy are all in play.

[transmaro93]

yea once youve exhausted the insurance policy... only other way to get compensated is to sue... unfortunatly thats the world we live in. but are you sure its 15/30? when i bought my policy and this was like 5 years ago. im pretty sure there was a 5k property and 15kbodily liability option... unless thats changed now... when i seen that i couldnt believe that was legal... i have 100k/300k coverage... we living in screwed up times where people try to cut costs anywhere possible and it sucks that good people have to pay for their short commings...

[Jersey Mike]

From my experiences, insurance companies will spew a bunch of **** in their efforts to spend as little money, if any, as possible. I've been lied to, bullied, and told to go pound sand more times than I've been offered help when dealing with automobile insurance companies.
The best move you made was letting your insurance company fight hers. To quote Jane Lynch in Role Models, "You can't BS a BS'er."

[Blacdout96]

So State Farm sent their guy here, and he spent two hours going over both the vehicles, and looks like the MINI is more then okay! Showed me the paper work, and damages only came out to about $6,000....Geico said $10,700. He said he doesn't know where the hell he got his estimates, he's been in this business for a long time, and knew right away it was going to be fine.

He said the big thing these cheap insurance companies are doing right now are just buying up these high demand cars that have expensive parts that would make them money after they get done recycling the parts then the check they wrote out to me, thus why the buy back is so high ( I kinda figured that) and also they are sending a lot of our cars overseas for parts, not suprising since I worked for a company that would cut Hino and Fuso box trucks in half, shove them in a container, ship them overseas, and make more money like that then attempting to resell it here. They just wield a piece of C-frame where they cut the truck, and off they go.

So once again people, if you think you're saving on cheap insurance, remember, they aren't a charity, their in business to make money while staying cheap, one way or another.

[sweetbmxrider]

Yeah I was talking to my buddy about the buy back bs and he said the same thing. Some cars are just a high demand right now they would rather part them out.

[L695speed]

Sounds like you got it sorted out. Just really really really look over the bottom and subframes. My brother was in a wreck with his WRX and while it was a small one, what appeared to be just a bent shock and broken wheel etc, wound up being a crushed frame rail in the unibody that was under the fender. We almost decided to take the hit and fix the damage. I only found it when comparing the good side to the side that was hit. Once I found that I told my brother to take the money and run. I don't know if it would have driven right afterwards with that kind of damage, even if it was pulled and straightened. Metal can only take so much stress I would bet in my brother's case, it wouldn't have been as stiff as it once was.

[transmaro93]

yea if you dont mind.. post up what the final repair cost is... because ill assure you there will be more damage found once its all apart (which is normal) like i said above i thought that was a repairable car. but just for reference. we got a brand new 2012 Buick Regal in... hit really hard in the nose and down the side. Car was near total and customer didnt want it and frankly shops dondt want stuff like that either cause you a hardly make money on huge jobs but you take what you need to. Salvage on that car was only 5K on that car... yes 5K because there is no demand for it. so we ended up fixing this car. Came out nice and customer was happy but it was a hugge job. salvage value plays alot into what insurance companies do. geico prob said we can pay this guy off and scrap the car and break even or at least end up with less out of pocket... where as if they fix it they are just out the full repair costs...

[MyFirstZ]

They wants 10k for some for the most part everday sheet metal work and a bent stamped steel control arm. Even at oem prices it should not be that much.

Mini has sublet body shops that they use. You can have it towed to a dealer and someone will come from there sublet shop and give you am estimate as well.