I was rear ended lastweek by a 1998 Honda civic at about 20mph, although there is little external damage (bumper needs repaint and lic plate light replace and a dent in plate) what internal damage could I exspect? I hear a rattle now when I hit bumps or rough road surfaces.

The civic had moderate damage, cracked bumper, bent hood and broken headlamp.

The driver was un-insured (showed the officer fake insurance card) since the insurance company called me and stated that the policy was in fault for non payment. I am covered under "uninsured motorist clause" but I want to be sure all problems / potential problems are addressed now.

Any ideas or experience on this.

Thanks

 

Oh man, sorry to hear about the smack. I bet you are/were ticked...I know I would be. Fricking no good-for nothing, uninsured SOB.....

Could it be a rattling muffler?

 

look for a clean pair of shorts

 

Defiantly check you muffler isolators to see if one is broken or shoved over. Dam Hondas anyway.

 

Yup, right Muffler is hitting a steel peice just behind the bumper.

I was so pissed I could not see strait, I always park my car in the back parking lot, washed every weekend and every time I get in I first check for ding and scratches.

When I got out I stormed over to her car and she was holding her chest and crying so I then felt bad and called the ambulance and police. I come to find out that she was hurt by her Cell phone when she hit me. :bang:

I called the officer back to let them know that her insurance in inactive.
will see what they do.

 

I hate people that talk on their cell phones and drive. I would have rammed the phone up her back side.

At least it wasn't your fault. If she doesn't admit it was her fault you can sopena her phone records to prove she was on the phone. It's your insurance company's problem if she has insurance or not, they'll just make her pay for it.

 

Check the bumper clip right behind the licence plate (stops the bumper from flopping in the wind on the highway)

I believe it's molded to the bumper and attached to the car via those plastic clips.

 

Honestly, if that is all the damage your car has, you're pretty lucky. When I read the title to this topic, I would of expected quarter panel damage. I'm still sorry to hear about your accident.

I'd get an estimate of the repairs before contacting your insurance company. If it is less than your deductable, or even slightly more, I'd just pay for it out of pocket. From personal experience, I don't use my insurance company unless I have to. If you make a claim on this, even though it isn't your fault, and you are forced to make another claim for something else it might hurt your rates.

Good luck with the repairs!

 

don't pay for out of pocket because sometimes they find stuff under there when the take the bumper cover off and it might be a lot worse than what they quote. The reinforcement bar might be damaged or whatever. Besides with a $500 deductable, I'd be suprised if he paid less than that.

Take this from someone who has been rear ended 5 times, all sitting at stoplights. That's why I was so anxious to put sequentials in when I first got my car.

 

Im glad you didn't get hurt and hopefully your Stang's damage is just superficial, but I can't help but hope that her cel phone maybe knocked some sense into her noggin. Not likely, but maybe she learned a lesson about yakkin on a phone and driving. :bang:

 

Oh wow.. I am suprised u didnt get charged with assault and battery..bc i know i would have..

I would probly kill someone who rammed my car while i was sitting with a POS honda WHILE they were talking on the phone AND they didnt have insurance..omg

 

opps hit enter too quickly anyways..

Sorry to hear about the banged up stang

i know..it feels like itll never be the same, but trust me, get good repairs and itll be tip top shape

Its also a huge pain in the butt tho just to deal with it, and the insurance company, and the dumb broad

 

Check for bits of rice lodged in the car.


Good luck with all the repairs.

 

check the bumper stop. The metal (brace) stop right behind the bumper, it's most likely bent in.

 

I would have grabbed the cell phone and thrown it on the ground as hard as possible.

 

I would use your insurance, take it to a repair shop recommended by your insurance company. Make sure that they warranty the work for the life of the car. You can take it back as many time as necessary without any added deductable until it's completed repaired. That if your insurance company works the same as mine (AAA).

Sorry the accident.

 

I can guarantee that this will be more than his $500 deductable. I have 2 different door dings, one next to the key lock on driver's door ($625) and one next to gas door ($450). I have to have my driver door mirror, door handle and lower stripes removed. On the back ding they may have to remove (or drop) my rear bumper guard.
Idiot woman of an insurance assessor wanted me to make 2 claims - I went ballistic on her. (my wife had to step between her and me - she was a jerk). I had anticipated this in advance and went to my dealership paint shop (they are real good) and got them to claim it as one. They are going to bat for me and will get all the money they need from my ins. company. The idiot assessor only gave me a $163 check + my $500 deductable = $663. As you can see this will cost $1075 to fix two different door dings!
I asked the crazy assessor what happens if some dumb kid keys me at a car show with a 3 inch scratch one side of the car and then walks around and does the same thing on the other side - of course she said that I would have to file 2 claims - at that point I was ready to punch her - thank goodness for my wife's calmness at this point!
So beware when dealing with your insurance is the lesson of this comment. Get a good paint shop/ collision center that will "talk turkey" to insurance companies and get what they need - past your deductable.
If I get anymore door dings and the vehicle is still there - I get plate numbers, vehicle description and will file a police report. And of course I always park in the boonies in every lot, but the jerks seek out nice cars just to hit them.

 

WOW! thats serious bucks for door dings unless they are creased severly and do not allow paintless repair :shock:

I picked up my car from another dealer and it had a very noticable ding on the quarter panel but had our dent guy fix it in 15 minutes(completely invisible a++)....for all of $10.

As for the original poster, definately go through the insurance company as was advised earlier by antdog. There may be a bunch of things hiding behind that bumper. and holy smokes, over 10,000 members! :shock:

I have been away a while

 

Yes this is alot for door dings. However the dings have creased the metal, so filler will have to be applied. The car is Redfire - which is metallic, so to get the metallic flake to look right you just can't paint just one spot, you must feather the paint so that the flake looks correct. You have to take the paint to the nearest edge and then hope it matches with the paint on the next section, if not you have to keep painting until you can't tell where you stopped.
So these new cars paint jobs are not cheap. I had a Chrysler LHS that got a $1000 scratch in the trunk. So this is nothing new.
I can't imagine a door ding on a new car being a cheap paint job unless it is white.