rcinco

Yesterday afternoon on the way back to work from lunch, I was sitting at a red light waiting to turn left. I was at the light for quite a while because I had just missed the yellow light. So, I was sitting there for at least 30-40 seconds when - BAM! - I got rocked from behind. The guy didn't even hit the breaks so I had no idea that he was coming.

I'll post pictures of the damage tonight, but, basically, there is a sizable dent in the rear bumper, the entire rear bumper is way off alignment, the trunk does not open or shut very easily, and the plastic cover pieces inside of the trunk itself have been dislodged and are just kind of dangling.

The good news is that the rest of the car seems to have held up well, and, other than mental scarring, I do not have a bruise me.

Here is my question (finally). Let's say the guy's insurance company authorizes $700 to fix the car. Would I be able to ask the body shop to use a non-OEM part (i.e. 3D Carbon body kit) and pay the difference? I figure that the aforementioned body kit has a rear bumper piece, and, while the body shop was working on my car why not have them install the rest of the body kit? I guess my main concern is whether or not the insurance company will pay for an aftermarket part that was not on the car prior to the accident.

sodaman

Well usually you just get estimates, and then they send you a check. You can do with the check what you want, but once you cash it you are agreeing to the terms. Meaning you won't be able to ask for more if there are other problems. My advice since this is such a new car is to have the repairs done by the dealer only, because after the estimate, they may still find other issues while doing repairs, in which case they can add it to the cost for the insurance company to pay. So if you settle you are stuck with whatever it is they pay you on that check. good luck tho. later.

LLG05

Sure you can do it! When my wife's car got hit, the insurance company was going to allow $1200 for 2 new tires & wheels. Factory rims were chrome & gold, so the prices were high. I told the repair shop, I didn't want factory wheels again. They said, no problem. I just ordered the new tires & wheels, and even had them direct shipped to the shop from Tirerack.com. Then, After the repairs were complete, the insurance company paid the repair shop. I then got a check for the $1200, directly from thr repair shop. So, you may have to pay for the entire parts your want upfront 1st, then get your money back after the work is done!

Dave...

hgriz

I would say it depends on your body shop. When my Buick GN was hit with a hail storm years ago I talked to my body shop about puting a fiberglass hood and trunklid on mine. They said no problem. But of course the insurance company is only going to give you what it takes to restore it to original minus the deductable. So you may have to make up the difference out of pocket.

Be aware also that sometimes the insurance companies like to try and give you the price for used (junkyard) parts because it is cheaper for them. You should fight them on this as the parts would be hard to find now and you have a new car so you probably don't want used parts. My insurance did this when my steering column was "punched" by a car theif on my GN. Of course it ended up costing them more money in the long run because it is almost impossible to find the non-column shift steering column that is correct for the GN's. I had the rental car over a month while my body shop searched for one. At $30 a day for the rental car it ended up costing my insurance company about $300 more than if the broken parts in the column had been replaced like I wanted. HA HA!!

LLG05

Good point! My repair shop PUSHED the insurance company and insisted on OEM parts only! They won't use non-oem parts or parts from a junkyard, unless they have no other choice. Plus, OEM parts always cost more, so you'll get more from your insurance company.
Push for OEM FORD PARTS ONLY.

Dave...

Donna

Good Luck with your repairs. Glad you were not hurt.

icemant180

Get your estimates, have adjuster look at it. , then talk to your insurance rep.
I don't see a problem, most insurance companys will want verification of the fix. So if your gonna spend a few bucks on upgrades your insurance might go up a little.

rcinco

All of you are amazing! Thanks so much for the great advice,

clintoris

you poor bastard... I hat to say this, but $700 doesn't sound right for the total cost of repairs to me.... This car sits on a unibody, which means the rear quarters are one with the frame... if you got rear ended, there may be HUGE issues with how your rear axle aligns with the rest of the drive train. I'd be all for taking it to the ford dealer to make absolute sure that everything is to spec. Especially if the deck lid doesn't close... the tells me that the trunk opening's shape has been changed and bending that metal in may have pulled the structure together ever so slightly and will throw off the rest of your dimentions.. may be as little a factor as wierd tire wear in the rear to misalined drive shaft that chews through u-joints, wears out pinion seals, or whatever.. First of all, I'd be all for beatin' the urine out of the moron that hit you, and secondly, I'd be goin' to the dealer to have the work done.... get the aftermarket parts later, man.... IMO. How does insurance work in your state? If the other driver is at fault, is the tab paid by their insurance company? Or do you claim it on yours and your company goes after theirs if they choose?

By the way, glad you're not hurt brutha... shame about the car.

rcinco

Thanks. After reading everyone's replies, I think I will go to the Ford dealer now to have the work done. I am concerned about the trunk not closing properly, but I guess I've been in denial about that.

Could this be one of those situations that people refer to as the car not having a chance at ever being the same again? I've got less tha 600 miles on it, and I love it. It would kill me to think that she's scarred for life.

In response to your insurance question, the other driver's insurance is taking care of everything. However, I will go through my insurance company to collect from the other insurance company so that I could get my repairs done ASAP.

Again, no physical injuries...just a lot of emotional scarring.

Montrose

You want the dealer to do a thorough check on body alignment and structural issues. They should put it on an alignment device and check all the measurements to test body alignment/straightness.

You don't want to end up going dog fashion down the highway.

Hellcat6

Sorry to hear about this, glad no one was hurt. Did the bags go off? Not sure if they do that from rear collision. What the heck was this guy doing that he didn't see you? Cell phone?

clintoris

right on bro... just make sure your insurance company goes to bat for you to make sure you're taken care of....
my buddy has a '70 fastback that was in an accident before he bought it. He knew that because he saw the wrinkle in the front cross member on the font clip... no big deal, he thought, because at worst, he'd have to replace the front clip, but he already had a donor car. So one day we decided to swap rear ends with the donor.... 9" open diff for a 9" posi.... well, we couldn't figure out why the new rear end stuck out an inch on one side and was inset an inch on the other side. After a million measurements, reseating the leaf springs, etc. we noticed the floor boards on the passenger side were wrinkled, and it was related to the front end damage. we started measuring all over the under carriage and the unibody had become a diamond shape.... so the frame rails weren't parallel anymore. we didn't notice with the old rear end because the tires weren't as wide and it wasn't as evident.
Not trying to scare you, but I want you to understand how serious a little accident can be.
Good luck.

rcinco

No airbags.

The guy claims that something slid under his brake pedal preventing him from depressing the pedal fully.

lodom

Airbags don't go off in a rear end collision.

38special

rcinco

Yeah the guy's soda can rolled under his break pedal while he was on his cell phone....

Play the lottery, your bad luck is subsiding, for now.

Mtang78

Definitely take the car to your Ford dealer and get it checked out. I too was rearended at a stop sign in November. It did almost $800 damage to the car, but the only thing wrong was a tear in my bumper cover which the other insurance replaced. I can't believe that much damage would only be $700 there is no way! I had 2 70# sand bags in the trunk and it moved them a foot, and ejected my coffee mug out of the center console cup holder to the firewall of the passenger seat floorboard.

As far as injuries, 2 days after the accident, I started having shooting pains going up and down my right leg. After going to the doctor, having x-rays, an MRI, and an EMG, we found I have 2 herniated discs with a piece of one of the discs broken away from the rest of the disc and sitting on a nerve, causing a pinched nerve. So, you may not be out of the woods as far as injuries go. Hopefully you will be ok. Other driver's insurance paid for the car repair, and mine is paying for the medical then they will settle up with other driver's insurance on the medical when we're all done.

Good luck to you and hope you and the car will both be ok.

05GT-O.C.D.

I've been an insurance adjuster for years. Post pics, I'll tell you what's going on. It sounds like your rear body panel is pushed in. I doubt $700 will cover it. Open your trunk, take out the trunk carpet, and look at the back (the panel that your taillamps mount in). Most likely you'll see damage or a bend, especially around the welds. Good luck with your repairs. Most insurance adjusters will not care if you put a/m parts on your car just as long as they're more expensive than the OEM parts. I know, that sounds backwards, but it can complicate things if the adjuster missed damages the first time around, and from your description, it sounds like he did.

Galaxie

I think he was just eyeballing the estimate on his own.

I am sure the damage is not serious enough that the car needs to go on a frame machine for major work. Worst case scenario, the rear apron was tweaked a bit and has to be pulled out.

A Ford bodyshop is like any other, some are good and some are bad. Find a reputable bodyshop that uses high-end materials and works on expensive cars. The bodyshop will probably let you substitute another bumper cover instead of the OEM one, but you will have to pay the difference (if any) out of pocket.

IWantMyNewGT

I agree. The worst bodywork I've ever seen came from a Ford dealer with it's own bodyshop. Find out where high-end car owners take their cars for bodywork in your area. If you know any Porsche owners, I would start there. In my experience they tend to be the pickiest of all about their rides!