son of a b**ch!!

MEAN IRISH GUY

Horse-faced space dog
well i came up to staten island this afternoon to visit my parents and to get tattooed tomorrow. as i was coming over the outerbridge i heard a HUGE bang on the side of my car. sounded like someone swung a baseball bat at the side of the car. as soon as i got of the bridge i pulled over before the tolls to inspect. well theres a foot long gash/dent right above my rear passenger wheel well. theres a police station right at the bridge so i went in a spoke to a cop there. they sent a car onto the bridge to check it out. turns out there was a 2 foot long hunk of metal of sorts on the roadway. the cop told me to call on monday and speak to the claims department and that they "were really good with paying out for stuff like this". my question is... the spot that damaged is a HUGE panel. and the car is a few years old so the paint isnt crisp and great like it was before. after the work is done and its repainted i worry it wont match the rst of the car perfectly. do you think the insurance company would cover a full paintjob? i dont have a pic of the damage, but its right above the rear wheel well and you ca see how large that panel is. starts at the door and goes all the way around the top of the doors and such. ive never had to go through insurance for something liek this before, so any insite or suggestions would be great

IMG_1290.jpg
 

Dusty the Whale

Mr.Chainsaw
a good body shop will take care of it and you wont tell...they can color match anything. they'll get the silver from honda, then add what colors they need to match the rest of the car. insurance wont cover a full one. it needs to be a big %age of the car. 501 avatars rule i dont even know where pinellas county is... north carolina i think.
 

mike_243

JORBA Board Member/Chapter Leader
JORBA.ORG
Dude that sucks...
did you get some sort of report from the police as to what happened?
this might help when you call monday.
my daughter has had good luck with denville bear auto body in lakewood.
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
Unfortunately, I've had lots of experience with this stuff. I've never yet been unable to work it out to my satisfaction, be it with my own insurance or the other guy's.

Most likely, the insurance company will appraise the damage and cut you a check. It will then be up to you to sort out the potential difference in price between a panel repair and a full repaint.

Hope you are able to sort out the damage with a minimum of stress.
 

MEAN IRISH GUY

Horse-faced space dog
well i have a great friend thats a phenominal car painter, so i could get a great preice from him. so well see what insurance says.
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
well i have a great friend thats a phenominal car painter, so i could get a great preice from him. so well see what insurance says.
I've been in a similar situation- I had a friend in the business as well; he was great about taking what the insurance company paid, based on their appraisal, and then doing a more thorough job. I remember also taking the car to other shops for "real" estimates and using that info when I dealt with the insurance people.

Again, good luck.
 

sixseven

New Member
Way to go dude, you broke the bridge. You think we keep paint around that matches that gaurd rail?
Signed, Angry Bridge Tenders Local 117
 

Sircrashalot

New Member
Never ceases to amaze me.......anyhow I am an auto appraiser. I am the guy who comes out to write the estimate. Short answer is color match is no problem. It doesn't have to match, it will be blended & look perfect. Shop will apply color to the damaged panel, and to part of an adjacent panel if necessary based on how close the repair is to the next panel & clear both panels fully. The color match is achieved within the panel going away from the damage, and by 'fading' color away through the adjacent panel. It will match perfectly to your eye as long as the painter is not a moron. Any licensed body shop will give you a guarantee regarding quality of work, good for as long as you own the car.
The insurance estimate will contain everything necessary for a proper repair & color match. If not, when the car is in the shop they call the appraiser back out to request what they need & have it approved. Very simple process, very simple to get a better than factory match.

If you wonder what I mean by 'better than factory' just compare the color of your bumpers to your fenders & quarters. You probably never noticed before, but they aren't even close. Yeah, they are all silver, but the tint is way off, on all cars. This is because they were manufactured & sprayed in a different place at a different time than the rest of your car...the rest of the car matches because it is sprayed at the same time.
This is a good visual of 'blending':
http://www.ehow.com/video_2327589_blend-car-paint-colors.html
 

MEAN IRISH GUY

Horse-faced space dog
want to come appraise my damage? id like a new color on my car;) ALSO, being in the insurance business; do you think that the bridge people will pay for my damages?
 
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dhsean

Member
Sorry to hear, I feel your pain. I hope it works out better for you.

Here is how it is going for me when it is 100% the other drivers fault:
Well sir you will have to pay your deductable $500, then we give you not enough money to cover your car, then NJ is no fault state which means the medical claim goes thru the car insurance has a $1000 deductable and we only cover 80% of the first $5000 then its full coverage. Your health insurance will have to cover the rest, good luck with getting them to pay. Then eventually we will go through the other guys insurance an get your money back someday. But don't count on us to do our job properly without calling us at least 3 times a day for the next 2 months. No, I'm not bitter. Sitting hear waiting for my check from the insurance company. :mad:

Kia Spectra rentals or not bike friendly. :rofl:
 

Sircrashalot

New Member
Sorry to hear, I feel your pain. I hope it works out better for you.

Here is how it is going for me when it is 100% the other drivers fault:
Well sir you will have to pay your deductable $500, then we give you not enough money to cover your car, then NJ is no fault state which means the medical claim goes thru the car insurance has a $1000 deductable and we only cover 80% of the first $5000 then its full coverage. Your health insurance will have to cover the rest, good luck with getting them to pay. Then eventually we will go through the other guys insurance an get your money back someday. But don't count on us to do our job properly without calling us at least 3 times a day for the next 2 months. No, I'm not bitter. Sitting hear waiting for my check from the insurance company. :mad:

Kia Spectra rentals or not bike friendly. :rofl:


Actually, nothing you can do about the PIP claim other than talk to the government representatives who set the laws in place to control how that works. As far as your damages, go straight through the other drivers insurance....no deductible, no waiting. Simple.
 

Sircrashalot

New Member
want to come appraise my damage? id like a new color on my car;) ALSO, being in the insurance business; do you think that the bridge people will pay for my damages?

Just post a pic of the damage & I can tell you what should be in the estimate so it looks right when done.

As far as the bridge goes...I would say unlikely. Bridge is likely run by a government agency. Gov. agencies are protected by Title 59 which says that they are not responsible for any damage they cause, even if due to gross negligence, beyond $500. Also, they could simply say that they had no notice of the condition and therefore could not be expected to clean it up to prevent your damage. They could also say that you failed in your duty to always control your vehicle and its speed in a manner which allows you to avoid a collision. (B.S. I know...but its a common defense)

All that being said....they may have written prior knowledge that stuff is falling off the bridge all the time which constitutes notice of a condition, and may have had so many claims that they have decided to pay them rather than defend them. Good luck on that....

If you post a pic or two tho I can give you line by line what you should see on a proper estimate.
 
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Sircrashalot

New Member
Irish one more thing....post or PM me who your insurance Co. is & I can tell you if they write a good or bad estimate....
 

Sircrashalot

New Member
ok, when i have access to my camera i will send you over a picture. also, i use allstate

Good company....your car will be good as new when done.... no I don't work for Allstate. I see their appraisers in the field and see their estimates in the office. They write a fair ticket.
 
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