I'm a new member here, having purchased an MCS a little over a month ago. Sadly my first post is to say that my car was sandwiched in a 4-car collision on June 16.

A tow truck pulling a Suburban or van (something big is all I recall) hit a Ford Explorer which became embedded in my boot. 2 pics are attached. The impact sent me into a Silverado, too.





If anyone out there has had similar collisions, I'd like to hear how the damage number$ came out. I've read LGK's posting. That was incredible.

So far, I'm guessing it's not going to be totalled, but I'd like to hear from folks that might weigh in on it.

I'm a newbie when it comes to insurance stuff too.... I haven't had a claim in 32 years of driving...

Motor on...

Miniriffic

 

I am SO sorry about your MINI Those pics are heart-breaking

There are some great folks here on NAM that have experienced situations such as yours, and there are even some folks well versed in the insurance world. Standby, I bet you'll get some feedback shortly.

Welcome to NAM. I'm sorry your first post had to be like this.

 

At first I was amazed that all other vehicles involved were trucks and SUVs, then I saw your plates and realized your location.

Sadly, I'm no longer surprised. 90% of the people behind the wheel of those vehicles in this state can not drive.

I'm sorry for what happened to your MINI. Hope it gets fixed quick!

 

I'm no help on insurance, but you certainly have my sympathy.

 

Glad your okay... any neck or back pain? The car doesn't look too bad actually, the boot took most of the hit. New boot, quarter panel and bumper. The front only looks like the upper grille got hit... (they'll probably fix the bonnet) You probably didn't leave much of a scratch on the Silverado . I hope it all turns out as good as new .

 

I was rear ended by an SUV on a DFW metroplex highway the end of May, not near as bad as your damage but the repair bill was just under $2000. That included replacing the bumper and some of the rebar, repairing the hatch, repainting etc. No front end damage. It is still in the shop as I was not happy with what they said was ready to go home.

Christie

 

Sorry to hear about that. My mini was totaled a few weeks ago. Without seeing to roof and sides it's hard to tell if your's will be repairable, what has the insurance company said?

 

wow. sorry to hear. but hopefully it isn't totalled and they can fix it. you did only have it for about a month. it doesn't look THAT bad but then again we're only lookin at the rear and front. but wow...my other car being totalled led me to my mini. wonder wat this will lead you to? a NEW mini? (that is. if it IS totalled..HOPEFULLY not of course..)

 

Thanks everyone for your good wishes and replies.

I did have a bit of minor back pain. At first it felt like some cracked ribs I had a while back but after five days the pain's gone.

I got the initial estimate today: $7,800 - it may go up after they start pulling things apart. The worst news may be that the two drivers that were behind me are arguing over which one caused the accident. The one in the back said the one between us merged from another lane with inadequate clearance while traffic was slowing. The one between us said she'd changed lanes well before this all took place. Obviously someone's lying, and since I was watching ahead of me except for a glance back in the rearview mirror, I'm not sure which is true. All this leaves a dispute between the two drivers, with me and the guy ahead of me in limbo.

Unbelievable.

 

First of all, so sorry to hear about the accident. I hope you've already gone to the doctor to get a checkup, just in case.

Also if the question if who is responsible is still up in the air, can't your insurance company cover the cost of repairing and handle getting the money back from whoever is ultimately deemed responsible? Doesn't seem right to have you wait until they figure out who was at fault...

 

Sorry to see this attack from the SUVs.
Now that they are arguing, it's time to have the police get their cell phone records. If the lane changer was on the phone when changing, they're toast. It's really hard looking over your shoulder while holding a phone.

 

The best advice I can offer is to call the local MBZ and Lexus dealers and ask them what body shop they use, then insist that your car go there too. From there on, you should be in good hands............

 

I am really sorry to see that your beautiful car was smashed by hulking SUVs. I am glad however, that you were not seriously injured when it happened. I hope your car gets fixed to the same beautiful condition it was prior, or replaced. I cant believe people. When I got smashed into, the guy that smashed into me had the exact same insurance-same agent too. I think that was worse, as they (insurance company) drug their feet the whole time. It took just over a year, and an extremely nasty letter threatening a suite to get them to pay the hospital bills!

 

He Probably doesn't want to pay his deductible since in TX he can't get his deductible back until his ins co gets paid back.

On another note...7k?
That's a shop estimate right?
They probably wrote it for $90/hr labor, + all new parts.
Your ins company will have negotiated labor rates which will bring down the cost a bit, and your policy won't cover new parts if your car has more than 20,000 miles on it. So get ready for aftermarket parts, no OEM when your insurance company's involved.

Best of luck!

 

What a bummer Miniriffic but it will work out in the end. Glad you're ok. I also got rear ended this spring, and shoved into the car in front of me, although it wasn't as bad as yours, the Maxima that nailed me was just the right height to demolish my bumper but the boot and tailpipe/mufflers weren't harmed.

I ended up with a new rear bumper and trim, and some body work and repaint on the front bumper along with a new lower grill. The final tally was $2600.00 and my MINI is looking good now.

My insurance kicked in and paid for repairs less the deductable, and they are now going after the other parties insurance for reimbursement. When they succeed I will get my deductable back. Yours should do the same, no reason to wait for it all to settle out because that can take a long time. Good Luck!

 

Another mini saves its passengers

good luck with everything, hope your back pain is not to severe and hoping for a speedy recovery for you and your S

 

Thanks again for all the replies.

I've been out of town for a few days. Imagine the horror of having to take a road trip in a rental car rather than my MINI!

While I was out I found out that Progressive is going to take care of all the damages caused by this incident. With the initial estimate to my car at $7800 and possibly higher once everything is dismantled, it's at least a relief to know the driver responsibility issue is no longer in dispute.

I don't know yet how long the repairs will take. I had started processing things through my insurance company. State Farm has done a great job so far - very responsive. Both SF and the shop came to the roughly the same numbers on initial damage. The car has about 15K miles on it, so I"m pushing for new parts all the way and so far the parties have been cooperative.

The back pain is gone, too, BTW.

Next consideration: Diminished Value claim for the adjustment to the MINI's market value now that it'll have a big collision in it's history (Somehow, I guess CarFax will find out about this, but I don't know how...).

Happy Motoring!

 

Carfax gets the info from the nationwide insurance database, I believe.

I don't trust Carfax reports at all!

The Carfax guarantee only covers incidents reported to insurance companies that somehow didn't make it onto the Carfax report. If work is done without getting the insurance company involved, the incident(s) aren't going to appear on a Carfax report and the guarantee won't apply if the damage is discovered later.

 

$7800 was the initial estimate. Now that the car has been dismantled, the estimate has risen. Now it's just over $12,000! - This may be my worst fear come true ---- the estimate may be just shy of the threshhold to "total" the car.

 

Oh, no!

Has your adjuster told you the magic number needed to qualify as totalled?

 

Not yet... but you can bet I'll be asking for it tomorrow!

 

We thought along the same lines... I called the MINI dealership and they recommended two shops. One was the only authorized MBz shop in Houston and also specialized in BMW and Jaguar as well as MINI. From what I can see they're not taking any shortcuts.

 

I should be getting my car back over the next few days!!!

The clear coat is drying as I type this, then the interior work gets finished tomorrow. Afterwards, the MINI gets taken to the dealership for electrical and mechanical inspections. It's going on two months since the accident, but I'm pretty pleased with the support from the body shop. My experience with Progra$$ive Insurance, however, is another story. We'll see how they do over the next few weeks before I pass final judgement.

 

Yeah, Progressive is rated very poorly in comparison to their competition when it comes to Claims handling.

All should keep that in mind when shopping for auto insurance. It's not all about the rates.

'riffic... sorry I didn't read this thread before, I could have helped you through this process. But I'm glad your MINI wasn't totaled and you're happy with the repair shop.

 

The final tally on the repair ended up being about $12,700. Rapid Body Works in Houston did a PHENOMENAL job putting Tillie back together. Anybody in SE TX ever need body work done these guys are the best. Ask for David.

Motor on....