Well... apparently, if it's not one thing it's another. I got up this morning to ice storm. Went outside to head to the lab and give my baby a check up before I was gone for the day, and I noticed a HUGE tree branch about ten feet away from my car. Of course, it freaked it me out a bit, but I checked her out and she was fine. Well, I'm just walking into the lab when my fiancée calls and says, "I think a tree branch just fell on your car." WTF?!?!?! So I run back to the apartment to see and sure enough... there's a quarter sized dent on the top part of my rear quarter panel and on the belt line. Thankfully, the paint itself wasn't scratched so I'm pretty sure paintless dent repair can take of the "body work." But now I'll have to replace the beltline on that quarter panel too! Grrrrr...

What really makes me mad about the whole thing is that the only trees around our apartment are in the parking areas! They're a hazard (obviously)! And I've tried to tell my land lord before, but he's definitely too cheap to do anything about it. I'm half tempted to take some of the cost out of my rent and just send him a receipt for the repair work to my car. Maybe that would get a message across!

I'll post some pictures later this evening to get some professional opinions on whether or not paintless dent repair is an option. I plan on getting a quote for belt line sometime this afternoon from MINI of Nashville. In the meantime, my car has been moved to a safe location AWAY from the trees that plague our apartments.

Anyway... just thought I'd vent a little.

 

Ouch! Thats ridiculous that its fine one second, and then AFTER you inspect it, it gets hit. If ice storms or bad weather like this happens on a regular basis, I would either A)send the receipt their way, or B) take them to small claims court.

Yes, things happen. But it obviously seems like it could have been avoided if the landlord would be taking care of his property. Sorry to hear :(

 

Don't tell me this happened to your brand new MINI? That sucks!

Yes I am a huge fan of PDR. I would go with a established and reputable company in the area (Like Dentwizard). If the PDR techs tells you that you have to drill holes, DON'T!!! Get someone else that knows his art.

 

I know it's crazy, isn't it!?!?

I'm not sure that warrants small claims at this point, but definitely a good sit down.

Yeah, I had Dent Wizard do work on my last MINI (freak accident with a punk high school brat and a bottle rocket). They do great work and I trust them.

 

And yes... it happened to my brand new (not even a month old) MINI.

 

Oh well, you got over the first ding a lot quicker.

 

The apartment owners insurance should pay for this. Submit a claim to him.

 

I guess, that's one way of looking at it.

My land lord is going to call his insurance company to see if they'll cover it. If not, I guess it'll have to come out of my rent. I'm definitely going to make the point that it could have been MUCH worse if the big @$$ branch had fallen on a car. Something definitely has to be done about the trees!

 

If ice storms are real frequent he definitely needs to get rid of those trees. Any time an ice storm hits here, multiple trees drop along the main road outside of my neighborhood, always taking out power for some time and usually closing the road. One even fell on one of my friends jeep while he was driving down the road, thank God for roll bars in a Jeep.

Your situation is much worse, power lines can be fixed and stuff but if branches could be dropping on peoples cars or possibly totaling them they need to get handled.

 

I wouldn't say ice storms are "frequent." We usually get one or two a year. But I would say that the big thing is that in ANY storm tree branches can be blown off the trees. And I would say that we have bad thunder storms frequently (especially in the summer).

 

Uncut and poorly trimmed trees are a menace. We don't have ice storms in Florida but if hurricanes strike trees become projectiles of sorts.

Local city governments and property owners simply refuse to trim trees until after disaster strikes.

Trees are necessary for life, but poorly maintained trees are a constant threat to limb and personal property.

 

My friend had a tree fall onto the roof of his Dodge Durango during a strong windstorm, doing several thousand dollars damage. His insurance paid for it to be repaired (don't remember if there was a deductible on that part of his coverage).

 

I would file an accident report with your local police department. Or, if he agrees take the repair cost out of your rent. When I rented, my heat went out for a few days and I subtracted it from the rent. Also, if this ever happens again (hopefully not) on a public road the city has to pick up the tab.

 

Well here are the pics of the damage. I found another dent on the roof after the ice melted away. It's relatively small and there was still no paint damage (thank god). No news yet on the insurance stuff. If anyone knows anything about paintless dent repair and whether or not there would be any problems with these dents specifically, I would appreciate any input.












PS - these were taken once the car was moved to a secure location (i.e., away from any trees).

 

His insurance will pay for it, DEFINATELY.

 

...don't be so sure about that! I'd rather let my own insurance take care of the repair cost, and then let them haggle with the landlord about who's responsible.

 

Well, who is doing the repair is not up for discussion. It will be MINI of Nashville doing the beltline and Dent Wizard doing the dents... period. If his insurance company has issues with that, then it's coming out of my rent. Either way... ultimately, it's not coming out of my pocket.

 

Well, my landlord says his insurance won't cover it because "the trees didn't need to be trimmed" and they're considering it an "act of nature." All I can say is act of nature my @$$. They didn't even come in and look at the tree and all the ***** that fell around my car. Any advice? Keep in mind my landlord is super cheap. He was pissed when I "renovated" the apartment (the guy who lived there before trashed it) and sent him the bill for PAINT!

 

He's right. It's a comp claim on YOUR policy. And really, how would you prove he was negligent in not trimming the branches ?? That's a very subjective decision. I see no way you could possibly make his insurance pay.

Reason #964 why you should all be carrying a low Comp deductible, folks. So many things can happen that are out of your control that fall under the Comp coverage of your policy.

Hey... don't feel bad. A couple years ago my neighbor's house caught on fire and got so hot, it melted the siding on MY house. His policy didn't cover my damages because the cause of loss was an electrical problem, not his fault.

 

I was really hoping you'd respond to this, CR&PW&JB.
I see what you're saying, and I'm very greatful for a professional opinion.

I know that the whole tree trimming thing is subjective, but I mean... our University is literally across the street and there was no debris from their trees (except the branch that fell on a student), and there's a mound of it from just the ONE that caused the damage to my car. I dunno.

This is just very aggravating, and more so because I know that you're probably right. I guess I'll have to try and reason with him, and see if he'd be willing to split the bill or something.

What's your take on what I should do at this point, CR&PW&JB? Let it go and foot the bill? Or try to talk to the landlord?

 

Well... if it were me, I would just let my comp coverage handle it. Of course, I only have a $100 deductible. Not sure what yours is. If it's a big deductible, I can understand your motivation.

It can't hurt to discuss it with the landlord to see if he's willing to either pay your deductible or a portion of it for you. Worst that can happen is he says, "no".

If he does say no, there's not a lot you can do. You can ask your claim rep to go to bat for you and try to subrogate (seek reimbursement) from the landlord's insurance, but I doubt they will do that... chances of proving negligence on his part is VERY slim.

Let me know if you have other questions or need any clarifications.

 

Thanks CR&PW&JB. I think our deductible is $500, and the total cost of repairs is $250ish. So as of now, contacting our insurance co. wouldn't do anything but raise our premium (right?). My dad suggested getting the name of his insurance co. and having our insurance co. duke it out with them. Is that what you were talking about?

My other question is whether or not I should just go ahead and get it fixed (out of pocket) if there's even the slightest chance that we can get him or his insurance to cover it?

 

Wow... you can get all those dings and little dents fixed for $250 ? That's a great price.

Yeah, that's what I was talking about, letting your insurance company decide if they want to fight your landlord and/or his insurance company. I personally doubt they would want to.

Plus, if the repair is less than your deductible, they really can't fight for you because they won't be making a payout.

Now, turning the claim into your insurance wouldn't raise your premiums. It's not like you had an at-fault accident and filing a Collision claim. It's a Comprehensive claim. The only way Comp claims can hurt you is if you file a lot of them... say four or five within a three year period.

Here's another option: You could take him to Small Claims Court for the damages. I doubt you'd win there, either, but it's an option.

Bottom line: If the repairs are just $250 and lower than your Comp deductible, your best bet is to approach your landlord yourself and ask him if he's willing to split the costs with you. He just might be willing to do that. He probably knows you could file a claim against him in Small Claims Court and splitting that bill with you would be better than having to go through all that trouble.

 

Thanks, I appreciate the advice. I guess I'll just have to talk to him, and see.

Yeah, the Dent Wizard (paintless dent repair) can get the dents out for $150-ish (he won't know for sure until he sees it in person) because there was no paint damage done. MINI of Nashville quoted me a half hour of labor ($50) to replace that section of the beltline ($43 for parts). So total would be around $250 give or take.

 

You're welcome. Glad to be able to help in a small way.

By the way, it appears you have some damage to the quarter panel, too... just below the chrome beltline.