(I'm not sure if I've posted this in the correct thread, feel free to move it)

So earlier this week, as I was driving home at night on the freeway, a large bit of road debris (an SUV-sized tire tread) hit the front of my MINI Cooper S. It was large, obviously heavy - and hit me square in the front bumper, damaging the lower plastic lip and the black mesh grill that protects the condenser. At least, this was, I thought, the extent of the damage.

I went to Steve's Auto Clinic (in the San Fernando Valley) today to have him take a look at it. When he pulled off the mesh grill, it was quickly discovered that the condenser had been damaged in the incident. My a/c is still working, but the entire condenser now curves inward, and it appears the radiator right behind it might have suffered some injury as well. The core support which holds all that in place has also broken on one side.

So what I initially thought was perhaps, oh, a couple hundred dollars at most of cosmetic damage has turned into an estimate of about $1500-1600 to repair.

This is what I have insurance for, right? Does anyone have any experience hitting road debris while driving and having to go through insurance for repairs? Does anyone have any advice for me in this regard?

Thanks!

 

well there is some good news. some of the parts you need are available fairly cheap through some wherehouse in LA.

http://search.stores.ebay.com/search...reHeaderSearch

they have the condenser and radiator support for half of dealers price.

But WATCH their shipping charges! they want $119 to ship the radiator support, and that makes that part more than dealer price, looks like the condenser shipping is only $9 so you can get that for $120

 

Similar happened to me, except the recap flew directly off a truck to me, passing. $1527 for body only.

Something to remember. If YOU hit an object on the road, "Collision" coverage take over. Look at your policy, deductables may apply.

However, if an OBJECT hits you, as in my case, "Comprehensive" will start. Similar to windshield damage. You may or may not have a deductable here.

So...... was it quietly lying in wait, or was it bouncing around from a previous strike? It can make a difference.

Paul

 

I hit a large raccoon and did the same damage and much more. I didn’t have a leak in the condenser even though it was curved inward, so I didn’t replace it. The condenser can be tested by someone with the ability to capture and recycle the charge, usually around $50. The radiator can also be tested for about the same amount. The reason that shipping is expensive is because the radiator support is an oversize item. Classic MINI of Mentor was able to cut down the box and reduce the charge some. The bumper will also cost a bundle in shipping. If you can get some discount from you local dealer, that may be a less costly source. I performed all the work myself; it is very doable and you can do many other things while you have the front end off. Look at it as an opportunity.

As for insurance, you can have the adjuster look at and have the check issued directly to you, or take it to a body shop, the dealership or a place like Steve’s (just guessing) and have them arrange for the whole thing and not have to worry about it. The latter option is for someone with another vehicle to use in the mean time. The estimate that you get from the adjuster will be at a rate that manufacturers pay, so do not expect it to match your actual cost for parts if you go that route. If you need some specific advice you can send me a pm.

 

In cases like this always tell the insurance that it came off another vehicle or another vehicle in front kicked it up and then you hit it. Never say it was lying there and you hit it.

 

I drove over a large fallen rock in the SantaMonica canyons back when I
lived in LA. The rock was behind a blind corner so I could not dodge it...
unless I decided to fall off the cliff.

It bent 2 of my aftermarket wheels and to replace them and to
get a performance alignment was total a little over $1k.

I called up StateFarm and they told me that this is considered a one-car
collision and if I was to ask for repair beyond $500 my premium would
go up... so I had StateFarm cut me a check for $500 and I paid the
remaining $500+. My deductible at the time was $0.

It wasn't a bad deal.

 

Gotta echo what others have said. Hit a wheel that fell off the bed of a gypsy tow truck once and made a mess of my wife's MX-6 turbo. Insurance adjuster asked me if the wheel was moving. Said if it was moving, then it was a 'missile' and comprehensive (with no deductible) was in effect. If the wheel was still and I just ran into it, it was 'collision' and deductible was the effective coverage.

That tread was kicked up into your path by another car, wasn't it?

 

Yeah, the freeway was pretty busy, actually. The vehicle in front of me had kicked up some sort of papers just previously. I get squeamish about so much as that, so I began thinking about changing lanes - but there were vehicles on both sides of me.

It was then that I saw, out from the side of the car in front of me (it didn't come off that car), the dark mass that quickly became evident as a tire tread - it kind of kicked up by the passing cars and was headed towards me - unfortunately for me, it was not on the side anymore, but hit me dead center. It all happened very, very quick.

I don't feel that bad, because I know there's nothing I could have done to avoid the tread, and if I had done anything but bear it I could have caused a lot more damage to both myself and to one of the vehicles traveling next to me.

I think my biggest worry is that I've never had to make an insurance claim - never had any sort of damage done to a car of mine before (especially my new baby, geez!), and frankly, it's a bit intimidating. Thanks, all, I feel better knowing.

 

This is the point where you get to decide how satisfied you are with your present insurance company. For the longest time, I was with Calif. State Auto Assn. (AAA of Northern Calif.) auto insurance - the rates were the lowest in the area for the coverage I wanted. Then I had a couple of episodes where the stereo got popped out of my car (1986 VW GTi with the Blaupunkt stereo - very desireable at the time) with the consequence of about $800 to $900 in damage each time. Getting coverage from CSAA was pure torture. After the second time, I switched to State Farm and have been completely satisfied. It sounds like you are probably looking at a Comprehensive claim if the rubber chunk was airborne at the time it hit you.

 

Well, I've just formally filed my insurance claim - should be hearing from the adjuster sometime in the next few days. Doesn't sound like there's going to be a problem getting this charged against my comprehensive coverage, as opposed to my collision. I'll still have to pay $500 out of pocket, but that's a lot less than the over-$1500 I was given as a rough quote.

Thanks everyone for your insight and advice. It was extremely helpful, and, so far, has made the process less intimidating.