Crash and Safari Bar

[jonny 5]

Alright today really, really, really SUCKED.
Some lady cut me off and with no time to react, I hit her. Now, I have a Westin Safari Bar on my X and I just hit a stationwagon broadside and it continued to do a 180 degree spin. Front end damage on X: air dam, bumper, safari bar, a few very little dents. Damage to other car: Passenger rear door pushed in AT LEAST a foot, Rear quarter panel busted, and pillars destroyed. Windows busted out and everything.

Now the good part: Mass. State Trooper saw the whole thing. He confirmed that it was her fault. What does this mean, I don't pay for anything!!! That safari bar propably prevented my hood from getting damaged or other damages.

So, right now have to wait until Monday to get reports and everything. Pics of the damage to my X and the bar coming soon!

 

[jonny 5]

should read "very little dents"

 

[DocVijay]

And those granolas ask why I drive a big heavy SUV...

 

[TarHeel085]

dang an you just put it on too. you wont pay for anything and youll get a rental car for when it gets fixed. screw the safari bar next time and get a wrap around grill guard. cause you can milk this like crazy!!

 

[DocVijay]

"Milking" an insurance company can backfire very quickly. Just check previous posts about insurance and you'll see.

 

[TarHeel085]

Originally posted by DocVijay
"Milking" an insurance company can backfire very quickly. Just check previous posts about insurance and you'll see.

i dont mean the insurance company i mean the lady at fault, one of those "OWWW my neck hurts", i got wiplash kinda thing

 

[jonny 5]

I hoping a don't get into any more "little" accidents. I here on front end colisions, the wraparounds cause more damage, plus there to expensive.

And yea I did just put the darn thing on!!!

 

[DocVijay]

Well, yes and no. It's still iffy, bacuse it'll be her insurance company paying for it. Also you'd have to get a medical report for any injuries. A doctor could loose his/her license for filing a false report to an insurance company. But how would they know, you may ask. They sometimes make you go to a second doctor to double check your claims. Insurance companies have lost so much money due to the "pain and suffering" that now they want to make sure you are really suffering.

But now this doesn't mean that you can get a bundle from this. If she was grossly negligent in causing the accident, you can sue her insurance. They will most likely settle out of court, as it's cheaper for them.

 

[jonny 5]

Do your think I could get the body shop to paint the airdam the color of Xplorer and chatge her insurance company?

 

[DocVijay]

Maybe.

First, get a written estimate , preferably from at least two or three places. Then take thses to her insurance company. They will either give you a check to get it fixed, or send you to a place to get it fixed. Probably the first one. Anyhow, after you get this check, how you use it to fix your X is up to you.

If you just want them to paint the airdam then the answer is no. The insurnace company will pay onl what it takes to get your X into pre-crash shape. No augmentation will be paid for by them. However if you ca find a shop that will do the required work AND paint the airdam for the amount they authorized then it is probably OK. I say probably because the insurance company may want copies of the invoices, an dif they see a charge for the painting, they'll ask politely for the money back. They will say that the costs you showed were false and that you could get it fixed for less. THey call it misrepresentation. Anyhow, I'm sure you can do it. You may have to pay a bit out of your own pocket, but it can be done. Usually once the insurance company pays you, they wash their hands of the whole thing. It's usually you who has to chase them because they didn't pay enough.

OK. Sorry. Didn't mean for this to get so long-winded. Hope it helps though.

 

[jonny 5]

Has anyone seen a blue 2nd generation explorer sport?
same color as this:
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I was also wondering, instead of having them order a new grill, have them get one of the sport ones that match my X instead. It should be the same price. Also it seems obvious, but with ford engineers, the grill from a 98 sport should fit a 98 XLT, Correct? It better!

 

[drmoore71]

"milking" the insurance company or the driver for anything other than the damages incurred is a bunch of crap and it really pi$$es me off! that kind of garbage is the exact reason we pay so much money for insurance. when i got rear ended in my mustang 5 years ago, people kept telling me "hey, go for what you can" telling me to go for medical problems i didn't have, kind of like a free payday. hell no, that just isn't right. all i cared about was getting my car fixed and getting back on the road. hell. i even felt bad asking them for a rental car, but i really needed transportation. i guess what i'm really trying to say, is if you're not hurt, (thank god) just get your truck fixed and be glad she has insurance for that. just move on. sorry, i just need to vent and this is a HUGE pet peeve of mine.

 

[jonny 5]

I'm not going to try and milk the insurance company. If the grills between the XLTs and Sports cost the same i'm going to get the sport (i like the look). If not then if its not to much more i'll pay the difference. If its way more well then good ole chrome is good enough.

 

[jonny 5]

BTW has anyone done this? I just want the changing grills thing to work and have a nice matching for grill for my Xplorer.

 

[drmoore71]

i wasn't griping at you jonny. sorry if it came off that way. i don't think you will have a problem fitting the sport grille to your xlt. it should be a direct fit. good luck, and i am glad you are okay after your accident. i agree that the same color will look great on your teuck, i've thought of doing the same on mine.

 

[DocVijay]

Yeah, the right way is to just get a written estimate, or like I said, get three. Usually the insurance company will just give you a check to cover it. Then you can do whatever you want with the money. That way, the insurance company is only paying for damages incurred. If you happen to later find a place that will do the work for less, then you can also have the airdam painted and the grill done. And no one gets cheated.

 

[jonny 5]

I was wondering if someone could bump this back up to the top but oh well!
Here the pic! (more to come)
http://sgivivi.home.attbi.com/damage04.jpg

 

[TarHeel085]

so pics? also you gettin a new bar? im prob gonna be sellin mine in the very near future.

 

[jonny 5]

It's covered in the insurance so I get a new one for free!
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[TarHeel085]

i bumped it at the same time you did! but none of the pics work

EDIT: only some of them do, not all. that things looks like it crumpled like a peice of friggin tin foil.