Slight Accident With The Rx300 =/

[cduluk]

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[smooth1]

Yeah, that's not as bad as it looks. Although where the metal creased on the edge might be an obstacle to deal with. It's hard to judge from a pic.

So the door opens and closes ok? the hinges aren't bent or anything like that? What lifting problem are you talking about?

[BillyShaft]

That seems like a pretty cheap repair from what you are calculating.

If it were me, I would out-of-pocket this one. There is no sense paying excess insurance premiums or being cancelled at your age over a $700 claim (before deductable). Keep your insurance for big claims.

[cduluk]

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[smooth1]

4K???!!

Go online and look up your local salvage yards if your going to replace the door. I see them for anywhere between $150-$600. You might even get lucky and find the door in your color. and even if you took that in for repair, (provided the door is repairable) it shouldn't be more than $1,200.00 But that would be with all new parts, sheet work, and paint.

[code58]

4K???!!

Go online and look up your local salvage yards if your going to replace the door. I see them for anywhere between $150-$600. You might even get lucky and find the door in your color. and even if you took that in for repair, (provided the door is repairable) it shouldn't be more than $1,200.00 But that would be with all new parts, sheet work, and paint.

I spent way too many years in body (and mechanical) and I think there's a surprise a'comin . Unless his contacts in the body shop world do him a gigantic favor, $1200. Isn't going to touch the repairs. I have been out of it for quite a few years but it is going to be closer to the $4k than the $1200. Even a good used door is going to run $400. to $600. and the chance of getting the right color is slim to none, so that means a lot more work to strip everything off of it to paint it. Hope I'm wrong but it's going to run some bucks to get it done right. Even the cost of paint and materials today is astronomical . Base coats that can run $200.-$300. a quart and clears that run $100. a gallon or more.

[TA in KC]

I spent way too many years in body (and mechanical) and I think there's a surprise a'comin . Unless his contacts in the body shop world do him a gigantic favor, $1200. Isn't going to touch the repairs. I have been out of it for quite a few years but it is going to be closer to the $4k than the $1200. Even a good used door is going to run $400. to $600. and the chance of getting the right color is slim to none, so that means a lot more work to strip everything off of it to paint it. Hope I'm wrong but it's going to run some bucks to get it done right. Even the cost of paint and materials today is astronomical . Base coats that can run $200.-$300. a quart and clears that run $100. a gallon or more.

I think this guy is right. That looks like a heck of a lot more than $1200. The quarter panel is damaged, meaning the whole thing will have to be replaced and painted. That alone will cost more than $1200.

A shop who is willing to paint all the parts for $300 will likely not do a very good job.

[mccldwll]

Hey guys, last night on my way to my girlfriend's house, i took a corner too tight and i got side swiped by a hydrant

It completely ripped off the right rear passenger door bottom plastic molding and left the area beneath a little dented. The rear door is slightly "lifted"... just take a look at the pics.

I'm 19yrs old. I've already been in one accident with a car, went through insurance... luckily my insurance co. lets the first accident go before they raise rates.

My parents don't want to go through insurance this time because they think my rates would increase; is this true? I thought i could get away with buying used parts and having them painted, but i think because of the dent in the door panel, i need a little body work as well. If i were to go outside of insurance it would most likely cost more than my $500 deductible..

What do you guys suggest i do? I've searched ebay for the following used parts and here are the prices:

right front passenger door molding: $150 plus shipping

right rear passenger door molding: $119 plus shipping

right rear molding between the rear pass door and wheel well: $30 plus shipping

right rear mudflap: $50 plus shipping

Then i figure $300 to paint all these parts (kinda friendly with my autobody shop)

So that's ~$700. Then i'd have to deal with the dents underneath the molding, and fixing the door's lifting problem.

Take a look at the pics =/ Can you guys offer me any suggestions? Can i go through insurance without my rates raising? The hydrant was fine, go figure...

I won't give an opinion, other than posting this was a very bad idea.

I'm sure your insurance company requires you/your parents to report that accident and now that the pics are posted..... If I were an insurance company, I might want to monitor the internet for situations such as this. Failure to do as required could result in insurance cancellation and, in some cases, fraud. And if there's a serious accident down the line with $$$$ involved (such as medical liability), you can be certain that others will investigate/depose everyone, and that your insurance company might try to deny coverage since you/your parents failed to disclose facts material to insurance coverage. Proceeed with caution. This should not be considered legal advice.

[BillyShaft]

I won't give an opinion, other than posting this was a very bad idea.

I'm sure your insurance company requires you/your parents to report that accident and now that the pics are posted..... If I were an insurance company, I might want to monitor the internet for situations such as this. Failure to do as required could result in insurance cancellation and, in some cases, fraud. And if there's a serious accident down the line with $$$$ involved (such as medical liability), you can be certain that others will investigate/depose everyone, and that your insurance company might try to deny coverage since you/your parents failed to disclose facts material to insurance coverage. Proceeed with caution. This should not be considered legal advice.

Hmm...are you saying that if I replace my own $1200 windshield out of pocket and dont report the claim, that my insurance will be angry or feel slighted in some way? My insurance company works FOR me and I do not owe them anything other than premiums and truthful answers to their questions. I personally self-insure the first $1000 of damage and cover anything less than that. I would not file a claim unless I had to repair in excess of $1500.

To me, it seems that the Insurance company does not have a dog in this fight unless OP files a claim. The lein-holder may be concerned that their asset gets repaired correctly, but the insurance company should be happy if he doesn't file.

In this case if OP is looking at >$4000 in repairs, I would file that claim and let the chips fall where they may. This is what insurance is for...fixing the big dollar accidents. You can guarantee higher rates, and frankly you should have higher rates. You may even get dropped. That is ok too, it isn't like you are going to prison, you just have to find a high-risk carrier until you do a couple accident-free years.

No offense, but two claims at age 19 aint good, my friend.

[BillyShaft]

The hydrant was fine, go figure...

By the way...you need to thank your God of choice that the hydrant was ok. If you had damaged that hydrant, your insurance would be ponying up $5-20k depending on the costs to fix it in the middle of the night. An out of service hydrant must be fixed immediately and regardless of cost.

I had a friend who passed out (it was a blood-sugar thing) while driving and slicked a hydrant and a power pole...his insurance had to pay for the firemen to be standing by with a tanker, the police to direct traffic and the emergency crews to fix the damage to the water line and power pole on top of the vehicle repairs.

[LEXIRX330]

No they wont drop you, but your rates sure as hell would go up sense this is your second accident, and I don't think it would be over $4000 in damage unless you go to a stealership.

And you know this how? There are many companies that will drop a young operator under 25 on a parents policy for having anything more than one accident.

I would strongly advise you not to file the claim.

[BillyShaft]

And you know this how? There are many companies that will drop a young operator under 25 on a parents policy for having anything more than one accident.

I would strongly advise you not to file the claim.

I admit that I am not an insurance professional or anything, but at what point or dollar figure would you recommend the guy file a claim?

$4000 starts becoming real money to me, and common sense kind of implies that insurance is there to insure the vehicle against loss...

If BillyShaft Insurance Company were insuring this guy, he would certainly have his rates raised and/or coverage dropped, but that is just me talking here.

Interested to know,

~Brian

[LEXIRX330]

And you know this how? There are many companies that will drop a young operator under 25 on a parents policy for having anything more than one accident.

I would strongly advise you not to file the claim.

I admit that I am not an insurance professional or anything, but at what point or dollar figure would you recommend the guy file a claim?

$4000 starts becoming real money to me, and common sense kind of implies that insurance is there to insure the vehicle against loss...

If BillyShaft Insurance Company were insuring this guy, he would certainly have his rates raised and/or coverage dropped, but that is just me talking here.

Interested to know,

~Brian

Good point about the money Brian but if he was my son, or if he was the son of one of my clients I would recomend that he would have to save the money to fix the car or he would be driving a car with a dent.

Since he has already filed a claim. This would be a second claim. Hopefully that is all. That is a different story. 4k is a whole lot of money...but I have 19 year old drivers that are paying more than that a year for their insurance because they have gotten kicked off their parents policies. You have to remember insurance is state specific. I have no idea what kind of rates he is paying in RI? I know in MD a young driver full coverage on a Lexus with 2 at fault accidents would get it handed to him.

I don't think it will cost him 4k to fix it though. Find a shop explain that you want to pay out of pocket for the claim and see what the best price you can get. Shop around.

As far as the issue of his insurance. Not sure specifically who you are with there are some companies that will never drop you they will just keep raising your rates...even if you get so many tickets that your license is suspended. But if you are under 25 with 2 at fault accidents you will have a hard time getting standard/preferred insurance. He will probably end up with a high risk or a state insurance fund. If he files a claim his parents will more than likely get a non renewal with an exclusion offer if their state will allow this. They exclude him and they keep their insurance or they all have to get new insurance.

Most of the carriers that I write business for/with for standard business will not allow a young driver to have any incidents at new business to qualify.

[smooth1]

I keep looking thru the pics you posted. I would find a local body shop and just walk thru the repair with them. If the door opens and closes fine, then I would just have them fill the quarter panel damage and replace the tire well trim. Then fill the rip in the door and replace the trim peices. Which will cover all the damage anyway. So long as they paint match the trim, you would never know it happened. I'm still thinking $1200.00 is a good number. Maybe $1500.00 if they have to do some other work I can't see from the pics.

and I would pay this out of pocket no question. There is a huge difference between getting into an accident with someone and it was thier fault and the insurance co. has someone to go after. But these no fault accidents are a killer!

[BillyShaft]

Sounds like Lexirx knows whats up from the insurance front...I had no idea kids were paying that much for insurance these days.

From what Lexi says, it sounds like preserving your existing carrier might be the wise move. Save your insurance for when you cause a million dollar 12-car pileup and ride around with a tweaked door until you can pay cash.

Honestly, insurance is not for the piddling stuff, a good insurance policy is the one that will save your financial bacon when you cause a crash that ends up costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

[dimsumboy]

man that sucked! I've been reading your posts about HIDs, wanna sell your housing? lol

[cduluk]

man that sucked! I've been reading your posts about HIDs, wanna sell your housing? lol

I was waiting for someone to ask about my projector headlights ;)

[LEXIRX330]

2- have my go through insurance, replace both front + rear doors, all new moldings, paint both doors, blend into the front fender and rear 1/4 panel, patch up and paint door jams, replace and paint the mudflap and help me out with my deductible.

We chose option number 2.

My mom also called the insurance co and told them that she was out shopping in the car (it's under her name after all) and came out to the damage, implying it was a hit and run. Advantage of this would be that it leaves me and my bad record out of the situation so i won't get dropped, and the rates wouldn't be as high.

My body shop is going to send a little money our way too if they get enough from the insurance. I left the car there tonight, the insurance guy is going to go over the car with them tomorrow. He's already ordered the parts, told me in a week- a week and a half it should be done :)

I'm excited!!!

That is called insurance fraud. I am glad you are excited and hope your insurance company drops you and your mom both. This is why everyone's rates are higher. This was not a hit and run...any good insurance company will have an adjuster look at the car. A good adjuster will easily be able to tell that this was not a hit and run. In most states you are required to file a police report. So go ahead and keep lying on a little more...and hopefully they will prosecute you and your mom both.

Wow...no wonder kids are they way they are today...I can’t imagine your parents are teaching you things like this. :chairshot:

[dimsumboy]

man that sucked! I've been reading your posts about HIDs, wanna sell your housing? lol

I was waiting for someone to ask about my projector headlights ;)

Well i've got an update. I took the car to my autobody shop, and they said they could do one of two things.

1- re-align the door so it closed properly so it wouldn't leak, patch up the hole so water didn't get in, find used moldings and repaint and throw them on, for $800 out of pocket.

2- have my go through insurance, replace both front + rear doors, all new moldings, paint both doors, blend into the front fender and rear 1/4 panel, patch up and paint door jams, replace and paint the mudflap and help me out with my deductible.

We chose option number 2.

My mom also called the insurance co and told them that she was out shopping in the car (it's under her name after all) and came out to the damage, implying it was a hit and run. Advantage of this would be that it leaves me and my bad record out of the situation so i won't get dropped, and the rates wouldn't be as high.

My body shop is going to send a little money our way too if they get enough from the insurance. I left the car there tonight, the insurance guy is going to go over the car with them tomorrow. He's already ordered the parts, told me in a week- a week and a half it should be done :)

I'm excited!!!

dude you got the BEST HID mods I've seen on the net, I was out of town when u had the headlight on ebay or else it would be MINE!!! lol now I'm frustrated to get it done. we should talk man! haha

[smooth1]

I would go back there and tell them you'll give them $1200.00 to fix the exsisting doors right instead. Your asking for a different set of issues and problems by just replacing the entire doors. They won't fit or line up exactly right. All the panels and door internals will need to be tranferred to the new doors, and that never works out right. Later your window motors will have problems and door lock servos and door seal issues, the paint will be off some( Especially Toyota Blue!). We fix these problems all the time. Just have them fix the tire well and the trim. Then fill and primer the door and replace the cover panels. You will be much happier later. Not to mention if they do just what I said, you won't even have any repaint on the RX except for the panels. (Just make sure they use enouph flex agent in the paint.)

And I agree with some of the others here. You shouldn't lie to the insurance comapany. Very bad Karma. Either report the truth and have them fix it, or deal with it yourself like a man. Having your mommy lie for you seems, well, you know,,, wrong. And she should know better. What kind of example is she setting for you to follow?

[cduluk]

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[LEXIRX330]

It was my parents idea to do it this way, if i report it the way it happened i will most likely get dropped. already an accident and 3 tickets in the past 2 years, really don't want to add hitting a hydrant to that list.

Either way it is going to get fixed...

And thanks for the compliments on the headlights my favorite mod...

Like I said before if that was all you had. 3 tickets too. Well when your mommy gets a visit from the police in the middle of the night she will know she did nothing to prevent it. The fact that you think it's funny shows just how "young and dumb" you are. Hopefully you won't kill anyone including yourself.

[cduluk]

It was my parents idea to do it this way, if i report it the way it happened i will most likely get dropped. already an accident and 3 tickets in the past 2 years, really don't want to add hitting a hydrant to that list.

Either way it is going to get fixed...

And thanks for the compliments on the headlights my favorite mod...

Like I said before if that was all you had. 3 tickets too. Well when your mommy gets a visit from the police in the middle of the night she will know she did nothing to prevent it. The fact that you think it's funny shows just how "young and dumb" you are. Hopefully you won't kill anyone including yourself.

That was very rude... I posted this to share my experience not be harassed this way. There are better ways to say things.

This is not a very friendly forum.

[code58]

It was my parents idea to do it this way, if i report it the way it happened i will most likely get dropped. already an accident and 3 tickets in the past 2 years, really don't want to add hitting a hydrant to that list.

Either way it is going to get fixed...

And thanks for the compliments on the headlights my favorite mod...

Like I said before if that was all you had. 3 tickets too. Well when your mommy gets a visit from the police in the middle of the night she will know she did nothing to prevent it. The fact that you think it's funny shows just how "young and dumb" you are. Hopefully you won't kill anyone including yourself.

That was very rude... I posted this to share my experience not be harassed this way. There are better ways to say things.

This is not a very friendly forum.

I have to agree with LEXIRX300- I DO NOT agree with your mother (or parents I guess). Very frankly, your adjuster isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer if he can't tell the damage wasn't caused in the way you reported it. He may just not care enough, and just go ahead and write it but in the years I spent in body work I have seen a few "fraud cases" and the body men could tell if it didn't happen as reported. I have seen people cancelled with no repair on the part of the insurance (rightly so) because of lying on a claim (just such as this) and I can only imagine what it was like for them to try and get insurance then. It isn't right and simply isn't worth it. Call it rude if you wish but I think you are showing your immaturety and so are your parents.

[cduluk]

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