Body Damage Need Advice

[GT/CS07]

This week has been a terrible week. Between getting sick and various work stresses the week sucked already. Well it got worse this morning. My wife who is a mustang fan as well was driving our California Special to work. She was sitting at a stop light when the car behind her was struck and slammed into her. She is ok which is the most important piece but now we are dealing with the aftermath. I have attached a photo of the damage. The car does not drive right making all sorts of weird noises from the rear which is understandable given the accident. I am not a body guy so I don't know if this can be fixed and the insurance companies are dragging their ass at the moment. What I can say for sure are the gaps on the left side of the car are bad. I can see in the trunk without opening so I know thats not good. Any input you guys can give would be appreciated. I don't trust insurance companies and don't want to get screwed over. So the better informed my wife and I are the better.


Thanks,

 

[SpartaPerformance]

What does the insurance company have to do with it? You're not obligated to go to their body shop, you take it to your body shop and submit the estimate to them. Look like you're going to need a new rear quarter, trunk lid, bumper cover,bumper, possible control arms, exhaust... make sure they look at floor pans and frame rails. They can't deny your claim from your choice in body shop and your insurance company should help you deal with the other drivers insurance company that's what you pay premiums for.

 

[GT/CS07]

Thanks Tommy.

Here is a bit more info. Currently the car is in my garage. As I looked at it more today it is amazing that the airbags didn't go off. The car that hit my wife was totaled. The car that hit him the police estimate was going between 50-55mph. They both had to go to the emergency room as they had some serious injuries. After taking my wife to the emergency room this evening it looks like she has a case of whiplash. I am very happy that my wife was wearing her seatbelt. Things could have been a whole lot worse. We share the same insurance company as the person at fault so I was hoping this would be pretty painless but I swear they gave me the new guys/gals to deal with. Now I have medical insurance but why the hell do I have to pay to have my wife seen at the doctor only to fight to be reimbursed? Its just complete crap. I am really going to need to pay close attention to all of this as I just don't trust things. I know it sounds stupid but my family has been screwed by insurance companies in the past and it really sticks with me.

 

[GT/CS07]

Here is one more photo

 

[walter]

I really hate to see things like this happen but usually if its the other person's fault and you both have the same insurance they usually try and sweep things under the rug real quick and take it to one of their preferred body shop which is somewhat quick. This happened to my parents when they got rear ended by some lady with the same insurance as them (GEICO) the experience was pretty quick and painless.

Still if it isn't do like I did on a previous accident and just keep calling the other driver's adjuster, and their boss, and their boss's boss, sooner or later you'll annoy the hell out of someone high up and put you in a three way conversation with the other person's adjuster and a complaints department at corporate and you'll have your check in no time and your car fixed.

 

[ct07gt]

Airbags don't usually go off in rear end collisions, they would not help if they did. You get pushed back into the seat, not forward into the steering wheel. I hope everything works out for you, with your wife's health and the car.

 

[SpartaPerformance]

Having the same insurance company sucks!! They will try to get the job done for as little as possible but stick to your guns and demand Ford OE parts only and have the job done at body shop of your choosing.

 

[Justin01]

demand Ford OE parts only

BOOM!!!!

Best advice yet. Double, and triple check that they use only FORD OEM parts...demand they do. I made the mistake of not making sure when I was rear ended. Now, I have a crappy ass rear bumper that doesn't even line up. The body shop guys that handed the car back were even embarrassed as they could only get it to line up so much. It really looks like dog****. To a trained eye, some might say it's been in an accident and hasn't been fixed. The corners that end into the wheel well are bent inward and the lines between the rear quarter and bumper look to be drawn by a 1st grader.

Glad your wife is ok.
Get OEM parts.
Go to your body shop.

 

[GT/CS07]

Thanks for the advice guys. I am taking it to the Ford Dealership where I have bought my last 2 cars. I trust them to work on my cars so I am hoping their collision center is as good. I am demanding OEM parts and I am hoping that because it is going to Ford that I will get top quality work. If not GEICO is really going to hate me as I will be all over them until its right.

 

[J.Cagle]

I hit a deer in my car a while back. I took mine to my local Ford dealer to get repaired. They used what I wanted them to. All ford parts is the way to go!

 

[GT/CS07]

The more I look at the damage the more I am unsure what can be repaired properly. The trunk pan is warped near the left rear wheel and obviously the entire left quarter is jacked. I don't think a simple quarter panel skin swap will fix it completely. However I can't see them totaling a car for just that damage. I guess I am just nervous about the entire thing as I have pampered this car and now it makes me sick to think it won't be back to what it was. It is at the Ford Dealer now waiting on the adjuster to come. Has anyone repaired anything like this that they can give me some insight as to how it goes? I know little to nothing about body work. All of my knowledge lies in the mechanical area.

 

[anthony05gt]

The new stangs are very easy to repair the kind of damage you have. The body, pans, etc.. are easy to cut out and weld in replacements. Don't even worry about the bent trunk pan.

 

[Justin01]

The more I look at the damage the more I am unsure what can be repaired properly.

My old 98 v6 was totalled out for less damage than that. I was hit on the driver's side, right rear side. I didn't want to be the one to say it, but it wouldn't shock me if they totalled it out. How many miles on the car?

 

[Justin01]

The new stangs are very easy to repair the kind of damage you have. The body, pans, etc.. are easy to cut out and weld in replacements. Don't even worry about the bent trunk pan.

Easy maybe. But definitely not cheap. Just a dented hood and new pony grill was going to set me back just over 3 grand according to the dealership (estimate done by them). Just a hood was $1300 without paint last I checked. I don't know if the rear quarters are aluminum like the hood, but I'd imagine they are. I see this getting expensive real fast.

EDIT: Well, maybe maybe not I guess. Your quarter goes for about 650-ish. Thought it'd be much more.

 

[GT/CS07]

The car has 30k on it. I looked at the rear quarter panels at latemodelrestoration.com. From what I see that is just the skin. I will need the entire set up so I guess the shell and skin. Which ties into the floor and trunk. Looking at the car I will need everything replaced from the driver's side door to the rear bumper. The other large visible parts I will need will be a wheel, trunk lid, bumper, and bumper cover. I am positive there is going to be more than that. I can send you guys a day light photo which shows the damage better. If you want it PM me. I am just worried that even using Ford parts that nothing will line up correctly. I am meeting with Ford and Geico on monday to look over the car. I will keep you guys posted. I can't see this being cheap especially since we can't even diagnose the mechanical problems yet or if the frame is screwed. I really love the car so I don't want to lose it but if they can't make it like it was prior to the accident I don't know where this is going to go.

 

[NEFaurora]

Been down this insurance road before. I can advise two things. #1. Have (and insist) the Ford dealer repair your car. You will be getting Ford parts, and it willmost likely be done as close as correct as possible. #2. Unless you have Geico Ins. Co., Get a lawyer that deals with insurance claims. It will more than pay for itself in the long run, plus you may actually come out ahead in the end or at worst break even. Paying $700-$1100 for a lawyer will avoid lots of problems, plus he knows the laws better than you do. I especially advise a lawyer if medical payments are involved since medical payments can wind up being worse than the actual damage of the car. Your wife MUST claim "NO FAULT", otherwise you will get hosed/screwed. Do yourself a big favor, shop around for a good accident lawyer, That is my best advice aside from asctually having the FORD dealer fix the car and do the bodywork. The FORD dealers in my town all do their own bodywork. +1

Glad that I could offer my two cents... Most insurance companies are crooks until they get pressured, Then they "miraculously" see things your way. That is my experience. A small story, In 2004, (I live in Florida), I lost parts of my roof in a hurricane, and the entire roof needed to be replaced... The new roof cost $12000, (I went with the best, HOME DEPOT, I didn't want a fly by night operation that would possbly desert the job in the middle as what happened to many others) As I said, The new roof cost $12,000, but the insurance company would only pay half ($6,000), To make a long story short, after six months of no action and fighting them to pay the 2nd half (the other $6,000), I threatened to sue them and had my lawyer draft up a "threat letter", Within 3 days, They called my house and said "The 2nd half of the check is on the way." , Then after they paid, I immediately dropped them and went with someone else. The moral of the story is, In this day and age where just about everything is cutthroat, You have to always fight for what you want, which is unfortunate....Sometimes things go smooth to your advantage, but more than most times they do not. You always have to be on the defense. My 2 cents, and my experience.

Hope you take my advice, and I hope that it all works out for you.

Tony K.

 

[Rob72]

If your medical insurance figures out that your wife's injuries are accident related they may deny her coverage. I know someone who went through this with a long term injury. Consult a lawyer. She may have spinal cord problems for the rest of her life. Don't settle a claim till you get expert advice.

 

[nastymakeR6]

Where abouts do you live? I work in St. Petersburg, FL at a body shop that specializes in 05+ mustangs