Oh noes! My poor baby!!

[UNCjigga]

I rear-ended a cabbie yesterday at a four-way stop as I was looking at street signs across the street. I tried to avoid the accident but I still hit. His rock-solid Ford Crown Vic bumper didn't sustain much damage. My headlight, fender and bumper, on the other hand, are another story. While it might not look like much, I bet I'm looking at a MINIMUM of $1500 in repair costs, maybe even $2k or more. This really sucks, since I just bought the car in August and its my baby

I didn't want insurance or police to get involved since I was at fault, so I just gave the cab driver $200 in cash and I'll have to pay my costs out of pocket.

So...can anyone recommend good autobody shops that do German cars in the DC/MD/VA area? And as far as getting the headlight assembly replaced, what do you recommend I do for parts?

PICS:

The cab I hit
My car - head on view
My car - side profile

 

[MichaelD]

Wow...you had a nice car.

$1500? Your headlight assembly costs that much!

You won't be quoted any less than $3,500. LMK if I'm wrong.

You've got a minimum of three things that need to be replaced AND painted AND installed. Your airbag didn't go off, did it?

Also, the onboard computer MIGHT have a record of an accident, which will show up the next time it gets plugged in at the dealer.

 

[doze]

Headlight you can buy a replacement factory headlamp or a pair of aftermarket and sell the other headlamp on ebay. Either way this will set you back a few hundred

Bumper may need to be replaced depending on damage underneath otherwise bondo and paint will fix it. Fender replaced.

+ paint and labor Damage may be 2K

See if you can get used fender and bumper from wrecked car (rear collision) to save $$$

 

[KaChow]

My coworker took her Prius to Falls Church Auto Body (101 W. Jefferson St, Falls Church VA) and they did a pretty good job fixing her car - front bumper, headlights, fender. All of the other cars at the shop were Acura's, Jags, Mercedes, and BMW's...her car was out of place.

 

[M2008S]

1)sell your car as-is
2)buy a 1984 chevrolet chevette 4 speed
3)dont care about anything while you drive.

hahaha <3 body work is expensive, check out boneyards for headlights if you can, if not check ebay. idk about costs

 

[TTM77]

Junk yard might help with the part and ... if you lucky U might find a part with the exact color.

 

[franksta]

I did similar damage to a Nissan Armada on Saturday. Big SUV. I think the damage to my truck will buff out but it has really soured my mood. I gave her my license and insurance info so we'll see what comes of it.

 

[j00fek]

your ins will be going up

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: j00fek
your ins will be going up

Did you not even read his post?

 

[UNCjigga]

Originally posted by: j00fek
your ins will be going up

Umm, no. That's why I made the cabbie sign a receipt for me saying he accepted $200 as final settlement for the damage to his vehicle. He never even took down my information.

 

[UNCjigga]

Originally posted by: MichaelD
Wow...you had a nice car.

$1500? Your headlight assembly costs that much!

You won't be quoted any less than $3,500. LMK if I'm wrong.

You've got a minimum of three things that need to be replaced AND painted AND installed. Your airbag didn't go off, did it?

Also, the onboard computer MIGHT have a record of an accident, which will show up the next time it gets plugged in at the dealer.

Well, I estimated lower because I think my bumper can be saved (I cleaned it up after the accident and most of the scrapes were just superficial and wiped clean off--it only needs minor touch-up painting). I'm also thinking that a good autobody shop can "undent" the fender, but I'm not sure with all the buckling behind the headlight assembly. The headlight is possibly the most expensive thing to replace, but I only need the housing and lens cover (the expensive projector headlamp still works fine.)

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: UNCjigga

Originally posted by: j00fek
your ins will be going up

Umm, no. That's why I made the cabbie sign a receipt for me saying he accepted $200 as final settlement for the damage to his vehicle. He never even took down my information.

Why would he? You just gave him $200. Hell, he's just going to pocket the money and not report it to the cab company.

I can see the cab company asking him what happened to his cab and he'll respond, "Hmm, I didn't notice it when I signed it out...must have happened on another shift."

 

[Brainonska511]

What's the point of paying for insurance if you don't plan on using it?

 

[Pocatello]

Duct tape it.

 

[Shawn]

Originally posted by: Brainonska511
What's the point of paying for insurance if you don't plan on using it?

because you have to?

 

[AdamK47]

Originally posted by: Pocatello
Duct tape it.

 

[crystal]

That will buffs right out.

 

[vi edit]

I'm in agreement with MichaelD...you won't get this done (well) for anything under $3,000. Just too many things that need to be fixed.

Plus this a late model VW with premium priced parts and low availability. You might be waiting 2 months for the parts to come in.

 

[UNCjigga]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
I'm in agreement with MichaelD...you won't get this done (well) for anything under $3,000. Just too many things that need to be fixed.

Plus this a late model VW with premium priced parts and low availability. You might be waiting 2 months for the parts to come in.

Well, thanks to VWVortex I just scored a complete headlamp assembly with turn signal for $100 shipped--some guy just took his out to put in OEM HID lamps so his are sitting in a box and in perfect working condition. That's a HUGE monkey off my back. Unfortunately, lots of people are telling me I'll need a new fender for sure and that the bumper may need replacement as well. Plus I don't have an estimate for damage "beneath the skin" but I'm not expecting any frame damage or anything major (fingers crossed!!!) The accident occured at 10-15mph.

 

[UNCjigga]

Originally posted by: Brainonska511
What's the point of paying for insurance if you don't plan on using it?

Lots of reasons. I insured the car in NC after I bought it, then immediately moved to the DC area. Of course rates here are much higher, so I was in no hurry to change the 6-month policy after moving (MD law accepts out of state insurance but carriers can refuse payment if you're not living in your designated home area). My new MD insurance policy takes affect on 2/17, so filing a claim at the last minute won't go over well. Also, insurance claims usually require an accompanying police report to assign blame--why would I want my premiums to go up AND pay a fine/ticket (with points against my license) on top of that? No thanks sir. I'll take the higher up-front costs to maintain my perfect driving record for lower total costs down the road.

 

[Art Vandelay]

UNCJigga,

I am guessing that you'll be needing a new fender, but your bumper should be ok. For good bodyshops, you need to check the Capital Area forum at VWVortex.

I also know a bodyshop in Rockville, MD that I suspect employs immigrants but they do an excellent job and are 10-20% cheaper than any body shop I got a quote from. Let me know if you want the info.

 

[Hyperlite]

Originally posted by: Shawn

Originally posted by: Brainonska511
What's the point of paying for insurance if you don't plan on using it?

because you have to?

:laugh:

 

[jtvang125]

New fender and new bumper needed. No way you can straighten and bondo that fender up. Also after a bad hit like that the bumper most likely won't sit flush anymore where it got it.

 

[sjwaste]

Originally posted by: UNCjigga

Originally posted by: Brainonska511
What's the point of paying for insurance if you don't plan on using it?

Lots of reasons. I insured the car in NC after I bought it, then immediately moved to the DC area. Of course rates here are much higher, so I was in no hurry to change the 6-month policy after moving (MD law accepts out of state insurance but carriers can refuse payment if you're not living in your designated home area). My new MD insurance policy takes affect on 2/17, so filing a claim at the last minute won't go over well. Also, insurance claims usually require an accompanying police report to assign blame--why would I want my premiums to go up AND pay a fine/ticket (with points against my license) on top of that? No thanks sir. I'll take the higher up-front costs to maintain my perfect driving record for lower total costs down the road.

If you don't do a nice job with the repair, people will be able to tell upon inspection if you ever intend to resell it. Take it to a couple of shops, let them know you're doing a self-repair, get estimates, and try and negotiate a little if you can. Nothing wrong with non-OEM parts, since they generally come from other cars like yours but a little worse that became total losses.

You're likely required to report the accident to your insurance company (read the contract).

The damage sucks, but that's part of the cost of ownership since you determined you didn't want to file a claim.