Sadly, here in TX they still are .................

 

Only good thing about it is that in cases of rear end collisions like yours, the car hit in the rear is not at fault. This means the other guys insurance should be responsible. DO NOT FORGET "DIMINISHED VALUE CLAIM."

 

And TX just showed up in a news story as leading the nation in percentage of auto deaths that occur due to DUI/DWI. Having just spent a couple of weeks in Florida its bad driver ranking doesn't surprise me in the least:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/which-st...ers-in-the-us/

 

That's a ticket in New Jersey for her. Unless she's really hot

 

Agreed. Hopefully they throw the book at her for being stupid.

 

OP, get it fixed and in a month or 2 you will forget that it happened. Also go for diminished value. And go to the doctor, if your sore there could be some other injury beside sore muscles, I got hit years ago and my neck got messed up, c6-c7 compression. I didn't go to the doc and now it is all out of pocket...not covered by my insurance.

 

Update:




I met with the Geico Insurance Adjuster today. They had already started removing the bumper and back end of the car. Once the bumper was removed they noticed that the "tub" was cracked and needed to be replaced. According to the tech, the roof, back hatch, quarter panels, seats, carpets, all wiring needs to be taken out in order to do this. I can't tell you how low my stomach dropped when I saw and heard this. They said it would take a min of 3-4 weeks to do the repair. They gave a quote of 8K to start and said if any more is needed they will adjust that figure. This is killing me. The body shop & tech said they understand what I'm going through and I can stop by anytime to look at and check on the car. Just extremely frustrated. My only hope to make things right is to get the car fixed and hope the diminished value claim will pay some of the difference when trading in the car for a 16'. FML

 

Just saw your update, I know exactly what your going through. These cars just can't take a hit, it's a sad reality.

Just hang in there and keep us posted how the repairs and insurance goes.

 

Bummer. But it sounds like those guy that are going to fix it know what they are doing. Its so difficult to protect from rear end collisions. I always try to leave a couple of car lengths between me and the car stopped in front of me providing an escape route and watch the rear view mirror. But sometimes there is just nothing you can do. My sister is crippled from someone rear ending her and thankfully that didn't happen to you my friend. Keep us posted. Its like it happened to us.

 

My wife had a new 2009 Sky that was rear ended by a Dodge pickup 2 weeks after she got it. The tub was cracked and we took it to a Chevy dealer for the repair as their body shop did lots of Corvettes with cracked tubs. MOST of which were repaired rather than replaced. My wife's Sky cost $14,000 for the repair and it was like a new car when it was returned to us. Checked on it every other day and it was amazing watching the work being done. Car will be great when repaired, but like you are thinking, we traded the Sky off rather quickly.
Good luck with the outcome.

 

For me it's little stuff like....when I walked in the shop there was dust every where flying through the air and it smelled like a body shop does. And my car has both doors open, top off, hatch open and dust is clearly going inside. The car still smelled like new but now it never will, it will smell like the shop. And all the screws and bolts that come off the car will have to be put back on and won't be factory tight. What if something rattles or isn't done properly. Just gives me anxiety thinking about it.

 

If it's done wrong you bitch until you're happy...Which still sucks, but at least you're not outta luck if you don't want to be. My dad hit a deer and the dealer in FL did a $hit job painting it. Now his C7 is up in IA and getting painted again on State Farm's dime. I'm serious about doing it all white. Less hassle for the body shop and I think the light colors look classier monochromatic in the a$$ end.

 

Updated Pics

 

jesus man !!!!!

 

That totally sucks!

I was almost in a very similar predicament. I picked my car up on a Friday, and two days later, I was heading home, and stopped at a light. I noticed a BMW convertible behind me, and then I see the driver getting out. I started thinking, what's going on, and then I noticed a younger driver in the vehicle behind the BMW slightly terrified and thought boy am I glad that there was a BM behind me!

 

After seeing the damage, I'm compelled to provide further comment and advice. Most importantly, I truly empathize with you and understand your pain. With the love and respect we here all have for our favorite motorcar, your loss can not be understated.

Unfortunately, you will probably discover that after the repair the car will never be the same. My advise to you is to replace it after repair and settlement of your claims. You have suffered a loss, and the the "system" provides you the opportunity to make it right. DO SO! Seek and obtain the best lawyer you can to make this right.

Think of it as Dale Carnegie (who I am fond of quoting) said: When life gives you a lemon, turn it into lemonade. This goes beyond just making the best of a bad situation. Turn it into a better situation. Get a newer and better car, get over the loss, go forward and get on with your life.

Good luck.

 

I found a company called Southern Automotive Collisions (www.southernautomotivecollisions.com). I spoke to the guy last night and he is going to meet with me Thursday and take a look to give a 3rd party view on the diminished value claim. Everytime i speak to Geico about it they act stupid. When i speak to my Geico adjuster about it he keeps telling me "we need to wait until your car is fixed". But from the research i've done on this forum and online, the car should be looked at now while the car is torn apart before any work has ben done. So i'm having him come look tomorrow with me. Bottom line this is such BS. I was doing nothing wrong, yet now i'm pretty much getting screwed royaly. I just want to get the car fixed and trade it in on a new 16'. Whatever the difference in the price is, i'm hopping the check for diminished value will cover most of it. I'll keep everyone posted.

Another thing. The man whos working on the car told me it would take 3 to 4 weeks min to have the car ready. Yet when i look a estimate from the Geico adjuster he has it wrote down that it will take only 13 days....?

 

Well, 13 working days would be about 3 weeks.

Good luck on the repair.

 

My first guess was $11,000 to repair. You're getting closer. Only $3,000 more hidden stuff and I get a cookie for my guess!

Your pictures give me a shudder to just look at them!

Elmer

 

If I may offer some advice, based on years of experience.....I do have some experience with doing body work, (restoration of Corvettes), and I can tell you this: look closely at your front panels, especially your door panels near the hinges, that meet your front quarter panels. A rear collision that you experienced will push these panels forward out of alignment, causing future issues with gaps and closing of doors. Especially in the forward door near the hinges and even the hood areas that are opened and closed. Always a good practice to check all gap areas after such a collision, and assure the latches are centered and have not moved because of the collision, door, hood, gas tank, and of course trunk. When you get car back open and close everything door, hood, etc. to assure everything is aligned.

Check you tires and rims, they could be damaged. Make sure all wheels are balanced and have not been damaged during the collision. Again this is often over looked, especially the tires. Make sure your TMS is working and all you computer info is working. C7 have three separate computers and one is in the back.

The other thing you need to be aware of goes back to factory issues, the paint. Remember the orange peel issue that seems to be one of the biggest topics on this forum, well your body shop should make every attempt to MATCH the paint on the panels that are not damaged by blending, and assuring the peel is uniform across the car, otherwise you will plainly be able to tell the repaired area....

Finally before you sign off and take possession, make sure with you inside the car you go though a car wash to make sure the care is air tight with no leaks, I cannot tell you how many times after a car that got into accidents, very similar to yours, experience leaks because of mis-aligned panels or other reasons.


Just some pointers that I have learned working with my close friend who has been doing this for 45 years.