Had a cop wake me up this morning asking "Is that your car?" When I replied that it was, he told me that a school bus had hit the drivers side mirror on the GTA. Damage isn't too bad, but how can I avoid this showing up on an insurance company's C.L.U.E. report. Jim Berry

Why would it show up in an insurance report if you aren't at fault?

As long as the GTA was not illegally parked, it wouldn't matter if it did show up. Not at fault shouldn't do anything to your rates.

See how f'd up insurance companies have us nowadays?

We are worried even if said accident isn't our fault

here you are for just being there.. its something dumb like 20/80 (I dont recall the specific amount but its how it works in basic terms)

Where I work, they give a urine & breath test, BEFORE the vehicle is moved, unless it's moved for traffic flow reasons, & the involved are observed for an hour-- this includes but not limited to slurred speech, depression,odor of alchohol & marijuana, general behaviour.

I would think Texas is similar, seeing as it was parked, & the other driver was driving a SCHOOL BUS!! WTF!!!

Looks like alot of bodywork to fix the door with the crease along the top edge. Is that a crack where the mirror was?
How's it look inside-- is the inner structure bowed inward?

correct me if im wrong but no matter whos fault an accident is, it shows up on a car fax report, which doesnt really matter if your not planning to sell the car but can be a pain in the butt if you do try to sell it

Only if it goes through insurance. Unreported accidents never show up on CarFax. Even then, there is no 100% guarantee that a reported one will show up.

yeah i ment if insurance is used, we just sold a car recently and they 100% showed up, ours or someone elses fault

I dont know what state your from, but most of the time it will not show up unless there was 70% of the value of the car damaged. It has to be totalled for it to matter. There does not look like near enough damage for that.

Oh yeah, it's gonna show.

When I lived in a apartment in Seattle, my neighbor parked next to me. Her kid kicked the door open and hit my Mercury Sable. A little ding, no big deal. Her insurance paid me 650.00 for the damage. I never reported it, gave my name, or anything. They sent me a check with my name on it. Never took it to a garage or anything.

A year or so later when I changed insurance companies, it showed up as a paid claim. The Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Evaluation (CLUE) program that is used by the insurance companies will somehow link me to a claim when I ask the school district to fix it.

You can also call the following company to get your full CLUE report that is held by them on you at 1-888-497-0011. They sent me a copy of my MVR, but I knew that it was clear. I had to call again to get my CLUE report. I should get it this week.

The door is bowed out near the top left. Window is now loose in the track. Mirror is broken, ripped out of the automatic adjusting plane and the rear mounting bolt hole is blown outwards. Forward bolt was the only thing left holding on the mirror.

Any thoughts?

Jim Berry

The window issue has me wondering if the inner structure is bent or maybe spotwelds // rivits busted off.
After they give you estimates, ask what it would cost for a complete door replacement-- unless that's suggested-- even if you pick 1 from a yard.
Then your talking bodyshop labor for removing old door, painting & hanging another.
Hard part may be finding 1.
How would that compare to bodywork, new mirror & paint?
Maybe even save some $ if you are allowed to remove the door & hang the other after paint??

Just an idea anyway.

I've had cars that were hit so freaking hard it cost 5k to fix them, insurance paid. None of them showed up on carfax.. Carfax is a hit or miss.

-- Joe

Pun intended??

Sorry couldnt resist.

I understand the carfax issues. Usually it shows. My other '91 was hit before I purchased it. I even saw them tow it to the kids house. It showed on the carfax as a "salvaged" title because the insurance paid him and he bought the car back from them.

The one you will also need to check is the CLUE report.

Jim Berry

thats normal though, the car was totaled and the guy bought it back. it would then have a "salvage" title.

but yes, carfax is hit or miss. If the car was fixed by the owner without an accident report or insurance claim, it would never show up on car fax, and as pointed out, even it there is a insurance claim and report, it doesnt mean it will show up on car fax.

my Z28 had been rear-ended and didn't show up on a carfax. I'm pretty sure it was fixed under the table.

Not sure what the issue is. Are you planning to resell this car down the road? If you have to go against your insurance, you are going to pay a deductible. Since you aren't at fault, it _should_ be the school bus companies insurance, 100%, that covers your body damage. As long as it doesn't go against your insurance, you shouldn't see ANY difference in coverage or cost. I'd scope out the cost to get a new door yourself, and get it painted and and installed, and then see what they offer you. If they say you can take it to their shop and get it done, do it. If they say they'll give you a check for more than it will cost you to do it yourself, take it and do it yourself. If they offer you zilch or a pittance, then get your insurance involved, to sue _them_ and get the money.

Either way, though, unless you are looking to resell the thing down the road for mucho dinero, what shows up on carfax isn't really going to matter much.

I got a letter from the schools insurance company today. Asked me to call them. I'll let ya'll know.

Jim.

The schools insurance told me to get an estimate and fax it to them. (Why are faxes still used? I mean with email and scanned attachments, a fax is so.....eighties.)

I took it to a local body shop. The adjuster said that the door already had some repairs on it and about 3 different kinds of similar colored paint. He took some pictures and said to come back in a couple of hours. When I went back he had not finished an estimate because they were still trying to find parts. "LKC didn't even have any", he said.

I knew that LKC parts would not have any. They only deal in 1995 and newer car parts. Why do I have to do other peoples jobs?

Jim.

Let me clarify guys -- I run and review all the Carfaxes at the dealer I work at.

Accidents show up on Carfaxes ONLY if a police report is made. That means that a policeman must come out and make record of the accident. Of the three accidents I've been involved in (none of which were my fault btw), the two that a policeman wrote a report on showed up on my Carfax. The other from when I lost control and hit a tree trying to avoid another car, which police did not show up, did NOT hit my Carfax, despite the fact that I claimed it on my insurance (as I did with the other two accidents).

Also, be leery of what details say about an accident on a Carfax -- my most recent one, which did $13,000 damage to my car said "minor damage reported" on the Carfax, when my other Carfax accident had much less serious damage did not give any details as to the extent of the damage. Also a Carfax isn't written in stone -- you can call them and have a Carfax changed if you have documents to prove that what's on your Carfax is not correct. That's not to say that they have the ability to delete an accident, it's more for changing mileage discrepancies where someone recorded the mileage wrong (in KM instead of miles, etc.) or correcting details about an accident.

Oh geez...very sorry to hear it! Stories like this remind me why I will never park on the street and when I'm in a parking lot, I go for the most out-of-the-way space I can find, preferably with some sort of concrete barrier or metal pole somewhat shielding my car.

Good luck with the repairing and I hope the moron driving that bus was fired.