Well, you know how when one car slams their brake, then another, then .....and if there's enough, someone gets rearended....that was me today. Luckily the lady was EXTREMELY nice, and her husband worked for State Farm. She called the insurance office on site, and we exchanged everything, and they've ALREADY called me and we have everything set up. I told them that my passenger and I have a headache, so we're not sure on any injuries. My CD player flew backwards out of the dash, my radar came off of the mount, and my visor came flying backwards (like you were gonna block out the sun from the side window). So my tech ? is how much damage do you think was done, and how much can I get away with? Lemme explain. My rear bumper cover is scratched (through my NEW!!! paint ). It seems to be bend down ever so slightly, and (nothing to do with wreck), but the right exhaust tip has kinda left a small burn in the bumper cover. Also about 2 weeks ago, I noticed a small fracture in my taillights. I'm probably going to blame this on the wreck because it did get worse. Do you think I can blame the exhaust thing on the wreck since the bumper's bent down. And LOL, you think i can say my hatch motor doesn't work as a result???

------------------
See pics @ Billy's Firebird
92 Bird 3.1L Auto
Best $750 I ever spent....
DRIVE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT!
Kills:
93 Mustang LX (Before Mods)
98 or 99 Dodge Stratus (tough one, edged out at 40)
92 Camaro RS 305 TPI
97+ Honda somethin or another...modded....kept at my door the entire way
Close Calls
94 Grand Am 3.1 V6
92 Cavalier 3.1 V6
01 Porsche 911 Turbo (Had em till first gear)
Mods-Jet Stage 2 Performance Chip, Accel Cap/Rotor, Accel 8.8 MM Wires, Accell Coil, AC Delco Rapidfire Plugs, Dynomax Catback, K&N
AIM name OVRCLCK350

 

if u got rear ended u could pull n e thing off. Just make sure when pricing out ur parts go to the GM dealer. They have the best parts for our cars and can be a bit more expensive than other places so u will get more $$$$$

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1989 pontiac firebird
bright red exterior(just repainted)
grey interior
5 spd
305 TBI (stock)
WS.6 formula wheels
3.73 posi rear end
http://members.aol.com/j007golden/Mikey89.html
-------------------------
1985 trans am
factory bright yellow
4 wheel disks
16 inch wheels
305 TPI
power antenna and mirrors
t tops

 

Yeh.. if you're rear-ended, you're pretty much in command of it.. and if the impact was enough to cause the stereo deck to fly out of the dash, I'd be going to a body shop to have the unibody and rear frame inspected, cuz you may be dealing with more damage than you realize. If the radar detector was damaged, last I checked you're SOL in TX and should be careful NOT to mention it was even there to begin with. Look at every point on the vehicle to see if the relative alignment between adjascent panels has changed (doors stickier or looser, hatch not closing properly (like it was to begin with considering the dead pull-down), if it worsened the crack in the tail lights, whether it was there before or not, that's damage and cause for replacement.. but seriously, frame/unibody damage would be my primary concern. Don't forget to have all repairs quoted by a good GM dealership, with the dealership doing all labor.

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'86 Camaro SC, black /w silver racing stripes
2.8l MPFI/700r4
In search of new v8 engine & transmission
MSD coil, Accel 8mm wires, SplitFire plugs, Gabriel hijackers

 

If the bumper's back & down, sounds like the rear bumper mount took a good hit. At cheapest, that could be banged upward- but since there's insurance, definately get your car on a frame rack. And yeah try to get a GM authentic rear-bumper, not an aftermarket one. I've heard of some insurance companies making the body shops buy aftermarket, I hear that it's your right to demand authentic parts.

TS, why would he be sol in Texas with a radar detector? Last I checked a few months ago, only VA and Washington DC outlawed them.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

 

Hey! I just found this in the tech section: http://350.streetracing.org/guide.html It's for a Camaro, but I'd imagine the stuff's very similar. It's scanned pages from a GM collision manual.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

 

What you should really be concerned about is YOU!
I was once rear-ended by claims adjuster for Hertz rent-a-car.
He started taking pics immediaetly!
I went & got a Beverly Hills Lawyer.
I was not in good shape, he hit me 3 weeks after a bi-lateral hernia operation.
It dragged on for a long time & I was followed, photographed, etc.
Get A LAWYER NOW!!
DO NOT TALK TO ANYONE ELSE!
Let the lawyer deal with it.
DO NOT THNK FOR ONE MINUTE THEY (State Farm) are on your side.
They are out to rape you up the butt and get away without giving you a thing!
Get to a LAWYER, NOW!!!
GET TO A DOCTOR NOW!!
Let the car sit, for now. DO NOT TOUCH IT NOR GO FOR ANY CLAIMS.
You will damgage your case against yourself, BIG TIME!
From one that knows, all to well!
Honest, I speak from real knowledge.
KEEP A JOURNAL OF YOUR PAINS RIGHT AWAY!
And your passenger, too!
I am serious.
Do not fake length of pain journal. Just short statements is fine.
This is 100% in your favor, until you get to a doctor.
They want to settle right away with you.
DO NOT!
Your body and long term health are the big concerns not a tailight or tail pipe.




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Chat Soon,
KED85
Karl
1985 Firebird 2.8 to 3.4 swap project for Smog Happy LA, CA

 

Even tho they were nice people SUE EM =) i should be gettin about 10,000 next week for my accdent last april of course my insurance company were *******s about it. Also the guy who hit me wanted to give me 500 bux i said no and the total repar bill for my car wnet into about 3 grand or so and they ddint replace my rear bumper jsut bondod it that thing is soo messed up i might jsut replace it dono.

 

My passenger is real sore today. She's goin to the doctor later. I'm not really feeling anything, but I'm going to wait and see how I feel. I am taking it to a GM shop where I "know a guy" and he's gonna make sure I get hooked up right as far as the car work and inspection. I am also going to get the frame checked out.

BTW, Radar detector's are legal here. I think they're also illegal in Missouri. There's one state on the way from TX to Missouri that is, because I remember having to take it out of our truck on the way.

 

Umm, Ked's a little emphatic, but I'm kind of a forgive and forget guy. Whatever you do, don't feel bad about any money you get, and like Ked said, don't hold back on stuff that's wrong (or that the accident *might* have caused). Remember, you're not hurting the person who hit you, if you get $10 or $10,000, they're insurance rates will go up the same amount, and they aren't really paying apenny of it to you. You're getting money from a multi-billion dollar corporation, so it ain't hurting them, either. Personally, I'm paying them $100 a month for an accident I got into against one of their insureds when I didn't have it. Maybe we should talk to them and I'll just start cutting my checks to you.

Good Luck!

-Reno

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'88 Firebird LB8
"Cerberus"
http://www.angelfire.com/il/Firebird28/index.html

 

Reno,
I gotta tell ya, I was stunned about what Hertz was doing to me.
I was very stunned.
Insurance companies do not care one bit about YOU.
Neither do big corporations.
This is LA and I got educated, the hard way.
Bitter, no
Just educated.
I do not enjoy hearing about the little people (us,here) gettting dumped on.
Keep these thoughts in mind.
I REALLY STRONGLY suggest you do not touch the car and you go immediaetly to a doctor.
The longer YOU wait to go to a doctor, the weaker your case is.
It's your call, just offering some personal knowledge.
Hey, what ya do with it is up to you. It's your life.
Again, I'm not bitter, just educated, the hard way.
IF you have done nothing wrong you don't have a thing to fear and it's all in your favor.
Your health is SO much more important than a paint job.
Your life will outlast your car.


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Chat Soon,
KED85
Karl
1985 Firebird 2.8 to 3.4 swap project for Smog Happy LA, CA

 

Overclck, I have one thing to say. When you take your car to a body shop, if they can't say the magic words leave QUICK!

I-Car Gold Class, Trained and Certified!

 

Magic Words?

 

If they can't say that leave, fast.

 

FAST RS That is the problem these days, people are sue happy,In my opinion, just take what you think is fair. That is why these are called accidents, it could happen to you! would you want the person you hit to sue you for all you are worth? Just take whatever is fair and let it rest, we have too many damn sue happy people in this world.

 

25th, I agree w/ you totally. When my dad got in an accident, you could have sued the pants off of the other people, but he did the honorable thing, and just got enough to cover damages on the van!

Just my opinion!

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91 RS Camaro
3.1L
Cat Back System, K&N filter,modified air box, Fastchip Stage 2, 160 thermo, Rapidfires and Bosch Wires 5 Air Horns
Stereo: Clarion Deck, 2 12' Kicker CompVR's, IX702

ICQ: 65384740

My Car ( no stereo pics yet)

 

But also here's something to think about. Not that my car would be worthy of it. But what about depreciation of value? Insurance companies should pay that too. I mean a vehicle in a wreck has a serious depreciation of resale value, and the companies don't really seem to care. I mean, how would you feel if your brand new car, or your prize thirdgen who's never seen a scratch and only has like 30k gets hit and they pay only to repair what they messed up. The fact that your car's been in an accident SEVERELY damages the resale value.