Hockey2315

Hey guys-

Not sure if I'm posting this in the right place but here I go.

After just picking up my car from the shop the day before (it needed a new alternator) it's now going to have to go right back in. . . So last night I was driving the speed limit on a 2-lane, pretty busy road. I had a green light but a mentally handicapped woman (I'm not being mean, she really was handicapped) turned left in front of me trying to pull in to a liquor store parking lot. Rather than hitting her head on, I jammed on the breaks and cut the wheel all the way to the right.. My front end on the passenger side struck her front passenger door and a little bit of the rear passenger door. No one was hurt badly but my friend is complaining of neck pain from the seatbelt which he refused to get it checked out. I called the police and when they arrived the woman claimed full responsibility and received a ticket. I did feel very bad, however, because she was crying. It could have been worse, though, because the woman's young child was sitting in the back seat on the side I hit.

Well anyways. . . here are my questions. . .

1. Will my insurance rates go up if she was 100% at fault? I'm worried because I am a 17- year old male driving a 93 Lexus GS 300 so my rates are already exorbitant and almost to the point where my dad has already threatened to sell my car before because of maintenance costs.
2. How much will it cost for a new bumper cover, front quarter panel, and headlight?
3. I know sometimes Lexus recommends painting the whole car, will they have to do this?

Thanks in advance for any input you could give me. . .

- Brian

flipside909

1) Not sure about your state, but if you were placed at 0% fault, it's a non chargeable loss which usually doesn't affect your insurance rates.

2) Get at estimate at a body shop of your choice. It looks like your repair estimate including labor will get up to at least $2k by what you just described.

3) Lexus does not recommend painting the whole car. That is a hoax wherever you heard that from.
Most qualified body shops will only paint the affected area that was result of the accident. In most cases, the shop will blend the paint on the panels that are adjacent to the repaired area. Depending on your current paint condition, a good shop will color match and sometimes fully detail the rest of the car to match the existing paint w/the new paint. FYI your insurance company or their insurance company, whoever is doing the work is not obligated to paint your whole car. They are only liable for repairing the damaged parts that were affected by the accident. A good shop will offer a lifetime guarantee on the work as long as you own your car. If the shop is a preferred vendor for the insurance company, they will back the work of that shop. I am a Claims Adjuster by profession fyi.

Good Luck!

Hockey2315

thanks for the helpful insight- anyone else?

Hockey2315

I live in Connecticut by the way. . .

Hockey2315

The insurance agent says my rates will not be affected!!! Thank God!!!

lexusk8

Hey Brian, I also live in CT, and I was in a similar situation like you last March when I was involved in an accident with my ES (you can read about my accident here). The girl who hit me was placed at 100% fault, and her insurance company paid for all my repairs, plus my insurance rates did not get affected. As far as choosing a body/repair shop for your car, you may get a couple suggestions from the other insurance company (the old lady's), but I would press on and get a Lexus dealership to do the repairs. I mean, the damages on your GS will most likely prove that she's at fault, as well as from the police report, so you mind as well make her pay dearly. It's how the "driver-insurance" system works these days

flipside909

FYI, not all Lexus dealerships have their own body shop facility. Most of them usually sublet it out to one of their approved vendors. Be careful though, just because an elected body shop is assigned to a particular Lexus dealer means they'll do the work perfectly. Get some referrals in your area friends, and etc and see how well they do the work. Just because a Lexus dealer has an on-site body shop doesn't mean you'll be guaranteed the best work or paint job. It's definitely how the painters and body men do their work and how much experience they have that qualifies, not by the name or affiliation of the shop.