A Firetruck hit my car, while it was parked. (PICS)
11-30-10, 09:05 PM
#31
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that sucks man. i got the same color car and got a small scratch on my bumper, i got the whole thing replaced and the body shop did a great job on the paint matching. it is easier on dark colored cars than light color. so you should be fine. good luck with everything.
12-01-10, 09:19 AM
#33
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This is a real issue that the insurance world has addressed! 
You need to file what is called a Diminished Value Claim. Not many people know about it or have the patience to battle an insurance company but if you prove your claim, beyond a doubt, there's really nothing they can do. Especially if you purchased a relatively new vehicle that had no prior accidents. Do some research, it's not hard to show how much the value of your car will go down from before to after the accident. I am assuming this will be a halfway decent insurance company since it was a fire truck..
Once you recover some of the difference, via the diminished value claim, the fact that your car may show an accident on carfax will matter much less. You will have already recovered the money you will lose when you resell in a sense softening the blow..
The only downfall that you cannot recover from will be difficulty reselling to a private party. Many potential pre-owned Lexus buyers will shy away from a car showing an accident on carfax. Keep all of the estimates and photos so you can show that the damage was not too severe. Doesn't look like there's much, if any frame damage, and that's your main worry here.
Take it to a Lexus dealer, or at the very least a body shop recommended by the dealer. I've had a rear bumper replaced with a recycled part in the past, on my now deceased 02 IS3, and honestly it looked just like it was brand new. A good body shop will fix it right and you won't know the difference, especially if you are 20 years old with limited experience in this field.
The firetruck was obviously the at fault party here and their insurance company is legally obligated to let you repair the vehicle wherever you like. Whether or not they give you brand spanking new OE parts is TBD...
I could really do an entire thread on that topic alone so I'll leave it at that..
If you have any other insurance related questions feel free to ask, I've worked in a claims office for quite a while now..
Fisher
You need to file what is called a Diminished Value Claim. Not many people know about it or have the patience to battle an insurance company but if you prove your claim, beyond a doubt, there's really nothing they can do. Especially if you purchased a relatively new vehicle that had no prior accidents. Do some research, it's not hard to show how much the value of your car will go down from before to after the accident. I am assuming this will be a halfway decent insurance company since it was a fire truck..
Once you recover some of the difference, via the diminished value claim, the fact that your car may show an accident on carfax will matter much less. You will have already recovered the money you will lose when you resell in a sense softening the blow..
The only downfall that you cannot recover from will be difficulty reselling to a private party. Many potential pre-owned Lexus buyers will shy away from a car showing an accident on carfax. Keep all of the estimates and photos so you can show that the damage was not too severe. Doesn't look like there's much, if any frame damage, and that's your main worry here.
Take it to a Lexus dealer, or at the very least a body shop recommended by the dealer. I've had a rear bumper replaced with a recycled part in the past, on my now deceased 02 IS3, and honestly it looked just like it was brand new. A good body shop will fix it right and you won't know the difference, especially if you are 20 years old with limited experience in this field.
The firetruck was obviously the at fault party here and their insurance company is legally obligated to let you repair the vehicle wherever you like. Whether or not they give you brand spanking new OE parts is TBD...
I could really do an entire thread on that topic alone so I'll leave it at that..
If you have any other insurance related questions feel free to ask, I've worked in a claims office for quite a while now..
Fisher
.. i googled it and im going to try to file a diminished value claim now ..... thanks. but one thing im having a problem with is im not sure if MA allows it.. http://www.insure.com/car-insurance/...car-value.html and http://www.allbusiness.com/legal/leg...5823494-1.html First of all, DO NOT go to a body shop that is linked with an insurance company(yours or theirs), those guys are scam artists and don't fix the car properly.
Find the best body shop yourself, through research online or maybe people's suggestions. A dealer doesn't guarantee that the work will be immaculate, you need a professional who only does repairs.
Once you find a shop, go talk to the owner and look around the facility. Try to take note of how clean and neat they are. Also look at their recent paint jobs or finished cars, to see how good they are.
And lastly, don't worry about how long it takes. I had a similar accident and it took 2 months for my car to be repaired(from the accident till the day I drove it home from the shop). And it was completely worth it.
Find the best body shop yourself, through research online or maybe people's suggestions. A dealer doesn't guarantee that the work will be immaculate, you need a professional who only does repairs.
Once you find a shop, go talk to the owner and look around the facility. Try to take note of how clean and neat they are. Also look at their recent paint jobs or finished cars, to see how good they are.
And lastly, don't worry about how long it takes. I had a similar accident and it took 2 months for my car to be repaired(from the accident till the day I drove it home from the shop). And it was completely worth it.
.. but 2 months ... i'll need a loaner car...
12-01-10, 12:16 PM
#35
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Dajon:
The first article you cited is mostly referring to 1st party losses, meaning you crash your own vehicle and damages are being paid under your own comprehensive or collision coverage. Your insurance company would likely just laugh you right off the phone for filing a diminished value claim in this case, I know I would
Typically in a 3rd party cituation, which you are currently in, the insurance company would pay out on a Diminished Value Claim. Remember this accident was not your fault, their insurance company is basically at your mercy.
The second article is from 2003 and cites case law from 2002, I have a hard time believing their standpoint still holds true 7+ years later. I must also state that I have 0 claims experience in MA. Bottom line, file the claim and make sure you prove your case as many different ways as possible. The worst they can say is no, even if they deny it at least you can say you tried. If it is denied I would go as far up the ladder as you can, I have seen many situations where things can change the higher up you go. I've even seen my old employers issue hundreds of dollars just to make someone go away. Usually an insurance company will reject something like this from the get-go, but if you push hard enough usually you will get your way as long as your request is reasonable and you prove your claim.
I was also going to say you could file an injury claim to recover some of this money, then I remembered that you weren't in the car when it happened
Best of luck, sorry about your loss..
-Fisher
The first article you cited is mostly referring to 1st party losses, meaning you crash your own vehicle and damages are being paid under your own comprehensive or collision coverage. Your insurance company would likely just laugh you right off the phone for filing a diminished value claim in this case, I know I would
Typically in a 3rd party cituation, which you are currently in, the insurance company would pay out on a Diminished Value Claim. Remember this accident was not your fault, their insurance company is basically at your mercy.
The second article is from 2003 and cites case law from 2002, I have a hard time believing their standpoint still holds true 7+ years later. I must also state that I have 0 claims experience in MA. Bottom line, file the claim and make sure you prove your case as many different ways as possible. The worst they can say is no, even if they deny it at least you can say you tried. If it is denied I would go as far up the ladder as you can, I have seen many situations where things can change the higher up you go. I've even seen my old employers issue hundreds of dollars just to make someone go away. Usually an insurance company will reject something like this from the get-go, but if you push hard enough usually you will get your way as long as your request is reasonable and you prove your claim.
I was also going to say you could file an injury claim to recover some of this money, then I remembered that you weren't in the car when it happened
Best of luck, sorry about your loss..
-Fisher
12-01-10, 08:01 PM
#37
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Dajon:
The first article you cited is mostly referring to 1st party losses, meaning you crash your own vehicle and damages are being paid under your own comprehensive or collision coverage. Your insurance company would likely just laugh you right off the phone for filing a diminished value claim in this case, I know I would
Typically in a 3rd party cituation, which you are currently in, the insurance company would pay out on a Diminished Value Claim. Remember this accident was not your fault, their insurance company is basically at your mercy.
The second article is from 2003 and cites case law from 2002, I have a hard time believing their standpoint still holds true 7+ years later. I must also state that I have 0 claims experience in MA. Bottom line, file the claim and make sure you prove your case as many different ways as possible. The worst they can say is no, even if they deny it at least you can say you tried. If it is denied I would go as far up the ladder as you can, I have seen many situations where things can change the higher up you go. I've even seen my old employers issue hundreds of dollars just to make someone go away. Usually an insurance company will reject something like this from the get-go, but if you push hard enough usually you will get your way as long as your request is reasonable and you prove your claim.
I was also going to say you could file an injury claim to recover some of this money, then I remembered that you weren't in the car when it happened
Best of luck, sorry about your loss..
-Fisher
The first article you cited is mostly referring to 1st party losses, meaning you crash your own vehicle and damages are being paid under your own comprehensive or collision coverage. Your insurance company would likely just laugh you right off the phone for filing a diminished value claim in this case, I know I would
Typically in a 3rd party cituation, which you are currently in, the insurance company would pay out on a Diminished Value Claim. Remember this accident was not your fault, their insurance company is basically at your mercy.
The second article is from 2003 and cites case law from 2002, I have a hard time believing their standpoint still holds true 7+ years later. I must also state that I have 0 claims experience in MA. Bottom line, file the claim and make sure you prove your case as many different ways as possible. The worst they can say is no, even if they deny it at least you can say you tried. If it is denied I would go as far up the ladder as you can, I have seen many situations where things can change the higher up you go. I've even seen my old employers issue hundreds of dollars just to make someone go away. Usually an insurance company will reject something like this from the get-go, but if you push hard enough usually you will get your way as long as your request is reasonable and you prove your claim.
I was also going to say you could file an injury claim to recover some of this money, then I remembered that you weren't in the car when it happened
Best of luck, sorry about your loss..
-Fisher
oh so only OEM is available.... i hope thats what u mean.
12-01-10, 11:18 PM
#38
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No problem Dajon, again good luck. It is possible that you file your claim and everything goes off without a hitch. I just wanted to warn you of what could possibly happen so they don't catch you off guard.
Yes B16da9 is saying only the OE bumper will be available so you won't have to deal with the aftermarket vs OE battle.
Yes B16da9 is saying only the OE bumper will be available so you won't have to deal with the aftermarket vs OE battle.
12-02-10, 07:07 AM
#39
No problem Dajon, again good luck. It is possible that you file your claim and everything goes off without a hitch. I just wanted to warn you of what could possibly happen so they don't catch you off guard.
Yes B16da9 is saying only the OE bumper will be available so you won't have to deal with the aftermarket vs OE battle.
Yes B16da9 is saying only the OE bumper will be available so you won't have to deal with the aftermarket vs OE battle.
Now the front bumper is diffrent, they do make that one aftermarket but only if your car does not have parking assist. So any one out there that gets in an accident and has parking assist make sure you battle for an OEM one and not an aftermaket one were the body shop will drill holes to accept the parking sensors.
12-03-10, 12:56 PM
#41
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Judging from the pictures the damages doesn't look too bad. Looks like you need a new bumper and bumper support. They need to repaint your passenger quarter panel and that is about it.
I would estimate it to be around $2000. Insurance always low ball their estimates.
I would estimate it to be around $2000. Insurance always low ball their estimates.
12-03-10, 01:04 PM
#42
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If I were you I would also file a claim against the fire departments insurance for depreciation. I've done it in the past and while it takes a few months sometimes they will eventually get sick of you and pay up.
12-03-10, 01:13 PM
#43
Yes they can repaint it the same color. just because lexus doesnt use the color anymore, doesnt mean the paint code doesnt exist anymore.
yes you will get a new bumper and what looks like probably a little more since it looks like theres more damage under the bumper too.
estimate on that? well pretty much the back half of the car will have to be repainted, i wouldnt be suprised if the estimate was close to 4k
yes you will get a new bumper and what looks like probably a little more since it looks like theres more damage under the bumper too.
estimate on that? well pretty much the back half of the car will have to be repainted, i wouldnt be suprised if the estimate was close to 4k
12-05-10, 01:10 PM
#45
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While Fisher's advice can be helpful if your state allows it, the thought that just because an opinion is 7 or 8 years old will invalidate it fails. They only change when forced. If your claim with insurance for DV fails, reread my previous posts on this issue and you'll find a clue.
Big Mack