That day we all fear . . .

[MaineFusion]

As to your comment about photos, I could not agree with you more. As a matter of fact, I circled around the entire scene and took video and even made sure the audio was functional because, well, people say all kinds of sh*t and then when the cops get there, they've had time to reconfigure their thinking and the story changes.

Taking video of the scene to catch useful comments by bystanders is an excellent idea. Just don't say anything stupid while recording. ;)

[acdii]

Taking video of the scene to catch useful comments by bystanders is an excellent idea. Just don't say anything stupid while recording. ;)

Unless its, ow, ooh my neck, ouch my back. :)

 

 

Oh wait, thats what I say every day.

[hybridbear]

There is some undercarriage damage there. While it could be repaired where they hook chains to various parts and pull the frame straight, it also weakens the metal, so if there is another crash, the safety cage wont be able to absorb as much energy. It can be repaired, but wonder at what cost.

 

In any case, good reason to have GAP insurance.

GAP insurance is important if you finance the majority of the cost of the car. If you do like we did and pay more than half up front at will have the car completely paid for in about 18 months then GAP insurance would have been a terrible waste of money. Even with the fact that we were putting down more than half the purchase price the Finance guy at the dealer still tried to sell us GAP insurance claiming that we needed it.

[Eddie Sessum]

GAP insurance is important if you finance the majority of the cost of the car. If you do like we did and pay more than half up front at will have the car completely paid for in about 18 months then GAP insurance would have been a terrible waste of money. Even with the fact that we were putting down more than half the purchase price the Finance guy at the dealer still tried to sell us GAP insurance claiming that we needed it.

 

 

My dealer just came out in the open and said sign this to decline gap coverage you dont need it. I guess thats the sign of a good dealership..

[djminfll]

GAP insurance is like extended warranty - if you want the peace of mind, it's worth the money whether you make use of it or not. I usually use my previous car as my down payment, so in this case, I basically put a little more than $10K down on the FFH. So I will probably never be upside down on my car, therefore, GAP insurance wasn't really necessary. But I know too many people who didn't take GAP insurance when they were only putting about 10% down, then they had an accident or had the car stolen, and they were SOL! They have no car, no money to put down on a new one, and they still owe the money from the original loan. Eddie, I assume you put a significant amount down on your vehicle, so GAP wasn't necessary for you.

Edited September 30, 2013 by djminfll

[Eddie Sessum]

I think 22g down after the trade. Even with only 5-10% down on the ffh unless u pay sticker or a really high rate it would be pretty hard to be upside down. Worse case a very small amount. Our cars aren't the kind that plummets in value.

[hybridbear]

:backtotopic: Let's not hijack wmpwi's thread to talk about GAP Insurance.

[wmpwi]

Update: I had to go in and get the plate off my car and took a couple of better shots of the cut away part. Reminds me of the old anatomy books of the human body where you can see through to the inside.

 

Talked to the sales guy and all the current Ford incentives ended today and there should be new ones starting tomorrow. Hopefully there will be something I can use because there's a '14 close to my options on the other side of the state and I could theoretically be on the road again by 1st part of next week.

Edited September 30, 2013 by wmpwi

[MaineFusion]

Update: I had to go in and get the plate off my car and took a couple of better shots of the cut away part. Reminds me of the old anatomy books of the human body where you can see through to the inside.

 

 

 

What was that black plastic bag thingy stuffed in the front quarter panel above the wheel well?

 

Talked to the sales guy and all the current Ford incentives ended today and there should be new ones starting tomorrow. Hopefully there will be something I can use because there's a '14 close to my options on the other side of the state and I could theoretically be on the road again by 1st part of next week.

We're rooting for you to get a new steed without delay. :shift:

[corncobs]

I believe there are a few of those "black bags" throughout the car and they are probably part of the sound dampening system.

 

It's really strange how they cut all the sheetmetal away from the doors and front fender.

[wmpwi]

What was that black plastic bag thingy stuffed in the front quarter panel above the wheel well?

 

I suspect it's insulation unless it's drugs since the car was assembled in Mexico. Maybe I've been an unsuspecting mule and the Michigan connection orchestrated the accident to get to to the multiple kilos of cocaine wedged up in my fender. :busted:

[djminfll]

 

I suspect it's insulation unless it's drugs since the car was assembled in Mexico. Maybe I've been an unsuspecting mule and the Michigan connection orchestrated the accident to get to to the multiple kilos of cocaine wedged up in my fender. :busted:

Don't tell them there's another one in Fort Lauderdale, I don't want them coming for me next!

[MaineFusion]

I believe there are a few of those "black bags" throughout the car and they are probably part of the sound dampening system.

 

It's really strange how they cut all the sheetmetal away from the doors and front fender.

Sound damping seems like a reasonable explanation.

 

They probably cut all the sheet metal away to get a good look at structural damage.

[Bryan Burch]

Something where he hit the wheel on mine, transaxle?, went through the transmission or cracked it or something. Crushed part of the HV wiring harness as well.

[hybridbear]

Hope you're able to get into a new car soon!

[alpha754293]

Alpha, no fault insurance is very cheap and it prevents insurance fraud and people who pull out in front of you and slam on the brakes. If someone in a no fault state does that there own insurance pays for everything and it goes up.

 

 

This insurance is good and bad. Down here auto insurance is HELL. Maybe the OP can tell us what he pays for the no fault insurance so we can all compare.

 

Actually, nooo....no fault insurance is ridiculously expensive because of all these no-fault claims. I remember when I was going to school in Flint, my annual premium for my '98 Cavalier was close to like $3000 even when I had nothing on my record at the time. Same deal when I got my '98 Grand Am.

 

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/14/most-expensive-cheapest-states-for-car-insurance/

 

I can't tell (immediately/right away/by inspection) which of those states are no-fault states, but I would maybe guess that the ones that are higher tend to be no fault, but I could be wrong, as that's just a guess.

[Eddie Sessum]

Louisiana is a regular state.. It's where I get raped on my insurance costs monthly

[alpha754293]

re: car safety

As someone who used to do the crash safety simulations/analysis at my previous job - crash safety has never been more important.

 

In fact, I didn't end up buying the Fusion UNTIL the crash safety ratings came out from both NHTSA AND IIHS. Once I knew that the Fusion passed the small overlap rigid barrier (SORB) crash test, that's when I said that it was ok-to-buy.

 

Unfortunately, not a heck of a lot of people think about car safety/crash safety. Telling someone that a car is rated 5-star could be same as telling somebody that it has 10 stars or 100 stars or a thousand stars (since the star rating system is like a letter grade, set to somewhat of an arbitrary scale).

 

Also unfortunately though, if you told people that the lower hinge structure may deform 16 cm - that too also doesn't mean much to a lot of people. Or telling people that the head injury criteria (HIC) number is 125 - that too also doesn't mean much to the vast majority of people.

Just be glad that there's like a tiny handful of working professionals (engineers, and other experts in other disciplines) that work on it on behalf of the general public so that the general public doesn't have to worry about that.

 

Now if only we can convince people to drive as they should rather than as they do - that would be great.

[Bryan Burch]

BTW, I never expressed my condolences. What this end up costing and how long do you have left to wait for the car to come home.

I'm still in a rental. Collision happened August 31. Still waiting on 4 parts, according to the shop. $14k so far now. They've had to pull the dash to replace a wiring harness that was crushed as well. I'm hoping it will be done soon. I almost have forgotten how fun it is to drive. I may just sell it when I get it back. Of course, I still have to make another claim after I settle for the damage for the diminished value with Farmers Insurance. I'm not sure I will feel the same after it's been 'violated'.

[Eddie Sessum]

When you get it back take it in for trade.. when they look it over anything that they point out that hasnt been done perfectly in the repair. Send it back and let farmers pay some more. Id give them the option to take the car themselves for a check with what the car is worth and they can do whatever themselves. In the long run once they do numbers it may be cheaper than to try tomake the car "better than new" as insurance companys like to call it.

[acdii]

I'm still in a rental. Collision happened August 31. Still waiting on 4 parts, according to the shop. $14k so far now. They've had to pull the dash to replace a wiring harness that was crushed as well. I'm hoping it will be done soon. I almost have forgotten how fun it is to drive. I may just sell it when I get it back. Of course, I still have to make another claim after I settle for the damage for the diminished value with Farmers Insurance. I'm not sure I will feel the same after it's been 'violated'.

I know how you feel. I hit a deer with my Flex and caused over $4K in damage, Grill, Headlight, bumper fender and hood were all repaired or replaced. The repairs were nearly perfect, took them two tries to match the paint, and the second attempt left a small blemish at the A pillar on the fender. I still love the Flex, but I dont have the passion I did when i first got it. Maybe once they fix the blemish that will return.

[Eddie Sessum]

We just got the update with my dad and his wreak today. Getting $6000 for his beetle (fully totaled) and 15k for medical/pain and suffering. The guy only had the minimums.

[wmpwi]

I'm still in a rental. Collision happened August 31. Still waiting on 4 parts, according to the shop. $14k so far now. They've had to pull the dash to replace a wiring harness that was crushed as well. I'm hoping it will be done soon. I almost have forgotten how fun it is to drive. I may just sell it when I get it back. Of course, I still have to make another claim after I settle for the damage for the diminished value with Farmers Insurance. I'm not sure I will feel the same after it's been 'violated'.

They totaled mine on a Thursday and I had to turn in the rental (under my insurance plan) the following Monday. I have a replacement being built next week and an ETA in mid November. Now I'm relegated to driving a 2005 Taurus with 98K miles on it. I believe that places me squarely between the 3rd and 4th circle of hell (comparatively speaking that is) It's kind of like driving that old fold-out sleeper sofa that you keep up at the cottage for the dog to lay on.

[wmpwi]

When you get it back take it in for trade.. when they look it over anything that they point out that hasnt been done perfectly in the repair. Send it back and let farmers pay some more. Id give them the option to take the car themselves for a check with what the car is worth and they can do whatever themselves. In the long run once they do numbers it may be cheaper than to try tomake the car "better than new" as insurance companys like to call it.

Very cleaver way to get it evaluated. I hope I never have to use it.

[hybridbear]

They totaled mine on a Thursday and I had to turn in the rental (under my insurance plan) the following Monday. I have a replacement being built next week and an ETA in mid November. Now I'm relegated to driving a 2005 Taurus with 98K miles on it. I believe that places me squarely between the 3rd and 4th circle of hell (comparatively speaking that is) It's kind of like driving that old fold-out sleeper sofa that you keep up at the cottage for the dog to lay on.

I hope your new car ends up being better than the first one!