mel_t_vin

EJ, sorry to hear of this unfortunate incident...happy to hear you, and most of your 944, survived.

Does the fact your car was totaled [by your insurance company] prevent the insurance company of an at-fault driver from settling a subsequent claim? Hopefully, his insurance company strokes a check for reparations.

Best of luck.

mel_t_vin

Double post...

EJZero1

That's really my only glimmer of hope.

I questioned my insurance rep about the effect my car being totaled already might have on the expectation from the other company. All he said was it would likely impact any offer they may make (assuming there was coverage in place).

My hope is that in today's age of constant personal injury settlement commercials, the offending insurance company might make even a meager offer to fend off any possible lawsuit. I hate this litigation-happy world we live in, and would never go that route, but they don't know that...

Fingers crossed.

Tiger03447

Glad that you are OK..with your car already totalled out last year , this could really be a crap shoot, moneywise. Hope that it works out best for you in the end. If you wind up suing the guy, it would probably be like getting money out of a stone...How's your neck? OK I hope..these things have a way of coming back to haunt you a couple of years down the road. Much to the dismay of the injured party as they find out later..

Tiger03447

Hoping to hear more about your insurance company interactions..keep us posted!

EJZero1

Sure will. Not sure if anyone will be open today with the holiday and all, but I plan on trying a phone call or two.

raleighBahn

Any hit from behind is always the other guys fault - that much you don't have to worry about. Also, I rather doubt that the hail has anything to do with this. The other insurance company owes what it takes to fix the damage done to your vehicle in this accident. The expectation is you will take it somewhere to have that assessed.

M3loco

A hit from behind is not always the hitter's fault. I was going straight and a guy in the right turn lane cut me off and I hit him. He got the ticket, and his insurance is paying $6K in damages to my MZ3.

raleighBahn

Wow - that is crazy. I thought it was always "following too closely"

EJZero1

Small update. Other driver does, in fact, have a policy in place. I heard from their insurance company today. Strangely enough, they were wondering if I had contact info for their client... They indicated they needed to contact him and "confirm liability" before they could move forward with covering the damages. I don't see how there can be much of a question of fault. I was at a dead stop waiting in traffic when the other driver slammed into me.

I so hope you're right.

Will update as soon as the situation warrants.

EJZero1

Update: Other driver's insurance folks call me, advising they have made contact with their driver and confirmed liability. "Great," says I, "What's next?"

I'm informed since I'm the owner of the vehicle, I have the right to take it to the shop of my choosing for an estimate. So I take it to a shop that is intimately familiar with 944's this morning and get my estimate. I call his insurance company, tell them I have an estimate, and ask the next step. I'm told that in 3-5 business days, I'll be getting a call from them to set up a time for one of their adjustors to come do an estimate on the damage. With the beginnings of a headache starting to twinge, I ask why that's necessary as I already have an estimate in hand. I'm informed that because my body shop wasn't on their "list" they have to send someone out to have a look at the car and come up with their own estimate at this point.

I ask what happens if the estimates vary significantly, and I'm told that they will make payout based upon their own estimate. So I offer up a hypothetical scenario, such that their estimate is higher than the estimate I already have in hand. Same answer: They will make payout based upon their estimate.

1) Why the Fuch did I even have to get an estimate if said estimate will be summarily dismissed?
2) If I have an estimate from my shop that says $1500, and their estimate says $3000, they're going to pay the $3000 versus the $1500?!
3) If they come up with a $3000 estimate, it will likely equate to a total loss, regardless of the lower estimate I have in hand.

On what friggin' planet does any of this make sense?

The twinge of a headache is now full on, and I get to live with it for the next "3-5 business days" at least.

bradthebold

Insurance is a pain in the *** to deal with and you'll have to likely fight with them to get anything accomplished to your liking, which has been my experience at least. You need to call your insurance and ask them what should be done, the other insurance's only goal is to screw you for the most they can, your insurance should try to help you figure out what should be done for you.

What was the estimate you got?

MistaX

When someone backed into my car and dented the nose panel, I ended up getting $3500 for a new bumper, nose panel, headlight covers, etc, from their insurance company.
Their estimate was for the exact same parts, except used, and they wanted to give me $1500.
You don't have to accept used parts, and pricing should be based on OEM new to maximize your return. Throw pre-existing damage in there if it's impossible to prove it didn't just happen, if any.

When I was hit in the back it was the same deal, but Gieco (other driver's insurance company) offered straight up new parts off the bat when they appraised the damage so there wasn't any arguing. That was $1700.
My car never suffered any structural damage, just cosmetic. Both accidents happened with the drivers going 5mph or less.

My insurance company was never informed in either of those two cases, but I did talk to my agent for advice. I'm fairly sure he mentioned that the other insurance company cannot "total loss" your car, only your insurance company can do so. Every state has different laws/regulations about insurance though.
After going through the process twice, I have no complaints about how insurance works.

EJZero1

This morning's estimate was $1500. I was actually quite happy with it. Car is dimpled with hail damage already, so aesthetics is not a priority for me. Just want it straightened out to the extent possible. I was particularly happy with a low estimate as it likely stays under the total loss threshold.

Have discussed it at length with my insurance folks. He indicated that State Farm's on-site estimate will likely come in lower (see your comment above..."screw you for the most they can"), but if that's the case, I can still take it to my body shop and when the tech finds additional damage, he files a supplemental claim against State Farm for the additional funds.

*** pain, indeed.

Wish I could say the same. Most of my headache is probably just from this dick-dance timeline, and hoping everything eventually works out in my favor. Time will tell...

EJZero1

Well, update time.

I'm quite surprised and happy to say that things have gone rather well. Other driver's insurance estimator stopped by the house yesterday and did their inspection. Ended up with an estimate just over $3k. Got an email later in the evening indicating payment had been sent in the form of a check. Gotta be honest, this was pretty much my ideal scenario.

The car is pretty much too far gone to be even a decent looker anymore, even if I decided to have the most recent damage repaired. Hail damage, peeling paint/clearcoat, interior starting to look pretty shabby... This being said, I believe the plan is to take the money, sell the current ride, and go out in search of another 944.

Anyone in the market for a slightly-less-than-perfect '89 944? The 2.7 still runs like a beast!

Got my eye on a couple replacements in the local area, dependent upon total budget after sale of my '89.

Hopefully the next update brings this situation to a close.