Para82

Very sorry to hear this, this kind of thing is such a kick in the nuts everyday until it's made right. Airbags deployed generally gets a car totaled but your insurance might see otherwise. I wouldn't make anything public yet and I would let the owner know you want to give him the opportunity to make this right, i'm sure he understands his business is on the line here.

Heck when my Shelby GT350 goes in for service I have a very strict rule - the car doesn't leave the facility ever, they have Ford Focus and Mustang GT's all day but hardly ever see a GT350 which is why I don't trust any of them - even at delivery the PDI was done with me in the front seat for those first 5 test miles with the master tech. It never went over 45 mph, imagine that.

Hope it gets resolved quickly and yes if they don't come up with 275k by the end of the week - lawyer up.

Apolo1

Good advise, if only to set out your stall, expectations .

Also would get an OPC to do down load of your ECU, if I understand correct should record last trip, speeds, Lateral loads, rev ranges etc.....

LexVan

Why did the passenger side air bag blow? I thought we had smart air bags. Was the shop owner joy riding WITH a passenger?

Was there property damage to the building he hit? That needs to be covered, too.

You don't need an attorney to negotiate this insurance settlement. It will only increase your costs and significantly decrease your timeline to a speedy settlement. This should take no more than 2 weeks from start to fedx'd check.

IF totaled (I don't think it will be) you need comps to show the replacement value. Go find 2 or 3 well documented comps. Add in any and all mods and enhancements (PPF, paint correction and coatings, for example) and recent maintenance costs (tires, oil change, for example) That's your settlement number. Sales tax and re-registration fees will also be included by most all State laws.

You should also be given first right of refusal to purchase (IF totaled) the salvage. Also most State laws dictate this policy. If you want to make a few extra grand on flipping the salvage, send me a PM, and I'll put you in contact with a person I know who deals in wrecked exotics.

Good luck. Work with your insurance company. Ask for a dedicated associate in their Total Loss Department, not just someone in their standard accident claims area.

STG

Two very good points ... never noticed airbag #2

Ccapx

Had to be a passenger. Noticed that immediately. LexVan, I'll keep you posted on the salvage. I'm heading down there tomorrow to scope the building/street, etc..

STG

^^^ maybe the police should interview both the driver and passenger SEPARATELY. Would be interesting to get the two stories. Did they even tell you who was in the car other than the "shop owner"?

Good idea filing a report. This guy could at some point deny everything and say Mickey Mouse snuck in his shop, stole the keys, and went for a joyride.

Was the shop owner really driving or a passenger? Hmmmm... maybe driver wasn't covered under his policy and he claimed to be driving? This story is a very suspicious one and we don't have all the info and the OP seems to not have been told everything either.

Please keep us posted and good luck.

rk-d

the plot thickens...

Anyone who did this to your car is, by definition, a complete ***hole and definitely NOT a stand up person.

I would not trust them as far as I could throw them.

BryanCO

Wondering what the original police report says? Was the driver ticketed? This was reported? What does the damaged building owner have to say?

RealityGT

^I believe he posted earlier that no report was ever filed..

Ccapx

They never filed a police report (shocking they didn't call the police on themselves!). I have no idea if the building owner even knows.

RealityGT

@CcapX - Please seriously consider a detailed write up on RL and other forums on which this owner/shop is a vendor. It will help ensure your voice is being heard and will give you leverage if/when this shop tries to skirt around their responsibility of providing you with full compensation.
I've seen this play out in the past on other platforms and forums and it's always a horrible experience for the owners. The successful cases have always come as a result of testing the shops/owners "metal" in the court of public opinion...

Best of luck sir.

Ccapx

Absolutely. I am only holding out they won't skirt, my guess is once insurance gets going, this will get hard for the shop and they will claim out of their hands. The good news is they documented having the car on social media and time stamped everything. Also some great shots on their Facebook page of the car prior to accident. Will be hard to argue they aren't responsible its just the path to remedy.

Ccapx

[QUOTE=Ccapx;13987298]They never filed a police report (shocking they didn't call the police on themselves!). I have no idea if the building owner even knows.

Having trouble with the screenshot from their Facebook page, if it gets nasty will post the links.

Scorponok

[quote=Ccapx]You're going to want to take those screenshots ADAP. Are you on a Mac or PC? Sure I can help you grab those. You'll want to keep them on file.

Sorry for the headache.

RobbieRob

OP. you need to get the Police involved asap and get a report especially now that there was a passenger. Was the passenger injured? Will he sue the driver now? This shop owner/driver could be in real trouble here and could be the end of his business. I hope he has good insurance and a lot of it. I'm sorry that you are going through this but just make sure you cover all areas for yourself, and I think a Lawyer is a good idea.