Accident and Insurance question...

Warfang

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As some of you may know, a client of mine backed into my parked GTS over a month ago. He assured me that he's good for the money (he's loaded), and wanted to settle without getting the insurance involved. It took a couple weeks for me to get a quote for repairs, but for hood repair and paint, the total came out to about $7500. I was nice not to demand a new hood... the damage is small and repairable.

So about 2 weeks ago, I tell him the amount and he starts talking about maybe going through insurance. Now he says because of the holidays, can he get back to me after new years to talk to the insurance, etc.? I know I'm way to calm for my own good here, but I don't see a huge issue waiting another week considering the shops aren't open anyways.

Question is... is there some sort of statute of limitation on how long you wait to report an minor accident in California?

And how long do I wait before I take a bat to his knees?
 

viprvenm

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You ever watch these little judge shows on TV.. Judy, Joe Brown, etc...

They get 1000's of cases like this and the verdict always comes down to...

Call the cops when the accident occurs. No reason or excuse to wait.

Good luck.
 

Camfab

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Not sure about your limitations, but it sounds like his admitting guilt, so one would assume it shouldn't be a problem. On another note, was your hood really badly damaged? Did the fiberglass delaminate? I know it's a Viper, but $7,500 seems high.
 
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Warfang

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Not sure about your limitations, but it sounds like his admitting guilt, so one would assume it shouldn't be a problem. On another note, was your hood really badly damaged? Did the fiberglass delaminate? I know it's a Viper, but $7,500 seems high.

The damage was to the hood and front fascia scrapes measuring about 10-12 inches long and 3-4 inches wide, with half inch paint chips here and there and a couple of the chips on the hood tore into the fiberglass slightly. Doesn't look bad, except after the hood and fascia gets fixed, it needs to be painted. Because the hood is half the car on a Viper, I'd want the other half painted too so I don't end up with the two ends looking different in a couple years (my GTS is already 10 yrs old). That would affect the value, whereas a completely repainted car's added value would cancel out the minor fixed scrapes. And because it's a Viper, I refuse to let some body shop from around the corner paint it. Remember, to properly repaint a Viper, all the panels need to be removed first. ugh.

If this was a Toyota Camry, $1000 would take care of it all.

I checked with JonB and he thinks this is fair. I do agree $7500 seems high, but I could have demanded a new hood and fascia (+$12000), but that's the quote I got from my trusted Vipertech, and I don't plan on getting a quote from Macco. I just expect my car to be made whole again, and not compromised.
 

FrankBarba

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Did you atleast talk with your Insurance Rep? A couple of weeks to get an estimate? Sounds like it was no big deal to you. You might get lucky & your client comes thru. Read your policy. There usually is a time frame that you must call it in. No Police report. Might come down to on site video.
 

Bonkers

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I know it's a Viper, but $7,500 seems high.

$7500 will barely cover a quality paintjob so if parts are needed
(especially things like a hood and fascia) its very easy to get
into the 5-digit estimate range on a "fender bender." One of the
reasons vipers are so often totaled is the insane cost of having
a shop repair them.
 

Camfab

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I know it's a Viper, but $7,500 seems high.

$7500 will barely cover a quality paintjob so if parts are needed
(especially things like a hood and fascia) its very easy to get
into the 5-digit estimate range on a "fender bender." One of the
reasons vipers are so often totaled is the insane cost of having
a shop repair them.

I'm very familiar with the costs of repairing a Viper :( . I thought it was only minor hood damage. Good Luck
 
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