Viper vs. GMC Denali SUV -- DENALI WON!!!!!

[MannyC]

Not including the trips to the shop to get my mods added, I have driven my RT/10 a total of 3 times, today, the 4th of July, being one of them. Well today, I got one final mod, but I didn't really ask for it. A GMC Denali decided my trunk was too long for my car, so she had it shortened for me. And boy, she does fast work! Before:

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And after.... Here are a few shots of the fantastic work done on my car:

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I guess the Wet NOS kit sitting at the shop ready for install on Monday, WONT be going into the car, now. [sigh]

Manny

 

[MannyC]

By the way, I suppose that once this is fixed up, I will now own a car with some negative Carfax history, right?

-Manny

 

[Russ M]

Manny,

You have private mail.

 

[SCS]

Yep...Make sure her insurance pays you some extra money for diminished value...

 

[GR8_ASP]

Unfortunately. The potential for this is the very reason I wave people off (politely) if they are following too close. They just don't understand they cannot stop their 5000 + pound behemoth as quickly as a Viper. Ugh! She was probably on the cell phone to boot.

 

[Greg W]

What lousy luck. The car looked beautiful. And will again soon. Your car still looks better than my stock RT/10!

Manny, still try to make to San Diego run. If the car's drivable. Go part-way only? or just come down in the wife's car for a chat.

San Diego

Greg W

 

[MannyC]

The way it happened makes me even more mad. The beaches out in San Diego are overflowing -- no where to park, today. So we decide to to downtown and go to a nice restaurant. I parked my car inside a parked garage area, on a floor where there were almost no cars, just so I wouldn't get knicks from cars trying to park so close to me. We eat, and then decide to leave. I pay the guy for parking before we can exit the building, then head down a slight ramp about 100 feet to the outside of the building and up to a stop light, where I stop and wait for the red light to turn green so I can get on to a regular street. While waiting there for maybe 10 or so seconds, I'm talking to my girl about something (I forget what now) and WHAM, my car lurches forward. I look back and see 'GMC' in big letters through my rear window as well as the hinged portion of my trunk lid sticking up. I yelled out something like "FAWK!", my girl said something like "Jesus Christ!" and then got out and swapped info. So, long story short, I was hit, waiting at a red light, on the exit portion of a parking building. I wasn't even yet on the street. Unbelievable. She said she thought I was going to go, so she gassed it. I said, "But the light was red!" and she didn't say anything. No, she wasn't ********... not sure what happened to be honest. There were many people in her Denali, so she was more than likely distracted.

Greg W, as for the San Diego run, I am going to skip on it this time out. I certainly don't want to drive the car, as it is not aerodynamically safe right now with the rear wing all torqued over like that, and the trunk won't lock, so it opens and closes. My Z06 has some serious brake work that needs to be done, so I don't want to drive that either.

So, let's talk repair shops in San Diego or surrounding cities -- any suggestions?

And what about the paint? Everything from the doors back got scratched or bent in some way, so all of it will need to be painted. In a situation like this where a car is a mid 90's model, do they repaint the whole car so that the older paint doesn't clash with the new paint?

 

[MannyC]

Yep...Make sure her insurance pays you some extra money for diminished value...

You serious? How does that work?

 

[Moundir]

that sux big time, Women drivers (that's right I said it)

 

[Austin]

that sux big time, Women drivers (that's right I said it)

LMAO!!!



Austin

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

That is easily $30,000 damage. Make sure you get every penny. The trunk, quarter panels and bumper cover all need to be replaced. Are there scratches on the side sills? They weren't there before! Isn't the front hood slightly out of alignment?

A few years ago a lady smashed the door of my truck while in a parking garage. I let her off - stupid me. The next day she saw me pull up in the Viper and said "I'm glad I didn't hit that!" I said, "Yep, I would have tossed you over that railing." We were on the sixth floor.

 

[Daffy Duck Viper]

Man that SO *****! I was p!ssed off just hearing what happened to you, never mind experiencing it. Sorry that happened, and after all your hard work on really making your new Viper shine. Damnit! Well, at least nobody in the Viper was hurt. Was the lady who hit you hurt?...because you slapped her stupid self!!! LOL

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[MannyC]

Chuck, now that you mention it, the hood is slightly out of alignment, and not sure how it happened due to me being hit from behind, but there are a lot of scrapes on my front fascia (must have been when I was pushed too quickly into the dip leading from the parking lot exit to the street.) I think my tail light DID land on my hood, requiring a full repaint. My exhaust sounds kinda funny too -- might need to get that upgra... repaired!

Seriously, I have never been in accident before where a car of mine had to be repaired (only been in one accident and the car looked like a bomb when off in it (completely totalled.) What steps would you take to get what you can to make yourself feel better? I suppose I am going to be without the car for quite some time while it gets fixed -- I just don't know how long.

Oh yeah, the Denali, it had a bend front license plate and two scuff marks on the bumper. Basically no damage since the way my car was sitting (on a curved driveway) and my car has been lowered and the Denali is way high up --- so the Denali bumber basically cleared my bumper and just crushed through the trunk and rear tail light section.

 

[PETSN8K]

Not all states recognize diminished value. Check with your insurance agent to find out if your state is one of them. If not, you are [******] out of luck as far as diminished value goes, that is unless you want to battle it out in court.

More than likely her insurance company will only offer to pay for the repair of your car. That unfortunately means they will not authorize the replacement of parts that there adjuster considers repairable. This is not a big deal if your driving a Civic, but for a Viper it is a very big deal.

Make sure you get the estimate from a reputable exotic body shop, then insist that they do the work. They will be more inclined to fix the car correctly no matter what the cost.

Oh yeah, don't expect to get a complete paint job from the insurance company without a fight. With today's ability to scan and match the paint, the insurance company is not likely to authorize a complete repaint.

Just remember, the accident was not in anyway your fault. Therefore you should demand that your car be put into the same, if not better, condition as it was prior to the accident. Ultimately you should be prepared to fight with the insurance company in order to get your car repaired properly.

I feel for you because I have already been there.

Good Luck!

 

[MannyC]

What exactly is diminished value, and how does that work in states that have it? I'm not sure what this means in terms of saying anything to the Insurance Company. Does this mean that because the car has been hit, that they pay out a portion in cash based on an amount that I would likely lose if I sold the car with it having been rear ended? More info please... and I will ask my insurance company as soon as I can get a hold of them.

 

[_Niz_]

Do your plates say "FEB 2003"? Or did she knock off the 2004 sticker also?!?

 

[PETSN8K]

Yes.

Diminished value is the estimated loss of resell value due to the damage inflicted during the collision.

As all of us are aware, diminished value definitely exists with exotic cars. No one wants to pay top dollar for an exotic car which has suffered some type of serious damage during it's lifetime.

In the states which recognize diminished value (not very many), the victim of the accident is entitled to compensation for the perceived loss of (resell) value.

 

[SCS]

Below is a brief explanation...You will have to request to be paid for the loss in value of your car...Her insurance is not going to voluntarily offer to pay it...Fact is even after your cars fixed it won't be worth what a Viper with no history is...Why should you take the loss it wasn't your fault...


Will my repaired vehicle be worth what it was before the accident?

Probably not ! If your vehicle was substantially damaged in the current accident and has no history of significant collision involvement, you probably have sustained a post-repair reduction in the resale value of your vehicle. In most states you are entitled to be compensated, by the other party's insurance company (if the other party were at fault), for any reduction in the resale value of your repaired vehicle. In some states, you can even collect for this damage from your own collision carrier.

Generally speaking, there are three categories of Diminished Value that may affect the resale value of your collision repaired vehicle:

# Inherent Diminished Value
This is the minimum Diminished Value that would occur simply because your vehicle now has a significant collision history. This would apply even if optimum repair results had been achieved.
# Insurance Related Diminished Value
This form of Diminished Value would be in addition to Inherent Diminished Value. This would apply if and when an insurance company has mandated the use of inferior replacement parts and/or inappropriate procedural techniques in the repair of your vehicle. In most cases, the savings realized by short-cutting the repairs to your vehicle are more than lost by having to pay for Insurance Related Diminished Value claims.
# Repair Related Diminished Value
This happens when the repairing facility fails to meet even the minimum standards of repair quality for which they have been paid. Repair Related Diminished Value is owed to you by the repairing shop.

 

[MannyC]

Yeah, I just got the car a few weeks ago. I haven't even put the new stickers on the license plate or got my new insurance cards. I was out of the country for half of this time.

Do your plates say "FEB 2003"? Or did she knock off the 2004 sticker also?!?

 

[MannyC]

I guess I will find out on Monday, but does anybody know off hand if this law pertains to California? And how does one determine the amount of this value if in fact the car is repaired by a professional exotic repair facility?

At what point does the car pick up history that goes on a car fax report? How does that work?

Below is a brief explanation...You will have to request to be paid for the loss in value of your car...Her insurance is not going to voluntarily offer to pay it...Fact is even after your cars fixed it won't be worth what a Viper with no history is...Why should you take the loss it wasn't your fault...

 

[SCS]

When it goes on Carfax I honestly don't know the answer to that...

For the diminished value there are several places on the internet that for a small fee will give you an estimate of how much less your car is worth...My wife is having the shop that will be fixing her car write a DV report...Geico said they will pay her for the DV claim as it was the other drivers fault...

Below is some more info on it...

DV claims have been filed and successfully collected in several states - among them Florida, Arizona, Pennsylvania and California just to name a few. If your company is one of the insurers that is attempting to limit coverage you may need to enlist the aid of an attorney. The good news is that this only applies to "First Party" claims - a claim where you are going through your own insurance company, it does not govern "Third Party" claims (where coverage is through the other party's insurance company).

On third party claims, where you are the claimant, it is nearly impossible for an insurance company to deny payment for diminished value, although they frequently try. You are entitled to have your automobile restored to pre-loss condition - which includes restoring it to preloss VALUE. Since this is humanly impossible, and we have established that a vehicle that has been damaged is worth less than one that has not, the insurer owes for the depreciation. Third party DV claims are the easiest to file and collect on.

 

[REDSLED]

Manny, your killing me!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My beloved RT/10 survived 9 years of pampered care and now this. Oh the humanity. I can't watch it any more. My poor RT/10 has been tainted. Hope it works out for you.

-JOnathan

 

[Vic]

Call Said, at Star Tech Viper in Anaheim, and see what he has to say. He has been repairing Viper body work for some time.

 

[ViperJohn]

Sorry to hear/see what happened to your Viper. The mods seemed to be going well. I am confident you will find a great shop to make it look as good as new again.

More importantly, I am glad nobody was injured.

Good luck,

John

 

[ViperJoe]

SON OF A ******!
Sorry to hear and see the evidence of your misfortune.
Evidently the BIATCHES were overflowing, not just the beaches.

Guess she'll be posting on the Denali board how she "creamed" one of them cute little "Viper snake thingys"

Congrats on controlling your anger so well, don't think I could have done it!

 

[PETSN8K]

As far as Carfax goes, it's my understanding that they get all their information from the state DMV. If an accident report was not filed, they have no way of knowing the car was damaged. They do not receive any information from insurance companies.

 

[Russ M]

The problem with repairing Vipers is that making them look as good as new is easy, but making them as good as new takes knowledge.

Most body shops fix what you can see, especialy on vipers. The only proper way to fix Manny's car is to dismantle the entire affected area and rebuild/replace all the panels. Preferably rebuild since fiberglass is easy to work with, and will fit much better than replacement panels.

Future value, depeneds on how well you have the car repaired right now. The more important question is can you live without your Viper for 1-2 months that while this whole mess is taken care of.

 

[Bonkers]

Manny,
The deal with the Carfax is simple - if the insurance comp doesn't total it there will be no offical report. If it does total it (as bad as it sounds there may be enough damage there to do it) then I guess that becomes a whole new post.

If you want, give me the last 8digits of you vin and I'll mark in my logs the nature of the accident so down the line (assuming you will eventually sell) you'll have an indepent source for explination of repair.

I sorry this happened, but look on the bright side, if it had been the front it would have most defineitly been a total loss.

 

[Bonkers]

As far as Carfax goes, it's my understanding that they get all their information from the state DMV. If an accident report was not filed, they have no way of knowing the car was damaged. They do not receive any information from insurance companies.

Parker, the DMV only files the paperwork. An insurance company decides if the car is damaged enough to be totaled. Therefore, in essence, Carfax is strictly an insurance database. Thats why the ratio of clean titled wrecks are so high on these cars - many of the people have the disposable cash to buy out an accident and aviod the insurance comp altogether.

 

[Tomer]

VERY SORRY to hear of this accident, I just hate these ridiculous accidents, as
they are so avoidable...I don't even consider these "accidents", rather ignorance on the part of that lady driving that behemoth Denali...

I got the same treatment (fortunately in my E320) pulling out of a hardware store parking lot about 2 months ago...I was stopped for _____ sake, I felt like pounding the loser into the ground!!!!

Anyway, I use State Farm, and I started dealing with the "losers" ins company because they had to accept responsibility of course!! Well, i got cold feet, decided to go thru State Farm, and let state Farm subrogate against the other ins company... This is what State Farm is there for, and this way I don't have to deal with this potentially cut rate ins company trying to dictate how my car gets reparied...Not trying to advertise for State Farm, maybe I am lucky, but the shop I trust here (they did a complete on my 73 Cuda, did the side sills on my 96 RT/10 etc) said often if the ins company is more of a cut rate place, they really get picky about what they pay for, and they will not pay for enough time for say decent colour sand and polish time... Maybe I was given a load of horse feathers, but this way I knew I was getting my car fixed correctly, and i did not have to deal with any potential squabbling over the repair details...

If you find a similar shop familar with Vipers, they can tell you off the top of their head what the ins company will pay for, and they will work on your behalf...

Good Luck, e-mail me with any specific Q's...

Did your trunk tub get cracked at all? If so, this will be a big point of contention, potentially, as this piece is expensive!!

Tomer