Post accident help

Rtrick87

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Hoping theirs an insurance person or someone who works in the service dept or auto body that can help me with this. So a couple weeks ago I came around a corner and there was a tree in the road... it was foggy and appeared when I was about 20 feet away. I hit the tree and also went over the tree. Trucks been in the shop 2.5 weeks, went by today and they said it was all set, it was getting the ac recharged and would be ready in the morning after a wash. They said it was down there, but didn't say where. ( I was at the Chevy dealer which has the collision center and it was at the Dodge dealer down the st.) So I swung by on my way home tonight after doing errands and my Durango was outside and looked awesome. I got out checked it out and thats when I noticed they did not replace the grille, which didn't look damaged anyway but figured since both headlights and the hood were jacked up they would of replaced it. No biggie, I check the sideskirt because when I went over this tree it cracked the sideskirt.... and low and behold, they did not replace it or fix it. Still a big chunk missing. Now my rental coverage ends Wednesday and then I would have to pay out of pocket for a rental. I want the dealer to add this part to the claim and let me drive off tomorrow and when the part comes in, I'll bring it in to have it replaced. Anyone happen to know my options? I'm pretty mad. And I need the Durango this week because Thursday my daughter has a dr's appointment and she's 1, on oxygen and IV fluids so we need the room... we haven;t been able to go anywhere in two weeks... she's a heart patient so we can't miss the appointment...View attachment 59290
 
You need to consult with your insurance company. Did they send you to this repair shop or did you pick it on your own?
 
I picked it on my own because it was the dealership. Not the dealership what I got it, but still a Dodge dealership. I plan on calling the insurance company first thing in the morning. But it baffles me, they checked the under carriage for damage, I pointed this out to them when I dropped the car off two weeks ago.
 
Unfortunately since you went on your own, you are most likely on your own. Your insurance company has accepted the estimate and most likely that's all you are going to get. The rest will be on your own along with any additional rental charges. I know this stinks but it's the way it is. I've been down this road myself and I'm with USAA, one of the best insurance companies in the country. I take it to a repair faciltiy authorized by USAA as they have the leverage over them because of the amount of business they send them.

Good luck, hope it works out for you.
 
They gave me a list to choose from though. And I choose of the list which is where I have it at. It was one of their preferred places.
 
They gave me a list to choose from though. And I choose of the list which is where I have it at. It was one of their preferred places.

Then push it back on the insurance company. They should also cover any additonal rental charges due to the delays by the body shop.
 
You think they will release the car to me tomorrow and order the part that way I can make this very important doctors appointment. No sense in letting a car sit there for another week waiting for one piece
 
This is precisely what the Supplement Process is for- additional/unseen damages not on the original Preliminary Estimate. The vehicle is supposed to be repaired to Pre-Accident condition.

Call the insurance company and explain the situation to them- the Customer has the strongest voice in a claim and can help speed things up. Explain to them that in the incident you ran OVER the tree- resulting in the damage.

Call the repair shop and once again explain that during the incident you ran OVER the tree thus resulting in the UNSEEN resulting related damage.

Let them know that they must file/submit a Supplement and get a new part ordered per the insurance company (as the part is unrepairable due to an entire chunk missing out of it).

Explain to both the insurance and to the repair shop that you do need the vehicle back due to appointments, and that you will come back when the new part is in.

The new rocker molding will need to be painted as the part comes from the factory unpainted. They can paint the part off of the vehicle before you bring it back in, and the part will most likely only take a couple of hours to install.


I currently manage a very small body shop at a dealership. Shops of all sizes can run into a situation like this, and most are more than willing to make up for their mistakes.

This is also why the insurance claim supplement process exists for all insurance companies.

It is impossible to catch all the damage until the end of the repair process- you can never know how many clips or bolts are going to break, what is damaged underneath of damaged panels, how much the parts actually cost until you receive them, sometimes parts estimated for are just not available, estimating systems are only accurate to a point and it varies between estimating systems, and then there is the inevitable human error.

The repair process had become so very convoluted over the past 15 years- between the insurance companies involvement, the ever-growing complexity of the automobile, and the huge amount of liability that is involved.

Please know that no matter what- the repair shop appreciates your business and will do what it takes to make things right- as frustrated as you may be at this moment- a good attitude will go a long way. Be patient, be knowledgeable, be courteous, be willing to work things out for a positive solution.


As I stated before, I am the manager of a small body shop at a dealership. My shop consists of two technicians and myself. Our dealership sells VW, Audi, Porsche, Mazda. We have many customers that request we do their repairs because we are the dealership. Most often times this backfires on both them and us- as we are a small operation that is merely open for the convenience of the sales department- we are just not equipped to handle big insurance repair claims.
 
Spoke with them. The service manager in the collision center said he simply forgot to replace it. It will be in tomorrow. I took the car today because I needed it. Looks great minus the buffer trails all over the hood

EDIT: they polished the whole entire car and the whole car is covered in buffer trails and light scratches because of a dirty pad
 
Spoke with them. The service manager in the collision center said he simply forgot to replace it. It will be in tomorrow. I took the car today because I needed it. Looks great minus the buffer trails all over the hood

EDIT: they polished the whole entire car and the whole car is covered in buffer trails and light scratches because of a dirty pad

Typical body shop.

I had the same thing happen to my wife's car a few years ago. They replaced the rear bumper fascia but took it upon themselves to whack the heck out of the entire car with their buff and swirl treatment.
 
Typical body shop.

I had the same thing happen to my wife's car a few years ago. They replaced the rear bumper fascia but took it upon themselves to whack the heck out of the entire car with their buff and swirl treatment.



:doh:
 
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