Just not my day (or my poor Vibe).

[millster]

Well today brought a sad end to my 7 years of accident free driving. I was pulling out of the parking lot at work and was waved out into traffic. Sadly, the guy who jumped out into the other lane didn't see me around the truck that waved me out and SLAM!! All up the side of his Lincoln. Technically, since it was obvious that he hit the front of my car (scrape marks instead of crushing) nobody was going to be cited, but since I was pulling out of a private driveway, I was cited for failing to yield. It's a minor fine at least and I can get it deferred so it won't go on my record. But, bring on the insurance increase I'm sure. Oh well, you can't take it back. Photos are coming. I'll get them posted soon.

[ragingfish]

sorry to hear that man, glad you're ok, hopefully the damage isn't extensive

[millster]

Thanks Raging, luckily I'm OK and the other guy was fine too. The damage could have been a lot worse on both counts, his car and mine. I'm still not convinced that I should have been cited but as I said, it won't go on my record, it's not much and it keeps it out of the courts. I have enough other problems right now that the last thing I need is to have to fight this. Anyway, here is the link to the photos. Click.

[ArcsVibe]

Sorry to hear about your accident, glad you're ok!Keep us posted.

[scherry2]

ouch. sorry to see the damage. good thing your O.K.

[AKLGT]

aww. i'm sorry there millster. that really sucks! but you are ok and it's somewhat minimal damage. that's the most important thing!

[Mr. Poopypants]

Sorry to hear that, hoping you, your vibe, and your insurance rates a speedy recovery.

[rasermon]

I'm glad your OK and sorry about your vibe.

[millster]

Thanks guys. I'm a little concerned about the damage though. The whole front end seems shifted. Might just be the passenger fender, and the hood hinge, but I'm still concerned about structural damage. I guess I'll wait for the estimate.

[millster]

Quote, originally posted by silverawd26 »Here in MI, if you wave someone on and there is an accident, the person who waved you on is typically cited too. I'm under the impression from the conversation with the officer that if I had been on a street he would have been cited. Since it was a private driveway, I was cited for failure to yield.

[cohocarl]

That's unfortunate. Glad you are fine. I was a "victim of circumstance" very similar to yours a few years ago and the front bumper of my Cavalier ripped off.

[Mavrik]

Sorry about the wreck doesn't look to bad but probably realign the hood, replace the fender, light assemply (possibly) and the front fascia... hopefully not to $$$ for you.

[jake75]

A good deed never goes unpunished or something like that. Forty years ago I thought I was doing a driver a favor by stopping and leaving a space in my backed up North bound lane so he could get make a left turn out of a parking lot. I DIDN'T WAVE HIM ON. I didn't think he would just shoot on out without looking. Unfortunately there was a car coming in the South bound lane and "bam". I felt bad but if I were him in that situation I would have crept out and not proceeded into the other lane before lookign to see if anything was coming. In the case here it appears to me that the "coast was clear" but an impatient driver behind the courteous driver swung out and passed him.

[millster]

Wow, out of town for a couple of days and a whole bunch of replies. Anyway, I looked the Vibe over a bit more today. The front end looks pretty tough really. The structure that supports the fender is bent. Not too badly, but it is bent. I also noticed that the passenger side door gaps seems more narrow and the rear hatch is misaligned. The door gaps might be an illusion and the hatch may always have been that way though. I'm really hoping that's the case. Does anyone else have a wider gap on the driver's side of the hatch than on the passenger side?

[millster]

Just moving this one up. I need an answer on the hatch-gap question. Are both sides even on other Vibes? Mine is definitely not and now I'm worried.

[Sputnik]

I think mine are even. I'm (removed) enough to have noticed if they weren't. Stuff like that bugs me.

[millster]

Thanks Sputnik, for the info. That's what I was thinking too. I'm pretty sure I would have noticed if it was that way before. It just kills me to see that little car in the condition it's in right now.

[Sputnik]

I'll confirm that it is even tomorrow after I get home from work.

[millster]

One last plea for help. Can anyone else PLEASE tell me if their hatch is off center? The car is getting appraised Friday and I want to know if I need to mention that to them or not.Thanks.

[Sputnik]

Sorry millster! I did check but forgot to post. My hatch is not off centre. It looks pretty centre from what I could tell!

[ragingfish]

Same here, no noticeable gap on mine. But still could've been that way from the factory. My hood has always been 1/8" off-centre.

[millster]

Thanks guys. It could have been that way from the factory, but I can't help but think that with as picky as I am about my cars, I would have noticed after two years of ownership. I guess I'll just mention it to the adjuster and let her make her decision about it. Thanks again for checking.

[jimincalif]

Mine looks pretty well centered.03 GTGood luck.

[millster]

Well, got the Vibe appraised today by the insurance adjuster. So far the total is nearly $3500 and that's just for the upper bumper cover, lower bumper cover, headlamp, foglamp, and passenger fender. Ouch!! In addition to that, there is evidence of structural damage, paint damage, and of course the possibility of unseen problems. I need to take it into a body shop for a final esimate, but it's looking pretty ugly!

[AKLGT]

i'm sorry. that's gonna suck.

[millster]

Yeah, it's not going to be cheap. My insurance will increase drastically for certain. I guess the good news is that it will take quite a bit more money to total the car and I don't see that much structure damage. It is tweaked a bit though, no doubts there. The driver's fender support is bent and the roof is buckled in spots, but I don't think it's enough to exceed the value of the vehicle.

[millster]

Yes. Well, I have one more meeting with them. The adjuster couldn't see all she wanted to today anyway. They want to put it on the frame rack to measure it and to be able to get a better look at the underside and the damage to the radiator supports. The more I look at the damage, I'm not sure the guy was going the speed limit and most everyone I talk to agrees with me.

[millster]

It would be nearly impossible to prove now, I would think. The photos really do not show the extent of the damage. I also think my wording about the roof is a bit misleading. The whole roof is not buckled exactly, if one stands at the frond of the car and looks bad, there appears to be a twist to it. The adjuster noticed it as well, so I know it's not just me. There are also two small creases in the gutters on either side. Again, the adjuster noted it so it's definitely not my imagination.

[millster]

True enough. I'll see what I can do about an independent investigation. Safeco (my insurance company) is pretty thorough and usually does everything they can for their customers. They certainly gathered enough info about this accident.

[millster]

Thanks for the concern! I've like to have a safe car too. That's why I'm being so picky about even the little things I've noticed.Yes, if they total the car, it would be paid off.

[Smokin' Rubber]

Quote, originally posted by millster »the total is nearly $3500 Ouch thats quite a whole in the pocket. I totaled my vibe a while ago lol was an interesting experience. I was turning left and wanted to make a gap in traffic, unfortunately I did not see that the road had a little depression. So... when you are trying to take a turn going 60 mph or so and you hit a dit that causes your suspension to pop up and down and lose traction you get some serious understeer. And lucky me there was a starbucks on that corner with a large planting bed surrounded by a big yellow median hehe. So I hit the median perfectly sidways maybe going 40 still and somehow the car manages to pop up perfectly over the curb (without flipping some how even tho the rims and the medians were pretty perpendicular and wow it was a big median. Maybe 6+" tall) then I landed on the other side and my wheels were still turned opposite lock to try and fix the skid so when my tires got traction right after I popped over the planting bed the car jumped back onto the median.So anyway my car was pretty screwed up, snapped the front axle and totally destory the rims on the right side of my car. Not to mention the suspseion on the front right wheel was totally destroyed and the panel between the side view mirror and the head light was elevated around 2.5" which chipped and dented the panel by the windshield supports. The engine cradle got damaged form the jarring it took and the bumper was loose but not damaged (still has a wonderful yellow mark on the very bottom from the median no scratches really though just paint) and the side rocker section completely fell off. So since apparently they hadn't started making the replacement axle parts for the vibe yet (this was like March 2003 I think) so they had to order them from Japan so I didn't have a car for a month. And I think total the car cost $4200 to fix which seemed like a lot at the time but I guess relative to the amount of damage it wasn't too bad.I'll send you guys some damage pics later today just for the heck of it.

[millster]

Well, luckily with the insurance I carry, it's only a $500 hole in my pocket. Until my rates increase I guess. I've always kind of discounted insurance as a shady (but aways carried it anyway) since you pay and pay and then when you get in an accident, have to pay more. But after this, I'm just glad it's around. I'll gladly pay the increased rates to avoid paying the repair costs out of pocket.That accident of yours definitely sounds rough. Fortunately, it wasn't worse though.

[Sputnik]

Quote, originally posted by millster » I've always kind of discounted insurance as a shady (but aways carried it anyway) Do you have the option to have auto insurance? We don't. We must have car insurance to drive our cars.

[millster]

No, it's definitely not an option, but a lot of people still don't do it. Especially around this state. The reason I added that I still have it anyway, is the first part of my statement made it sound like I was one of the people that didn't carry it because it's too expensive.

[joatmon]

Your damage pics are misleading, it doesn't look all that bad, but it sounds like a lot was affected. I hope they get it fixed up soon.

[millster]

Well, I'm that much closer to having my Vibe back to perfect. I went in to the body shop today for an estimate. The total is now up to $4000. That should be all though, barring anything hidden. The parts are on order now and I should be receiving a call soon to bring it in for repair. The hatch issue is being fixed under warranty rather than on the insurance. The manager of the body shop said there is no evidence of significant structure damage. At least not to the extent that it should have moved the hatch lid. Therefore, he's thinking that it was loose all along and just jumped crooked from the impact. All good news so far. Let's just hope it stays that way all the way through the repair.

[millster]

Update:The car went into the shop today. They're expecting to have it fixed in a week or so. Can't wait to see it back together and see how it turns out.

[millster]

One more update, not that anyone seems to be too interested.I picked the car up today. It looks pretty good. There are a few dirt spots in the paint, the hood is raised on one side and the driver's fender is pushed in a bit in the front. They've agreed to fix it, but they're going to order new gaskets for the cladding first then call me when they're in. All in all though, I'm very impressed with the job they did. I didn't expect to pull up and find it absolutely perfect given how quickly they did it, but I'm very happy with the job they did. Fix the few little tiny things and the car will be good as new.

[joatmon]

It's too bad they couldn't get it fixed right the first time, but at least you have it back and can be driving it. I bet you missed it,

[millster]

Yeah, well that's fine. At least they'll fix it all. I did miss it. I had no idea how much I like the little car until I was without it for a week.