Q5 got clipped - hit and run
05-01-2014, 06:41 PM
#1
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Q5 got clipped - hit and run
My mom is overseas for a month, so I decide to drive her car a little bit since I miss being in a tall car. Drove it 4/29 and woke up this morning to find a huge scrape on bumper and fender. Down to the primer and its not been more than 6 months since those same parts were replaced when my sister drove into a support column. Narrowed it down to school parking lot, couldn't have been hit anywhere else. There is a camera facing the lot so hopefully I'll find the spineless piece of trash that did this.
In the meantime I'm curious to know what this will cost to fix, I'm expecting a full repaint of both panels at the very least, 1k+? How about insurance? We are on State Farm and I believe we have one free deductible to use, but will rates go up on an accident I can't prove wasn't our fault?
My mom may very well cheap out and vote against repair but I'm concerned about corrosion on the fender now that the paint job is compromised. I'm sitting here wishing I had one of those security cams, and I'm probably going to spend tomorrow at school looking for white cars with blue scrapes.
In the meantime I'm curious to know what this will cost to fix, I'm expecting a full repaint of both panels at the very least, 1k+? How about insurance? We are on State Farm and I believe we have one free deductible to use, but will rates go up on an accident I can't prove wasn't our fault?
My mom may very well cheap out and vote against repair but I'm concerned about corrosion on the fender now that the paint job is compromised. I'm sitting here wishing I had one of those security cams, and I'm probably going to spend tomorrow at school looking for white cars with blue scrapes.
05-01-2014, 08:02 PM
#2
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Typically, if your mom has a "free" pass on the deductible, there's usually a single "accident forgiveness" feature which would preclude a rate increase. Check with her insurance agent. From the photos I'll hazard a wild guess you're looking at around $1500-$2500 if the fender is also damaged; if only the bumper cover, it would be around $500-$600. Only way to know for sure is to get estimates from two or three body shops.
05-03-2014, 02:05 PM
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Typically, if your mom has a "free" pass on the deductible, there's usually a single "accident forgiveness" feature which would preclude a rate increase. Check with her insurance agent. From the photos I'll hazard a wild guess you're looking at around $1500-$2500 if the fender is also damaged; if only the bumper cover, it would be around $500-$600. Only way to know for sure is to get estimates from two or three body shops.
Last edited by drunkenup; 05-03-2014 at 02:12 PM.
05-03-2014, 06:18 PM
#5
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Insurance companies are like casinos: They're in business to make money, every time.
Odds are that they will find a way to remove a 10% discount, or add a 10% surcharge, or use up that "get out of jail" forgiveness card, however they do it. And that surcharge or loss of discount usually continues for four years.
If the accident six months ago was reported? For sure, two in six months will bring an increase. That's just the way it works.
You might or might not get any slack because it was a hit and run, and not your fault. But for many insurers, a claim and a loss is a claim and a loss and it comes back to bite you. Unless you can find the other guy on the security camera. You could also try asking and posting around, someone might have seen it.
Odds are that they will find a way to remove a 10% discount, or add a 10% surcharge, or use up that "get out of jail" forgiveness card, however they do it. And that surcharge or loss of discount usually continues for four years.
If the accident six months ago was reported? For sure, two in six months will bring an increase. That's just the way it works.
You might or might not get any slack because it was a hit and run, and not your fault. But for many insurers, a claim and a loss is a claim and a loss and it comes back to bite you. Unless you can find the other guy on the security camera. You could also try asking and posting around, someone might have seen it.
05-04-2014, 05:17 AM
#6
We use Nationwide and we had two accidents without a rate increase. One we hit a deer and it totaled the car and the other we were hit by a drunk driver. Their insurance paid for that wreck.
Our house was also hit by a tornado and they actually went down in price the next year. Go figure.
My point being that not all insurance company's are bad.
If you can find out who did it and they have insurance you should be able to get them to fix it and you won't have to pay a deductible.
Our house was also hit by a tornado and they actually went down in price the next year. Go figure.
My point being that not all insurance company's are bad.
If you can find out who did it and they have insurance you should be able to get them to fix it and you won't have to pay a deductible.
05-04-2014, 09:04 AM
#7
AudiWorld Super User
The deer, the tornado, those count as "acts of God" so they're not held against you. The drunk driver is a 100% liable party, so agin, not held against you.
Not that all insurers are bad--but they are all in business for their own profit, not the customers'. And almost all of them play games, almost all of the time, trying to duck out of payments. Some charge literally 3x more than others, without giving anything back in return. One way or another, they are in business for a profit and while some are way better than others, it still pays to remember this is a zero-sum game, and they want it all.
Not that all insurers are bad--but they are all in business for their own profit, not the customers'. And almost all of them play games, almost all of the time, trying to duck out of payments. Some charge literally 3x more than others, without giving anything back in return. One way or another, they are in business for a profit and while some are way better than others, it still pays to remember this is a zero-sum game, and they want it all.
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05-04-2014, 09:44 AM
#8
AudiWorld Senior Member
The deer, the tornado, those count as "acts of God" so they're not held against you. The drunk driver is a 100% liable party, so agin, not held against you.
Not that all insurers are bad--but they are all in business for their own profit, not the customers'. And almost all of them play games, almost all of the time, trying to duck out of payments. Some charge literally 3x more than others, without giving anything back in return. One way or another, they are in business for a profit and while some are way better than others, it still pays to remember this is a zero-sum game, and they want it all.
Not that all insurers are bad--but they are all in business for their own profit, not the customers'. And almost all of them play games, almost all of the time, trying to duck out of payments. Some charge literally 3x more than others, without giving anything back in return. One way or another, they are in business for a profit and while some are way better than others, it still pays to remember this is a zero-sum game, and they want it all.
05-04-2014, 10:58 AM
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There was an article in today's paper on some things that insurers are doing to raise rates/profits. One of them is thru data mining they can identify customers who are less likely to shop around for lower rates, and you guessed it, their rates are raised knowing that the odds are good those customers won't shop around and go elsewhere. No specific insurers were named, just that it is a practice by some.
05-04-2014, 11:59 AM
#10
AudiWorld Super User
" When I got the Q5 I got a quote ...a week later my insurance agent called and offered me a better quote. Coincidence?"
An agent works for an insurance company. A broker is an independent guy who can sell many lines of insurance. It would be odd if an AGENT could give you a revised quote without changing carriers or terms.
But a smart BROKER would be doing the same thing that insurance companies do, keeping track of the demographics of his customers, and making them new offers if those demographics changed.
For instance, if you turn 26, or 50, or some other magic age, you may qualify for lower rates than you did in the previous year--but you may have to ask for them. When you hit 50, you may qualify for a rate reduction based on the mileage you drive, but if you didn't know that, you might not bother checking to see if you should put down a different number than last year's.
If your last car was a McLaren and your new one is a Q5...(G)...sure, a smart agent ought to be calling you to offer you a different carrier, different policy, different price. I don't think many of them are that aggressive or smart about marketing though. Yet.
Of course if Progressive can't sell you a policy, it would make sense to sell the fact that you're shopping. Like everyone else, sometimes they are just not a good deal.
When AIG first came into the US auto insurance market, their rates were about 10% below anyone else. And about six months later, they petitioned for increases, and got them, because they underestimated losses. (Ahuh, sure.)Then they became 10% more expensive than the guys they had been undercutting. Funny coincidence, that. The world's sharpest pencils, and they claimed they couldn't figure out the math.
An agent works for an insurance company. A broker is an independent guy who can sell many lines of insurance. It would be odd if an AGENT could give you a revised quote without changing carriers or terms.
But a smart BROKER would be doing the same thing that insurance companies do, keeping track of the demographics of his customers, and making them new offers if those demographics changed.
For instance, if you turn 26, or 50, or some other magic age, you may qualify for lower rates than you did in the previous year--but you may have to ask for them. When you hit 50, you may qualify for a rate reduction based on the mileage you drive, but if you didn't know that, you might not bother checking to see if you should put down a different number than last year's.
If your last car was a McLaren and your new one is a Q5...(G)...sure, a smart agent ought to be calling you to offer you a different carrier, different policy, different price. I don't think many of them are that aggressive or smart about marketing though. Yet.
Of course if Progressive can't sell you a policy, it would make sense to sell the fact that you're shopping. Like everyone else, sometimes they are just not a good deal.
When AIG first came into the US auto insurance market, their rates were about 10% below anyone else. And about six months later, they petitioned for increases, and got them, because they underestimated losses. (Ahuh, sure.)Then they became 10% more expensive than the guys they had been undercutting. Funny coincidence, that. The world's sharpest pencils, and they claimed they couldn't figure out the math.
