Accidents do happen, what now?

[LOMartin]

Stopped at a red light just a block away from home and got rear ended.

Cops in Savannah, GA made speedy work of this and I was out within 15minutes.

The rover seems fine but is making a strange noise.

The other guy did have insurance.

Everyone is fine, seems the guy never even looked up from whatever he was doing.




How I wish I could use the repair money toward a Kaymar bumper with swing away tire carrier.

 

[LOMartin]

I'm in Savannah, GA. I have no idea who is reputable repair shop. My LR dealer is in South Carolina 30min.

Is it a good idea to take the car to the dealer and use who ever the dealer uses for repairs?

 

[mbw]

Pretty amazing how well the stock rear bumper holds up. You could almost just buff that out and be fine (it looks like). Did it bend anything under the cover?

 

[Surfrider77]

sorry to hear, but I love how all these crash pics always end up with the other vehicle looking in 100x worse shape! At least on the surface, it looks like you have some scuffs and scratched plastic and a broken reflector. The other guy looks like he drove into a brick wall!!

As far as repairs, and it is his fault and his insurance, 100% take it to a Land Rover dealer / garage. I wouldn't want any non-LR shop messing around with my truck for accident repairs. It should be restored to full on his insurance's dime.

 

[umbertob]

The dealer will just send your car to whichever local body shop they use anyway, they will just supply the necessary parts and, at most, take care of reprogramming or recalibrating any modules that need it. If you know of a good body shop you trust and have been happy with before, might as well cut off the middleman and go there directly. If not, take it to the dealer and let them figure it out, it's not your money anyway and there is definitely an extra degree of comfort in knowing you can deal with an authorized dealer, rather than an unknown body shop, should something not look, feel or sound quite right when the car is returned to you. Looks like just cosmetic damage from my chair, but you never know with these vehicles. Sorry about that, no matter how tiny and whose fault it was, the first dent on a new or nearly new car always sucks.

 

[LOMartin]

Just dropped off the car at Land Rover Hilton Head, SC collision shop.


Anyone know about how to go about negotiating diminished value? The other guys insurance is covering the repair so far.

 

[Finlayforprez]

Hey LOMartin,

I just responded to your PM about the Kaymar bumper.

Regards, David

 

[elrocko]

Diminished Value

Not sure if it is the same in SC as in Arizona where I live. If you lived here I would recommend hiring a diminished value expert who can write a report, do the requisite research and determine how much less your vehicle is now worth because of the accident. If it has never had a previous accident, it is probably worth your money. The guy I use here in Arizona charges $300 for a report. I then submit the report to the insurance company and start fighting over value.(Source: I am a PI lawyer in Tucson)

 

[catman]

I have not read my policy of late, but I thought all the major insurance companies began covering this "loophole" a long time ago. That they no longer allow "depreciated value" due to a no-fault accident...Maybe it is just a state thing here in PA....

This same thing happened to me last year! Glad these bumpers can take the abuse! All I needed was a new bumper, nothing was broken underneath. If you have a sound, something may be loose or bent, but they will likely find it when they disassembly the bumper to put on a new one.

 

[NASdiesel]

Behind that thin plastic skin of a bumper is a full size steel bumper. Even if you buy a Kaymar, which just sleeves that steel, it is solid.