Welcome to Queens Part Deux - Hit n' Run
 

So I posted a while ago about people and their lack of ability to parallel part without literally hitting the person in front and behind them.... So from my first episode I got a cracked grill. Now I have the damage depicted below....

Looks like a truck or cargo van decided to rape my car. The offender decided not to leave a note and drive off...

So question is, what happens if I call insurance. Anyone have any experience with this sort thing?

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o...001/Street.jpg

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o...10001/Side.jpg

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o...1/3quarter.jpg

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o.../RearClose.jpg

It's hard to tell in the pics but the tail light is completely destroyed, the bumper is pushed in and the actual frame of the car around the tailight is pushed in so the trunk doesn't align properly. This was not a nudge.....

I filed a police report that night.

I'd appreciate any advice regarding insurance, body shops in Queens, part suppliers, costs of parts (OEM and aftermarket).... Needless to say I'm pretty vexed with this shit.

and you moved from jersey because?....welcome to NYC touch parking.....i got a body guy who is good and will make sure you are taken care of....he has worked on a few 8's already

if you go through insurance you'll have to pay your deductible, but that's probably all


sucks man....sounds like you have someone to kill now

It's TOW HOOK TIME, BABY!!!!!! :rock:

didnt i mention that once?

Uh no size of tow hook would've stopped this truck/van from running into me. A tow hook would likely have bent my unibody even more!

No advice on a body shop? I need some specific details like number and addresses. I gotta see some one about this...

my guy is in jersey...

OMG Sorry to hear bout this dude. Where were you parked on northern blvd? Dam that sucks...I know a guy in Valley Stream Long Island that does stuff for my girls fathers limo's so he maybe able to help you out. Give me a call and ill get you in contact with the dude.

Jason NYC

Yes, and the idea got several votes last time. :)

Sorry, I'm from NH. I know ppl here who could do a great job, but that probably doesn't help much. I wish you the best of luck getting this fixed though. Keep us posted. If you do find someone good, looks like it would be good information to share as nobody has popped up with someone good in NY.

If you go through insurance, you will have to pay your deductable. It wasnt your fault you were parked. Did you get an accident report?

lets kill em!

Thanks for offering to kill the offenders Jay! I knew you would have my back! LOL

Anyway I've decided to go through insurance and since I have a clean history with my policy all I have to do is pay the premium and most likely my rate will not increase.

I'll be taking the car to Hempstead Mazda (same owner as Great Neck Mazda) so my hands will be in the care of trained Mazda professionals (should I be afraid?) LOL. I want this thing looking brand new - I hope thy can get the paint perfect on the new bumper.

BTW both tail lights were affected - left one had the seal broken and the right one is of course busted.

ARG... anyway I'm getting the work quoted tomorrow by an adjuster.....

Also, make sure you request that they use Mazda parts. Many places use 3rd party parts that reduce the value of your vehicle.

Someone mustve been pretty dumb to hit you there! I'd expect a hit and run around the center to left corner but not the right! But yes, happens often in the city. I was driving my mom's Inifiniti in midtown manhattan and some guy in a SUV decides to run the redligthf rom behind me to make a turn.... Hit the rear right corner of the bumper but the damage wasn't sever (just scratched). He sped away (made a right turn) and i only go the first 3 letters of his plates :( .

416to212 just so you know it will be an authorized body shop doing the work and not the dealer....they will get all the parts from the dealer for top dollar and make a good profit together from your insurance....like i said i got a guy in nj and im sure your deductible can be worked out.....

I assume you're referring to All-Star Mazda?

DON'T DO IT!

I've read positive remarks on this board from people going to their Great Neck location, but I dunno. If the Hempstead shop is ANY indication...

Those guys HACKED my 8! I highly recommend taking it elsewhere. My hood was crooked, parts left without finish sanding, and the huge blotches on the hood STILL make me crazy. And their attitude was the WORST. The "manager" Mike Franco had this Enzo Ferrari accent, "we make-a the car looka like-a new for you", and the next thing I know they're spraying it under some makeshift "booth area", just a bunch of clear plastic thrown up in the corner of the garage. They later made their front office flunky call me and say that he saw nothing wrong with the work, and could I come down and show them what I wanted. I said, "Do you see the huge impression in the fender where it looks like someone leaned their wristwatch into the wet paint while it was soft?" He said "yeah". I said "Does that look OK to you?". He said "no". I said, "Uh....hello?"
So.... My bad, I should have done more investigating, but I had bought the car there, and wanted to be as "Mazda-authorized" with my repair as possible. Now, my car's got issues I live with daily. My car was 1 month old when someone hit it, and it has felt like a used car ever since, just through the shoddy work these guys did.
I will get you a referral, I've since heard of some very reputable shops in the area. I'll try to help.

See my comments from back then at:
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...6&page=8&pp=15


Jer

Don't go to a dealer for body work. I know places here that do good work, but they are expensive.

I would take Chrism up on his knowing a good place. Or I can tell the place I know(need to re-find the info).

Jer - thanks for the heads-up.... I was about to drop off the car tomorrow! Sounds like you got screwed. I also talked to Frank and he seemed like a nice up front guy. Oh and you're damn funny about the Enzo accent! LOL

ChrisM - NJ is a bit to far for me. There are tons of places in Queens (or so it seems) are you telling me I gotta give my dollar to those Jersey folks? LOL

Smokey you mind giving me the info on the body shop you know?

I've lost the hope of having everything look new again... I've seen White paint jobs with the kinda pearl we have in it go wrong so many times....

I'm definitely, not bringing it to Mazda Hempstead (All Star Mazda) for body work after reading about Jer's episode - last thing I need is to be victimized again.

Seeing as the car is driveable, I wouldn't rush anything. Get an estimate for your insurance and have them cut you a check (minus the deductible). A taillight assy is about $150 from onlinemazdaparts.com. I got one from Ebay (same year and side), for about $95 shipped. It was used, but in good condition. It'll probably show up on an estimate for upwards of $200. That's 100$ right there. The bumper looks like it will push out, hopefully without a crease. Then it's a matter of sanding and having it repainted. Painting is expensive. If your estimate calls for a new bumper cover, you'll save if you repaint the old. Otherwise, you can actually replace the bumper cover if you want.

Maxx. Thanks for the advice - I think taking my time to buy some of the parts myself is a good idea.

dude for my 8 i would leave it in tennesee if i had to!....you are supposed to get a rental from your insurance covered....pay the 6 bucks in tolls, stop being lazy and get it done right....or go to a hack shack, have the paint look like crap and be stressed over it....your call but you can ask kelrx8, lilbenny, me, rotaryrider36 if the shop is decent.....we all go there and we all show our cars.....and aside from that i would bet im closer than some places in long island.....from bayside its about 25-30 minutes w/o traffic

Chris you're right...

Give me the number and the name of the business. I'll have to drop by sometime between now and next weekend. I'm trying my best to get the price of the work to be as close to $1000 as possible so that I don't even have to make a claim.

For all that damage - my insurance company told me it was only $1240 worth of damage. I know the body shop can call for more money but I've been told that my particular insurance company is really tight with their wallet. If I can get the parts and labor close to $1000 (my deductible) I don't even want to file the claim just in case they decide to screw my premiums later on. So I'm trying to collect parts (taillights and bumper) so all I have to pay for is to have the body pulled and have the replacement bumper painted rather than paying for all the labor to pull, sand, and paint the wrecked bumper.

I'm kinda confused about everything right now because their underwitings won't tell me if this will affect my record in any negative way. But through my expericence - any claim is a black mark in your history and grounds to increase your premiums next year.

you got a pm with all the info bro....and if your deductible is that high you may just want to pay cash....that sux

1240 with a 1000 deductible? I wouldn't bother your insurance company with it. You should be able to get a replacement bumper (used but mint), tail light, and paint done for half that. When you ask about getting a bumper painted, see if it's less if you bring in the bumper and have it painted off the car. Then they don't have to do any masking or tie up a whole room. For a "like new" repair, you'll have to pull the bumper cover to see what is going on under there.

ChrisM thanks for the body shop info.

I am collecting parts right now - taillights and bumper. Having a used/new bumper would save labor charges from having to pull the bumper. I have a guy in CA (babo4u) saying he actually even has a White bumper for me.... would save me paint I would give him no hassle with the sale - easy sell.

BTW noticing that the west coast has so many items for sale! Can't find my stuff on the board from people in the east coast!