Let's Hear it for People Who Don't Look Before Turning onto a Four Lane Highway

[z28luvr01]

Me: Going straight at 40+mph having just made a left to right lane change

Her: Pulling out of a Home Depot parking lot

The results:

We're both fine (physically). Rather than go through her insurance company and have them nickel and dime me when I'm not at fault, I'm just going through mine and will let them bill hers. I have an appt. with a GEICO express shop tomorrow at 7AM, and they'll have a rental there.

[Paolino]

Uffa! Sorry to hear! Glad to hear you're okay though. Where was this?

[Sixty8panther]

Sorry to hear... sux Best of luck with that whole fiasco.

[capriceman]

that sucks, good thing your okay.

[loki]

sorry to hear.

evasive action was not possible? ... warp 9+? hehe.

what was she driving? something big or not?

[Blake Noble]

Sorry to hear about this Z! That is a shame what happened to your car. It is good that you were not hurt, though. Hope Geico makes the repair process as painless and quick as possible.

[caddycruiser]

I had the EXACT same thing happen to me in October. I was going down the a 4-lane street, oddly in the left lane instead of the right as usual, and changed lanes to the right before a red light ahead...right in front of a McDonald's exit. The problem? A very nice, but not paying full attention lady in an Outback pulled out at the same time into a non-existent. I moved to the right while still moving forward, and her front driver's side bumper corner first hit the front door and then pulled backwards.

It felt like a bumper car hit, honestly, and I didn't expect THAT much. Well, until I moved forward to the first street pull off and heard street noise through the bottom of the doors. Was bad, bad, bad...shifted my back door, peeled all the heavy chrome panels, smashed the front door, caved in the quarter panel, etc. Fixed it up enough to drive (which I did from mid October until Thanksgiving) then a month in December to fix, again thankfully all because I was able to get every single part used and cheap AND the shop was thrilled to take it all.

But oy, what a process. At first, I thought it was going to be blamed partially on me somehow (especially with the lady's "Well, it's probably 50/50" to which I said nothing, but with the police report which took over a month and my very detailed docs, her insurance decided in a matter of a day to accept 100% fault.

So...good luck. I've been there, and don't want to do it again. Sometimes I think "if I just hadn't changed lanes" but at the same time, she still would have pulled out and caused an accident either with me or with someone else and still maybe hit me, so it may very well still have happened. Best advice. Be nice and cordial to everyone--idiots and all--but persistent daily or more, give pictures and diagrams and describe everything in intense detail, and all will work out.

[daves87rs]

Just glad that you are fine.

Seems like a bunch of Cobalts are getting hit lately....

I still remember the fight that broke out on mine...

[ShadowDog]

I feel your pain. It's one thing to avoid a near-miss, but when damage results, it's already the worst-case-scenario.

Lately, I'm constantly in the mode of thinking, "That guy isn't paying attention," or, "she has no idea I'm coming." I'm so happy to be leaving the current city I'm in when it comes to the terrible drivers. A town of 16,000 people and I'm far happier driving on the busy streets of Calgary! Everyone here drives like they're in the middle of a farmer's field, "PLEEEENTY of room...who needs a signal light...everybody can see me and that's all that matters!"

My latest adventure was pulling up to a stoplight at a four-way intersection. When my light turns green, the opposing traffic has to wait a few seconds because my lane also has a green left arrow. So, I'm actually heading straight through when I look to my right and see a white Lumina sedan barrelling up to the lights in the right lane to make the turn. Since people mostly yield to red lights and stop signs, I half-expected him to look for traffic first. What does he do? He looks straight at the truck that's opposite from me to see it's not moving. (Remember that green left arrow my lane has? - The truck has to wait). So the guy must figure "DUH, if da twuck isn't moving, I must have a green light?" Hell if I know why he didn't look my direction. So, he doesn't stop and cuts right in front of me. I already see this coming, so I've barely even crossed the intersection before hitting my horn. What does he do? He looks back at me, sneers, looks at the truck again, looks right, and keeps turning in front of me, all on a red light.

I never realized that driving properly was a skill so difficult to comprehend, much less understand and most likely never to master for SO many people?

So, yeah, accidents suck ass.

[Intrepidation]

That sucks, at least you're ok. Hope you get it fixed soon.

[PurdueGuy]

that a cobalt coupe? Shame.

[ocnblu]

z, that's disgusting! You keep your car so clean and looking good, and now this. I'm sorry to hear. Hopefully, the gecko does a good job for you. Looking at your door, it looks borderline on repairability, it might need a new door shell, as opposed to repair, with that damage at the front. Let us know what the estimate calls for.

[z28luvr01]

Thanks fellas. I just got in after dropping her off at the shop. The GEICO adjuster told me I need a fender, a door, and possibly a wheel and the plastic wheelhouse, and a "repair" on the quarter panel and both bumpers. The door will definitely be a GM door, and the fender will either be GM or CAPA certified. They told me it should be ready for Saturday, though I told them to take their time because I want it done right and will inspect it before I take it back. I've got a '07 Ford Focus in the meantime - not a bad little car aside from the airbag light being on.

Paulie: This happened on Middle Country Road in Selden, at the Home Depot Shopping Center.

PurdueGuy: Yes, it's a Cobalt coupe.

[Robert Hall]

It's amazing how many bad drivers there are out there... I see a lot of them here. Phoenix is scary at times...my biggest irritant are all the stupid intersections of 2 four/six lane streets with left turn lanes but no left turn arrows... lots of people running the lights or turning left stupidly. Not to mention thousands of look-alike strip malls, 4 at each intersection with the entrances and exits 20 feet from the intersections...

[ZL-1]

That sucks, z28. Sometimes it seems some people got their licences from a cereal box or something...

Edited June 18, 2008 by ZL-1

[Oracle of Delphi]

So sorry to hear this Z28, I'm sure you think about cars the way I do, they become a member of the family (something Mrs. PCS doesn't understand), Here's to a speedy recovery of your Colbalt.

[Intrepidation]

So sorry to hear this Z28, I'm sure you think about cars the way I do, they become a member of the family (something Mrs. PCS doesn't understand), Here's to a speedy recovery of your Colbalt.

I know that is, cars are part of the family to me, so i feel your pain. Hopefully she'll be as good as new soon though!

[Paolino]

Paulie: This happened on Middle Country Road in Selden, at the Home Depot Shopping Center.

Ah, not a fan of 25.

[Camino LS6]

I hate seeing this ,Z!

Some idiot ran a red in front of me yesterday, luckily I saw him coming an avoided a crash.

The jackasses are everywhere.

[ocnblu]

z, if you want a GM fender on your car, why not ask for it? They might make you pay the difference between that and the CAPA fender, but it would be worth (to me) to have genuine GM parts.

[A Horse With No Name]

Here's again to a speedy recovery of the 'balt...shame it had to happen to such a nice car...

Chris

[knightfan26917]

Aye, Z28...sorry that happened to ya, but glad you both are OK physically....

Cort:34swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve&pacemaker

WRMNshowcase.legos.HO.models.MCs.RTs.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"Something's wrong in the world today" ... Aerosmith ... 'Living On The Edge'

[Oracle of Delphi]

z, if you want a GM fender on your car, why not ask for it? They might make you pay the difference between that and the CAPA fender, but it would be worth (to me) to have genuine GM parts.

+1

[daves87rs]

z, if you want a GM fender on your car, why not ask for it? They might make you pay the difference between that and the CAPA fender, but it would be worth (to me) to have genuine GM parts.

+2

I had fight the dealership that repaired the my Balt-best part being that even my insurance company demanded that they use GM parts....

They had to send parts back twice....

But, I got what I wanted....

[Camino LS6]

You are entitled to OEM parts, demand them!

[z28luvr01]

UPDATE: I called the other day and the person on the phone told me I got all GM parts. I needed the wheel after all. The damage came to $3,3xx, of which I have to lay out my $500 deductible while GEICO goes after her insurance company. I stopped by the body shop today after hours while on my bike, and flagged a guy working OT on another car. He said they're waiting on the wheel and it's all back together otherwise. He would have showed me it but it was locked in the bay and he didn't have the key. They expect it to be ready by mid-week.

[Blake Noble]

I am glad to hear the good news, Z!

[ocnblu]

Yup, make sure you get an invoice at delivery, with the GM part numbers on it. I hope it looks good as new, z.

[z28luvr01]

Oh baby things have gotten worse. I honestly feel sorry for the people that aren't as anal retentive as I am about my car. Here goes:

MONDAY:

I get a call from the shop saying that the car should be done by closing. My boss is there for the conversation, and after I hang up he tells me to go get it. I arrive at the shop just before closing, and they're still compounding it. They say it'll be done tomorrow, but I can have a look at the car in the meantime. I notice the fender/door gap is a little big and the door/quarter gap is a little small. So I ask if they could move the door forward a bit and split the difference. They give me a hard time and try saying that it's "only" a GM car and GM isn't known for properly aligning their panels. I call BS and tell them that the car had properly aligned panels before I gave it to them. They reluctantly agree to see if they can move the door.

TUESDAY:

I take a half day to go to my friend's wake (another post), then head off to the shop. The car is "done" and they take me out to see it. I look it over and they got the gap right. I notice something not quite right with the tint on my quarter glass but I think nothing of it. However, the black area on the door frame behind the window glass is normally covered in vinyl, as pictured here:

Well, they decided that, instead of ordering the vinyl strip that goes there, that they can fool me by painting it with what feels like barbeque paint. It feels rough and doesn't have the same shine. I tell them I don't like it and I want whatever GM put there. Again, reluctantly they agree to order the GM part and fix it. They asked me if I would mind taking the car home and bring the car back when the vinyl comes in. I knew I had every right to keep my rental until the car was done to my satisfaction, but I decided to be nice and I agree to this. They pull the car out of the lot, and I notice the bodyside molding on the passenger's side was crooked by a lot. I'm really PO'd and I say, "That is wrong" while waving my arms like angry Italians so when they're mad. I show them the driver's side molding and compare it to the passenger's side. They agree that it's really bad. I tell them that I'm leaving with the Focus and to call me when the car is done.

I get home and start eating dinner before heading out to spend time with friends. I get a call on my cell. It's the shop. They fixed the molding and they want to know if they can come to my house and swap my car for the rental. Again I relent when I have the right not to, and tell them that I'm leaving at about 6:45. They appear to have no problem with that and I give them directions. 7:00 comes and they still haven't showed, so I leave for my friends' house. At 8:30 they call my cell again, and apologize for not meeting me before I left, and ask me if we can meet after I leave. I agree and give them a location on my route home where they can meet me. I get there, and they arrive about five minutes after I do with my car. I made sure it was parked under a bright light so I can see everything. The molding looks good. this time. They tell me they measured it against the other side. I bite my toungue to stop myself from snapping "Why the .... didn't you do that the first time?" We swap keychains and part ways. Despite all this, the ride home brings a twinge of happiness to me. I'm back in my car; my wonderful, well-made, quiet, athletic Cobalt. Quite frankly, the Focus I just got out of wasn't fit to breathe my car's exhaust. It's that much better. I get home and am aching all over from all the tension of the day.

THURSDAY:

I'm backing the car out of the driveway, and I notice that there's some marks on the interior trim panel by the quarter glass. When I get into work I climb in the back seat and take a close look. The panel is all scratched up, and the imperfections I saw in the tint on Tuesday were apparently part of the same motion that scratched the panel. One corner of the panel near the window is actually broken, and another corner looks "chewed". It looked like whoever took the glass out tried to pry it out without taking the interior apart to get at it. I spend a little time looking up the part # for the panel. I find it for roughly $30 new and briefly consider just buying the panel and replacing it myself. Before long my senses come back and I decide that I'm going to make them get this car to my specs no matter how long it takes. They call me early afternoon to tell me that the vinyl strip is in. I had worked through lunch so I left early to go there. I look at the piece again, close the door, and something rattles in there. When I get to the shop I ask for someone to come out to look at my car. I get the owner of the shop this time. I show him the panel and he says, "Yeah, this is really substandard. This isn't even us. I outsource all my glass work to a glass place because I want to make sure it gets done right. This is really embarrassing." He tells me that he'll order me the panel, and get the glass guy and a tint guy there on the same day, and do all the work at once when the panel arrives. I tell him about the rattle, and he couldn't reproduce it but said he'd pull the door panel off and make sure everything is tight in there. I say OK and squeeze a rental car out of him for the day the car gets laid up.

After I leave, GEICO calls and says that the insurance co. of the girl that hit me is trying to place fault on me. He's pretty confident that he'll be able to squash it based on the pictures of my damage and hers, but he asks me to do a phone interview and record it. I agree and tell him to hold on while I pull into a parking lot. He asks some basic questions like my name, birthday, etc, and asks for my account of the accident. The whole thing took about 7 minutes, after which I leave the parking lot and drive home.

[Camino LS6]

Grim.

Last time for that shop, huh?

[ocnblu]

The black rubber trim around the outside of your quarter glass is made to the glass, it is one unit. They had to get another quarter glass assembly to fix the damage to the rubber. We have a "glass guy", too, but he takes care to remove interior trim panels to prevent marring them with the air knife he uses to cut glass out of cars. I suspect the damage to the rubber surround occured when the glass was cut out the first time. The damage to the interior quarter trim probably happened when he rushed to cut out the damaged glass and put in the new one, he left the trim panel in instead of pulling it out.

[vonVeezelsnider]

Sorry to hear that, Z. It's too bad you don't live in PA, Ocn would have done it right.

[caddycruiser]

Wow, that does stink. My EXACT SAME accident with the Fleetwood took longer than expected, but thankfully it was at the best shop anywhere near by, and my brother even works there. They had to rush right before leaving for Christmas and didn't get to mounting a new wheel & tire, but were so nice otherwise, not a problem at all. The funny part is the fit & finish of the side they worked on is a bit better than the untouched factory side.

So...things will work out, but there's no excuse. Shops get loaded down to no end (my brother, sometimes, works from 7:30'ish to almost 8 at night once in a blue moon just to help), yet it should have no bearing on their work if they want that volume to continue.

Wishing you luck, especially since my accident had glitches too, but worked out very well in the end.

[knightfan26917]

Holy crap, Z...what a freekin' ordeal for you....

Good luck with getting it all straightened out....