So i had a frontal impact on the interstate

[Slay0r]

With an unlikely object,.....a SHOP VAC!


Don't ask me how or why a shop-vac was on the interstate (completely upright), my only guess is that it fell out of someone's truck/trailer

I was driving about on the interstate and i notice what i think is roadkill up ahead. The closer i get i notice that it is definitely not roadkill, and that a semi-truck is on side of me and that impact with it is inevitable. here's the damage:

I'm looking at a new hood, kidneygrill(s), and bumper those 2-3 things place this damage around $2000. If i wasn't a leasee, i would go the aftermarket route and buy a $600 CF hood etc.

Any spare/oem parts donations are welcome

[Totti]

[onefastman]

What is your deductible?

[Slay0r]

$100 comprehensive
$250 Collision

[cagekicker]

damn!

[Lloyd]

wait, so you wouldn't have changed lanes if it was only roadkill? ...and what about hitting the brakes?
good luck with the repairs, seems like you could have avoided it tho.

[imported_mega]

they wont replace your hood, they will bondo/bodyfill it

[lopealle]

you deductible is pretty cheap. just pay that and get it fixed. i would defintely find some reputable shops and go from there. i had a run with a semi tire. 4 different cars hit it. i went to a bmw dealership and asked who they get their repairs done buy and it was good as new.

[Mark M]

Wow....that sucks. Sorry bud!!!

I hate how litered our roads have become. I blame the careless nature of people and I blame the police for not enforcing tighter standards on what it means for a vehicle to be 'road-worthy'.

We all can clear as day spot loads that don't look safe, that is why we hurry to get around those crazy trucks. Police should see it too and do something about it!

I once was assaulted by a construction barrel while driving my E30 M3. PA turnpike, left lane, behind a semi truck, other cars to my right. Out of no where this 4' plastic construction barrel with refelctor light pops out from under the rear axle of the semi. No where to go. Smack it impacts me. Needed new front bumper, grill and other minor parts. GRRRRR

[Slay0r]

Originally Posted by imported_pinoy

wait, so you wouldn't have changed lanes if it was only roadkill? ...and what about hitting the brakes?
good luck with the repairs, seems like you could have avoided it tho.

i would have changed lanes if there wasnt an 18-wheeler on side of me, and yes i did stab the brakes before the impact, but as u can see it wasnt enough

[BrokenVert]

I hate to see stories like this.

[Feyd]

I'd pay the deductible. Shouldn't be considered at-fault at all...

Just tell them that if fell off someone's truck and you couldn't move because of the tractor trailer.

I had a similar thing with a wide sweeping on-ramp in LA. I hit a truck tire tread at ~75mph in my z4... I just didn't see it until it was way too late because the street lights weren't on yet and it was dark out. $2500.00 for Hood/Bumper/Radiator/Skid Plate, etc, etc. I handled all of it through my BMW dealership... and paid the dealership, not the body shop.

Anyway, I turned it into my insurance and it was taken care of and they didn't fault me for it.

Good Luck.... it sucks no matter how you cut it.

[Cisitalia]

Originally Posted by imported_pinoy

wait, so you wouldn't have changed lanes if it was only roadkill? ...and what about hitting the brakes?
good luck with the repairs, seems like you could have avoided it tho.

Why don’t you give the guy the benefit of the doubt since you were not in the passenger seat to know what happened? Situations can occur that can not be avoided and some times trying to avoid (or over reaction) can make things worse. I can sympathize with this guy, since some thing similar happened to me once. It's not a fun experience.

[spellbmw]

Ouch! I had a similar encounter with one of those large orange traffic cones while in my old VW Passat: couldn't avoid it due to being boxed in on both sides, so it took a chunk out of the lower grill. Grrr

[jeremyc74]

That sucks.
Coming home after Thanksgiving this year I saw a truck wreck in on the other side of the interstate and break a wheel completely off. The wheel came flying across into the oncoming traffic, and hit a young guy in an old Chevy (Caprice maybe) square in the grill, then bounced about 50 feet in the air, and landed right in front of me. I was lucky that I'd seen the dust cloud from the truck and had already started slowing down, then got on the brakes hard when I saw the tire hit the car, and it bounced out of the way, barely missing me.

When we all got stopped, the Chevy looked like he'd hit a tree at 35 or 40MPH. I couldn't belive how much damage it did. The radiator was pushed all the way back to the block, and the car was no doubt totalled. Big debris at highway speed is no joke. At least the damn thing wasn't full of sand!

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by Slay0r

Any spare/oem parts donations are welcome

I've got a set of OEM grills that were taken out of my car with about 1k miles on it. I can't just give them away, but I'll make you a good deal on them, say $50 shipped. PM me if you want them. I can ship them in the AM.

[Freakazoid]

ya this should be covered by comprehensive luckily

[Slay0r]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

I've got a set of OEM grills that were taken out of my car with about 1k miles on it. I can't just give them away, but I'll make you a good deal on them, say $50 shipped. PM me if you want them. I can ship them in the AM.

since i have the matte blk grill (even though i kinda swapped parts out, chrome w/ blk trim) i still havethe Blk w/ the stock chrome trim.

I'll keep u in mind though, but the kidney grills are the last on the parts to get list

[JimD]

It looks like people transport things in Wisconsin at least sometimes the way they transport them in South Carolina. I've seen people with a mattress in a pickup with a kid on top to keep it weighted down speeding down the interstate. No ropes or anything. I ran over a ladder on the way to work in my SUV. Traffic on all sides and it appeared suddenly. Fortunately it was in the center of the lane. I could find no damage. The worst I've see was, fortunately, from a distance. Farmers love to carry ripe watermellons in pickups fill to overflowing and often towing a trailer equally full behind. One good bump and you can guess what happens. I don't want to think about what it's like to try and drive on watermellons.

Anyway, I think you need to find out the routine for your insurer and get busy. Some want you to go to specific repair places and they take care of the bill. Others want you to come by their place, they estimate the damage and write you a check, and then you find somebody to fix. The question is what does yours do. Then after you get the money lined up, you can consider working with the repair shop if you want any changes during the repairs. I do not see where it is an insurance company issue as long as it is clear you aren't asking them to pay any extra on that basis. For me, this has always started with a phone call to my agent. They always provided good advice on what to do next (once when my daughter hit a parked car, they told me not to turn it in because it would raise my rates and the deductable was over half the damages). So I would start with a call to my agents office.

Jim

[Lloyd]

Originally Posted by Cisitalia

Why don’t you give the guy the benefit of the doubt since you were not in the passenger seat to know what happened? Situations can occur that can not be avoided and some times trying to avoid (or over reaction) can make things worse. I can sympathize with this guy, since some thing similar happened to me once. It's not a fun experience.

He said he saw an unrecognizable object from AFAR which he thought was roadkill at first. For most drives that triggers a reaction to slow down they're able change lanes earlier or safely pull off the road. I just have a feeling he was either speeding and/or driving recklessly. For that I do not sympathize to much for.

Definitely go with your deductible. Insurance companies are the worse. Find a good shop that will do the job right they way you want it done. Like I said, good luck with the repairs.

[Slay0r]

Originally Posted by imported_pinoy

He said he saw an unrecognizable object from AFAR which he thought was roadkill at first. For most drives that triggers a reaction to slow down they're able change lanes earlier or safely pull off the road. I just have a feeling he was either speeding and/or driving recklessly. For that I do not sympathize to much for.

Definitely go with your deductible. Insurance companies are the worse. Find a good shop that will do the job right they way you want it done. Like I said, good luck with the repairs.

thats an awkward assumption. i was doing the speed limit before i braked, and like i said before, i did hit the brakes, but it was too little too late. If this was during the day i would have realized that it was not small roadkill but a freakin shop vac, but that wasnt the case. by the time my headlights hit the object enough that i could tell what it was i braked, and again too little too late

[Cisitalia]

Originally Posted by imported_pinoy

I just have a feeling he was either speeding and/or driving recklessly. For that I do not sympathize to much for.

This is funny, because there is always that one wise guy that thinks he knows everything. Your "feeling" is really not germane to this situation and the OP does not really have to convince you of any thing. Hint; give the guy the benefit of the doubt since you were not an eye witness. If you don't have the facts to back up your "feeling", it's probably best to be silent on the subject than to make a possible false accusation.