Raralith

I just got rear ended, but thankfully I am safe and even more luckily, I was on my way to pick up my daughter so she wasn't in the car. I was driving on the freeway, there was no traffic but as this is Los Angeles, it went to a full dead stop. I braked fine, was right behind someone, but the car in back did not stop in time and hit me. I was jolted ahead a bit, hit the car in front of me, got out of my car, and saw the car in front of me leave; nothing I can do there. We are both OK, his car is pretty banged up, and I call 911 who tells us that someone is coming. Luckily again, a police cruiser wasn't too far back, and was able to stop traffic for us to pull to the side since we are in the inside (next to the carpool lane). A picture was shot inside my trunk, and you can see that it's not flat. Well, if you move the mat and look down, you can see the ground due to how the metal sheered. Including the pictures because I'm sure some of you are curious.




His car


I'm sure plenty of us have gotten into car accidents, unfortunately, and I was wondering if anyone in my situation could tell me what happened? My question is:
- I have Joe Z's full catback exhaust so what will happen to my exhaust? I purchased the exhaust from Joe Z himself for $1,397 on September 2, 2010 via PayPal so I have *some* sort of paper trail. Will they put a stock exhaust and I'll be reimbursed, will I have to buy the exhaust again (I want it!) and their insurance will reimburse me, I'm SOL, or something else? Not sure if it matters but I have Mercury Insurance and they have 21st Century.
- If there is any damage that would devalue my car (frame, etc...), is there anything I can do if the valuation of my car gets lowered? I was interested in trading or selling my car for something bigger (or faster? ISF maybe?) so this obviously could put a damper on this situation. How exactly can I ask for this "devaluation" compensation?

No, I am not going to say I was hurt and sue either.

ImportISF

iTrader: (9)

Wow look at that damage the Mazda has compared to our cars.. At least you were not hurt nor was your daughter in the car. I think you would have to speak to your insurance/who ever is in charge of this claim & let them know about your exhaust & see what they say. I know some insurance companies wouldn't hesitate to compensate you for that but some would be a pain in the @ss. Also thats funny the guy in front of you just left lol, but that works to your favor.

bboysunone

iTrader: (3)

The guy in the front of u prolly don't have L.

Nikon

iTrader: (2)

call your insurance provider and ask them what you should do next. they can do all the work for you contacting the driver at fault's insurance. damage doesn't look too bad. this shouldn't devalue your car at all.

KillaIS250

iTrader: (1)

You have to call your insurance company and ask for the right answer...but from what i've seen:
- You won't get anything for diminished value in California.
- Your insurance probably won't cover the exhaust unless you bought the additional insurance for modifications

The guy who you ending up hitting just left tho? That's odd....lol

Raralith

As far as the collusion center sees it, it probably is not my fault, like 99.999%. They did ask if I was going through my insurance or their insurance, but I had no idea what he was talking about. I was in a bit of a hurry though as I needed a rental car so I could go and pick up my daughter. I did call my insurance right after we moved our cars to the shoulder, but by the time I answered their questions and was about to start asking mine, the police showed up for our statements so I do need to get back to them as said above.

I was surprised at the damage to the Mazda as it was pretty banged up. The collusion center associate who looked at my car said he must have hit me pretty hard because he could tell there was radiator fluid where that piece of plastic is dragging on the ground.

As far as the other driver, the one in front that my car tapped, it was extremely odd that he drove off. I mean, he clearly knew he was hit because he stopped for a moment as traffic was moving again, and hesitantly started to drive off while I was waving at him. The police officer said it could be varying reasons from just a bump so they don't want to get involved to no insurance, warrants for arrest, whatever. It was a black Ford SUV though, and I was able to snap a photo from my phone. The car was a bit out, but if I zoom in, I can barely make out his license plate number. I'm not sure if I should do anything with it though either.

DGNY2009

iTrader: (1)

I was in the same kinda situation before in my old jeep liberty i was rear ended in a parking garage waiting to pay to get out and hit a Honda CRV in front of me from the force guy got out looked at his back bumper and drove off police didn't follow up with it so neither did I and there was cam's in garage but didn't working that day...... IMO i would just leave it if the police don't do a investigation on it you shouldn't have to.

sorry to hear thought glad no one was hurt.

HAYSTACK

You can either
A: Use the insurance of the party that hit you. If you want to do that of course they will have to determine who was at fault. If your not at fault then you wont have to pay a deductable, and you will have to wait till a decision is made to get your car fixed.

B: Use your insurance, pay the deductable up front, and go ahead and get your car fixed. While a decision is being made on who was at fault, if in fact your not at fault the other drivers insurance will pay your deductable, and of course the bill to get your car fixed.

All that if your not af fault, of course I dont see that happening considered you got rear - ended.

About your exhaust. the adjuster will most likely write it up that you need a new exhaust. I cant see how much is damaged but they prob wont notice its aftermarket and just write it up as OEM exhaust. The oem may come out to more than than the aftermarket one. They prob will just cut a check for the full repair. You can just get the bodyshop you take it to, to order you a new exhaust of your choice.

Fizzboy7

Sucks that happened, but glad you are okay. Those times when on the freeway and everything goes from 65 mph to 0, are the highest risk times for an accident. Not much you can do there except try to anticipate the brake lights ahead of time and start stopping sooner, which it sounds like you did.

Every year my insurance company sends me my contract with a page in there that is for aftermarket items. One is supposed to check of the items, but I have a feeling most do not in fear it will raise their premium.
Without the prior documentation there and paying the higher premium, it will be interesting to see how they handle your aftermarket items. Let us know what ends up happening, and again, glad you are okay.

iRyan

iTrader: (7)

ouch man, i'm glad you are ok...i think the insurance might give u a hassle with replacing the exhaust system but it can be done...just haggle with them and have receipts.

juvi22003

iTrader: (2)

Not as bad as my hit and run, hopefully no frame damage, might just need to replace the bumper and exhaust.

pmanliu

iTrader: (4)

Out of curiosity does anyone know the MSRP of the OEM exhaust?

tziegler03

Good Luck with getting everything fixed.

ChanceG

iTrader: (1)

$978.66 rear section and $2412.64 front retail!!!!

Raralith

I was recommended to call the other persons insurance company, and file a report which I did. Their insurance called their client, they accepted fill liability and responsibility for the accident, and that should speed up the process. The other person wanted to see if they could settle this on the side, without getting the insurance further involved, but I respectfully declined because this is why I pay for insurance, so someone else can deal with this. My car is at Longo Collision right now, dropped it off yesterday since the accident happened right next to Longo Lexus where I bought my car. I need to work with someone there.