Understeered and crashed, looking for advice moving foward

[leroychickencurry]

Hi guys, on a downhill left turn, some of the tires went over gravel/leaves and understeered. Couldn't brake in time and hit a barrier :(( this is my first accident ever and it sucks. No one was hurt and only I was involved. Open to any advice on what to do from here on and how to process things and learn from it, feeling pretty down :(

Do you guys have an estimate on how much this will cost to repair? Anyone with similar damage before? There was no structure damage, only cosmetic for 2 panels and the headlight. No damage to suspension or anything hard. Bottom damage is just ripped splitter and undertray. My insurance deductible is $2000, not sure if it's worth filing a claim. My insurance is already $250 a month (never pulled over or accident before, I'm just a young guy)

(The car is fully paid off)
How I am thinking about the repairs (these are numbers I came up with):

Fender panel - $500 OEM used

Headlight - $500 OEM used

Rear restoration + paintwork - $900 shopwork

Bent hood edge - $400 shop

Wheel repair - $600 shop

Misc - $500 shop/DIY

This is about $3500 to repair. I've never been in accident so I'm new to using auto insurance. If I file a claim and insurance says it's $6000 of damage, and I fix it using the steps above for $3500. Do I just pocket the rest of $2500 minus $2000 (for deductible)? OR do they just repair it fully at a shop, and I pay my deductible. What if I repaired the front myself DIY, and pay for shop to do rear and hood repair and it ends up cheaper than $6000, how does that process work?

My deductible is $2000, how much would repair cost have to be in order to be worth it to file a claim?
Do you guys think this is worth filing a claim? How does it work if I mix DIY/shopwork in how I am paid? It would also affect resell value later and raise my already high insurance costs. How much would my insurance increase afterwards usually?

Sponsored

 

[2morrow]

File a claim. The damage is more than the 3500-6k that you're thinking.

The rear QP itself is gonna be a bitch.

 

[leroychickencurry]

File a claim. The damage is more than the 3500-6k that you're thinking.

The rear QP itself is gonna be a bitch.

How much do you think the insurance will quote it for? Closer to $8000?

 

[Jaymar]

That's exactly what you have insurance for. File a claim. It varies state to state the process but in OR you start the claim with your agent, then take it to the bodyshop of your choice and they deal with the insurance for quotes and such. Getting them to cut you a check will definitely leave you with money on the table unclaimed as they will lowball you and you won't know any better. The bodyshop will argue for and get all that they are due to fix the problem.

 

[5550snotamerc]

It depends on how concerned you are about your rates going up or potentially being dropped, but @2morrow is right, it is going to be quite a bit more. Paint is crazy expensive because of the labor. Assuming no suspension damage I think it is going to be closer to $10-$12k. Sorry bro.

 

[Hack]

I think you should file a claim. If you own the car (don't owe any money on it), then you could choose not to. However, if you owe money on it, I'm pretty sure the terms of your loan will state that you need to have the car repaired by a professional.

Either way, unless you do bodywork for a living I don't think you should do it yourself. I have done this before and I was surprised - there was a lot more damage than I thought when I did repairs on a car.

 

[leroychickencurry]

I think you should file a claim. If you own the car (don't owe any money on it), then you could choose not to. However, if you owe money on it, I'm pretty sure the terms of your loan will state that you need to have the car repaired by a professional.

Either way, unless you do bodywork for a living I don't think you should do it yourself. I have done this before and I was surprised - there was a lot more damage than I thought when I did repairs on a car.

Yes the car is paid off. The work I was going to do was just replacing the panels, not any paint work. But I understand what you mean, thanks for writing

 

[Hack]

Yes the car is paid off. The work I was going to do was just replacing the panels, not any paint work. But I understand what you mean, thanks for writing

I was working on an old Buick as a favor for a family member and I thought I would just replace the hood with a used one from the junkyard, but the body structure underneath was deformed as well. It was pretty annoying and I was too far in by the time I found out. So I was stuck doing a lot more on the car than I wanted to.

I would be tempted to do the same thing, so I can totally relate to your wanting to repair it yourself.

 

[rocsteady]

Definitely file the claim, and with a reputable body shop. One that’s going to use the right parts, the right paint, not cut corners. I’d insist on using factory parts and use the phrase “pre accident condition” as that’s what the insurance company is responsible to cover, to have the repair shop bring the car to that standard.

 

[2morrow]

It depends on how concerned you are about your rates going up or potentially being dropped, but @2morrow is right, it is going to be quite a bit more. Paint is crazy expensive because of the labor. Assuming no suspension damage I think it is going to be closer to $10-$12k. Sorry bro.

I can’t really place a value but as others have said the cost of materials and labor are ridiculous.

Expect a wait too. Parts aren’t as plentiful and that rear QP is a structural element. That is going to take time. It’s not like swapping a front fender out.

Im not trying to bring down your Christmas cheer but THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is that you and your occupants are ok

 

[2morrow]

PS, im having drinx with fam and doing x-mas stuff on my phone and for some reason I can’t do multiple quotes

 

[CrazyHippie]

Wow, so sorry to read this. You're OK?

Unfortunately, I have some advice that may be a bit hard to hear. And it comes from having lived through my own difficult driving journey that included many accidents, suspended license, and uninsurability. You can find yourself in a bad place quickly and it takes a long time to overcome.

First and foremost: You say that you're young, so your driving history and insurance history need to be carefully guarded. The very best way to do this is to change the way you think about driving from "fun roads" to "protect my beautiful Mustang and driving history from damage at all costs." If you're "having fun" that always means that you're taking unnecessary risks at some level and not driving defensively. And driving even a little bit on the edge is indeed fun, until it's not. A Mustang is more than most drivers can handle, and that's what you need to remind yourself every time that you get behind the wheel.

As far as your estimate of damage, I see the entire passenger's side of the car affected plus the hood, bumper cover and who knows what's underneath. I would probably double your estimate number. Would I claim it? That depends on whether or not you're deeply dedicated to adjusting your approach to driving. If you've learned a bit of a lesson, then claim it, have it fixed and do the hard bit to protect the car and yourself - drive ultra sensibly. If you don't think that you need to approach driving differently, then no, don't claim it cause it will probably happen again and you're not likely to have the car to enjoy long-term. The truly scary part, though, is what happens if you or someone else gets hurt. You've got a chance here to make a committment to yourself to prevent this, and so far it's only a car that needs to heal. These awesome cars are NOT toys, even though we tend to talk like they are.

Most insurance companies will estimate the repair costs and either pay the shop directly for you (less your deductible you'll pay that part up front) or cut you a check and then you're on your own.

Ok. I'm done ranting. ;) Hopefully you'll not be too offended and get your car fixed and all will be good. Shit happens. Learn, adjust and stay safe!

 

[leroychickencurry]

I can’t really place a value but as others have said the cost of materials and labor are ridiculous.

Expect a wait too. Parts aren’t as plentiful and that rear QP is a structural element. That is going to take time. It’s not like swapping a front fender out.

Im not trying to bring down your Christmas cheer but THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is that you and your occupants are ok

Ah I see, I was under the impression the rear quarter panel could be repaired so they won't have to replace it (that piece is welded in some places). If parts are slow to come by, I 'll probably bring it in the shop after they arrive so I won't be without a car for too long. Thanks!

 

[K4fxd]

4 to 7 K

 

[ice445]

$15k worth of work there IMO. This is why you pay for insurance. Just use it as a learning lesson, your rates will go way up I'm sure.

Sponsored