HELP! Semi-trailer Sideswiped my fit!

[Fat Ping Cat]

I was driving home from work on the interstate today and a semi was hauling ass behind me I barely had enough time to get over without the guy hitting me. I thought there might be damage so I tried to catch up with him (he was doing 90 MPH) I only managed to get behind his trailer to get the tag number and the name of the trucking company. Then I pulled off the road to check for damage. My father was with me and he called 911 to report a hit and run. The exit we pulled off at had a state police barrack. So we went there and filed a police report and they inspected to car and took my information. They then found the phone number of the trucking company but there was no answer, so I'll have to see what comes of that tomorrow. They also called out to cops on the radio to keep an eye out for that semi as well. So something or nothing may come of that.

Right now I am just at the point where I'm not sure what is going on with the police and that guy who hit me. I'm just glad I'm not dead or badly injured right now.

What I want to know is what you guys think I should do. There does not appear to be any dents. The paint is definitely scratched and scuffed up pretty good. There's a couple of gashes in the surface as well.

I'm thinking about contacting some dealers for an estimate. Then maybe local bodyshops. What do you think this would cost me to get fixed? I really don't think I should go through the insurance for this.

[Fat Ping Cat]

Seriously I'm freaking out about this. I need guidance!

[Fat Ping Cat]

really???? nothing?????????????????????????

[EXWRX]

Ouch!. You're going to need a new rear bumper skin and your rear fender is going to need to be sanded down and resprayed at a minimum. I figure it's worth taking to a couple places and get estimates, but unless you know someone in the business, it's probably going to be fairly pricy.

[keepitpg]

i think you could get away with fixing the rear fender. you'll probably need a new bumper. idk if id wanna replace the fender because it runs along the roof and goes to the front fender. it looks like a pretty big piece

[revd34]

i say insurance. that is what they are there for. just don't wait to long to make up your mind because i think there is a grace period on how many days you can report it.

you are going to need a new bumper and work on the fender. if you get a brand new bumper from the dealer you are going to pay a lot

[Fat Ping Cat]

yeah like I'm still not sure on the insurance part. on the fender there are just scratches, and on the bumper there are scratches and scuff marks and a couple of gouges that could be filled, sanded and painted. the bumper itself isn't really damaged.

[Fat Ping Cat]

i'm seeing something in the $400s for the bumper from this thread: Sad day: Hit and Run(?)

but I can't imagine what the fender would cost

i suppose just talking to the insurance company wouldn't hurt then should i choose to file a claim i could do so

still i need more input

[Type 100]

If painting in the US goes at a per-panel basis, that's two panels right there. You see the rear fender on our cars actually is part of a much larger panel...and it runs right up to the A-pillar up front.

I'd imagine the bumper can be sanded and filled in with putty, no need for replacement to be honest especially as the clips seem intact. The bumper ain't skewed out of place. Same would go for the panel. It's just unfortunate that the truck hit part of your metal bodywork.

It's not as bad as it looks. Trust me, I've had a much worse accident bro...yours is unsightly, but at least it's all just scratches and swapped paint, no real big dents. The labor's probably expensive though.

HTHs

[vtecfit1]

wow that sucks but i'd calm down a bit, this is really not that big of a deal, i mean no metal is dented or twisted, here in utah we have some really good dentless repair guys that could fix the rear quarter quite easily and airbrush it and you'd never kmow it happened, now the bumper might need a repaint, like you said a little filler wouldn't hurt, i wouldn't let the quarter be fixed by a bodyshop cuz they'll wanna blend the paint and clear it, which in the long run will look like crap - it isn't bad enough for blending but the shop ill tell you otherwise cuz they want your insurance money
find a reputable "dentless" repair place and talk to them first (here our dealership has a guy come once a week and fix all our used cars on the lot, and it's amazing what they fix)
if your insurance is paying get a couple bids from big shops cuz they will bid blending and a replacement bumper and paint and the bill will be around 1000 bucks and i bet you can get it fixed for under 500 thus putting 500 in your pocket

[Red Angel]

dont feel bad. on new years of 2009 i found my door messed up i was piss but its cool now.

[Fat Ping Cat]

Originally Posted by vtecfit1

wow that sucks but i'd calm down a bit, this is really not that big of a deal, i mean no metal is dented or twisted, here in utah we have some really good dentless repair guys that could fix the rear quarter quite easily and airbrush it and you'd never kmow it happened, now the bumper might need a repaint, like you said a little filler wouldn't hurt, i wouldn't let the quarter be fixed by a bodyshop cuz they'll wanna blend the paint and clear it, which in the long run will look like crap - it isn't bad enough for blending but the shop ill tell you otherwise cuz they want your insurance money
find a reputable "dentless" repair place and talk to them first (here our dealership has a guy come once a week and fix all our used cars on the lot, and it's amazing what they fix)
if your insurance is paying get a couple bids from big shops cuz they will bid blending and a replacement bumper and paint and the bill will be around 1000 bucks and i bet you can get it fixed for under 500 thus putting 500 in your pocket

$500 would be totally reasonable to me to pay. I wouldn't care about that. They could probably get away with blending on the fender then clearing it but the bumper would probably have to be completely repainted then. I think I might just take a sick day off from work tomorrow and deal with this. I need to go and take some good pictures then start cleaning it all up seeing what comes out. I just did not want to be too quick to clean it up before I take good pictures in case I need them to file an insurance claim. I really don't want my rates to go up.

it's just hard for me to take my car somewhere being how anal I am about these things. i would tend to think a dealer would do a good job but even then they often don't do such a great job.

[nxtfit_08]

that sux man you got lucky cause you only got scratches only and it wasnt worst:

[Fat Ping Cat]

Originally Posted by nxtfit_08

that sux man you got lucky cause you only got scratches only and it wasnt worst:

hah, i'm lucky i got out of the bastard's way before he completely rear ended me and run me off the road

[Fat Ping Cat]

looking close at the fender these marks don't seem to have penetrated the clear coat so they should be able to be buffed out but my bumper is going to need to be totally repainted. probably would be best if i had a professional buff the fender.

i think i am just going to go ahead and start cleaning it up, then start getting quotes in the morning

[Fitting]

If u go through your insurance you will have to pay for the deductible so keep that in mnd.
Most shop will have to repaint the whole bumper and that quarter panel to blend it in. Should run from 500 to 1000.

[09blackfit]

I know the entire ordeal sucks, but it's nothing to get worked up about. They'll catch the guy, you got all of the important information and as long as you keep checking up on the situation with the police I'm sure it will end in your favor. All that being said...

I got railed by some lady in an 04 ford explorer 2 tuesday's ago (still waiting to get my car back). She hit me in a similar spot, just right of the drivers side rear wheel. Mine was a bit worse than yours because there was denting, scratching, etc. But, yours looks like a pretty easy fix. Ask around (friends, family, people at the dealership, etc.) and find a shop with a good reputation that you know will treat your right. I don't think you'll have to replace your bumper. Just a little sanding, painting/blending. My damages totaled $2,000. That included 2 new wheels and $1,500 worth of body work. i believe yours will be below $1000. Depending on what your deductible is (if it's $500 and not $1000) it might save you about $500 to turn it over to insurance.

In my opinion (don't worry I'm very anal about my cars appearance as well) I would take my time getting some estimates and ride it out for a couple of weeks and see what happens with the police and the semi driver. More than likely they will catch him (since they have his tag and the company name) and hopefully he has insurance and it will all be taken care of to your liking.

Good luck, and don't worry these things usually have a way of working themselves out. Don't get to excited about it. I know how you feel, but by getting overly worked up about it you're only hurting yourself, just relax.

[jac-Fit]

Why not try to go through the truck's insurance or your own insurance? Your insurance will go after the truck to recoup their cost. Based on my experiences here in NJ, insurance rates do not increase in a no fault accident:

1. Bro got rear-ended in mid-2008. He went through our insurance. Our insurance went after the other driver. No fee increase. Deductible refunded.
2. I got rear-ended Q1-2009. No increase but had to fork over like $0.10 everyday for the rental car (because I went for the next rental upgrade). I went through the other driver's insurance.
3. Car vandalized few weeks back (wheels stolen, window smashed). Went through my insurance. Insurance rep said that my rates won't increase if I give them a copy of the police report since the problem wasn't my fault. But I had to pay the deductible.

[Fitguy07]

Ouch! That hurts just looking at it. Good luck with the repairs man.

[Yes, I Vtec]

Originally Posted by jac-Fit

Why not try to go through the truck's insurance or your own insurance? Your insurance will go after the truck to recoup their cost. Based on my experiences here in NJ, insurance rates do not increase in a no fault accident:

1. Bro got rear-ended in mid-2008. He went through our insurance. Our insurance went after the other driver. No fee increase. Deductible refunded.
2. I got rear-ended Q1-2009. No increase but had to fork over like $0.10 everyday for the rental car (because I went for the next rental upgrade). I went through the other driver's insurance.
3. Car vandalized few weeks back (wheels stolen, window smashed). Went through my insurance. Insurance rep said that my rates won't increase if I give them a copy of the police report since the problem wasn't my fault. But I had to pay the deductible.

he's right. it's only if your at fault that insurance goes up... and you definately wouldn't be