So I was driving in NYC on 278 heading to the Williamsburg bridge when I hydoplaned and while I managed to slow the car,I hydro'd into a turn and could not avoid clipping the dividing wall with the front of the car....

thank god I was alone in the car and the other cars around me got away. Even the van in the next lane hydo'd as well but he had room.

I called 911 and long story short, they suck and to avoid getting rear ended I left, so I limped the car home in bumper to bumper to the other side of the holland. Prior to this I checked the front and while the drivers side corner of the bumper popped out this was due to the wheel going up. the wheel, which should be perpendicular to the floor, now had the lower end contacting the street) pushed in.

I hobbled all the way to bayonne, calling several tow companies that either didnt pick up or wanted $200 for a 3 mile tow. So I made it home being very careful and pissing drivers off the whole way....unaware that I saved them the headache of a tow truck blocking traffic.

So now I have a 1k deductible.Should I just fork it and deal with the repercussions.

or should I take it to a family friend with a shop for an honest estimate on the body work and see if all I need is an alignment (lifetime free alignment andd balancing at firestones achievement unlocked) and some new rims/tires (which might end up being slightly over 1k....


advice/opinions?

this sucks since I called off but helped pick up a friend's niece from school since it was raining. Oh well, trying to see it as a blessing since no one was hurt and a lesson learned to always look for standing water, now matter how many times you've driven over the same road.

Thanks for bearing with me.

 

Go to family friend for estimate. If over 1k, use your insurance and still go to the family friend. Your rate shouldn't go up much, if at all. I've had a few self-inflicted insurance repairs and my rate never went up, but who knows.

Once finished, lower your deductible, you'd be surprised how cheap it is to do so and gives you extra piece of mind knowing that you won't have to cough up $1000 to get back on the road should something happen. $0 or $100 may be expensive but even going to $500 is better than $1000. I used to be in the 1k camp until I realized it wasn't worth the extra $15/mo or whatever it cost to go to $250 for both my cars and add some extra protection on top.

Sorry to hear about the hydroplane, it happens.

 

First, sorry that it happened. Pics? I highly doubt it'd be much more than $1k for the damage unless you messed up the frame/axle at all. Probably not worth taking a hit on the deductible.

 

2 things I would check immediatley

Is the FRAME bent up? if its straight, all you need is parts. You might have broken your control arm and may have damaged your steering rack, but if frame is good, its worth fixing.


if the frame is BENT, have an honest shop take a look more indepth and get a quote.

 

good to hear you are ok! i vote on visiting your friend's shop first before going to insurance.

 

so I went to firestone this morning to take advantage of my lifetime free alignment and wheel balancing...

should have seen the look on their face when they pulled my car into the bay.
So I aligned it and made sure nothing was visually broken down there. so far so good.


and while they are able to align it, now the steering wheel has a major shimmy and the vibration and wobble is still there.

1 obvious reason is my rim got bent in a bit, not enough to break the bead.


went to the friends shop to find out they dont do front ends....but al least he popped my bumper back in and quoted me $300 to paint the bumper.

now it comes down to going to the body shop recommended by my insurance. At this point I'm looking at needing a new rim ($110), tires , possibly tie rods (inner and outer). There is a small clunk that occurs when I hit a bump or turn the wheel all the way to either side (a looseness). Not sure if this might be axle related.

So hoping for an honest assessment tomorrow. Tonight I'll be taking the wheel off, putting the donut in the rear and moving the rear wheel to the front to see if the wobble is lessened.

 

Sorry to hear that, glad you're okay, and hope your Fit gets fixed up good as new!

 

Apparently its drivable.
So call your insurance company, ask them for recommended repair body shops, and get an estimate from 2 or 3. Recall your insuror and find the deductible and deduct to find how much you'll pay. Then get it fixed. BTW you'll probably have to fix the damage to pass your next state inspection..
Good luck and next time when the treadwear gets down to the 'bar' replacethe tires (with good wet' characteristics.)

 

If the rim is bent enough to be causing vibration put the spare on NOW before anymore driving. If you hit hard enough to bend a rim it is probable that your suspension has damage also make sure to tell the people doing the estimates how the accident happened and to check the suspension not just the body work.