# Hit and Run...



## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

I guess today wasn't my day...

Driving home from work, it had rained earlier that day so the road was slightly damp. We were going no more than 20, and the guy in front of me braked a bit harder, so I slowed down and had to step on my brakes harder than usual. I had a huge gap behind me. I guess the person behind me didn't notice that traffic had completely stopped, and plowed right into me. It was some late 90s black Kia. I was pushed into the car in front of me, which was an SUV. 

Now, here's the fun part. The SUV slowly pulls off to the side of the road. The car behind me reverses, and takes off on the offramp that we had stopped right next to. I followed thinking that person just wanted to pull off somewhere not on the highway. Well, I end up following the person for about a block and they're basically flooring it. Ended up making a right into an area that I didn't see way up ahead after swerving through traffic, so I pulled off to the side of the road and called 911. Straight up hit and run, person probably didn't have insurance. 

Called the police, told them where the accident happened, and they drive past that are and don't find the SUV I hit. It was an import SUV, older, like a Nissan Pathfinder or Isuzu Rodeo. Comes back and writes a report including what happened. I was obviously not at fault since I had damage both in the front and behind. 

One note: those headrests really do their job when you get slammed from behind. My neck doesn't hurt at all like it did when I got rear ended in the Bonneville GXP. 

Called and filed a claim on my way home. Basic uninsured collision with a hit and run. I have comprehensive insurance, but I'll still be out $500 for the deductible.


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## Kingsal (Sep 21, 2012)

duuuuuude, im so sorry man...


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## smoove87 (Jul 9, 2012)

Sorry to hear about your bad luck. Good thing you're ok. 

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## Kingsal (Sep 21, 2012)

About a month and a half ago, on 64E here in VA, I was a victim of a hit and run myself. A guy in a black jeep commander forced me off the road in my Cobalt SS Sedan (pics of it are on my profile page) and I flipped 3 times, thus resulting in my brand new 2012 Cruze and tons of medical coverage, uninsured motorist claim. Nationwide was nothing but awesome to me and check up on me weekly to make sure everything medically is going well.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Kingsal said:


> About a month and a half ago, on 64E here in VA, I was a victim of a hit and run myself. A guy in a black jeep commander forced me off the road in my Cobalt SS Sedan (pics of it are on my profile page) and I flipped 3 times, thus resulting in my brand new 2012 Cruze and tons of medical coverage, uninsured motorist claim. Nationwide was nothing but awesome to me and check up on me weekly to make sure everything medically is going well.


I'm surprisingly not as mad as I should be. I've been calm since I got home, didn't make a big deal out of it. The steering is a bit tweaked so the steering wheel sits to the left a bit. No idea what happened there, but I'm betting on it being the rear wheel scrape that threw it out of alignment. Who knows. 

I'll just end up paying up $500 and getting insurance to fix it all. Sucks because it takes a while to _save _$500, but there's nothing I can do about it. I have Progressive. Let's hope they do their job and that the new bumpers match the factory paint perfectly. 

Better that it happened now than in 90k miles when the paint has a chance to fade. Color matching at that point becomes rather challenging. 

Surprisingly, my 15" sub stayed in place. I attached it to the top support beam with velcro since it's 18" high. Audio system still works, so that's good. 

I wonder if the grill shutters still work...


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## Kingsal (Sep 21, 2012)

I will always stand by something I always told my guys for years, humans are more important than hardware man. 500 dollars sucks, i would be royally ticked at the audacity of the fool that ran away like a coward. But hey, at least youre going to see tomorrow my friend!


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Kingsal said:


> I will always stand by something I always told my guys for years, humans are more important than hardware man. 500 dollars sucks, i would be royally ticked at the audacity of the fool that ran away like a coward. But hey, at least youre going to see tomorrow my friend!


Yeah no kidding. Could have been a semi truck and not a POS Kia. That fool will get what he deserves eventually, I have no doubt about that. I'm sure he didn't have insurance and very likely not even a license. No sense in getting mad about it because it's not going to change the outcome.

However, if there's so much as one imperfection when I pick the car up from the body shop, well, then you'll see **** break loose.


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## blk88verde (Apr 30, 2011)

Sorry to hear about your car. Glad your are fine. This past Spring I was smacked in the rear by an uninsured out of state driver and shoved into the car in front of me. Was driving wifes 2000 Olds. Car was totalled, no one hurt and she now has a new Honda CR-V and I have car payments. Like everyone has said good you are OK, cars can be repaired or replaced.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Ohhh man, I'm sorry to see your Cruze like that. Hope your back is OK.

Our old Camry was rear-ended a couple months ago and was ALMOST a hit and run. Luckily, someone in a pickup helped us box the guy in and bring him to a stop.

Progressive has been great to me...I'm sure they'll take care of you.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

I'm glad you're ok. The car can be repaired/replaced - you can't.

Mike.


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## 2013Cruze (Aug 4, 2012)

Sorry to hear that happen to you. Glad to know you are ok though.


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## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

Sorry to hear about your accident. I hate seeing your car looking like that. Like everyone else has said though, you're okay and that's more important than the car! The car can be fixed. The MOST important thing right now is to find THE BEST repair shop around. Ask friends/family etc. if they know of good repair shops. Your car is silver and that is a color that can be hard to match. It CAN be done, but it takes an expert body shop. Make sure they USE GM parts and not some cheap crap! Take the time now to investigate BEFORE the work is done so that you will be happy AFTER it is done. Good luck.


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## widgetoc (Sep 10, 2012)

Oh God, I'm so sorry. Did you get their plates? I hope the cops catch your assailant. Seeing as I don't live far from you, I'm curious: where'd this happen? 355? (Don't need to answer this, obviously, I'm just a nosy creature.) 

As everyone else has said, glad you're okay, and your car isn't a total loss!


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## socalcruze (Aug 4, 2012)

That's a real downer. Hope karma chases down the other guy and does its job. As you probably saw, I was lucky recipient of a hit from an honest-John that left a note a couple weeks ago. Just got my Cruze back from the shop this afternoon. Your frame might have been tweaked, based on the damage to the trunk area and steering being a bit off. Make sure it goes to a shop that has good frame-straightening equipment.


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## cruzers (Dec 13, 2010)

Kingsal said:


> I will always stand by something I always told my guys for years, humans are more important than hardware man. 500 dollars sucks, i would be royally ticked at the audacity of the fool that ran away like a coward. But hey, at least youre going to see tomorrow my friend!




Cars can be fixed. People can not!


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## Mick (Dec 31, 2011)

Dang that sucks majorly! That is major scum like to drive away from an accident. Glad it didn't turn out worst.


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## YKNWT (Oct 6, 2012)

XR, that is unfortunate indeed. Glad you are ok though.


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

Ugh, sorry to hear of such an unfortunate incident. Glad you're ok though and that the damage is basically cosmetic. If no airbags went off, you should have a good chance of getting it fixed right, but since the Cruze has so many airbags, I imagine it isn't hard to set at least one off.

Sounds like you need to ask about borrowing a 2013 Cruze to test drive for a week or two now!


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

fastdriver said:


> Sorry to hear about your accident. I hate seeing your car looking like that. Like everyone else has said though, you're okay and that's more important than the car! The car can be fixed. The MOST important thing right now is to find THE BEST repair shop around. Ask friends/family etc. if they know of good repair shops. Your car is silver and that is a color that can be hard to match. It CAN be done, but it takes an expert body shop. Make sure they USE GM parts and not some cheap crap! Take the time now to investigate BEFORE the work is done so that you will be happy AFTER it is done. Good luck.





socalcruze said:


> That's a real downer. Hope karma chases down the other guy and does its job. As you probably saw, I was lucky recipient of a hit from an honest-John that left a note a couple weeks ago. Just got my Cruze back from the shop this afternoon. Your frame might have been tweaked, based on the damage to the trunk area and steering being a bit off. Make sure it goes to a shop that has good frame-straightening equipment.


We do have two very good shops here, but I will do the research to be sure. I am hoping the frame wasn't tweaked, because if it was, this car might be totaled. That said, I do have GAP protection on the car so I'm covered in the event that the car does get totaled. My Bonneville GXP was silver as well, and I had to get that covered under an insurance claim when I got rear-ended, and the shop I took it to did an excellent job, so I know of at least one place that can do that very well. The bumper looked completely new. I do suspect the steering is off because the guy hit my rim, but we'll find out. 



widgetoc said:


> Oh God, I'm so sorry. Did you get their plates? I hope the cops catch your assailant. Seeing as I don't live far from you, I'm curious: where'd this happen? 355? (Don't need to answer this, obviously, I'm just a nosy creature.)
> 
> As everyone else has said, glad you're okay, and your car isn't a total loss!


I didn't catch the plates, and I was kicking myself for not doing it as I was driving behind him. He was a bit far though, and I was more focused with trying to get my phone to dial 911. I was wishing I had a phone with actual buttons to dial numbers. 

This happened on Kingry/83 southbound, right before the intersection to Ogden.


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## widgetoc (Sep 10, 2012)

Ah, ok. That's right by where I used to work. It's normally not too crazy through there; makes me wonder if they were on their phone. Inattentive drivers scare the bjeezus out of me.


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## OnlyTaurus (Mar 20, 2012)

?!?!?!

Wow Andrei, I'm really sorry to hear this happening to you. I hope everything works out in your favor and you can forget about it later down the road.

I'll tell you what though, I would've chased him down too. And as god as my witness, lol, that runner better not let me catch him. If so, I'd probably be in the slammer for a certain crime described as 'pummeling this person to the ground. Again.. and again.. and again.'

Regardless, I'm glad nothing was too serious damage-wise, to you and your passengers, along with the Cruze.


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## Kingsal (Sep 21, 2012)

cruzers said:


> Cars can be fixed. People can not!


that was my point, lol


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## UpstateNYBill (Jan 14, 2012)

OUCH! that stinks. Glad you're ok though. 

I'm guessing you didn't do enough damage to the SUV in front of you for them to waste time waiting around.


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## socalcruze (Aug 4, 2012)

BTW, the rear bumper, including reinforcing brackets, will run about $1100 or so installed. I imagine the front bumper would be about the same.

I was in a pretty good accident in a 1999 Olds Alero, that took a quartering shot to the front end and required a new front bumper, side fender, hood and some frame straightening. That was about $6K (10 years ago), so I highly doubt you're looking at being totaled. That didn't trigger the airbag either.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

socalcruze said:


> BTW, the rear bumper, including reinforcing brackets, will run about $1100 or so installed. I imagine the front bumper would be about the same.
> 
> I was in a pretty good accident in a 1999 Olds Alero, that took a quartering shot to the front end and required a new front bumper, side fender, hood and some frame straightening. That was about $6K (10 years ago), so I highly doubt you're looking at being totaled. That didn't trigger the airbag either.


That's good to hear. I'd hate to have to pull all of the car audio stuff out of the car and do a new install all over again. So far as I can tell, it's both bumpers, the rear passenger quarter panel, the rear passenger tail light, the trunk lid, the rear passenger wheel, and whatever it is that caused the steering to get tweaked. That last bit is probably my biggest concern. We'll find out soon enough. 

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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> That's good to hear. I'd hate to have to pull all of the car audio stuff out of the car and do a new install all over again. So far as I can tell, it's both bumpers, the rear passenger quarter panel, the rear passenger tail light, the trunk lid, the rear passenger wheel, and whatever it is that caused the steering to get tweaked. That last bit is probably my biggest concern. We'll find out soon enough.
> 
> Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using AutoGuide.Com Free App


Not sure what the Eco's rear suspension geometry is like (I just know it doesn't have the watts link the the other models), but one of those rear wheels has probably been knocked out of alignment or a rear control arm of sorts bent. 

I slid into a curb in the snow in my Volvo, hit the left wheel at 5 mph, and knocked the steering wheel at about a 20 degree angle. What a PITA to fix (replaced the control arm on a similar setup to the Cruze myself).


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> Not sure what the Eco's rear suspension geometry is like (I just know it doesn't have the watts link the the other models), but one of those rear wheels has probably been knocked out of alignment or a rear control arm of sorts bent.
> 
> I slid into a curb in the snow in my Volvo, hit the left wheel at 5 mph, and knocked the steering wheel at about a 20 degree angle. What a PITA to fix (replaced the control arm on a similar setup to the Cruze myself).


Well, the guy definitely hit my wheel, and I'm fairly certain he forced the tire forward as well as he hit me pretty hard. It's probably going to be just a few suspension replacement parts. 

I'm wondering how they'll fix the rear quarter panel. That will have to get re-painted because it's tweaked and the paint is cracked on it in a few places. How do they repaint that without making it look like it was repainted? That's part of a fairly large body line.


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## rubiconjp (Feb 10, 2012)

When I had an F150, with the trailer hitch tongue sticking out, dude rear ended me on I90 west going into O'Hare from Chicago in a rental. Trailer tongue went thru his radiator, fluid everywhere. He then flag down a cab and took off, leaving his rental on the highway. 

I think if his car wasn't disabled, he'd have back out and took off with his car.

Sorry about your trouble XR.

Sent from Galaxy Nexus on Jelly Bean


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## Bac n Black (Aug 2, 2012)

Sorry this happened XR, glad your okay. Karma will get the other guy for sure, it always does.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Sorry to see that, and glad you're okay!


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## Buckshot (Oct 7, 2012)

I wish a speedy recovery for your Cruze. Sorry to hear that...


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## iKermit (Dec 13, 2010)

Damnit Xtreme! Sorry to hear, but whatever as long as your ok who cares right? I would have somehow memorized his license plate.

Like Only Taurus said, he is lucky it wasn't me lol i would have kept chasing and lord knows what would be more smashed, my bumper or his face.


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

New paint can be faded into the old so that you can't see the difference. My concern is possible hidden damage. I still remember the trunk of a car that wrecked behind me a couple months ago. Flattened so bad that it had disappeared and I couldn't identify any of the sheet metal. In your case, there could be warps on the floor pan, or anything that serves as structural support back there. The rear wheel being tweaked could be more than a suspension issue because what the stuff mounts to could be bent.

Even though you aren't at fault, it still sucks that you out your deductible (unless the guy is caught)
land ou still have to go to the time and effort to get it fixed.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

So far, my dealings with progressive have been more than pleasant. They called me back 20 minutes ago and we went over the situation. They took my word for it, and said they're sure their adjuster will look at the car and confirm exactly what I've said. As such, they don't find me at fault. While I will have to pay the deductible, my insurance rates will not go up as a result of this collision. 

I'm heading out now to drop off the car at the shop.


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## Jaycruze (Jul 11, 2011)

Sorry man, that sucks big time.

This is why more and more people are getting dash cam's. sad sad


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## 2013Cruze (Aug 4, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> So far, my dealings with progressive have been more than pleasant. They called me back 20 minutes ago and we went over the situation. They took my word for it, and said they're sure their adjuster will look at the car and confirm exactly what I've said. As such, they don't find me at fault. While I will have to pay the deductible, my insurance rates will not go up as a result of this collision.
> 
> I'm heading out now to drop off the car at the shop.


Glad to hear your insurance company took your word for it. Do you have rental on your insurance?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

2013Cruze said:


> Glad to hear your insurance company took your word for it. Do you have rental on your insurance?


No. Fortunately, my wife isn't working right now so I'll be taking her car until mine gets fixed.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

After having my car hit twice, one of the best things I did was go down to a $250 deductible and add rental insurance. Might be worth asking how much more that would be in case (heaven forbid) anything similar happens in the future.

$500 is just too much to dish out if you're not expecting it.


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## iKermit (Dec 13, 2010)

Better than the $1000 deductible i had. I now have $500 with Progressive, it may take a while to rake up $500 but sure beats $1000 or doing the depairs your self.

Also depending on your age, look into $250


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## coinneach (Apr 10, 2012)

Sonofab----! *fuming*


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## 2013Cruze (Aug 4, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> After having my car hit twice, one of the best things I did was go down to a $250 deductible and add rental insurance. Might be worth asking how much more that would be in case (heaven forbid) anything similar happens in the future.<br>
> 
> $500 is just too much to dish out if you're not expecting it.


That's what I did after what happened to my 2012 LTZ 3 days after I got it deductible from 500 to 250 & added rental insurance to mine & my wife's car costs about extra $130 a year for both cars.


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## lilmrsyeti (Mar 3, 2012)

Hate to sound like a broken record...but seriously...Glad YOU are OK!! Wonder why the SUV didn't stay put? 

I guess it doesn't mean much now...but I would ask about dropping down to a 250 deductible. We're with State Farm and did have a 500 on our other car a few years ago...then one day while talking to them, my agent asked, did you know that you can go to a 250 deductible for just 4 more dollars a month? So we switched right then. With our new Cruze, it's 6.00 more a month for a 250 than what it was for 500. I'm pretty sure we don't have rental on it though.

Again, Glad you are OK...Keep us posted on the work being done!


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Got a call from the insurance company. The cost to repair it is going to run around $5,200, and it will take them a whole 2 weeks to fix the car. He said it will be done around November 7th. I personally think that's quite a ridiculous amount of time. 

He said they'll try to "repair" the wheel. I don't know how in the world they're going to repair a forged aluminum wheel, but he said if they can't, then they'll just replace it. I'll definitely be looking into that when I get there. If that wheel looks even a hint different from the rest of the wheels, I'll demand they replace it. From the impression I had, this was a bit of a superficial run-around the car to get an estimate as to how much it will cost and they'll probably find a few more things as they look more into it. They also mentioned that they'll repair the front bumper instead of replacing it. It sounds like they're trying to save as much money as possible, so I'll be looking the car over with a magnifying glass when I get it to make 100% sure that it was done correctly. 

I'm a bit ticked that this is going to take 2 weeks, to be honest.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

When I've had body work done, the longest parts are waiting for parts and watching the paint dry.


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## teacher38 (Sep 16, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Got a call from the insurance company. The cost to repair it is going to run around $5,200, and it will take them a whole 2 weeks to fix the car. He said it will be done around November 7th. I personally think that's quite a ridiculous amount of time.
> 
> He said they'll try to "repair" the wheel. I don't know how in the world they're going to repair a forged aluminum wheel, but he said if they can't, then they'll just replace it. I'll definitely be looking into that when I get there. If that wheel looks even a hint different from the rest of the wheels, I'll demand they replace it. From the impression I had, this was a bit of a superficial run-around the car to get an estimate as to how much it will cost and they'll probably find a few more things as they look more into it. They also mentioned that they'll repair the front bumper instead of replacing it. It sounds like they're trying to save as much money as possible, so I'll be looking the car over with a magnifying glass when I get it to make 100% sure that it was done correctly.
> 
> I'm a bit ticked that this is going to take 2 weeks, to be honest.


That definitely sucks. However, you have to be happy that you walked away without being injured.

My first car was a 1994 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi that was hit in the front passenger side by an elderly lady who went straight through a stop sign. There was about $2,000 worth of damage and it took the shop about a week to have it back to me. Two weeks does seem like a really long time.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Thanks for all the replies guys. I am very thankful to not be injured at all. This car is really quite amazing. The amount of ingenuity that went into how the car is designed, including the specific angle and height of that seat head rest, makes it a very safe vehicle. When I got rear ended, I vividly remember my entire body taking the impact, from my lower back to my head, at the same time. No whiplash to speak of, no back pain, and no premature airbag deployment.


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## ErikBEggs (Aug 20, 2011)

Hey, good to see that you are ok! Yeah this little car is stable that is for sure.

No need to worry about the repair. *hopefully* it will be done the way it is supposed to be done. They did a good job on mine.. so it should be all good. I hate creeps that hit and run they deserve to go to jail.


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## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Thanks for all the replies guys. I am very thankful to not be injured at all. This car is really quite amazing. The amount of ingenuity that went into how the car is designed, including the specific angle and height of that seat head rest, makes it a very safe vehicle. When I got rear ended, I vividly remember my entire body taking the impact, from my lower back to my head, at the same time. No whiplash to speak of, no back pain, and no premature airbag deployment.


Did any airbags deploy?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

fastdriver said:


> Did any airbags deploy?


I mentioned this earlier, but no. Otherwise, driving off after the guy who hit me would have been a bit of a challenge, lol.


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## AkotaHsky (Feb 11, 2012)

Sorry to hear about the car. Glad you are ok.

I am shocked you were not cited as well. Considering you hit the person in front of you; in Florida, you would have been cited with "Following too closely". Then when you left the scene to follow the other guy, they would've probably tacked you with fleeing the scene of an accident. The last charge may be iffy, but you would definitely have gotten a ticket out of the ordeal.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

AkotaHsky said:


> Sorry to hear about the car. Glad you are ok.
> 
> I am shocked you were not cited as well. Considering you hit the person in front of you; in Florida, you would have been cited with "Following too closely". Then when you left the scene to follow the other guy, they would've probably tacked you with fleeing the scene of an accident. The last charge may be iffy, but you would definitely have gotten a ticket out of the ordeal.


I didn't follow the person too closely. I stopped within 6 feet of the car in front of me. However, when you get rear ended at 20-30mph, your car gets pushed forward pretty hard, and that's what happened. The fault goes to the person who rear-ended me. 

I did not flee the scene. I followed the other guy initially because I thought he wanted to pull over elsewhere. When I saw he was making a run for it, I gave up, and *immediately *called 911. Within two minutes, a police officer drove past with his lights on to check the scene to see if the car in front of me was there, and discovered it was not. 

I was not following too closely if I was not following to begin with. I had plenty of time to react to the instant braking that the car in front of me did and stop a safe distance away from that car.


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## iKermit (Dec 13, 2010)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Got a call from the insurance company. The cost to repair it is going to run around $5,200, and it will take them a whole 2 weeks to fix the car. He said it will be done around November 7th. I personally think that's quite a ridiculous amount of time.
> 
> He said they'll try to "repair" the wheel. I don't know how in the world they're going to repair a forged aluminum wheel, but he said if they can't, then they'll just replace it. I'll definitely be looking into that when I get there. If that wheel looks even a hint different from the rest of the wheels, I'll demand they replace it. From the impression I had, this was a bit of a superficial run-around the car to get an estimate as to how much it will cost and they'll probably find a few more things as they look more into it. They also mentioned that they'll repair the front bumper instead of replacing it. It sounds like they're trying to save as much money as possible, so I'll be looking the car over with a magnifying glass when I get it to make 100% sure that it was done correctly.
> 
> I'm a bit ticked that this is going to take 2 weeks, to be honest.


Well i have been through this stupid mess, it all depends on the communication with the Insurance and the Dealer. Push BOTH of them to get it done, but 2 weeks i hate to say this sounds about right.

My car took a month and a half (needed new engine) for me to drive off with it... Mostly what took the longest was the appraiser and the dealer being a dumbass.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

iKermit said:


> Well i have been through this stupid mess, it all depends on the communication with the Insurance and the Dealer. Push BOTH of them to get it done, but 2 weeks i hate to say this sounds about right.
> 
> My car took a month and a half (needed new engine) for me to drive off with it... Mostly what took the longest was the appraiser and the dealer being a dumbass.


Well, I will be calling in for status updates regularly and making sure they're on top of things. I also sent an email yesterday telling them what I want checked, so we'll see how it all works out. The communication so far has been excellent. I filed the claim on Monday night on my way home, got a call at 11:00 Central time the following morning from Progressive, they determined I was not at fault, stated my rates will not go up, and we decided where to take my car, and contacted the repair place to notify them I will be dropping off the car within the hour. That was a 10-15 minute phone call. 

I dropped off the car within an hour, and at 5:15 Central, I received a call from the repair shop telling me what they found on the initial inspection, the amount it will cost, and an estimated time to completion. That all happened within 24 hours. 

So far so good.


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## AkotaHsky (Feb 11, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> I didn't follow the person too closely. I stopped within 6 feet of the car in front of me. However, when you get rear ended at 20-30mph, your car gets pushed forward pretty hard, and that's what happened. The fault goes to the person who rear-ended me.
> 
> I did not flee the scene. I followed the other guy initially because I thought he wanted to pull over elsewhere. When I saw he was making a run for it, I gave up, and *immediately *called 911. Within two minutes, a police officer drove past with his lights on to check the scene to see if the car in front of me was there, and discovered it was not.
> 
> I was not following too closely if I was not following to begin with. I had plenty of time to react to the instant braking that the car in front of me did and stop a safe distance away from that car.


I know you were stopped, not trying to argue that. If someone hits you and push you into the car in front of you, your will get cited here for following too closely Even though your stopped, you have 5-6 feet of space, its still not a car length like it should be. I've had it happen to 2 different friends. They got sandwiched and pushed into the car in front of them. They initially didn't have enough space in front and both got cited for hitting the car in front.


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## iKermit (Dec 13, 2010)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Well, I will be calling in for status updates regularly and making sure they're on top of things. I also sent an email yesterday telling them what I want checked, so we'll see how it all works out. The communication so far has been excellent. I filed the claim on Monday night on my way home, got a call at 11:00 Central time the following morning from Progressive, they determined I was not at fault, stated my rates will not go up, and we decided where to take my car, and contacted the repair place to notify them I will be dropping off the car within the hour. That was a 10-15 minute phone call.
> 
> I dropped off the car within an hour, and at 5:15 Central, I received a call from the repair shop telling me what they found on the initial inspection, the amount it will cost, and an estimated time to completion. That all happened within 24 hours.
> 
> So far so good.


Thank god i switched to progressive then, state farms sucked. Make sure to drive the car a million times with the technician. Hopefully they won't need to add a supplement to the repair estimate. They probably will since the suspension is a lot of small things. Tell them straight out you will NOT accept the car with a fixed wheel. I would never trust a wheel that needed to be "fixed"


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

AkotaHsky said:


> I know you were stopped, not trying to argue that. If someone hits you and push you into the car in front of you, your will get cited here for following too closely Even though your stopped, you have 5-6 feet of space, its still not a car length like it should be. I've had it happen to 2 different friends. They got sandwiched and pushed into the car in front of them. They initially didn't have enough space in front and both got cited for hitting the car in front.


In that case, I am very, very glad I don't live in Florida. That kind of law is absolutely ridiculous. This happened in a 55mph zone. I say 6-8 feet because that's my best estimate, but I got it pretty hard. When traffic comes to a dead stop immediately, people respond as quickly as they can. The fault comes when you don't give yourself enough time to respond, not when you don't give yourself 1-2 car's length, on a damp road, to prevent from being pushed into the car in front of you when some lunatic rear ends you. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad I live in Illinois. 



iKermit said:


> Thank god i switched to progressive then, state farms sucked. Make sure to drive the car a million times with the technician. Hopefully they won't need to add a supplement to the repair estimate. They probably will since the suspension is a lot of small things. Tell them straight out you will NOT accept the car with a fixed wheel. I would never trust a wheel that needed to be "fixed"


I'm fairly certain they will need to supplement the repair estimate. Not much doubt about that. If the steering got tweaked, it got tweaked because something moved, and the front impact wasn't hard enough to tweak any of the front suspension. Something else happened there, and I will not accept a simple alignment due to that. 

That said, there is a lifetime guarantee on the repairs done to the car, so if I determine that they missed something, I'll be able to take the car back and get them to fix it.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

I called the shop just to check, and they ordered me a "reconditioned" wheel for the back to replace the one that was hit. I asked to keep the old one, so I will turn it into a full size spare and keep it around the house in storage somewhere. Alternately, I might clean it up and turn it into a coffee table.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

AkotaHsky said:


> I know you were stopped, not trying to argue that. If someone hits you and push you into the car in front of you, your will get cited here for following too closely Even though your stopped, you have 5-6 feet of space, its still not a car length like it should be. I've had it happen to 2 different friends. They got sandwiched and pushed into the car in front of them. They initially didn't have enough space in front and both got cited for hitting the car in front.


I would see that officer in court and if I still was given points and/or a fine I would then file small claims against the driver who sandwiched me to recover both my entire repair cost as well as the cost of reapplying for a license plus the fine, even if I don't lose my license. I have never heard of a law where a stopped car is at fault when sandwiched.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Kermit, you should have turned your old engine into a coffee table.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> Kermit, you should have turned your old engine into a coffee table.


Those are awesome, but very difficult to move. 

I have an 87 Jaguar XJS V12 in my garage that, if nobody buys, I will turn into something cool, like a wine rack.


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## iKermit (Dec 13, 2010)

jblackburn said:


> Kermit, you should have turned your old engine into a coffee table.


It would be one VERY small coffee table lmao. And it would also probably break down and get recalled...somehow...


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Those are awesome, but very difficult to move.
> 
> I have an 87 Jaguar XJS V12 in my garage that, if nobody buys, I will turn into something cool, like a wine rack.


My dad has a BMW M10 that blew a head gasket laying around that I'd love to turn into something. But my mom won't let my dad bring it out of the garage, and my girlfriend won't let me have it as a coffee table at our place


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## AkotaHsky (Feb 11, 2012)

obermd said:


> I would see that officer in court and if I still was given points and/or a fine I would then file small claims against the driver who sandwiched me to recover both my entire repair cost as well as the cost of reapplying for a license plus the fine, even if I don't lose my license. I have never heard of a law where a stopped car is at fault when sandwiched.


Thats just how it is down here. Now keep in mind it is always officers discretion when issuing a ticket.


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## AkotaHsky (Feb 11, 2012)

iKermit said:


> It would be one VERY small coffee table lmao. And it would also probably break down and get recalled...somehow...


Perhaps catch on fire?


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## AkotaHsky (Feb 11, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> I'm fairly certain they will need to supplement the repair estimate. Not much doubt about that. If the steering got tweaked, it got tweaked because something moved, and the front impact wasn't hard enough to tweak any of the front suspension. Something else happened there, and I will not accept a simple alignment due to that.
> 
> That said, there is a lifetime guarantee on the repairs done to the car, so if I determine that they missed something, I'll be able to take the car back and get them to fix it.


My greatest fear is getting hit. As the car will never be the same from factory. Least you will be able to get it fixed and its lifetime.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Car went into the body shop on Friday. Got a call last night saying the car is done and is going to the dealer for an alignment. Assuming the dealer doesn't find anything broken, I should be picking it up today. Pictures to come...


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Just got a call from the repair shop. Target date moved back to tomorrow. The nearby Chevy dealer they took it to for an alignment found that the rear axle beam is bent and they will need to replace it.


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## The Wolf Wagon (Mar 5, 2012)

I thought your Cruise was in the shop and you were driving a rental????


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

The Wolf Wagon said:


> I thought your Cruise was in the shop and you were driving a rental????


No, I'm driving my 95 Regal (project car). I don't have rental reimbursement on my insurance policy or I'd be doing just that. The Regal doesn't get very good fuel economy.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Just got a call from the repair shop. Target date moved back to tomorrow. The nearby Chevy dealer they took it to for an alignment found that the rear axle beam is bent and they will need to replace it.


Although not good news, having it found and fixed before you get your car back is good.


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## dannylightning (Jun 24, 2012)

well crapola, that really sucks.. i know i would not be very happy//


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

obermd said:


> Although not good news, having it found and fixed before you get your car back is good.


No, not good news, but I guess I get new parts put on my car now? A fresh paint job on the front bumper will be nice, since I accidentally nicked it about a water drop in size when I was installing the CAI. In other news, they discovered that the rear passenger tire suffered significant damage so that's getting replaced with a new one, but I'll be charged some sort of an "upgrade" charge since there's more tread on it. I'm not sure how that makes any sense since I'll replace all 4 tires when the time for it comes instead of just 3 of them, but regardless, that tacks on another $25. 

I might try to fight them on it because it's kind of ridiculous and petty. I'm already paying a $500 deductible, and the same can be said of any wear items that will be getting replaced with new or reconditioned ones. 



dannylightning said:


> well crapola, that really sucks.. i know i would not be very happy//


Yeah, and to add to all this, they keep pushing the date back. I was supposed to get the car back some time today, but now there's another delay since they can't get the rear beam till tomorrow. Now, I might get it tomorrow, assuming they can install the rear beam and align the car perfectly with no issues before closing hours. They did mention they might deliver the car for me though, so that might make up for some of it.


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## jakkaroo (Feb 12, 2011)

the rear doesnt have any alginment,its none adjustable


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Bit of interesting tidbits about the suspension setup on a Cruze...

Alignment Update: Chevy Cruze: Import Car


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Got the car back today. It was technically done Wednesday of last week, but I was out of town on a family emergency. 

Car looks great. I haven't had a time to look over the damaged areas with a magnifying glass, but my first walk-around looked great. 

Total repair bill was $6,441. The rear tire as well as the rear wheel had to be replaced. 

One interesting thing to note, however, is that my aftermarket splash guard on the rear right wheel was destroyed in the collision, so the shop actually removed all of the splash guards I had and bought the GM factory splash guards to install in their place. That was an interesting surprise. 

I drove it to work on the highway and it felt just like it did before. No noises or anything of the sort. I'm glad to have my Cruze back.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Nice to have your car back. Did you get the aftermarket splash guards back? Also, let us know how they OEM ones compare.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Hurray!


Sent from my iPhone using Autoguide.com App


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## tecollins1 (Nov 6, 2011)

Awesome news!


Sent from my iPhone using Autoguide.com App


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

obermd said:


> Nice to have your car back. Did you get the aftermarket splash guards back? Also, let us know how they OEM ones compare.


I did not get the old splash guards back. These certainly look like the OEM ones. They have more solid mounting points, but are definitely smaller. We'll see how effective they are over the next few days. 

I did, however, get the old wheel back, and I'm glad I did. I'll use this as a spare. It is worth noting that these wheels are very expensive. The one that I got as a replacement cost $186, and it was a remanufactured wheel! I don't want to know how much these wheels are brand new. 

By far the most expensive part of this repair was the rear axle/beam. It was somewhere north of $800, and that too was not a new part; most likely pulled off of a junkyard car.

I'll get a price list of what was repaired if anyone is interested.


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## 2013Cruze (Aug 4, 2012)

How did the repaint job turn out?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

2013Cruze said:


> How did the repaint job turn out?


Perfect. The paint matches perfectly. I'll have a closer look later to see if there are any defects, but I've had these guys repair one of my older cars and they did an excellent job. All of the panels line up perfectly. 

Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using AutoGuide.Com Free App


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## The_Madcat (Oct 6, 2012)

Good to hear!


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> I did not get the old splash guards back. These certainly look like the OEM ones. They have more solid mounting points, but are definitely smaller. We'll see how effective they are over the next few days.
> 
> I did, however, get the old wheel back, and I'm glad I did. I'll use this as a spare. It is worth noting that these wheels are very expensive. The one that I got as a replacement cost $186, and it was a remanufactured wheel! I don't want to know how much these wheels are brand new.
> 
> ...


Do you see an Alcoa pin stamp somewhere on the old wheel?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Sunline Fan said:


> Do you see an Alcoa pin stamp somewhere on the old wheel?


The one that got hit?

Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using AutoGuide.Com Free App


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> The one that got hit?
> 
> Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using AutoGuide.Com Free App


Yes, because I assume it has no tire on it now? I'm not particularly concerned about that one wheel, but I just figured it'd be easier to see since the tire is probably off.


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## bryanakron40 (Nov 8, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> Bit of interesting tidbits about the suspension setup on a Cruze...
> 
> Alignment Update: Chevy Cruze: Import Car


Quick side note. Spraying with silicone spray is worthless. I know it is easier so that is why they do it, but dielectric silicone is the best choice for the squeak. It won't wear off in 2 weeks.....LOL.


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## widgetoc (Sep 10, 2012)

I might have asked this all ready but local curiosity prevails: where'd you take her for the work?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Sunline Fan said:


> Yes, because I assume it has no tire on it now? I'm not particularly concerned about that one wheel, but I just figured it'd be easier to see since the tire is probably off.


Ah, yes. I'll check tonight. The tire is indeed off.



widgetoc said:


> I might have asked this all ready but local curiosity prevails: where'd you take her for the work?


Central Collision in Mokena, right off La Grange, south of I-80.

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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Car might be going back to the shop. Found several defects in the work they did that I think is unacceptable. Imageshack is refusing to cooperate right now, so I'll get pictures up once the website starts working again. 

As an overview, the pass tail light does not line up with the rear back-up light. In the top right corner of the tail light, the tail light has no clearance to the rocker and is actually rubbing the paint off the rocker. 

Furthermore, they left a 1/2" gash in the paint right next to the fuel door and just touched it up with touch-up paint, which is very clearly visible. 

On the passenger side of the bumper they replaced, they did not paint the bumper correctly, and there is a long 3-inch strip of spiked paint that has a rough texture to it right along the body lines. 

Those are the biggest issues for now. I sent the shop an email, which the manager also got, and am waiting for a reply from them.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Alright, here we go. This is the driver's side tail light. This did not get hit and seems to fit exactly as it should. 










By comparison, this is the passenger side tail light. Notice the upper right edge.










A closer look shows where the problem lies...










Yep, the tail light is rubbing the paint off of the edge of the fender. Here's the bumper I was talking about:










And the edge of the driver side rocker:










Notice the alignment of the tail lights against the top of the trunklid and top of the rear rocker. Also notice the alignment of the rocker relative to the trunklid.










Now, notice the same alignment on the passenger side:


















I couldn't take good pictures of this, but the vertical alignment between the trunklid and the tail lights/rocker isn't even either. It's pushed in a bit on the passenger side, and pulled out a bit on the driver's side. Not necessarily something everyone would notice, but I have a bit of an eye for this. 

Lastly, the two gashes next to the fuel door:










I sent all of these pictures and their explanations in an email to the body shop, and they are having me bring it back in tomorrow morning and will put me in a rental car.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

So the car got dropped off yesterday morning at the shop. The shop gave me a rental; a newish Mazda6 4-cyl, base model with 205 wide tires on steelies. Feels cheap compared to the Cruze and the seats aren't very comfortable, but it gets me around. Haven't heard anything from the body shop since then.


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## 2013Cruze (Aug 4, 2012)

Doesn't look like they did a very good job looks kind of like they did a rush job on your car. Hoping maybe you wouldn't notice.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

2013Cruze said:


> Doesn't look like they did a very good job looks kind of like they did a rush job on your car. Hoping maybe you wouldn't notice.


Sounds about right. 

I just got a phone call saying they had to order a new bumper cover and will have it painted on Monday. It better be perfect this time.


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## 2013Cruze (Aug 4, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Sounds about right.
> 
> I just got a phone call saying they had to order a new bumper cover and will have it painted on Monday. It better be perfect this time.


Hopefully this time it will prefect. You don't want it to be like the saying 3 times the charm.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

2013Cruze said:


> Hopefully this time it will prefect. You don't want it to be like the saying 3 times the charm.


When I dropped it off yesterday, they had a guy come out and mark with a bright green marker every defect I pointed out. He didn't look very happy. 

A guy from Progressive also called me today to check in on how my car was completed, and they had no knowledge that the car was brought back, so I told him what had happened, and let's just say it wasn't what he wanted to hear and he's escalating this issue. I discovered that this is one of Progressive's direct shops, so it's unacceptable for the car to have been delivered in that condition. 

Hopefully I'll get the car back next week. We'll see...


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## 2013Cruze (Aug 4, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> When I dropped it off yesterday, they had a guy come out and mark with a bright green marker every defect I pointed out. He didn't look very happy.
> 
> A guy from Progressive also called me today to check in on how my car was completed, and they had no knowledge that the car was brought back, so I told him what had happened, and let's just say it wasn't what he wanted to hear and he's escalating this issue. I discovered that this is one of Progressive's direct shops, so it's unacceptable for the car to have been delivered in that condition.
> 
> Hopefully I'll get the car back next week. We'll see...


Never had an insurance company call an ask how if I was satisfied with the work that was done on my car. Anyway hope you get your Cruze back in the condition she was before your accident.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

2013Cruze said:


> Never had an insurance company call an ask how if I was satisfied with the work that was done on my car. Anyway hope you get your Cruze back in the condition she was before your accident.


Yeah, I've been very surprised by how Progressive has treated me this whole time. Never had a single issue, and constantly had people calling me to give me updates, both from the shop and from Progressive.


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## bryanakron40 (Nov 8, 2012)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Yeah, I've been very surprised by how Progressive has treated me this whole time. Never had a single issue, and constantly had people calling me to give me updates, both from the shop and from Progressive.


SO how is Flo doing these days? :th_SmlyROFL:


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## jsusanka (Jan 31, 2011)

Sorry about that man - that really sucks. Looks like no metal got hurt and it was all plastic. Although that does look like your trunk lid got hit a bit but it may look worse than what it will turn out to be. Glad you are okay and no one was seriously injured.


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## jsusanka (Jan 31, 2011)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Got a call from the insurance company. The cost to repair it is going to run around $5,200, and it will take them a whole 2 weeks to fix the car. He said it will be done around November 7th. I personally think that's quite a ridiculous amount of time.
> 
> He said they'll try to "repair" the wheel. I don't know how in the world they're going to repair a forged aluminum wheel, but he said if they can't, then they'll just replace it. I'll definitely be looking into that when I get there. If that wheel looks even a hint different from the rest of the wheels, I'll demand they replace it. From the impression I had, this was a bit of a superficial run-around the car to get an estimate as to how much it will cost and they'll probably find a few more things as they look more into it. They also mentioned that they'll repair the front bumper instead of replacing it. It sounds like they're trying to save as much money as possible, so I'll be looking the car over with a magnifying glass when I get it to make 100% sure that it was done correctly.
> 
> I'm a bit ticked that this is going to take 2 weeks, to be honest.


I would be surprised if they try to repair the front bumper. The time they take to repair will probably be more than a new bumper real quick. It would probably be just more cost effective to buy the new bumper than waste man hours repairing.


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

Demand RS package bumpers for all your troubles!


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Welp...I had to re-open the claim today. 

Turns out the refurbished wheel they replaced isn't like the rest of the wheels on the car. I can tell because only one has a date stamp for 2012 on the tire and the wheels were manufactured in 2011. I never noticed this since I haven't had time to detail my car since the accident. Happened when it was getting cold out and since then, I just got way too busy. Father in law passed away so that basically put anything I wanted to do with the car on the back burner till I started with the sound system. 

Anyways, here's the refurbished wheel they put on the car:










And here's one of the original wheels:










Before you assume that it's just dirty, I just washed these wheels and dried off the spokes with a microfiber cloth, and this isn't oxidization or clear coat hazing.


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## iKermit (Dec 13, 2010)

My unintelligent solution is to powder coat them black or plasti dip lol. Serious. 

 -I'm mobile-


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## NYCruze2012 (Jan 16, 2012)

Is it possible to have them buffed out to brighten them up?

Sent from my last surviving brain cell


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## Epickphale (Jan 30, 2013)

Time to carry a shotgun in the back seat. I would have lost it if this happened to mine. Then again I have a good memory with numbers and instinctively tag plates. Windy day once and saw someone open their doors into another car. She gets out to check the big gash and dent... shrugs and drives off. Left him a note with her plate. Glad to hear no real damage to YOU however, but $500 I'd still be pretty devastated.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

NYCruze2012 said:


> Is it possible to have them buffed out to brighten them up?
> 
> Sent from my last surviving brain cell


No. It's underneath the clear coat. I already tried some rubbing compound and then polishing compound on one small area and it doesn't make a difference. Up close, you can tell there is a grainy texture to the base. 

Sent from mobile.


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## Sunline Fan (Jul 29, 2012)

Don't get me started on wheel finishing.


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