# Bad Day, Distracted Driver backs into my CTD



## KpaxFAQ (Sep 1, 2013)

Glad to hear it was small potatoes. My insurance has always just covered then went after with no deductible needed if it's clear cut.

My wife backed into my drivers side door last december and I needed a new door to a tune of $3500! Luckily no deducatable there either since my insurance company doesn't charge one if both people involved in the accident are both customers. Just wish the other customer wasn't my wife! Lol


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

I was more frustrated than anything. Stuff happens, I have bumped folks before and it was fault. I always stood tall and first apologized and offered my contact and insurance information if they desired it. I didn't get out of car and deny and yell at them. She is 33 years old. Old enough to know better.

My deductible is $1000. It sure wasn't my fault, if there is damage I don't want and funds To leave me even if temporary. 

Sorry to hear you and your wife bump and grind car to car. :dazed002:


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## KpaxFAQ (Sep 1, 2013)

IndyDiesel said:


> I was more frustrated than anything. Stuff happens, I have bumped folks before and it was fault. I always stood tall and first apologized and offered my contact and insurance information if they desired it. I didn't get out of car and deny and yell at them. She is 33 years old. Old enough to know better.
> 
> Sorry to hear you and your wife bump and grind car to car. :dazed002:


I understand...its all the other crap besides the car itself that can be most frustrating...


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

IndyDiesel said:


> Any thoughts from my Cruze friends?


Dashcam. You may not be so lucky with a sheriff next time.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

ChevyGuy said:


> Dashcam. You may not be so lucky with a sheriff next time.


Great idea.. Sherrif did make a big difference, he either saw what happened or something. Plus her behavior even to him was abrasive, he quickly figured out what happened. 

I will look into that..assume amazon has that kinda stuff like a dashcam


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

IndyDiesel said:


> assume amazon has that kinda stuff like a dashcam


Practically dime a dozen. Although, you may want to do some research. Some are better than others. Some even have a "parking" feature where they'll monitor your car while parked. A few have rear cams as well.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

Sorry to hear. Hopefully no damage and all is well. 

God I miss those chrome bumpers on my Caprice.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

I will take a closer look tomorrow assuming if it isn't raining, had I been in my older f150 with full size chrome bumper probably wouldn't do anything. 

I see there are many choices for dash cam, if anyone has one they like, please advise. I already have a iPass transponder for tolls. Don't want a big camera, something I can use that is smaller but effective.


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## KyleB (Mar 12, 2017)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NVi2jmXyvs

Looks like a good general review. Once I get my car I plan on installing two. One front and one rear. Do you figure a car audio place is a good place to start for install?


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

KyleB said:


> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NVi2jmXyvs
> 
> Looks like a good general review. Once I get my car I plan on installing two. One front and one rear. Do you figure a car audio place is a good place to start for install?


Good channel, but that particular review is a bit dated. He has two newer videos with current models. 

Of course, once you watch those, YouTube will suggest some others. I think the best camera is going to depend on what kinds of problems you've experienced in the past. For me, I'm wanting a parking mode. I've already had some mystery scrapes appear on my bumper.


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

Sorry to hear about that. Some guy in a truck backed into my CTD in a parking lot while I was standing outside the car and put a small crack in the rear bumper. There were several witnesses including my friends, so it was easy. I got his info and his insurance company cut me a check for like $700. I just kept the money and didn't bother getting it fixed. I didn't even see the crack in the first place. My friend with good attention to detail pointed it out.


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## BrandoFisher117 (Mar 14, 2016)

First off, glad to hear you are alright. I'm assuming it could have been worse?



IndyDiesel said:


> I will take a closer look tomorrow assuming if it isn't raining, had I been in my older f150 with full size chrome bumper probably wouldn't do anything.
> 
> I see there are many choices for dash cam, if anyone has one they like, please advise. I already have a iPass transponder for tolls. Don't want a big camera, something I can use that is smaller but effective.


 @sparkman just got a dash cam (if I'm not mistaken), which I believe is rather small comparatively speaking. I'll reach out to him and have him take a look at this thread.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

BrandoFisher117 said:


> First off, glad to hear you are alright. I'm assuming it could have been worse?
> 
> 
> @sparkman just got a dash cam (if I'm not mistaken), which I believe is rather small comparatively speaking. I'll reach out to him and have him take a look at this thread.


Most of the time when small accidents happen it happens fast. Well this was so stupid and needless and was in slow motion so to speak. Will go to my body shop today and see if there is damage. It was the other drivers reaction that made it worse. Oh well, not really a big deal. But a small dash cam could work well, I assume the dash cam has sound as well? So they could hear my horn trying to alert the driver?


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

I believe most have sound, yeah


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

IndyDiesel said:


> I will take a closer look tomorrow assuming if it isn't raining, had I been in my older f150 with full size chrome bumper probably wouldn't do anything.
> 
> I see there are many choices for dash cam, if anyone has one they like, please advise. I already have a iPass transponder for tolls. Don't want a big camera, something I can use that is smaller but effective.


g1wc
a118c

have g1wc in the cruze and one jeep for couple years, work perfect

have a118c in other jeep 1.5yrs, works perfect

COULD be better choice SINCE then


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

IndyDiesel said:


> Most of the time when small accidents happen it happens fast. Well this was so stupid and needless and was in slow motion so to speak. Will go to my body shop today and see if there is damage. It was the other drivers reaction that made it worse. Oh well, not really a big deal. But a small dash cam could work well, I assume the dash cam has sound as well? So they could hear my horn trying to alert the driver?


all have sound

and option to turn off if you so wish


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

Well went to my body shop, some light damage to grille and bumper cover, estimate to repair and all is $1006. Contacted the driver insurance company direct, they were very nice to work with. She bought the insurance online and didn't provide a phone number, why would an insurance company insure anyone without a phone number? So will take a few days to get resolved. Yikes no wonder car insurance is so darn expensive when modest repairs are so pricey.


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## sparkman (Oct 15, 2015)

I have a GiiNii GD-188x I got for Christmas. Love it and has never given me a major issue. Records front and rear in one unit. Front 1080p, rear 720p. 

I think they sell it at Wal-Mart.


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## sparkman (Oct 15, 2015)

If fact, I just wrote a review on it on Walmart.com:

https://www.walmart.com/reviews/product/135097279


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## EricSmit (Dec 21, 2016)

As far as accidents go, that's fairly minor and I'm glad you're alright.

She sounds like she has a silver spoon in her household.


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

Bummer, but look at the bright side...she didn't break your timing belt LOL :th_SmlyROFL:


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

On a serious note if you can go directly through the other party's insurance you're better off. I once had to wait 6 months to recover my deductible. My insurance company collected the money from me at the onset of the claim. Then my insurance co had to recover the deductible from the other insurance co via a process they called subrogation (the other party was at fault)


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

EricSmit said:


> As far as accidents go, that's fairly minor and I'm glad you're alright.
> 
> She sounds like she has a silver spoon in her household.


I don't think there is any silver in her household. She is 33 years old and just not very intelligent. Not really a good idea to yell and someone that you just did some damage to my car.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

Rivergoer said:


> On a serious note if you can go directly through the other party's insurance you're better off. I once had to wait 6 months to recover my deductible. My insurance company collected the money from me at the onset of the claim. Then my insurance co had to recover the deductible from the other insurance co via a process they called subrogation (the other party was at fault)


I agree with you. I am having conversations with them, just takes time.


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## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

If you do get a dash cam make sure to review your State laws. Some Smart Phones can be used for dash monitoring. In my state its a felony to record audio in the car unless you post multiple notices in clear view. Also my State only allows 30 seconds of video if I'm not mistaken, all just too confusing similar to our Gun laws?


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

Was the other driver cited as 100% fault? That can be very helpful in a situation like this. It was when the old Asian guy hit me in no-fault Michigan.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

Her insurance company contacted her, she stated it didn't happen and she put her vehicle in neutral and leaned over and picked up a cell phone. They are taking her side of the story prior to the police report.

The police report seems pretty clear, it states her vehicle rolled into mine and damage occurred. The narrative is as follows:

Vehicle 2 is me, Driver 2
Vehicle 1 is her, Driver 1

Vehicle 2 driven by Driver 2 was stopped at the stop light, directly behind V1, when V1 driven by D1 rolled backward into V2, causing minor damage.

D1 stated that she put the vehicle in Neutral and put her foot on the brake to bend over to pick up her cell phone off of the passenger floorboard. When she demonstrated this for the investigating officer, her foot immediately came off the brake pedal. D1 was advised to ALWAYS put the car in park when attempting to move around inside the vehicle.

Seems clear to me, will see how it plays out.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

I plan to get a dash cam, it would be all the evidence needed even without a police report. I think insurance company will have little choice but to honor my claim, but they seem to want to take her side. If it goes to small claims court they will just have to pay more, I will have court costs and will hire an attorney. So the claim will be much higher and she will loose.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Yeah - the police report is pretty clearly in your favor - and it holds precedence over whatever kind of illogical story she can come up with.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

IndyDiesel said:


> Her insurance company contacted her, she stated it didn't happen and she put her vehicle in neutral and leaned over and picked up a cell phone. They are taking her side of the story prior to the police report.
> 
> The police report seems pretty clear, it states her vehicle rolled into mine and damage occurred. The narrative is as follows:
> 
> ...


Pretty clear - she's at fault. I was backed into twice in my Pontiac Transport. Fortunately no damage to my van in either case other than scratching the front license plate a little. Both times it was older drivers.


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## EricSmit (Dec 21, 2016)

Plain as day.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

MP81 said:


> Yeah - the police report is pretty clearly in your favor - and it holds precedence over whatever kind of illogical story she can come up with.


Without the police report I can safely say this would have gone no where if she had given me the insurance information. I never really had something like this before, every other time, the folks just shared their information and were apologetic like a good person does.

I had a small motorhome several years ago, parked at an amusement park, someone parked a couple inches from me, I left before them, my tail end took the whole side of their mini van out, I had no way to get ahold of them, contact security at the park, left my information for them, they contacted me and it was covered by my insurance. If you do harm to someone else property that is what I did, no big deal. I had a 12 year old son with me at the time, it is important to show them how to do what is right.


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## EricSmit (Dec 21, 2016)

IndyDiesel said:


> Without the police report I can safely say this would have gone no where if she had given me the insurance information. I never really had something like this before, every other time, the folks just shared their information and were apologetic like a good person does.
> 
> I had a small motorhome several years ago, parked at an amusement park, someone parked a couple inches from me, I left before them, my tail end took the whole side of their mini van out, I had no way to get ahold of them, contact security at the park, left my information for them, they contacted me and it was covered by my insurance. If you do harm to someone else property that is what I did, no big deal. I had a 12 year old son with me at the time, it is important to show them how to do what is right.


How dare you be so responsible!


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

Police report worked like a champ, her insurance company decided to settle after speaking with her. She made statements that went against her and confirmed the truth I was sharing. Of course my first estimate was not on Met Life list so I went to the local Chevy dealer in my hometown that was on the list and the estimate was $1,121 so $115 more than the previous estimate or enough to buy a dash cam, the dash cam would have made this super easy, assume you can download to a computer file and send it off? I am taking a new job and it is about 90 miles away and will be living in an apartment during the week and my house where I live now on weekends until I get it up for sale and move. So for now a check will do, will decide later if I repair it.


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## carbon02 (Feb 25, 2011)

IndyDiesel said:


> Police report worked like a champ, her insurance company decided to settle after speaking with her. She made statements that went against her and confirmed the truth I was sharing. Of course my first estimate was not on Met Life list so I went to the local Chevy dealer in my hometown that was on the list and the estimate was $1,121 so $115 more than the previous estimate or enough to buy a dash cam, the dash cam would have made this super easy, assume you can download to a computer file and send it off? I am taking a new job and it is about 90 miles away and will be living in an apartment during the week and my house where I live now on weekends until I get it up for sale and move. So for now a check will do, will decide later if I repair it.


Doesn't the insurance company withhold the depreciation value of the repair unless you get it fixed? At least in my state your check payment is smaller than the estimated cost of the repair. Get it repaired, show proof, and they pay the rest. Provided the repair is done with CAPA certified parts, inspected, ...Which I believe is referred to as the depreciation. 

Most people that have taken the cash and repaired themselves don't get the depreciation hold back returned to them. In the insurance companies eyes personal repairs aren't shop repairs. But sometimes taking the money and repairing to your liking is a better outcome. 

You might want to check on that. If you want it repaired, and they hold back a retainer, I'd have it fixed now while the case is still open. 

Hail damage is the same way around me. You loose a little bit if you take the cash and don't have it fixed. Sometimes the car is old enough, where it just makes sense to take the money and run. Depends on future plans for the car.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

carbon02 said:


> Doesn't the insurance company withhold the depreciation value of the repair unless you get it fixed? At least in my state your check payment is smaller than the estimated cost of the repair. Get it repaired, show proof, and they pay the rest. Which I believe is referred to as the depreciation.
> 
> You might want to check on that. If you want it repaired, and they hold back a retainer, I'd have it fixed now while the case is still open.
> 
> Hail damage is the same way around me. You loose a little bit if you take the cash and don't have it fixed. Sometimes the car is old enough, where it just makes sense to take the money and run. Depends on future plans for the car.


I will find out about that, I don't think it should matter to her insurance company, if I get it repaired the cost could be more, I said I would sign a full release once I receive payment. I don't have time to fuss with it and it shouldn't matter a darn to them, it is my car and I should be able to choose where and if I want it repaired. I shouldn't have to go to their list. That's insane. Plus I can repair it myself with a used grille for probably $150 bucks and would fine especially since I love the car and plan to keep it for a long time. Stuff happens, just pay me for the damages.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

IndyDiesel said:


> I will find out about that, I don't think it should matter to her insurance company, if I get it repaired the cost could be more, I said I would sign a full release once I receive payment. I don't have time to fuss with it and it shouldn't matter a darn to them, it is my car and I should be able to choose where and if I want it repaired. I shouldn't have to go to their list. That's insane. Plus I can repair it myself with a used grille for probably $150 bucks and would fine especially since I love the car and plan to keep it for a long time. Stuff happens, just pay me for the damages.


Are you positive there is no hidden damage? If not I'd take it to a dealership with a body shop and have them repair the car and bill her insurance company directly.


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

Just curious, how will this affect the vehicle CarFax report? Is it already on the CarFax record because insurance is involved or is it when the vehicle is repaired at a body shop or dealer that it registers on CarFax? If it's the latter, something to consider when deciding on repair shop vs eBay..."Accident" on CarFax definitely can hurt resale value down the road.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

IndyDiesel said:


> Without the police report I can safely say this would have gone no where


Exactly. She could claim that you hit her and bill you for the damage to her car. Without a believable witness, you're stuck. 

Worse, she could have had a passenger that backed her story. Two against one.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

obermd said:


> Are you positive there is no hidden damage? If not I'd take it to a dealership with a body shop and have them repair the car and bill her insurance company directly.


I will post a pic tomorrow. The grill has a small crack, the paint on bumper cover has a small indentation if you look for it from a hitch. She was rolling maybe 1/2 mile an hour, plus I was in reverse trying to get away from her a little. I have been around damage on cars before. I have been hit in a Saturn sl2 pretty hard in the rear by a Chrysler New Yorker it damaged the bumper cover and I took the cash, granted that car wasn't worth much.

I am planning on driving this car over 100k, heck I only paid 13500 for the darn car with 3700 miles on it, I drive for work and get over 50 cents a mile to drive it. I can get it fixed, but honestly something else will happen to it, so why worry about such minor stuff. I hit a deer in my 14 eco, had no choice but to fix it. I am not concerned about more damage at all. After this car has 100k miles in 3 years it's a 5000-6000 car and I would guess something else will happen to it. I love my cars, but to be honest just a tool to get a job done, get me from one place to another.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

Rivergoer said:


> Just curious, how will this affect the vehicle CarFax report? Is it already on the CarFax record because insurance is involved or is it when the vehicle is repaired at a body shop or dealer that it registers on CarFax? If it's the latter, something to consider when deciding on repair shop vs eBay..."Accident" on CarFax definitely can hurt resale value down the road.


My personal opinion of carfax isn't very high, I buy them sometimes but wonder why. The previous Cruze I had was a 14 eco manual, I hit a deer with it, had around 4500 damage, no police report, my insurance paid the whole claim on my comp part of policy I have no deductible for that. I traded it for my ctd a few months after the repair, the car fax was fine and didn't show it was in an accident. What good is that for new owner? The dealer didn't ask me if in accident and and I did not disclose.

I will take pics of the minor damage and show to dealer if I trade it in and even provide to new owner if they wish.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

Suppose to get my settlement check in a few days. I am changing jobs and for time being putting more serious miles on my ctd than before, probably 800-1200 a week. A semi was in front on me on the left, he gets over to right lane, so I am like ok I will just get in left lane, well he got in right lane because there was a orange cone on highway, well I smacked it at 60 mph, little more paint damage on front, my theory was correct when driving a lot, stuff just happens, both situations in last week I couldn't avoid. Oh well, I don't like that but would have been more upset I get front repaired then couple days later have more damage.


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## BrightParrot (Jul 22, 2016)

I have had dash cams for a while now - check DashCamTalk forum, they are a great resource. Don't cheap out either - if you can't read the details (like license plates) when you need them, then what good is it? Once you get one, review some footage to make sure you can get the details you want when you'll want them. You might be surprised at the limitations of these things, even the good ones. They really aren't as good as our eyes. That being said, I really like my current one, it also records info from the OBD connector such as rpm, gear, turn signal, brake application. It has a built in rear cam too. Useful info should I need to prove I was doing the right thing. I can post up a piece of footage if you are interested in seeing it.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

BrightParrot said:


> I have had dash cams for a while now - check DashCamTalk forum, they are a great resource. Don't cheap out either - if you can't read the details (like license plates) when you need them, then what good is it? Once you get one, review some footage to make sure you can get the details you want when you'll want them. You might be surprised at the limitations of these things, even the good ones. They really aren't as good as our eyes. That being said, I really like my current one, it also records info from the OBD connector such as rpm, gear, turn signal, brake application. It has a built in rear cam too. Useful info should I need to prove I was doing the right thing. I can post up a piece of footage if you are interested in seeing it.


Thanks for the info, when you say OBD connector, is that the same as I have my scan gauge connected to?


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

IndyDiesel said:


> Suppose to get my settlement check in a few days. I am changing jobs and for time being putting more serious miles on my ctd than before, probably 800-1200 a week. A semi was in front on me on the left, he gets over to right lane, so I am like ok I will just get in left lane, well he got in right lane because there was a orange cone on highway, well I smacked it at 60 mph, little more paint damage on front, my theory was correct when driving a lot, stuff just happens, both situations in last week I couldn't avoid. Oh well, I don't like that but would have been more upset I get front repaired then couple days later have more damage.


Glad that was also minor. Welcome to the club. You should see my hood and front bumper after 200K miles. Gouges galore from errant rocks and debris. Not to mention the windshield. It's getting to the point where it will probably need replaced soon from all the road abrasion.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

diesel said:


> Glad that was also minor. Welcome to the club. You should see my hood and front bumper after 200K miles. Gouges galore from errant rocks and debris. Not to mention the windshield. It's getting to the point where it will probably need replaced soon from all the road abrasion.


It's just battle scars of a car having served you well. I love pristine cars, but stuff happens and minor things can be fixed if so desired. I so far couldn't be happier with this Cruze Diesel.


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## BrightParrot (Jul 22, 2016)

IndyDiesel said:


> Thanks for the info, when you say OBD connector, is that the same as I have my scan gauge connected to?


It is - I have a Y splitter as I have the scangauge as well.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

BrightParrot said:


> It is - I have a Y splitter as I have the scangauge as well.


That's cool for you, I don't want anything else plugged in and bump etc, I do not really like the scan gauge plugged in there. I have it because I feel it's necessary. Thanks for your help. No dash cam for me I don't want wires going everywhere...yuck


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## BrightParrot (Jul 22, 2016)

IndyDiesel said:


> That's cool for you, I don't want anything else plugged in and bump etc, I do not really like the scan gauge plugged in there. I have it because I feel it's necessary. Thanks for your help. No dash cam for me I don't want wires going everywhere...yuck


The Y cable has a right angle connector, so that helps route the wires out of the way, the extra wires from everything is tied up inside the fuse area (lots of room there!) and the rest of the wires actually hide rather well. I'd rather not have all the wires, but I'd also rather have the proof if something goes pear-shaped. I guess it's all in the preferences.


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