Screwed

[greatbear]

A followup/itoldyaso from yesterday's post.

I got a bit more than a third of what it will cost to get the car back in shape. I now have to decide if I am going to shell out everything that it needs, or just put the stock tires/wheels on it, repair any other damage using the pittance I was given, drive it for a while longer and possibly sell it. I have a ton of fun with that car, but I swear it's cursed. This being America and all, it looks like I will have to drive monstrous vehicles to be seen by people and to inflict as much damage as I can to those people who dice it out with me.

I'm sick of it all.

Comments

[aadroma.livejournal.com]

Nena ... (SNUG)

[jrjarrett.livejournal.com]

Can't you fight the value, by getting comparisons from other Mini owners that have done the same sorts of mods?

I know several of my Scirocco bretheren have managed to do this sucessfully. 18-year old cars ususally get marked for totalling, but by showing receipts, eBay sales, and other Scirocco appraisals, they have usually been able to renegotiate.

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

The problem is that they will only give me funds to replace two of the wheels. Since the wheels are not made anymore, I have to pick similar ones. The originals are SSR Competition, anthracite with a machined lip. The equivalent SSR wheels are Type C RS, which are essentially the same rim, but without the machined lip. I REALLY wish I could get a pair of the original Comps, because the machined lip really makes the car, and the anthracite matches the body color. I could not convince them to give me enough to replace all four, just the two. They are making allowances for mods, but they will only replace what is damaged. No allowance is made for making things match.

[notdefined.livejournal.com]

Can you not get the douchebag's contact info from the DMV and then contact a lawyer? Of course if Md. is a no fault state then you still will have to deal with your own insurance company regardless, but you shouldn't have to fork out buck out of your own pocket.

[greatbearmd.livejournal.com]

I am not done with the insurance company yet. The claims guy has yet to talk to me, yet I got a chance to get the estimate done beforehand. I plan on raising a stink.

[hungcub.livejournal.com]

Continue to put up a fight. Its a shame people have to drive like assholes and not take responsibilty for their actions. Good luck man.

*hugs

[beastbriskett.livejournal.com]

This sucks great big green weinie!
There's a special place in hell for asshole drivers. One can only hope he gets there soon!

[sfmini.livejournal.com]

I won my battle by insisting that mismatched wheels and uneven tire wear posed a safety hazard. Regardless of the fact the wheels may technically be comparable, that comparison will mean little when you are trying to avoid an accident at 70mph. An insurance company has the legal obligation to restore you to where you were before the damage occurred. Four technically identical wheels were where you were before. You also had four tires with normal wear patterns. To replace two would make for a dangerous situation because of uneven wear. They need to restore you to where you were. Just because they cannot get identical wheels is not your problem. Just be insistent that wheels and tires are not cosmetic, they are a safety issue and again, they have an obligation to restore you to the state you were in before the damage occurred.

They are hired by their company to say no. They will say yes if you get in their face long enough. Trust me, I've been the victim of more urban driving than you can imagine. 8 year of driving the freeways of Atlanta taught me a lot. I had my private adjuster and personal injury attorney on speed dial.

[jrjarrett.livejournal.com]

Ooh. Good one. I never thought of going at it from the "safety" standpoint.