wrecked into, now tranny bad?

[Dealer]

well i got my 95 sho atx about a month ago....Yesterday my wife is making a left turn at a 4 way stop light, she had a protected left. This impatient lady in a pt cruiser coming from the opposite way makes a right turn into my wife(who was turning into the left lane of a 2 lane road). Well my front passenger wheel got all scratched up and my fender dented. (I think the wheel took most of the hit) No big deal, til we drive it. When I make a left turn, I hear a knocking coming from that wheel, and today I hit a bump and heard a loud knock(sounded like a shock). I took it to my friend's shop and put it on a lift. The axle on that side is completely loose in the transfer case? or tranny, whatever it is(I'm not too inclined on front wheel drive cars). I has close to an inch play in it at the transfer case. I told the adjuster about the knocking when I took it there this morning, so she added money on for a front end alignment. The adjuster claimed the damages at $1125. So now if I take it back do you think they will honor this? It didn't have play in it before(I did check when I got it). If they do honor it, will it total out my car? How bad is that damage? The tranny has to come out?


P.S. I HATE impatient stupid drivers!!!!!

 

[1993MTXSHO]

First off thats the tranny, transfer case is for 4x4's haha. Second get on the guys back until you get what you want don't settle for less then what you want, if hes giving you a hard tiem say your wife thinks shes havign back or neck pain and is goign ot see a doctor. That damage was caused from the accident. 3rd, if they total it, let them, take the money and fix the car. It doesnt take much to total a sho since they are so old. Buy it back for a few hundred, take less then half of what you got for the totaled out car and fix it, then pocket the rest

 

[RAYJAY]

well i got my 95 sho atx about a month ago....Yesterday my wife is making a left turn at a 4 way stop light, she had a protected left. This impatient lady in a pt cruiser coming from the opposite way makes a right turn into my wife(who was turning into the left lane of a 2 lane road). Well my front passenger wheel got all scratched up and my fender dented. (I think the wheel took most of the hit) No big deal, til we drive it. When I make a left turn, I hear a knocking coming from that wheel, and today I hit a bump and heard a loud knock(sounded like a shock). I took it to my friend's shop and put it on a lift. The axle on that side is completely loose in the transfer case? or tranny, whatever it is(I'm not too inclined on front wheel drive cars). I has close to an inch play in it at the transfer case. I told the adjuster about the knocking when I took it there this morning, so she added money on for a front end alignment. The adjuster claimed the damages at $1125. So now if I take it back do you think they will honor this? It didn't have play in it before(I did check when I got it). If they do honor it, will it total out my car? How bad is that damage? The tranny has to come out?


P.S. I HATE impatient stupid drivers!!!!!

if they cut you a check to fix the car all ready then they will not total it out.
the shop has to find the damage and call them to make it a add on to the claim. thats the way its in PA

 

[Mr Anonymous]

if hes giving you a hard tiem say your wife thinks shes havign back or neck pain and is goign ot see a doctor.

Yeah, umm, considering your well-publicized legal problems over the past year, should you really be encouraging insurance fraud? :shakehead

Dealer, I've seen a number of cases where an impact into one of the front wheels causes the tranny case to crack. Figure about a $500 allowance for a used tranny, and about $700 for installation, plus any other damage. If the bill gets over about $2K don't be surprised if they try to total it.

 

[Dealer]

Dealer, I've seen a number of cases where an impact into one of the front wheels causes the tranny case to crack. Figure about a $500 allowance for a used tranny, and about $700 for installation, plus any other damage. If the bill gets over about $2K don't be surprised if they try to total it.

Yea, I was wondering if that happened often or not in wrecks. Well I will go there tomorrow and see what they say. Hopefully everything works out. I'll post an update.

 

[Dealer]

Well I went back to the person who did the estimate, she refused to look any further into it. (I tried for a very long time) I called the adjuster and she says they are waiting on pictures of the insured persons car before they can determine liability, and she refused to have somebody redo the estimate. So now I am wondering if the lady is lying to her insurance company saying it was my wife's fault....but either way she told me if I take it somewhere and get it fixed and they determine that they are liable, they will pay for everything if they determine that was caused by the wreck. Who knows if they will accept liability for this. I am just going to keep trying and keep calling them until I can get somewhere with this, not sure what else I can do, just hope that the car doesn't break down in the meantime as I really need it.

 

[1993MTXSHO]

Yeah, umm, considering your well-publicized legal problems over the past year, should you really be encouraging insurance fraud? :shakehead

Dealer, I've seen a number of cases where an impact into one of the front wheels causes the tranny case to crack. Figure about a $500 allowance for a used tranny, and about $700 for installation, plus any other damage. If the bill gets over about $2K don't be surprised if they try to total it.

yeah well, you don't actually do it, that would be a bad idea it was a sarcastic comment anyway sorry if it came across bad over the net.

EDIT: oh and btw it is possible for people to develop things AFTER the fact of an accident and its a good idea to get checked out anyway.

 

[Mark in PDX]

Guys, what he said about the car, is not 'illegal' or fraud, the car will have a branded title. I had to do that with my black 89 when I was rear ended. They totalled the car, gave me 2600 and I bought it back for $89.00. I couldn't believe the buy back price. And couldn't pass it up, then I had it fixed, which cost me more than the 2600 as I did alot to it while I was repairing it.... But it isn't fraud, it is just the Insurance companies way of capping what they will pay in damages.
flame on
Which in my mind is the fraud. If someone screws your car up and you don't want to get rid of it becuase it is paid for, they should repair it, if it is fixable, or replace it. I rarely find I can go buy 'my' car for what they give me.. Even when I fight them on the comparables they use.
flame off.
In oregon, you can take the car and get alternate opinions on the damage, State Farm has their 'shops' but if you find damage, they usually re-evaluate and are pretty honest about it. Which insurance company is involved here? I am really curious because I am pretty sure most states have laws that state you can go where you want and are entitled to multiple estimates.

 

[Dealer]

GWhich insurance company is involved here? I am really curious because I am pretty sure most states have laws that state you can go where you want and are entitled to multiple estimates.

The insurance company is USAA, never heard of them before but apparently they are pretty big. However, the person who did the estimate does not work for them, she works for a dealership and they have a contract with them. In TX, the estimate comes from the insurance company involved, and thats the money you get. If a shop repairs it and it exceeds those costs, then the insurance co has to pay the rest. I would not be worried about it, but I am thinking that they are going to say that the damage to the tranny was not caused by the wreck. I know I can get a lot of tranny guys to back me up, because when you look under the car it is pretty obvious that this is possible, but there is no way to prove that it wasn't like this before the wreck. I would rather get the money for the car though without having to fix it first....

 

[Mark in PDX]

USAA is very reputable, in fact, they are my company in fact.
I would get a 2nd opinion. If they hit your wheel, and there is damage to the wheel & suspension, then that proves that the shaft would have taken a hit. Common sense says that it would damaged more, and they should have made you stop driving the car til they checked the entire drive line.. Front wheel drive cars do NOT like to be hit sideways on the wheels.. It almost always screws up at least the 1/2 shafts & suspension.
"Whoever did the estimate, did they put the car up on a lift? If not, they had no business even doing the estimate. Car hit on a suspension component makes the whole suspension suspect."
I talked to a budy at a body shop today and he told me to provide this comment to you. It made sense when he explained the forces involved.
If the lady won't redo the estimate, go get another one and provide it to USAA, if it is a reputable shop or dealer, I would assume that they would have to consider the estimate.

 

[shoon]

Sadly, if your wife was making a left turn then she will mostly likely get blamed for the accident and be considered at fault. Unless you have a bunch of witnesses, thats usually the way it will be.

Same as if your traveling on the highway, someone cuts you off and slams their brakes causing you to rear end them. You will be at fault (when the front of your car is damaged you are usually at fault)

Witnesses are good to have.. because in any fender bender, unless someone is killed or seriously injured there will be no accident reconstruction or investigation to who is at fault. Just the way it is

When my car was rear ended, I was able to take my car and get the highest quote possible, then submit that quote to my insurance. My insurance then gave me a decent chunk of money, then I took it to another body shop and did the repairs for much less and used the extra money to get 4 new tires.

If you ever get the option, always take your car somewhere expensive for a quote!

 

[Dealer]

USAA is very reputable, in fact, they are my company in fact.
I would get a 2nd opinion. If they hit your wheel, and there is damage to the wheel & suspension, then that proves that the shaft would have taken a hit. Common sense says that it would damaged more, and they should have made you stop driving the car til they checked the entire drive line.. Front wheel drive cars do NOT like to be hit sideways on the wheels.. It almost always screws up at least the 1/2 shafts & suspension.
"Whoever did the estimate, did they put the car up on a lift? If not, they had no business even doing the estimate. Car hit on a suspension component makes the whole suspension suspect."
I talked to a budy at a body shop today and he told me to provide this comment to you. It made sense when he explained the forces involved.
If the lady won't redo the estimate, go get another one and provide it to USAA, if it is a reputable shop or dealer, I would assume that they would have to consider the estimate.

That sounds like a really good thing to say, thanks. There was a cop that came and refused to file a police report, stating not enough damage. My wife and the lady told the cop what happened, and the cop told the lady it was her fault, but wouldn't issue a citation. I got his name and badge #, I am gonna file a complaint against him today. The lady contacted my insurance company today and filed a claim. I filled out my own police report, so we will see what happens.

 

[SHOtimer]

Being an insurance adjuster (claims) myself I can give you a bit of insight into this.

The fact that she cannot make any type of liability decision untill she speaks with her insured is standard and in no way is an indication that she thinks it is your fault or her insured's fault. We simply cannot put blame on an individual unless we hear their side of the story, especially if they are our insured - if we do we have a bad faith law suit on us rather quickly.

If your wife had a green light to turn left, and this other car turned right on a green also? Or did your wife have a green arrow?

A preliminary estimate is very normal also - they don't want to spend a ton of time looking into the full extent of the damage before they ***** liability, so I wouldn't panic about that either. IF they are going to fix it, they will fix it all the way. Totalling it - well that is a different story, and you've been given plenty of info on that in this thread already.

Calling USAA - to keep tabs on the adjuster is a good idea. However, call them too much (like many people do) and all you will do is **** them off, then you will be in a worse spot.

And for the individual that stated your wife should claim injury - that their is an example of the people I see everyday. Trying to make a buck off the system, then wondering why insurance rates keep going up. Apart from the fact that it is fraud to claim something that isn't the case.

Doug

 

[Dealer]

Being an insurance adjuster (claims) myself I can give you a bit of insight into this.

The fact that she cannot make any type of liability decision untill she speaks with her insured is standard and in no way is an indication that she thinks it is your fault or her insured's fault. We simply cannot put blame on an individual unless we hear their side of the story, especially if they are our insured - if we do we have a bad faith law suit on us rather quickly.

If your wife had a green light to turn left, and this other car turned right on a green also? Or did your wife have a green arrow?

A preliminary estimate is very normal also - they don't want to spend a ton of time looking into the full extent of the damage before they ***** liability, so I wouldn't panic about that either. IF they are going to fix it, they will fix it all the way. Totalling it - well that is a different story, and you've been given plenty of info on that in this thread already.

Calling USAA - to keep tabs on the adjuster is a good idea. However, call them too much (like many people do) and all you will do is **** them off, then you will be in a worse spot.

And for the individual that stated your wife should claim injury - that their is an example of the people I see everyday. Trying to make a buck off the system, then wondering why insurance rates keep going up. Apart from the fact that it is fraud to claim something that isn't the case.

Doug

Thanks, thats some good info. I would never make a claim of injury thats false, or anything false, as I wouldn't want anyone to do that to me, I just want to get what I deserve, which is the damage that she caused. The lady turned right at a red light. My wife had a green arrow(protected left). When you say they they will fix it all the way if they are going to fix it, is there anyway I can get the money for fixing the extra damage prior to having it fixed?

 

[SHOtimer]

Thanks, thats some good info. I would never make a claim of injury thats false, or anything false, as I wouldn't want anyone to do that to me, I just want to get what I deserve, which is the damage that she caused. The lady turned right at a red light. My wife had a green arrow(protected left). When you say they they will fix it all the way if they are going to fix it, is there anyway I can get the money for fixing the extra damage prior to having it fixed?

If your wife had a green arrow - then you are pretty much golden. The other driver can raise a stick all she wants, she is at fault.

I didn't accuse you of making a false claim, just commenting on how he suggested it just because. However, if someone is truly injured - by all means say something.

I'm not sure what you mean in regards to getting the extra money prior to having it fixed.

If you choose (and if they will) fix your car, and they find additional damage (more so than they first saw), they will add supplements onto the original estimate for the additional damage and the insurance company will pay for it.

Or you can just request that they pay you directly to repair the car - you run the risk of not being able to get the supplements, because you would be agreeing to the estimate.

Either way, they won't pay for a thing untill liability has been determined.

Doug

 

[Dealer]

Well her insurance called me this morning and they determined that she is liable so they are gonna pay. They told me to take it to a mechanic and then they will see about paying the extra money for repairing the damage to the tranny...I'm so happy that is done with, one less thing I have to deal with. She still has a claim filed against me...hopefully Geico will see it the same way and deny her sorry azz!! I will keep you guys posted. Thanks for all the comments and all the help

 

[SHOtimer]

Well her insurance called me this morning and they determined that she is liable so they are gonna pay. They told me to take it to a mechanic and then they will see about paying the extra money for repairing the damage to the tranny...I'm so happy that is done with, one less thing I have to deal with. She still has a claim filed against me...hopefully Geico will see it the same way and deny her sorry azz!! I will keep you guys posted. Thanks for all the comments and all the help

Glad to hear that everything went well! I hope they will be covering the repairs to your transmission without a hassle.

If her insurance has accepted liability - she is just grasping at straws in filing a claim with your insurance. That will be a speedy denial.

Doug

 

[RAYJAY]

Glad to hear that everything went well! I hope they will be covering the repairs to your transmission without a hassle.

If her insurance has accepted liability - she is just grasping at straws in filing a claim with your insurance. That will be a speedy denial.

Doug

+1

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Well her insurance called me this morning and they determined that she is liable so they are gonna pay. They told me to take it to a mechanic and then they will see about paying the extra money for repairing the damage to the tranny...I'm so happy that is done with, one less thing I have to deal with. She still has a claim filed against me...hopefully Geico will see it the same way and deny her sorry azz!! I will keep you guys posted. Thanks for all the comments and all the help

Good to hear! Let us know how it all works out!

 

[Dealer]

just an update if anyone is still following this, an estimator is coming to look at my car today...in my driveway...he won't be able to see the real damage, but he is from my town(which is a very small town) and he is going to talk to my mechanic also. He sounded really cool on the phone, all the other people I have talked to from USAA are jerks to me, saying well this car is old and this is normal wear and tear blah blah blah. I guess I should find out something today or tomorrow.