Rear-Ended in the X5

[THE VEIN]

did the guy offer to pay out of pocket? if I was u I wouldn't pay a dime out of my own pocket.

[Tazojla]

Originally Posted by 95wildtt

Tazojla: That's one of my custom lighting modules, see photos for views of both front and rear.

Hmm, not sure if I like it. Kinda weird but in a good way. No chance I'd get away with it in the UK

[Doug Huffman]

LOL SWAG engineering?

A LiPo 'transistor battery' has about 1000 mAh capacity. There are 720 hours in a month. ~1.4 mA load could draw for a month without regarding discharge characteristics.

Standard miniature LEDs draw 20 mA (ranging from approximately 40 mW to 90 mW). I'll bet the illustrated LED's are high power CREE's drawing hundreds of mA.

[95wildtt]

Originally Posted by Doug Huffman

LOL SWAG engineering?

A LiPo 'transistor battery' has about 1000 mAh capacity. There are 720 hours in a month. ~1.4 mA load could draw for a month without regarding discharge characteristics.

Standard miniature LEDs draw 20 mA (ranging from approximately 40 mW to 90 mW). I'll bet the illustrated LED's are high power CREE's drawing hundreds of mA.

Hi,
You bet wrong, what do I win?
Cree LEDs for subtle marking lights... Really?
Don't assume everyone is ignorant or stupid, you may be the one who is...

FYI, they draw 5-6mA per LED based on vehicle voltage at any given time. They've been limited so they are not bright enough to cause attention from the local police and are meant as a subtle addition. There are 6 total LEDs for a draw of maybe 40mA, worst case... In your great wisdom, do you think I need to up the size of my alternator to handle that extra current load?

Also thanks for taking the numbers literally, it was meant as an example for the low current draw, and in fact they are switched so they are only on when the other lighting systems are in use. Again, hope my X5 can handle the extra 40mA current load given all of the other "low wattage lighting" like HIDs and fog lamps...

I'm a EE, been doing this stuff since the early 80s, think I can calculate the current through a resistor and an LED but good assumptions that your the only "smart" one on the planet.

General rule for these forums, since you haven't been around here long:
Useful information is great on these forums, being an A-Hole isn't needed. Lots of great folks here who contribute good info, like DIYs and advice, and help solve others problems.

FYI, I only posted this info on these LEDs, hi-jacking my own thread, as it was requested by another member.

You have now proven to everyone who reads this that you are a genius and I am an idiot, you may resume your life. Thanks.

[Doug Huffman]

LOL I wrote thirty words. You took ten times as many trying to convince an Internet audience. I was an engineer, but retired and stopped practicing in 1995. ETA: WOW! Just noticed, twenty years ago on 17 September.

[absentmathis]

Originally Posted by texvette

Even if file on his insurance. Your premium will probably go up.
I had a agent tell me if file a claim, your companies will know, go
on your account. insurance companies are not your friend

Sorry to dredge up an older post but this is 100% false and needs to be corrected. A driver should not and would not be penalized by their insurance company if the other party is at fault. They will also not be charged a deductible. Of course people so often don't know the rules that they get scammed by insurance, but this is how it works. There is also no reason to get three estimates. Take it to the shop of your choice and have it repaired like new at he cost of the party that caused the collision.

[absentmathis]

Originally Posted by trader4

I mostly agree about your insurance company not raising your
rates for an accident where you were not at fault. In fact, I posted
similar here. But while I think most insurance companies would
not, I don't think you can absolutely rule out that some might.
It also could depend on your driving history. Clean record, no
claims in 10 years, is one thing. But if you had some tickets, had
other claims, then I could see them using the latest accident, even
though you were not at fault, to raise your rates. But I agree, that
with the facts given here, I'd put the claim into my insurance company.

I think you're wrong on saying that you can take it anywhere and
don't need more than one quote. There is no guarantee that the
other party's insurance company will fully pay any price for the repair.
If you choose to get it done for $5000 and they say it can be done
for $2500, there are other reputable shops that will do it at that
price, then the insurance company may only pay the $2500. You
could then sue the other party to try to collect the difference,
but having a few quotes so you know what's realistic, what position
you're in to negotiate upfront, etc I think isn't a bad idea.
Simplest thing I'd do is take the car to the body shop of my choice
and have the insurance adjuster go over there to check it out.
That way, the body shop guy can tell him, "look, that also needs
to be fixed, you can't just replace this one piece, etc". If that
results in a good number, you're done. If not, then I'd go get
other estimates and start arguing.

If an insurance company raises your rates as a result of an accident where you were not at fault, they are acting unethically and outside of the law. One's driving history does not matter at all in this instance. Now they may adjust your rates for OTHER occurrences (tickets, etc) that happened in the same renewal period, but that's not the same thing.

Laws vary by state, but in Indiana (OP) and NC (where I live) there is absolutely no requirement to get three estimates and you can take your car anywhere you want to get it fixed. It is then up to the insurance company and the body shop to negotiate mutually acceptable terms. The shop may refuse to come to terms with the insurer, but that is basically unheard of. I agree that getting multiple estimates is a good way to inform yourself though, and you can always try to get paid out at a higher rate and repaired for less. That's your right.

[Skyline]

As far as getting multiple bids, this is not a bidding process where multiple bids are required or even advisable. When someone hits you, and is clearly at fault, cost does not matter, it will be going against their insurance, not yours. What matters is getting your vehicle back to as close to perfect condition as possible.

So you want the BEST body shop in town, not the cheapest. If in doubt, get the body shop the local BMW dealer uses. I would advise against doing the work yourself unless you have a downdraft paint booth in your garage, equipped with infrared paint heater, compressor with sophisticated water removal, and about a $500 HVLP spray gun. Not to mention proper EPA approval. My guess is that you're looking at over $2,000 damage at a top body shop.

The way to handle this is to first select your body shop. Then give him the details of the other party's insurance. The body shop manager will make an appointment at his shop for the appraiser to come see the car. Some body shops have arrangements with certain insurers so no appraisal is necessary, but don't count on that. They will tell you when to leave the car so the appraiser can come see it. The body shop manager will work out the cost with the insurer to their mutual satisfaction. He will negotiate on your behalf, and will definitely get enough money to fix the car without any shortcuts. In this case you should not owe a penny. NEVER have an appraiser see a car at your house...what do you know about bodywork estimation?

BTW, right after everything is agreed at the body shop is a perfect time to discuss with the body shop manager any additional work you want done. For example if you've been thinking about taking care of those scratches on the front bumper, but have never quite got around to it...now is the time. The body shop will be mixing your paint, doing all the processes, and additional work will be much cheaper since they are already working on your car.

[jeep]

I have taken my cars to only 1 body shop here in the bay area, it was recommended by my BMW dealer and they are great (except for 1 minor instance). Most of the body shops work with insurance companies or if they don't work with the responsible party's insurance provider they will probably do the work for the estimate they created, that's been my experience.

To the earlier point, your insurance rates will not go up if you are not at fault, again that's been my experience and if they do go up you always have a choice of other insurance providers. Competition is what makes capitalism work

To the OP, so what did you end up doing? (BTW, I like your LED upgrades