Rear-Ended in the X5
 

Hi,
Got rear-ended while sitting at a traffic light yesterday. We were both stopped at the light, and when the left turn lane went, so did the guy behind me.

No major damage as he was probably only going 2-3MPH when he hit me. The rear bumper cover has some scratches and is a bit miss-shaped, the aero kit upper center section is cracked and the trailer hitch cover is pretty beat up too. I snapped it back into place after taking the photos. One of the PDC sensors trim ring is a flattened a bit on the bottom edge.

Any advise on filing a claim, I have a $500 deductible, or just pay for the myself?
Also, should I have a shop do the work, or just do it myself?

Thanks for any insight...

I got hit a while back and the repair was over a 1K.
Get it quoted by three places and decide what to do after you have some hard facts.

Good luck.

Called the police, so I have a police report from the scene as well as photos of my X, his car and the intersection where it happened per the officer's suggestion. I have a copy of the police report, and the other guy has the same insurance company that I do, so that should help.

Just looking at the few parts I know are needed on realOEM, I'm over $1000 just in parts with no labor of paint (Aero kit) work.

Appreciate the advice from both of you. I'll see what insurance has to say, and what the estimates work out to. Will let you know just FYI.

Thanks,

Just happened to me last week in my E70. Woman turned around to tend to her granddaughter in the back seat and basically drove into me. Her Altima was totaled. Don't know how fast she was going but I'd guess greater than 20 mph. Knocked my glasses off, I was surprised how much my back actually hurt-seems okay now. Lower tailgate panel and plastic bumper will have to be replaced, the parking sensors no longer work. Her insurance company will have an appraiser look at it tomorrow. Have not had a chance to get it appraised. My damage as well as OP's does not in my opinion fall into the realm of reducing the value ( especially mine with 131k miles) but be aware that more damage could impact trade-in/resale and in that case, one may want to negotiate for diminished value.

Apologies for going off topic and being a bit nosey; What is this thing attached to your X5? :confused:

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

Update
 

Got 3 estimates today, ranging from $1350 to $1750. Basically replacing the bumper cover, bracket and center section of the aero kit. Will probably do the work myself as it looks straight forward and that way I know nothing else will get screwed up.

My insurance estimator told me to let him know if I find anything else and they will add it to the total. I have a check in hand for the $1750 amount.

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

You'd get pulled over so fast here for running red and blue lights :D. I like it though

I wonder if his battery will make it from one oil change to the next.

The front's are on when the AEs are lit, and the rears only when the Plate lights are on. They are all LEDS, so they would run from a 9v battery 24/7 for about a month.

Thanks.

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

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

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? :thumbup:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 ;)