Pt cruiser accident

[PTloser32805]

Headed to work last week. Going around a two lane roundabout. A lady crashed into me on the rear drivers side. Door is damaged.

She was ticketed for failure to yield. I’m going through her insurance. The adjuster is coming out in a few days.

I wonder if they will repair it or just total it.

[rckstein]

Sorry to hear about your accident

Can you post any pictures?

Is only the door damaged or also the rocker panel, 1/4 panel, or B pillar?

If only the door, for a body shop to get a good replacement door, switch everything over to it and paint it you're probably $700-$1000+.

Look up the current Kelley Blue Book or NADA values for your PT. Also gather any high-dollar repair receipts that you may have recently done to it as those can be used to leverage a higher value for your PT.

Good luck and don't accept the first offer from their insurance company.

[_PTGT03]

First thing you should do is call an injury lawyer. Don't talk to the adjuster. Have the lawyer do all the discussing with the adjuster. You may be entitled to compensation for injuries along with getting the vehicle repaired since you're not at fault.

[circus]

Originally Posted by _PTGT03

First thing you should do is call an injury lawyer. Don't talk to the adjuster. Have the lawyer do all the discussing with the adjuster. You may be entitled to compensation for injuries along with getting the vehicle repaired since you're not at fault.

If health is at all questionable, I'd go to a doctor first.

[JoeX]

Several long years ago before my PTs I had a 03 Neon and the drivers door was backed into, insurance from the guy that backed into it gave up $1200 without question. Found one same color, took me day to travel to pick it up and install. Bought some wheels with tires and still had a few $ left

[Handy_Cruiser]

Originally Posted by PTloser32805

Headed to work last week. Going around a two lane roundabout. A lady crashed into me on the rear drivers side. Door is damaged.

She was ticketed for failure to yield. I’m going through her insurance. The adjuster is coming out in a few days.

I wonder if they will repair it or just total it.

First if you aren't hurt, you're not hurt. That's a good thing and it likely means you will be treated fairly. What I've always found is that on liability cases, the insurance company is glad to take care of you on your old car because what they ultimately want is for you to sign a release so you can't come after them for medical costs later. Almost any medical procedure will cost more than a PT Cruiser. So the adjusters are usually glad to be relatively generous on the car part of it.

If me, I'd go to several dealership that have similar PT's to yours. Take photos of each car and get a official quote from each dealership. If you pick the right dealerships, the quotes will be fairly high. Have these quotes ready but don't show them to the adjuster to begin with. Just tell him or her how much you loved your car and all the things you've done to make it so perfect. If the adjuster tries to offer you too little, then pull out the quotes. That's you negotiating angle.

This all assumes that they will just total your PT. Then other thing to do is go to several very nice body repair shops and get estimates. You can use these the same way while negotiating. Unless your PT has only superficial damage, it's likely going to be cheaper to total it rather than repair it. Also know that your don't have to use the insurance company's repair shop.

In summary, be ready with quotes from dealerships and body repair shops. But in most cases, the insurance will be generous in order get a quick release to avoid followup medical costs. Of course if you are injured, they will need to cover all your bills.

Beyond this, you are likely entitled to a rental car while all this is being settled. So don't forget to ask for that too and some amount any for lost wages if you couldn't go to work due to the accident.

PS: If you happened to have "uninsured motorist" coverage on your insurance policy, you can sometimes default to letting your insurance company take care of you. They will then turn around a sue the other party's insurance for the cost. But you will not have to deal with it. It's makes things pretty worry free. I've done this a couple of times when the other insurance company didn't want to play ball.

Disclaimer - I just came from the dentist and I am well medicates. So my writing and thought process may be worse than normal.

[PTloser32805]

The damage it mostly to the door. There is slight damage to the rear quarter panel.

Adjuster is coming out tomorrow. I will try to get some quotes in the morning before he comes.

The city of clearwater is crazy not to fix the roundabout. I might actuallly have some nervousness to be on the road because of this...

[circus]

Originally Posted by PTloser32805

roundabout. I might actuallly have some nervousness to be on the road because of this...

Roundabouts change t-bone to glancing collisions. Makes sense for cars, not so much for motorcycles. I fear for my life every time.

Post a photo. Amazing repairs can be done with PDR (paintless dent repair). I've removed several on my cruiser and I don't know squat about PDR. I wouldn't mention it to the appraiser.

[PTloser32805]

Hey guys, just an update...


Her insurance company deemed it a total loss.

I still need to send in my statement, then see what they say.

I hope to keep the car and get a fair amount of money.

I was at a gas station this dude rolled up. Said he could fix it. Said $110. Then 60. Then agreed to $40. He did a good job at pulling most of it out. While I was in the gas station I returned to see he somehow put a small hole in the sheet metal.

I was sad, but thought to myself...whatever.

It’s a lot better than it was.

[chuzz]

Sounds to me like you got what you paid for. The hole is probably where he attached the puller.