I've got an issue, and need the boards help

[Superhatch]

Resolved. After taking it in to the dealership they noted that the column plastics were askew and that was the only issue. They just took them off, re-seated them on the column. They did a full alignment and didn't make any changes. Thanks for all the help.

[#87]

Why not involve your insurance and tell them the car doesn't drive straight and the steering is not on center. It is easier to work with an adjuster than a dealer IMO.

[King Tut]

Call your insurance company and let them handle it. You should have done that from the start when she hit you. That is why you pay them each month/6 months. Your other option would be to call the women's insurance company and allow them to handle it. Good luck calculating the potential loss of value due to a slightly askew steering column.

[5th 86]

Wtf how does hitting the panels and touching the wheel mess up the steering column, i can see messing with the alignment but the column, weird.

[#87]

What company do you have? It seems shady they would suggest only going through her insurance. What they should have said is if you don't want to pay your deductible you should go through her insurance which may take a lot longer. If you go through your insurance you will pay your deductible and when they get the money from hers, the reimburse you the deductible.

You pay them to take care of things like this for you. I definitely don't want to haggle with insurance companies and will gladly take the temporary loss of deductible to avoid it.

[AznBRZer]

#87 has a point. Why the hell did your insurance company tell you to not file a claim with them when they'd get reimbursed for any costs to begin with?

[Onealpha]

Originally Posted by Superhatch

I called my insurance company first thing. Since it seemed pretty cut and dry their suggestion was to not file a claim and just work through the other lady's insurance, which is what I'm currently doing. I plan on calling my agent today and updating her. My concern is that my car has potentially lost a lot of value, and I won't be reimbursed for it because it still drives just fine.

Anyone who drives the car will note that it drives like normal and I wouldn't want to commit insurance fraud to get this covered.

Your insurance company is doing the right thing by you. The reason they sent you to the other persons insurance is because it is a cut and dry case. If you go through your own insurance company you are subject to a deductable. Your insurance company will try to get that deductable back for you but it could take months if not years. So, you go directly through her insurance company and they take care of everything. Also, they are required to provide you with a rental car while your vehicle is being repaired. If you ask for it of course. If you went through your own insurance company, you have the deductable, then you only get rental if you selected this coverage when you got your policy. Most people don't have rental on their own policy even though it cost like $10 more every six months.

So, your insurance agent was doing right by you. If you run into problems with her company, you can always file a claim with your own company later. Best bet is to try dealing directly with her company first. Good luck to you!

And yes, no company will cover loss of value. That is why many people don't file claims for small items as they will show up on CarFax when it is time to sell as well as possibly raising insurance rates on next renewal. Also, many people dont keep their car after accidents due to the loss of value. I wish I had traded my last car in as soon as it came back from the body shop. I got killed when I traded it last month.

[Turbowned]

That's very iffy looking. I can't offer any specific advice but I hope you get it fixed properly at no additional expense to you.

[#87]

lol @ years. I had a "50/50" claim that took less than a month to get half my deductible. Strong scare tactics.

[ntron1]

When you have it repaired have the steering wheel thing fixed too. Could be a bent A- Arm, sway bar or just a slight toe out. If you can have it repaired at the dealer then you are good for the balance of the warranty. How much value do you think you lost?

[kevman_101]

Very slightly bent tie rod that will be fixed by getting an alignment. The rest of the cosmetics will have to be fixed at a body shop.

[ntron1]

Originally Posted by Superhatch

MSRP is 28.8K, I've owned mine about a year, so lets say I could sell it for 25K (roughly).

How much would you pay for a BRZ that had a shimmed steering rack?

I'd wager I could get 20K for it, maybe.

For $5K, Her A$$ and the owner of the property would be getting sued for that plus Court costs. She would notify her insurance company and they would settle with you on the spot. Of course you would have to have enough expert evidence to show your loss or the Judge will dismiss it immediately.

[King Tut]

$5k diminished value for a shimmed steering rack, haha. Refuse to accept the car back until all issues are fixed including a new steering rack if required.

[Rayme]

I'd love to see that part without the plastic and see what is exactly crooked. Is the tilt / slide in and out of the steering still ok? I'm kind of suprised, looks like major damage from a light accident.