I got rear ended on sat and although i was able to drive it home, it just aint right. I was the middle guy in a 3 car wreck so front and back were damaged. The thing is, the damage doesnt looke that bad, bumpers are messed up the rear tailgate wont colse and there is some body damage. What concerns me is the was my engine seemed to change sounds. I have BFG AT tires and it sounds like I have some boggers on when I drive, thats how i describe the engine noise. The back end feels loose, and when i turn a corner the back end feels like its lifting up and gets a little loose. Just to say how hard i was hit, when i was hit from behind, i was forced back hard enough to break the reclining part of the drivers seat. The adjuster is coming out tomorrow and i want to make sure I dont get screwed, cause its the other guys adjuster. Thanks
After a wreck I would have had it towed. But since you did drive it home.... depending on how you were hit unibodys can taco badly as can frames. It's possible if the hit nailed your tires that the entire driveline was hit and U-joints or even axles were bent. It doesn't take much to bend an axle if you hit it right.
I'd demand the local Jeep dealer do the damage assessment and that they also do the repair work or recommend the shop that does. There are only two shops around here that I would trust. And that is based on seeing their work.
Also check if your area has insurance laws on "diminished value". Basically they have to pay you the loss of bluebook value caused by the wreck.
Firstly you need to go to your family doctor to get checked out. These type collisions can cause some severe LIFELONG pain and once you sign the check the adjuster hands you.... you are out of luck.
After that you need to get your Jeep to YOUR garage for a complete inspection. The fact that you now have a lot of noise that was not there before should indicate that there is some serious damage to the driveline and/or axles.
At that point you can invite their adjuster in to approve the damage estimate.
At this point in there is any disagreement with YOUR man then simply say "We will let the lawyers decide" and ask their man to leave.
If the other driver was cited then he has little recourse than to fulfill his obligations to fix your vehicle. If nothing else be sure you go to court when he appears and be sure the judge knows that he has refused to make adequate compensation for his damage (He is responsible to you, not his insurance company) then turn the claim over to your insurance.
It doesn't matter who caused the accident..... your insurance is going to count this against you anyway as soon as they find out so there is no need for you to resist.
If you have a quality insurance agent you will have no worries, it is his job to protect you.
My agent told me I should only make 3 calls. The first is to the police, the second to my family, and the third to him.
He said he will tell me to see my family doctor and arrange for towing if necessary, consult with the guys at the garage, get me a rental car, and contact the other persons insurance company because that is HIS job.
I got hit in a parking lot two years ago out of state by a college girl. There was, initially, a bit of confusion because it was a multi state deal so when her insurance did not immediately settle my agent filed on my insurance, paid the full claim minus my $500 deductible and then had their lawyers call her lawyers. Another check for $500 came about a week later.
Perhaps they played hardball.... he later told me he called the girls family and told them that a copy of the UK Police accident report (she admitted her fault) and a copy of his report (including her insurance companies refusal to settle) to KY's DMV as insurance is required to have a driver's license.
I called to thank my agent after the second check arrived and he told me the girl's adjuster even tried to screw him by disallowing things on the estimate..... including silly things like masking and covering the parts of the bodywork that we not being painted.... ($12) and wanting to use lower than factory quality paint.
Crap, I feel for ya, cuz my jeep got t-boned 1 1/2 years ago and I am just about to now have everything worked out on it. The insurance adjusters, and even the shop I took it to didn't find all the damages and little things wrong with it, and it was up to me to learn everything I could about TJ's and fix it myself.
I brought many little things to the attention of my insurance company and they found ways to legally just blow me off, which made me mad but I really expected it from them. I suggest, if you are going to keep this thing forever like I am mine, that you get the factory service manual. Then look around every nook and cranny and inspect everything yourself, after all work is done to it. You might find the little things that are overlooked.
Of course it's the OTHER guy's adjuster. He'll offer you a check on the spot. Refuse it no matter how pushy he/she gets. Don't take or sign anything until you talk to your own insurance company!
Call your insurance guy and let your insurance adjusters & attorneys settle for you. The other guy's company is going to try to get you to sign a check NOW and you're hosed - especially if you find out later you're having headaches, neck/back pain or troubel sleeping. I'd bet by your descripttion that your vehicle is going to require thousands of $$$ worth of repairs - if it's fixable at all.
You pay for insurance for a reason and it's not in case you're at fault.
State Farm, here in Florida. I know they are usually a good insurance company and that in the past I had a cadillac that caught on fire and they gave me more money for it than I thought I would get, which I am grateful for, but they seemed to have stiffed me a little on my jeep this time out. I was hit by a guy who turned out had lied about his insurance and they're still to this day trying to get money out of him.
One issue was the ball joints in the front, which I know will wear out faster since I do have a lift and bigger tires and all, but I baby this thing even offroad and I knew for a fact that everything was perfect before the accident. They were tweaked pretty bad in the accident from the way I was hit and they didn't want to replace them so I learned how to do it myself with the help of the great people in this group.
Then there was my cv driveshaft, that at the time developed a squeak which turned out to be a shot cv joint that had to be replaced. I brought it up to their attention and they wrote it off because of the lift and tires. Again I fixed it myself. And then I found the rear track bar bracket was bent from the side impact and had to get a rear adjustable track bar to replace the whole thing. Oh and a bunch of other little things that I knew that they wouldn't help me with, so thats where I learned so much about jeeps heh. I even thought about convincing my bro to open up a shop with me to work on customizing vehicles, but thought against it cuz there aren't many lifted jeeps that I have seen in Jacksonville and mostly there are lowrider trucks which are more his thing.
However, I would have to say if you have a stock vehicle they will do you good.
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