Only 1 week old... and this happened

[clearviewx]

Let's put this way I would not be nice in this situation. That sucks.

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[REMUB40]

Remember when they used to actually fail people on driving tests? They clearly dont anymore. 50% of drivers I see have no clue about basic driving rules. I see people on highways at night using the passing lane as a breakdown lane. U turns in emergency passthrough. turns from center lanes onto single lane traffic and just cut off the drivers in the correct lane... and they don't even realize that they are doing anything wrong.

Got a new job 3 years ago that came with a company vehicle. Everyone has to take the Smith driving course. Granted I am now 61 and a very good driver, I did make some defensive adjustments. Number one company policy is to back into parking spaces. I was in a parking lot one time and watched two people back into each other, hilarious.

 

[commadorebob]

And I can't take a vehicle home because of the small chance the back up camera doesn't immediately work.

 

[Maverick Grabber]

All the body shops in this area are backed up 3-4 months. The shop I'm going to do the work said parts are showing that they are available but he won't know if they're backordered until he actually orders them.

Dang sorry to hear that, I have family that was in the body repair business and know a couple adjusters pretty well, just seemed like a long time

 

[flynomore]

That's gotta hurt. You, not the truck. But, I can relate to this. My Maverick was wrecked and unsellable during transport to the dealership.

Wow that really sucks! At least I have one to drive. Sorry you didn't get yours.

 

[FloodingdowninTX]

The average driver is catastrophically shitty at actual driving. I never ceased to be amazed at just HOW bad people are at driving. At least the damage is minor and it isn't going to be a lost vehicle.

My parking capabilities are worse than ever, particularly with my Maverick. It's narrow, but long. And the rear view camera is deceptive. I've never hurt anyone, or their vehicle. But I spend embarrassingly repetitive steps to own my parking space. I'm amazed seeing you full size truck guys whip into a parallel spot. Respect.

 

[notfast]

Now, I EXPECT the other car to move into my lane, and take two or three lanes to turn a corner. Riding a motorcycle also taught me years ago that I am invisible.

Same here. Commuted by motorcycle for a couple years and I currently commute by bicycle. I attest that experience to giving me a heightened sense of situational awareness. When driving, I just let idiots be idiots. I might get there ten minutes later, but even in heavy stop-and-go traffic, I'll arrive with minimal stress.

One thing for me is I don't have a set speed I must travel at. Traffic is dynamic and so is the speed I want to go. If there's heavy traffic, I back off. If there's no one, I open it up. If the traffic stacks up, I gradually slow down.

I'm telling You! My co-worker is horrible!

I've been in two collisions with airbag deployment. Both were when I was a passenger with coworkers whom I trusted to drive.

I now have a (very) short list of people whom I'd get into a car with, unless they're professional drivers.

I tell people, I won't get there quickly, but I will get there safely. I've driven over half a million miles without a single at-fault accident, in just about every kind of weather possible west of the Rockies, and I intend on keeping it that way.

Since it's going through insurance, there will be a ding on your car fax about this accident, which means the value of your truck will be less. So ask for Diminish Value from her insurance company. Read this to help you understand how to ask for it.

After I was rear-ended, I initially just wanted a diminished value claim, but the other party's insurance refused. Some thing about calculating the present value of the vehicle's forecasted depreciation and the time that I intended to sell the vehicle.

I had to get a lawyer friend involved in order to get a settlement. Long story short, I received the full value of the other party's insurance policy ("policy limit demand"). Paying my diminished value claim would've been literally 99% cheaper, but so be it.

This is why I'm so paranoid when driving my own Maverick.

I've bought two cars brand new and that first damage (no matter how minor) always hurt the most.

Everything else I bought was pre-owned. I put a dent in my Nissan Frontier about a week after I bought it. I was pulling into the garage and hit a cooler that I couldn't see. I haven't bothered to repair it because it matches the dent on the other side from the previous owner.

I will say that I used to keep my vehicles in absolutely mint/pristine condition. I'd wax them once a week and repair any minor imperfection as soon as possible. I realized that the only person I was stressing out was myself, and it's not like a used car in mint condition is going to be worth that much more than one in typical condition.

I got a nice reality check when I sold my previous commuter to a dealership. The vehicle was a little dirty on the outside, but the inside was in literal like-new condition. The sales manager tried to suppress his look of surprise when he opened the door, especially after I told him that the car has 200,000 miles on it. I got fair market value for the vehicle, which was just about 20% more than a vehicle in typical condition.

Now 20% is 20%, but the vehicle was worth $5000 in typical condition. Was the extra $1000 worth it to keep it in that good of condition for that long? In my opinion, hardly. I definitely lost money with the extra upkeep. The paint protection film alone was half that amount.

I'm sure I could've gotten above market value if I sold it privately, but I value time and convenience to an extent. And buyers of cars that cheap typically want, well, a cheap car. Not really a well-maintained car.

I wouldn't say I let myself go, but I now don't let the little things bother me. I'll keep the car washed, vacuumed, and tidy, but minor dings/scrapes/scratches are just wear and tear.

For anyone else in a similar mindset, I encourage you to go peruse your local CarMax or other franchised used car lot and see the condition of typical late-model used cars.

all the body shops will be fully booked or parts will be on back order.

Had that experience with a previous vehicle, and I just needed a warranty repair. I bought it about six months after it was first available. Had to wait a few months for a new blend door assembly to come in.

Being so used to that, I was mildly shocked when I needed a warranty repair on my Nissan Frontier. I asked when I should bring the vehicle back, and the service writer said the parts would be there the next day. (Though it helps that the 2nd gen Frontier is a dinosaur and had nearly a 15-year run. I'm sure literally everything for it is available on a shelf somewhere).

people judge other's driving just by taking a good look at their vehicle. If it's dirty/heavily wrecked, it shows they're typically a real s***ty driver and don't care about their vehicle. If it's clean and presentable, it shows they drive defensively and care for their own vehicle.

As both a former dealership mechanic and former auto detailer, I'd bet money that 90% of the motoring public sees their vehicles as transportation appliances. Maybe 5% see their vehicles as some sort of status symbol, and the enthusiasts are definitely in the low single digits.

I've seen both ends of the spectrum. People with Honda Civics that I'm sure take their shoes off before getting inside, and go over the vehicle with a fine-tooth comb. Then there's people living in multimillion-dollar homes that drive (how does the song go?) Beamers, Benz, or Bentleys that absolutely trash those things and call me to clean it up.

(Though in all honesty, the more well-off customers were generally easygoing, easy to please, and paid/tipped well. I'm sure the customer with the Civic probably saved up for a while to afford a professional detailing job and wanted to ensure they are getting their money's worth. Meanwhile, the cost of a detailing job to a well-off customer is probably a rounding error.)

For that reason I always try to park in the far reaches of the parking lot, away from other cars.

I just generally park away from others because it makes loading/unloading easier, makes finding the car easier, and makes it easier to leave the parking lot since you're not waiting for a dozen people to cross the aisle or something similar.

People just don’t care, they’ll open their doors into you and not even think twice about it.

I agree. I've had people slam their handbags/duffel bags into my cars (not intentionally, but carelessly), throw their doors open, lose control of their shopping carts, etc. I once watched someone throw all their trash onto my car's windshield cowling, then speed off.

As I was cleaning it up, I found a receipt. It was for a fancy restaurant nearby and they rang up quite the bill, paid with a credit card, and wrote "NO" on the tip line. The receipt had their first and last name, which was fairly unique. I found them on social media and knew it was them based on their name and their vehicle.

 

[LM42]

My parking capabilities are worse than ever, particularly with my Maverick. It's narrow, but long. And the rear view camera is deceptive. I've never hurt anyone, or their vehicle. But I spend embarrassingly repetitive steps to own my parking space. I'm amazed seeing you full size truck guys whip into a parallel spot. Respect.

But you clearly know your limitations and drive extra careful because of it. Most are not the same

 

[Clifdawg]

OUCH! Sorry to see this. That’s a real bummer. I had a Mazda3 for years, and on its first vacationing voyage the first year we owned it, an SUV hit it and ran while it was parked. Left a huge dent in the rear driver-side quarter panel. I was so mad.

In the meantime, while you wait, you can always fix it up with a Wile E. Coyote decal…

 

[Joseaoe1]

Hopefully no damage to the hinge or frame around the door. If just the door I would be tempted to find an unblemished one in same color at a car-part salvage yard and try swapping myself--needle in haystack.
My new Maverick rear quarter panel was creased in a hit-and-run and I am also waiting for shop repair. I took a trip to a junk yard and looked at a potential replacement, same-color panel. But the potential donor had significant paint damage at the tack-welds where it was removed... so still opting to wait for the repair.

 

[JennyJoannSuebeeMcNash]

That is a major bummer.

I put a very small dent in my tailgate on the 10th of March after backing up on a really rainy night into a collection of mailboxes in my friend's subdivision. No damage to mailboxes, but left a small almost unnoticeable dent in my tailgate.

As for your damage after one week:

 

[Dudley]

As I enter a parking lot, my instinct is to find the first spot in an empty corner and back in. I do NOT head for the middle of the lot. I'll walk.

Yea, that is a REAL BUMMER! I bet you pretty much melted and had a sick to the stomach feeling!!!!

I agree with the above. Too many people just start backing out, no looking or could care less about how they open their door.
I actually do the same with both my 125,000 mile 2003 Grand Cherokee and "my wife's" a bit over 2000 miles in 6 months Mav that she doesn't want to leave the garage if possible unless it is not raining to the point that it's only been dirty enough for me to hand wash and chamois 4 times and IF she lets me drive is willing for me to drop her off at the store door and find such a parking spot for HER Mav.

 

[Dudley]

Since it's going through insurance, there will be a ding on your car fax about this accident, which means the value of your truck will be less. So ask for Diminish Value from her insurance company. Read this to help you understand how to ask for it.

Diminish Value link bookmarked!!!!

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