HELP !! A lady Rear Ended my Aston Martin on October 1st, and it's Still in my Garage waiting to go to the Body Shop....

The lady admitted FULL Guilt, not only to me (on video), but also to the Police Officer, and on the Police Report.

I hate to mention the Lady's Insurance company, but when I talked to "Flo", she said they needed to do some sort of investigation before I could bring my car in for an estimate ?? ( Anyone know what that means ? )

Also, now that "Flo" has told me my car can now be brought in, the Estimate won't happen until later this week, which is over 3 weeks since the accident.. Wow.. Missing out on ALL of my amazing Fall drives, and Occasions !!!

The Body shop told me that this repair could take Months to complete, and when "Flo" called me again, she put me in touch with a Rental Car company, which told me that the Rental is ONLY for 30 days, AND............ It's either a Ford Focus, or Toyota Corolla !?!?! What ?

Why is it 30 Days ? is that the Law in Illinois ? Also, I don't expect another Aston Martin for a Rental car, but a Focus/Corolla ?? Seriously ???

What the heck can I do, or say before I bring my car in this Thursday ?? Please Help. Thank you

 

Hire an automotive lawyer to look out for your interests. Bring it to an authorized AM repair facility. One downtown and one in Glenview. Heed my warning.

 

Do you know of any attorneys for this ? I was told to go after their insurance for Diminished value, and loss of use too... Never been in this situation before, and not sure who to talk too..

 

Not offhand but I do remember a recurring ad in Hemmings about a lawyer who advertises those exact services. I believe his name is Bruce Shaw, Esq. Google him

 

I second the advice to bring it to an Aston Martin authorized repair facility. Their "approved body shop" WILL NOT fix it correctly, nor will they give an accurate estimate. Because it wasn't your fault and it's not your insurance company you have leverage to get it done correctly.

Here's a little story: I used to have an e39 BMW M5. Best car I ever owned, I miss it like you might miss an amputated ********. The car was in an accident one day. The insurance company sent out an adjuster, who looked at it for five minutes (did not even put it on a lift) and offered me a $4300 check for repairs. I said no.

I paid a tow company to take it to my local BMW dealer and got a REAL estimate to fix it with actual BMW parts by an actual BMW shop. The entire rear subframe was destroyed, two wheels, full exhaust, engine mounts, a door, rocker panel, rear fender. $22,340 in total damage.

The insurance company, who did not have the legal right to refuse the estimate from the manufacturer, totaled the car and paid its full value.

So, in your case, take it to Aston Martin and DEMAND the insurance company fix it properly. If they don't, file a lawsuit, and make sure they pay your lawyer. You have all the power in this situation.

 

Don't be surprised if your car is totaled by the insurance company after an AM service facility does their estimate. It's going to depend on a lot of variables... age, mileage, service records, etc. I'd get an attorney on standby for sure. Do you have it insured for an "agreed upon value"? Your Insurance company should be fighting for you and their insured property(your Aston). Good luck !

 

Do not deal with the other parties insurance, essentially since your not at fault. Call your agent and have them deal with everything. As advised take it only to Aston Martin service center. Your insurance will do as you want, once the car is repaired your insurance company will be reimbursed by Flo. You will have to pay the deductible to the body shop... you will have to get your deductible from Flo, may take awhile but you will get that paid also. You are in control here not Flo.

 

On the M5 Board this type of thread would start a bidding war on the undamaged parts... Most M5s are totaled by running into something, not the other way around! Best 4 door I have ever owned.

Couldn't agree more about lawyering up. Insurance companies stay in business by promising a lot and delivering as little as possible.

 

I disagree with going though your insurance company. I was rear ended in my daily last winter. I had a trade in arranged with my dealership (Land Rover). When I told them about the incident, they Reduced the value of my trade in by $11,500. If I went through my own company, I would not be entitled to a diminished value claim. I was able to recoup the entire amount through the other insurance company (not flo).

 

Dealing with their insurance you will need to retain a lawyer, having your insurance deal with them they have their own lawyers. As the OP said he is already getting jerked around by Flo.

 

I live in Ilinois. You need to call the Illinois Department of Insurance and explain your problem. They will help you or guide you on what to do. Filing a complaint with them will get Flo's attention. The Illinois Attoney General has consumer complaint unit or at least they did. Try them first before you spend money on an attoney. As you know Illinois has plenty of law firms looking to make a quick buck.

 

Sorry to hear your story

I have had similar problems here in Australia where I was getting screwed over by my insurer ( the most well known insurer for special or exotic cars) even though the other driver & their insurers accepted fault

obviously laws are different here so I cant add any advice other than - go to an Aston approved shop - only way to do it

needless to say when I resolved it I changed insurers



hope you sort it out

Graze

 

PM me if you want some professional help. I’ve been in the business for 30.... happy to help.

 

The car will most likely be totaled. There is a bit of a game going on right now in USA with salvage values. I am not stating this as fact. This info I was told by folks whose occupation will remain anonymous. After the car is totaled, ask your insurance company what you must pay to take possession of your now totaled car. If the price is far below what you can sell the parts for salvage, there is a kick back going on between adjuster and salvage companies. In some cases with some companies the adjuster, in a round about obfuscated way, pockets the difference between the salvage value and what he sells it to
the salvage yard for, a classic double dip. Remember, the adjuster has a long relationship with salvage companies and a very temporal one with you. What you can do, do not do this in person, is offer some sort of return to the adjuster comparable to what the salvage yards give him to keep him from totaling the car and creating a salvage title. This naturally, is of course, if you really love the car and want to keep it. Good luck.

 

This. Your company cares about taking care of you, the other company doesn't. Go through your insurance company, get the car fixed (you'll have to pay the deductible), and let your company go after the other company to get your deductible back to you.