You are making a ton of assumptions that are all incorrect. 1) Lexus definitely isn't going to give you good trade value. In fact, they are going to hit you unreasonably hard. If you feel you have to sell it (which isn't necessary), I recommend selling it private party retail. 2) Your damage may include structural/unibody issues, but that doesn't translate to mechanical damage. Usually, the only mechanical issues you have to worry about on a rear end it are the exhaust. If a rear end impact is hard enough, it can possibly damage the suspension via the unibody, but that is rare, and if your impact was that hard, you wouldn't be able to drive the car. 3) No warranty can be voided by a collision claim, except the specific items actually damaged in the collision. Google The Magnuson/Moss Warranty Act. This is a federal thing that protects vehicle owner's from having manufacturer's or any seller's of extended warranties from doing a blanket void on a warranty (i.e. if your bumper and trunk have to be replaced; Lexus can refuse to warranty the trunk and bumper (which is not a bid deal, since the body shop will give you a lifetime warranty on those items) but can't refuse to warranty any items that were undamaged as part of the loss)
Ha! My incorrect assumptions just go to show how little I know about cars and this process. I really appreciate your help. Thanks.
No...grew up there. My parents still live off of S. Millbend. Used to ride my bike over that bridge to Sawmill Park.
This is whey Codell is the person I trust most when it comes to matters of auto repair. I trust others as well, but some flat out don't know jack about car stuff.
Dealing with GEICO is so much fun (pure sarcasm)! Apparently they have a shortage of adjusters in Houston and can provide no timetable on when they will come to see my car. They said that I should take it to their shop for faster service. Otherwise, I need to be patient and wait. I'm considering letting Allstate (my insurance) take care of all of this and then they can fight GEICO. Should I go for this, or should I wait for GEICO? I realize that I will pay a deductable with my insurance, but Allstate should recoup that from GEICO. Plus, I think Allstate might be a little more generous in what they offer me for my car, since they'll be getting it back. Your $0.02?
That's what you get for driving a fancy car. They charge you fancy prices for repairs and maintenance services.
Volunteer to bring it to one of their drive in services. One of their adjusters is always @ D&D Collision off of 45N and Hardy Toll Road right there between Spring and The Woodlands. You can go either way. Its always easier to deal with the at fault carrier directly so you aren't out a deductible. Otherwise, Allstate will handle it via subrogation which can take a while. I'd just tell Geico you want to go by one of their drive in estimate locations and then bring it to your own shop.
I offered to let the adjuster look at it at D&D, but they said that they wouldn't let me do that and then have the car taken elsewhere. They would only pay for one tow.
I'm surprised you could tell by the pic! I dealt with Nathan (he was the guy that was available when I went).
I'll actually be back there to see Nathan tomorrow or Wednesday to have a fog light replaced out. They were supposed to do it with the rest of the car, but they got the HID lights instead. This will cost me about $200.00. What surprised me about all of this was that they would not take a credit card for the body work.
