...for my 03A41.8TQ...

I wake up yesterday morning to find my radio turned off...hmmm...
When I tried turning it back on, it's on "Safe" mode. Apparently, it was an electrical problem that reset my radio and I needed the code to reactivate it. Well, I ended having to go to my dealership before work to get the radio turned back on and get my system "recoded". Whatever that means. I eventually made it to work.

At 7:30PM when I left my office, I was driving my car for about 20 minutes on my way to a friend's, when suddenly my engine stopped: on an entrance ramp to a highway in Northern New Jersey, where I merge with many, MANY CRAAAAAZY drivers coming in from NYC. I immediately roll over as far right as possible, put my hazards on and place my hazard triangle about 30 feet behind my car. I called AAA and while I was waiting for a flatbed, about 10 minutes pass and a lady drives over the triangle and hits the driver's side of my car. She pulls over, says that it's no big deal. No big deal?!? I said that I'll let the cops decide. While I am calling the cops, another lady hits the rear driver's side of my car. In addition to body damage, my wheel is all bent out of shape.

I had the car towed back into the dealership this morning for an estimate. My insurance agent suggested that I go through the others' insurance companies since I was clearly not at fault. But I don;t even know if they have insurance.

One stall, two separate accidents and two separate insurance claims.

Not a good day.

If there's an upside to this story, I'm driving a brand new 2004 A4 as a loaner. As long as it doesn't stall on me, I'll be fine, I suppose.

I'll keep you guys posted, if you care.

-S

 

That sucks. Stupid drivers are one of my biggest pet peeves. It could have been worse, you could have been hurt. Not much consolation, I know, but there has to be an upside. Keep us posted. Oh, and the cops should be able to tell you if the other drivers had insurance. How much were the estimates for?

 

That absolutely sucks for you. 'Hope you get it all sorted out in your favor.

BTW: How could you not know if the other drivers have insurance?? Why didn't you get the insurance info from the drivers at the time of the accidents?

 

Thanks for the sympathy, guys.

Yeah, they both presented insurance cards at the scene. For some reason, though, I'm preparing for the worst case scenario, that (one of their) policies are cancelled, due to non payment, etc. Apparently, New Jersey is notorious for people like that and that's why the rest of our insurance rates are ridiculous.

I got the estimate for the car and it'll be roughly $5,000 for the structural damage; not as bad as I initially thought, but it's still $5,000. The mechanical problem will be covered under Audi warranty. My insurance agent is on top of my case and is helping me a great deal. I've also contacted an attorney just in case I get screwed.

Any advice for me would be much appreciated at this point.

The loaner's driving like a charm...so far...

-Your Japanese Friend

 

Best advice is to keep on top of all parties involved.
Make regular calls to the insurance agent and lawyer - twice a week is good - and stay informed.
Call the Audi Service tech and/or body shop tech on a regular basis, too.
Ask questions every time you don't understand something.
Keep a running log of all calls - who you spoke with, topic and important details, etc.
Keep a list of any concerns or questions so that you can keep track of progress.

These things will seem tedious, but are well worth the extra three minutes a day that they require. It's your car, and, in the long run, you will have to live with the final outcome. You'll want it to be perfect without regrets. It's very difficult to rectify a problem after the fact - better to address it as it comes up.

 

i agree with imola, i ahve been in a couple accidents (none my fault), and you have to stay on top of things. The more you slack off, the more money the insurance company saves by cutting corners and shady sh*t like that, not saying yours will, but possibly the other parties.

but at least you were not hurt, that is an upside. also it is a good idea that you are in touch with a lawyer, ive been involved in a law suite over an accient that happened 3 years ago, but thanks to my lawyers no money has come out of my pocket...

good luck with everything

 

The moral support's helping me right about now. Thanks guys.

Just an update...the insurance company who represents the lady that hit my mirror agreed to pay me for those damages. So that's taken care of.

The more extensive damage to the rear of my vehicle remains untouched because the driver's insurance company, AIG, is still waiting to take an official statement from their insured. The claim was filed last Wednesday and the lady has yet to contact them. I find out that the lady only has $5,000 coverage for property damage, and since the estimate is for $4,300, that leaves me with only $700 for car rental. The longer this lady waits to make a statement, the more I'll have to pay out of pocket for the rental. I could be screwed.

But that's why I notified my dealer and told them that I have contacted an attorney, to make sure that they would take partial responsibility for the accident. Hopefully, the dealer would be able to take care of any unpaid rental coverage. In no way am I trying to pull a fast one here... I just want to make sure that the dealer understands that their irresponsibility in maintaining my vehicle has caused much of the inconvenience...

As far as my loaner...after driving my 5-speed for 1 1/2 years, Tiptronic just ain't cutting it...

On a sidenote, my best friend (I was this guy's best man) just bought a house on Fisher Island in Florida and his wife is the fourth person in that state to be driving a 2004 Bentley Continental GT. What a life...

 

Your underinsured /uninsured provision should be able to handle any differences that the second lady's insurance can't cover. That's why you get that provision. Talk with your insurance company about this.

 

Update!

Good news for the most part...

The other parties' insurance companies are taking responsibility for the accident(s) and I will get my car repaired by next week some time.

Thanks for the advice on the underinsured provision, Imola. I'll look into it. Worst case scenario, I know that I'll have to dish out at least a couple of hundred bucks out of my own pocket for the overage on the rental car reimbursement. If that's the case, I plan to request the dealer to reimburse me. Since the car was in the shop in the morning and then it stalled on me again that evening, I think I have a strong case to say that their negligence ultimately caused the inconveniences.

Because I'm really not wanting to pay out more than necessary, I've downgraded to a Saturn. Y E A H!

 

Sounds good. Don't let your guard down, though. Stay on top of the issues with the repairs and keep everything documented.

Keep us posted.