Death to Doodle

Well guys/gals. The ride was fun while it lasted. Some idiot pulled out into oncoming traffic and I clipped him. I was doing about 45 and he was in a jacked up F150 4x4. Doodle took the lick like a champ, but, immediately started spewing black smoke from the exhaust pipe. The front end is toast, and it also sounds like it may have thrown a rod. When they crunk it to drive it onto the flat bed it was poring thick black smoke and sounded like screws were inside the combustion chamber. Airbags never deployed, but, I'm 99.9% sure that it will be a total loss. The front fender is gone, headlights, radiator, a frame is bent, tire was cockeyed, hemorrhaging fluids, windshield busted, hood crinkled like a piece of paper, and it appears as though the frame was also involved. My only question (since I had liability only) is since the other driver was found to be at fault, isn't his insurance company obligated to pay for my loss and also provide rental car? I've never had liability only coverage, so this is new to me. I've always opted for the most coverage no matter the premium but this time, trying to save money, I decided against full coverage which would have included rental.

NurseGuy1987 said:

Well guys/gals. The ride was fun while it lasted. Some idiot pulled out into oncoming traffic and I clipped him. I was doing about 45 and he was in a jacked up F150 4x4. Doodle took the lick like a champ, but, immediately started spewing black smoke from the exhaust pipe. The front end is toast, and it also sounds like it may have thrown a rod. When they crunk it to drive it onto the flat bed it was poring thick black smoke and sounded like screws were inside the combustion chamber. Airbags never deployed, but, I'm 99.9% sure that it will be a total loss. The front fender is gone, headlights, radiator, a frame is bent, tire was cockeyed, hemorrhaging fluids, windshield busted, hood crinkled like a piece of paper, and it appears as though the frame was also involved. My only question (since I had liability only) is since the other driver was found to be at fault, isn't his insurance company obligated to pay for my loss and also provide rental car? I've never had liability only coverage, so this is new to me. I've always opted for the most coverage no matter the premium but this time, trying to save money, I decided against full coverage which would have included rental.

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That sucks about your car... regarding your insurance question, it's all state dependent. In Ohio, his insurance pays you out. In Michigan, you're just SOL.

Well it sounds like YOU are ok, which is always priority 1. I'm sorry to hear about your ride.
As for insurance, their insurance should pay for the damage to the car (otherwise what the heck is the point in insurance?) But as for rental I know that that changes place to place.
If there is really a place where the at-fault persons insurance is not held accountable, let me know so I can avoid ever visiting those places ��

Yep, depends on how your state insurance works. When my 2003 was rear ended when parked the other "drivers" (some guy was driving his girlfriends car that was titled to her parents) insurance eventually paid me off. Don't accept the first offer(s). Do your research and know what your car was worth. Insurance will come up with generally lowball offers. They may/may not pay for a rental for a certain amount of time only.
Good luck. It took me about two months to come to a reasonable settlement and get paid. I kept the corpse and used the engine/tranny/etc to convert a gasser to TDI, but sounds as your engine is toast.

They(insurance has to pay the REPLACEMENT value, not the kbb value.
And as just mentioned, dont accept the first offer. They'll likely research 2.0 jetta sedans even when other motors, or being a wagon or auto can make the price substantially different.

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I believe in Michigan your insurance company can go to the at fault insurers to recover $1000 for their client. Ask your agent if your state has anything similar

Insurance lobby must be very powerful in Michigan.
The offender's insurer will likely want to total your car. Play hardball, document everything, try to find actual replacement value car for price (hard to do). "For Sale" prices do not count.

Sorry to hear about your loss. Glad you're OK at least. Going to try and get another TDI bug?

Michigan is a flat-out hosed state when it comes to car insurance; when the no-fault law was passed the intention was good, but it was INSTANTLY gamed and now medical providers are routinely charging 3-5x the amount (or more) for someone with the same injury from another cause, which is one reason costs are so high there.

In addition if you don't carry collision you're limited to recovering $1,000 from the at-fault driver -- provided he's insured. If he has no insurance at all you can sue him, but not if he does. So if you're going to run without collision coverage in MI you want to drive a complete piece of crap that has no value (or at least under $1,000 in value.)

Definitely find out everything you can about insurance rules in Georgia, especially in a "total loss" situation for a "third party claimant" and how "fair market value" is determined, which is what your situation is called in insurance jargon. Memorize the rules! Just had to go through it here in Calif and learning the rules, chapter & verse, was invaluable. Surf CraigsList for comparables immediately, make a spreadsheet, and update it at least weekly. Liberty Mutual's first offer for my B4V w/324k miles on it was $2,970 based on a TDI wagon with a blown tranny and B4 sedan, both out of state. It took months and a trip to Small Claims Court, but the judge ruled that they had to pay me the documented fair market value (using the 2 comparables that were available in state at the time of first offer) of $6,500 plus court costs.

Outstanding!
$3,530 is worth the trip to the courthouse, especially if you don't have to pay an esquire.

I sure wish people would stop spouting off about Michigan laws without knowing the facts...

Care to offer some correction, or just criticism?

Yeah, considering that my late mother lived there and I ran her finances for the last several years of her life, including her car insurance......

Oh, and I lived there when No Fault passed... and have relatives that live there now.

There ARE exceptions (as is usually the case; if the other driver is either uninsured or an out-of-state resident with non-Michigan insurance, for example); the $1k "go after the other guy for my vehicle damage" is called a "mini-tort" suit. Here's one of the (many) sites from a law firm up there that explains how it works when it comes to physical vehicle damage: https://www.michiganautolaw.com/no-fault/mini-tort/faqs/#03

The purpose of the "mini-tort" thing is primarily to cover your deductible if you're not at-fault. If you choose to drive a garbage car then it's sufficient "collision" coverage all on its own, provided you're not at fault of course.

OP first off good to hear you are ok!!! That's the most important.

Definitely keep close contact with your insurance company etc and get as much info, ask as many questions as you can. Find out what they require to prove the value of your car ( service records, receipts, pictures, appraisals etc just random potential examples)

No idea how insurance or laws etc work where your at so I won't chime in too much! Good luck and sorry to hear about your car

Originally Posted by NurseGuy1987 View Post
Well guys/gals. The ride was fun while it lasted. Some idiot pulled out into oncoming traffic and I clipped him. I was doing about 45 and he was in a jacked up F150 4x4. Doodle took the lick like a champ, but, immediately started spewing black smoke from the exhaust pipe. The front end is toast, and it also sounds like it may have thrown a rod. When they crunk it to drive it onto the flat bed it was poring thick black smoke and sounded like screws were inside the combustion chamber. Airbags never deployed, but, I'm 99.9% sure that it will be a total loss. The front fender is gone, headlights, radiator, a frame is bent, tire was cockeyed, hemorrhaging fluids, windshield busted, hood crinkled like a piece of paper, and it appears as though the frame was also involved. My only question (since I had liability only) is since the other driver was found to be at fault, isn't his insurance company obligated to pay for my loss and also provide rental car? I've never had liability only coverage, so this is new to me. I've always opted for the most coverage no matter the premium but this time, trying to save money, I decided against full coverage which would have included rental.
That sucks about your car... regarding your insurance question, it's all state dependent. In Ohio, his insurance pays you out. In Michigan, you're just SOL.
Here in Georgia, the “At Fault” driver’s insurance is responsible for rental etc... I hope it’s the same where you are.

Yeah down here in Florida at-fault driver pays -- if he has no insurance you can sue him and the small claims limit is $5k here so it's not even very hard to do if you need to for a car of this sort of age -- you'd likely be under that cap. Of course if he has *nothing* (or is an illegal invader and put up the middle finger) there's not a lot you can do about *that*.

Every state is different and MI is just plain foul different in this regard. When no-fault was first passed it wasn't bad (even as a teen I was able to afford coverage paid for out of my own wallet) but it's been gamed to the point now that it literally keeps me from being willing to ever live in the state again.

The car is a total loss. They did put me in a rental, and I am currently attempting to learn the laws and how to determine fair market value. I cannot find another TDI Beetle within a 500 mile radius for less than $4k private party and upwards of $6k dealer. The cars I did find have at least 130,000 miles whereas mine only had 102,380 at the time of accident. How does one determine value??? KBB, NADA, cargurus, etc all have different options. Do I look for "cash value" or retail value. Do I look at trade in or private party? FML man.... all I want is another TDI VW. Jetta would be fine, but, I prefer the Beetle. I'm in GEORGIA which seems to be behind the bell curve when it comes to other states. Speaking of rental, they have to keep me in a rental until 48 hours after a check is sent to me, so I'm assuming this would include the time spent in court if it goes that direction? They can't write a check until I accept the offer correct? So if we drag it out in court, that is just more time that they have to keep me in the rental. ADULTING SUCKS!!! My agent has assured me that if push came to shove, they would step in to mediate so to speak, as the other driver was ruled at fault and he has progressive. I worry about that because progressive is one of those companies in GA with a reputation of doing the bare minimum.

Also, thanks for the kind words. I'm hurting, but, alive. Wish I could figure out how to upload pics onto the forum, but, my work PC has blocks and firewalls out of the wazoo. Even logging on and accessing this forum violates policy, but, it keeps me awake and gives me something to keep my mind occupied with during down times.

NurseGuy1987 said:

Also, thanks for the kind words. I'm hurting, but, alive. Wish I could figure out how to upload pics onto the forum, but, my work PC has blocks and firewalls out of the wazoo. Even logging on and accessing this forum violates policy, but, it keeps me awake and gives me something to keep my mind occupied with during down times.

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If youre bored, download the Tapatalk App on your phone(tons of forums use it) and then uploaded images is real easy. Especially if the pics were taken from your phone.

Glad youre alive and still posting.
I see youre a Nurse! So I can only assume youre in good hands. Lol!

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ItAintRodKnock said:

If youre bored, download the Tapatalk App on your phone(tons of forums use it) and then uploaded images is real easy. Especially if the pics were taken from your phone.

Glad youre alive and still posting.
I see youre a Nurse! So I can only assume youre in good hands. Lol!

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I self monitored for concussion symptoms and reset my thumb while waiting on the fire/paramedics to arrive. They weren't happy when I told them that I reset my thumb without taking an xray first. I knew it wasn't broken, but, I understand their frustration. I had a good little bump on the head and bumped my knee on the dash which left a decent little scrape. I was more pissed that my Doodle was dead. They were able to crank it but it was poring black smoke and sounded like a bucket of bolts had been dumped in the motor. The officers were all gawking at how clean the engine was but you could clearly see that it had shifted as it was no longer square, and appeared as though the entire block shifted a few inches to the rear.

Id think the best time to pop it back would be while adrenaline is still high, for pain reasons. I understand their idea for xrays first though.
I hear you on the anger part..
Which, being focused on the car is a fair sign that you werent too hurt at the moment.
I totaled my 03, flipped one and a half times and walked away. These Mk4s are pretty safe! I ended up not having enough for a replacement, so got an older ranger and then kept saving for a mk4 Tdi again. I'd have fought the insurance company harder for replacement value had i have known better. Hell, im considering finding another mk4 as a backup incase anything were to happen to my current.

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ItAintRodKnock said:

Id think the best time to pop it back would be while adrenaline is still high, for pain reasons. I understand their idea for xrays first though.
I hear you on the anger part..
Which, being focused on the car is a fair sign that you werent too hurt at the moment.
I totaled my 03, flipped one and a half times and walked away. These Mk4s are pretty safe! I ended up not having enough for a replacement, so got an older ranger and then kept saving for a mk4 Tdi again. I'd have fought the insurance company harder for replacement value had i have known better. Hell, im considering finding another mk4 as a backup incase anything were to happen to my current.

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if you don't mind my asking, what did they pay out for your beetle?

NurseGuy1987 said:

if you don't mind my asking, what did they pay out for your beetle?

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In 2010 they gave me like $3700 or something. 2.0s were about that price, TDis were about 5,000 for a nice lower mileage car. Also, This was a golf, not beetle, shoulda stated that.

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After all was said and done, I received $4,000 for car and a few hundred for lost wages / injury. Nothing major, just skint knees and a bump on the head. Lost 2 shifts at work which is where most of the extra "few hundred buck" came into play. They also had to provide a rental, which I will retain until I purchase another car. I found a 2000 Beetle GLS 2.0 turbo with 76,900 original miles. 3 owners. Clear carfax and title. Asking price is $2900. I have NO experience with the gas engines, so, any input would be much appreciated.

Sounds like you came out ok, considering you only had liability. I wonder if you have a case for hanging onto that rental until you find a comparable Tdi?

NurseGuy1987 said:

After all was said and done, I received $4,000 for car and a few hundred for lost wages / injury. Nothing major, just skint knees and a bump on the head. Lost 2 shifts at work which is where most of the extra "few hundred buck" came into play. They also had to provide a rental, which I will retain until I purchase another car. I found a 2000 Beetle GLS 2.0 turbo with 76,900 original miles. 3 owners. Clear carfax and title. Asking price is $2900. I have NO experience with the gas engines, so, any input would be much appreciated.

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Sounds fair to me, glad it's over with, and settled pretty quick.

As for the GLS, I'm pretty sure the 2.0 in the year 2000 was not turboed, it's probably that gutless wonder gasser engine that they made. I personally wouldn't own another one... But that's also because they had issues burning oil.

Edit, just saw your other thread. Replied there

Yes, it's the 1.8T that's a twin to our 1.9. I've read they had some heat issues, but believe they have a bit more power than the 2.0.

Higher miles, but that really doesn't matter. Good price. Worth the trip if it's as good as advertised.

https://nashville.craigslist.org/cto/d/brush-creek-2000-vw-tdi-beetle-5-speed/6889305590.html

This one looks a little rough

https://tallahassee.craigslist.org/cto/d/tallahassee-2003-vw-beetle-19-tdi-for/6876683977.html

I don't hate this one:

https://nashville.craigslist.org/cto/d/brush-creek-2001-vw-tdi-beetle/6887679537.html

$4k for a 100k TDI is a price I would pay in a second, just to have a spare laying about. My son took over my Golf when he got his license, and I scored a 70k mile Jetta. Wishing the best in your search for a replacement...

I just love the 'fact' that when talking price on these, the low numbers always come out when proposing a purchase. Never see them in the wild. In MI, a rust-free one is rarer still, regardless of miles.
cheers,
Douglas