[CambriaKilgannon]

Purchased my CX-3 in April, put 6k on it, and today got hit by a driver pulling out of a parking lot. I don't know what to do, this is my first accident. Insurance was notified and I have a rental for now.

Does anyone have any advice on dealing with the insurance companies to make sure I can get the car restored? Or advice if they total it?

Also any new car crash horror stories would be appreciated so i don't feel like such an idiot.

 

[Playthru]

I'm sorry this happened to you but they should be able to fix it where you would never know you were involved in a accident.
I know that don't make you feel better and I would be sick too.
It doesn't look like enough damage to be totaled.

 

[Geezer]

Purchased my CX-3 in April, put 6k on it, and today got hit by a driver pulling out of a parking lot. I don't know what to do, this is my first accident. Insurance was notified and I have a rental for now.

Does anyone have any advice on dealing with the insurance companies to make sure I can get the car restored? Or advice if they total it?

Also any new car crash horror stories would be appreciated so i don't feel like such an idiot.

Wow! I could not imagine a nastier result from the crash. It appears that everything on the left front corner was destroyed. I don't know about the alloy wheel but it probably was also damaged. The one thing I would make sure of is that they replace all the damage with brand new OEM factory parts and not knock offs. Also don't let them get away with using filler on the damaged panels. They need to strip the car down of all sheet metal on the front and left side and build it up with new metal and a factory repaint that is up to Mazda standards. And your Insurance or the insurance of the other driver should foot the bill completely with no exclusions or exceptions.

Tough luck my friend! 2 months plus a few weeks is not much time to enjoy a new car. I hope they do the right thing for you.

 

[DJ9999]

Sorry to see this happen. The good news is very little intrusion so after the cosmetic stuff is done, should have no impact on the quality of how it performs. Looks far from a total but will still be pricy to fix. Just stay on top of them and as pointed out, ensure the work is satisfactory to your liking when complete.

You may want to seek diminished value compensation as this will go on record and may impact the value of an eventual sale.

 

[st3v3cx-3]

Are you able to insist on your insurance company having the car repaired at an authorised Mazda dealer / repair centre using 100% new Mazda parts? That way you should be ensured the repair is done to full Mazda standards and wouldn't affect any paint warranty etc. If it worked out dearer, it wouldn't affect their cost but the other driver's insurance company. This is possible in the UK. As others have said, it probably - and hopefully - looks far worse than it is and wouldn't involve a write off.

 

[anchorman]

I was going to say almost exactly what DJ has said - although it looks heartbreaking, it is mostly superficial. There are no copy parts so they will all be genuine. I don't know the ins and outs of US insurance, you will get plenty of advice here but the main thing is, the car essentially is not bent. In other words, when they replace all those panels, it won't scrub tyres or pull to one side or let water in etc. A serious enough shunt would bend or twist the chassis.

Keep your chin up buddy, the main thing is nobody was hurt.

 

[Toller]

I've had a bunch of collisions (not to mention two incidents of trees falling on my house) and I have always been treated fairly by the insurance companies.

YMMV, but from my experience, the collision was the worst part.

10 years ago I stopped for a firetruck and was rear-ended. He admitted to watching the firetruck and not seeing me. The car was 3 days old. Damage was minor, but was still a couple thousand.

 

[Levi3xt]

Purchased my CX-3 in April, put 6k on it, and today got hit by a driver pulling out of a parking lot. I don't know what to do, this is my first accident. Insurance was notified and I have a rental for now.

Does anyone have any advice on dealing with the insurance companies to make sure I can get the car restored? Or advice if they total it?

Also any new car crash horror stories would be appreciated so i don't feel like such an idiot.

Always upsetting to see a nice new car in a bingle. From the pic it might look nasty but, does not look to be a real structural problem. DJ's advice sounds good to me. And believe me, you're NOT an idiot, just someone who has had an accident. Please keep us informed as to the outcome....take care.

 

[was620]

Sorry to hear about your accident, new bonnet,left hand wing,grill and bumper and I will be as good as new.
I was able to get my cx3 Australia from largish Suv t boneing my 2005 Honda euro. A great car, collected insurance. I had 3new cars all were hit up the bum within 6weeks of purchasing them. My 2009 Honda euro finally got a tap up the bum after 6 years. All the best in your fixed car, try using the sports mode it's quite quick

 

[VANDAL]

I would under all scenarios push for a write off. Especially since you are not at fault, any good insurer will push for this on your behalf. Seeing your car is so new, you will most likely be given the opportunity to replace with another new cx3.

I would not settle for repairs under any circumstance when it comes such a new car, especially if there is frame / structural damage beyond just body work. It would devalue your vehicle when it comes time to sell / trade in and seeing how you're not "at - fault" i see no reason why you as the victim should bare this depreciation

 

[danno5410]

I'm really sorry to hear what happend to you but I agree totally with VANDAL. Try and get a write off if at all possible. If the insurance company is reputable at all, you should be able to settle. If that isn't an option make sure you go a reputable body shop regardless of the inconvenience and distance. When my car got side swiped I made the mistake of settling for a nearby body shop. Not only did they do a horrible job of fixing the damage but the paint that they used didn't match the rest of my car. I didn't catch it at the time because they washed the car and gave it to me when it was dark. I didn't notice it until a week later. Good luck

 

[greaseman85]

At least you're OK. That looks like quite a bit of damage, and I agree you should try to push for a replacement.

 

[masterwares]

Dang! I wonder what the other car looked like.

 

[Vipre77]

Is the windshield cracked or is that a reflection? If the windshield is cracked and it wasn't from anything directly hitting it, that's a good indication the body got twisted which would be a total loss. If it's just a reflection, then there's hope. The hood being pushed over toward the passenger side concerns me a little unless it's a trick on the eyes from the angle of the photo. It almost makes it look like the driver side hinge broke or got bent. If the hinge got bent, then there's some concern that the engine bay could possibly be compromised which raises a bunch of other concerns regarding alignment of suspension and steering components. If the front wheel was impacted, it can shove the whole steering rack over and damage suspension and frame parts even on the side of the car that wasn't hit.

At first glance, it doesn't really seem too bad. Fender, fender skirt, maybe wheel well liner, hood, bumper cover and all the junk underneath it, grille, painted piece above the grille, headlight assembly, and some paint. Might be a chance at a radiator mount if the bumper was pushed in enough. There's also the outside chance at all the stuff I said in the first paragraph, so the stuff in the this paragraph is probably the bare minimum... Very rough guess based on what's visible, I'd guess probably around $5000-6000 in damage. I'm no body shop guy, but I've had enough work done on my cars over the years from idiots crashing into my cars.

On my old 2008 Pontiac G8, I bought the car and 2 weeks after I got it, I parked at the shop to get some audio work done on it. Big parking lot with nothing close to it and some grandpa somehow managed to back his car right into it while parked. He must have made some impressively wide arc when he was backing up in order to hit my car because there wasn't any other parking spaces for a good 40-50 feet from mine. Got a call from the tech at the shop earlier than I expected and had a feeling it wasn't going to be good. "Yeah, wanted to let you know there was an incident here..." Sooooooo pissed. Had an almost identical thing happen with my 2002 WRX except I was at the auto parts store that time. Some high school kid in a Firebird backed into it literally seconds after I parked and got out. Didn't even make it to the door of the store yet before I heard the crunch and my alarm.

 

[CambriaKilgannon]

Thank you all for your advice and kind words!

As far as damage, the picture underestimates the cost and things broken. The hood is shifted towards the passenger side, the windshield is cracked, the tire is damaged, the two driver's side doors are warped and gouged, and the suspension on both sides needs to be replaced just from looking at the car. This doesn't include any potential problems in the engine bay because I couldn't open it. Most likely a damaged tranny at the very least.

I've brought it to the dealership because they do good work, just very expensive. Since I'm not paying directly, I figured it'd be a good idea.

Insurance hasn't appraised it yet, but a law where I live is that they have to use all OEM parts on all new cars.

I'll keep you guys posted, but any advice is welcome!

 

[zbgirl]

I would agree with vandal. When I bought my cx-3 there was insurance broker on site that I dealt with. I got 4 years of new car replacement for only 400. bucks extra. I asked how common it was for a vehicle to be considered a write off.
I was surprised - she said because there were so many aspects of the vehicle parts were large components, versus just a series of parts, if that makes any sense....write offs are more common now than in years gone by.

Also interesting - I have compared with others on the replacement insurance. Some companies (like the one I am using) will give you the replacement value in cash, whereas another company will supply you with the same or equivalent vehicle.