I have heard of companies that deal with this sort of problem. I know of a person who shot himself in the head in a car. As horrific as it may sound a decision was made to keep the car after his death, so a company was hired to basically gut the interior and put a new one in. That is as much as I know. I also think that such a company can give you a good estimate of the total cost.

Good Luck.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Cyberorth
[B]I know of a person who shot himself in the head in a car.

 

Dude that just SUKCS!!! Sorry to hear about what happened to the car. I think the damage is much more that $500. I'd definitely sue the parking company.

Good luck with the repairs. Keep us updated.

 

if you do indeed go thru insurance, sell the car. this incident will show up in carfax reports and other vin inquiries.

which parking garage did this happen at?

redball parking garage.. is that the one between 5th and 6th? on the south side of the street? i used to park at a garage right there back when i had my audi. they decided to park a ford excursion as close as possible w/o touching my car. the rear bumper of that mammoth suv was looming over the hood of my lowered audi. when i came around to pick my car up, the <insert explicatives here> decided not to wait for another attendant to move the truck, and popped my clutch driving my hood deep into the trailer hitch. blew a nice 4" hole into my carbon fiber hood, bent the radiator support, and ruptured the radiator. he had the nerve to get out of the car and say, "oh, its not *that* bad..".

we got into it, and the f*cker called the cops and tried to press charges on me claiming that i was using my hands as a deadly weapon. yes, i did hit him, and yes i did knock him out.


as for body shops, i know a pretty good one out in jersey, they claim to be one of the few that is authorized to work on the nsx, but theyre out near wayne (40 minutes from nyc).

b

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by bkw
[B]if you do indeed go thru insurance, sell the car. this incident will show up in carfax reports and other vin inquiries.

 

Sorry to be such a post whore, but this is too good. The Kinney supervisor just responded to my threats of a lawsuit by claiming that Kinney is "the biggest company in the world."

I guess I'll assume he meant "parking company".

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by bkw
[B]if you do indeed go thru insurance, sell the car. this incident will show up in carfax reports and other vin inquiries.

 

in my search for a new beater, ive run many many carfax reports. ive come across a few that come up as insurance claims, but not totalled (salvaged). i think the insurance companies (not all, but im sure some) report into some database thats linked to your vin# that carfax pulls from.

the next time i pull one of these up, i'll post it.

b

 

Sorry to hear Sunchild. When I lived in Tribeca, I had a similar experience (not near as severe) when an attendant scrached my door through the paint with a wad of keys he was carrying.

Fortunately, I caught it before I left and they paid to have the door fixed and repainted.

Had the work done in Jersey by a shop my dealer recommended (didnt have to worry about towing it there).

Later (after I moved to NJ), a car service guy backed into my car (which was unfortunately not in my garage at the time) after driving me home from the city. $1500 worth of damage to the front 1/4.

Both jobs were paid for by the guilty parties and both were done at the same shop in NJ - excellent work.

happy to find their number if you're still looking for estimates.

 

Yes, thanks. If you've still got it, that would help.

Thanks for all the support/help. This is my first insurance claim, and I find the whole process baffling. A few updates:

1. GEICO revised their adjustment and is sending me a quote and a check for $1000. They spoke to a body shop that recommended replacing the driver's seat and the foam padding under the carpets. That is consistent with the Honda City (Levittown, LI) service department's approach. I'm supposed to use the check if I want to, otherwise I just hang onto it. Still doesn't seem like enough, but they say that they will always adjust up later, if the body shop gives a higher estimate. Keep in mind that the $1000 is net with my $500 deductible taken out already.

2. The garage totally changed their tune after the GEICO adjuster dropped by. Now they're saying all the right things. They want an estimate. I'm going to get one out at Honda City on LI. (Might as well get a few TSB's done, too). The garage might want another estimate, so keep the body shop recommendations coming! Of course, they could still deny the claim or refuse to pay the full amount. Who pays for the estimate(s) in the meantime? Me, I guess.

3. The NY Dept. of Consumer Affairs has logged 4 formal complaints against this garage since 1998. 3 of them have been settled in mediation.

4. All indications are that the damage was limited to water coming in from the driver's window. When I first saw the car, I thought it had been submerged. I think the damage is not so serious (no engine parts/electronics damaged), and all experts seem to agree.

5. No one seems to think this work would turn up on a VIN check. Resale value may remain intact. I might even argue that the car will come out of this in better shape (e.g., new driver's seat).

6. I've been super-busy with this and work. I'll post pics to AUS2000's server ASAP! (They're not too exciting anyway.)

Thanks again!