srs warning light on

[solaris]

i got reared today. the impact was bad enough to make you think your rear was really F***ed up. but when i got out of the car and looked, there's really not much of a damage, just a little mark (mark from the front plate of the Passat that hit me). anyway, i'm not concerned with the scratch but with the srs warning light (light is on). plus the passenger air bag indicator on the passenger side is always off even when i have a passenger seated. if i bring my car for a service, would it be under warranty or is the warranty void because of the accident? if it's not under warranty, how much do you think that would cost? i'm totally noob on this matter so please if anyone has any input, i'd appreciate it. i dont even know if i should file a claim. im afraid my insurance would go up...

[MCOjerry]

Ummm...you should have gotten the insurance info from the driver that hit you...they are responsible for this damge, not Toyota. NOT covered under warranty.

Never leave an accident w/o calling the police and getting all the other person's info, even if you think there's no damage...cuz as you now see...damage can be hidden.

Always take your car in to be checked out after an accident to...don't just go by YOUR visual observation.

[solaris]

we did exchange insurance information. i have all his insurance info including his driver's license. i have my camera with me and took some shots. didn't call the police tho.

[MCOjerry]

Call the police tomorrow, make a report. It might hurt you that you didn't call them when it happened though.

After you do that, call their insurance company and make a claim. Once that's done, take your car to Toyota for an estimate and submit it to their insurance company.

Did you have anyone with you?

If you have no witnesses, hey may try to screw you by saying it was your fault, but since you were rear ended, he may not be able to figure a way to blame it on you.

You still have a decent chance to get his insurance company to pay.

My advice to everyone...no matter how small the fender bender, call the police. You could see little damage, but there could be a lot of hidden damage, like in this case. If you don't have the police come and make a report on the spot, a lot of things become heressay unless you have witnesses or the damage makes it obvious that it wasn't your fault. I know you probably don't want to bother with the police, but that's why they are there, to help you.

[MCOjerry]

BTW...good luck! Accidents SUCK!

[solaris]

i have 4 passengers when it happened. i'll report the accident to the police tomorrow and hope it's not too late... thanks for the advise
this is what dmv in NY has to say about accidents:

If You Have an Accident
What must I do at the accident scene?

If you are in an accident, you must stop and exchange information with the involved drivers. If the accident caused property damage only, then exchange information about your driver license, insurance, and registration with the involved drivers. If a parked vehicle or other property is damaged, or if a domestic animal is injured, you must locate the owner or contact the police.

* If the property damage of any person is $1,001 or more, all the involved drivers must file form MV-104 (Report of Motor Vehicle Accident). File form MV-104 with the DMV no more than 10 days after the accident. The DMV can suspend your driver license if you fail to report an accident.
* If a person is injured or killed, immediately notify the police. All the involved drivers and the police must file an accident report with the DMV. It is a crime to leave the scene of an accident that causes personal injury or death.
* The accident appears on the records of all the involved drivers. An accident listed on your driver record does not indicate that you were at fault. The DMV does not try to determine fault in an accident.

[MCOjerry]

No matter what the DMV may say officially, you should call the police. If you don't, the other party could skew the story later and you could get screwed.

If you call the police, they will come out.

You should be set though, since you have passengers in your car. Make sure you tell the other guys' ins company that you had passengers in the car with you, and give them their names. They will call them and get their statements. With all the statements, I doubt there is a way that the other guy can get out of it. Just make sure that all of your passengers have their stories straight.

[Down2TheC]

The bumper cover may just be scuffed but underneath you may have up to $1k of damage hiding there. The SRS reset will cost you an hour of labor on it's own too.

[solaris]

thanks for everyone's advise...
i have a $1,000 deductible from my insurance company. would reporting this automatically increase my insurance rate?

[MCOjerry]

thanks for everyone's advise...
i have a $1,000 deductible from my insurance company. would reporting this automatically increase my insurance rate?

Not necessarily. I have State Farm, and was involved in an accident that was not my fault. I could not wait for the other person's insurance company to decide to pay, because my car was undriveable, so I had it repaired through my insurance company, and they fought with the other company. Since the accident was not my fault, my rates did not go up. The repairs were almost $7K, so it wasn't because the dollar amount was small.

Eventually, my insurance company won, and the other company paid. I got my deductible back about a year later!! I specifically asked State Farm if this would affect my rates, an they saud no. They told me that, even if they could not recover the money from the other company, my rates would not be affected becuase the police deemed the other person responsible. (hint, hint...always call the police! )

This all really depends on your insurance company, though. Your car is driveable, so I wouldn't have your company pay for any repairs, wait for the other company to take responsibility.

Another piece of advice I have for you is to adjust your deductible. You should see what the difference in cost is between $500 and $1000. You may not think $1000 is a lot until you are faced with coming up with that much to get your car fixed. You should also see what a $250 deductible will cost. If you are usually a person who is short on cash, it might be beneficial for you to shell out the small monthly amount for the reduction in deductible than be faced with not being able to come up with your part of the repair bill. If you can't come up with your part, you have no choice but to wait for the repairs or borrow the money (i.e.: credit card, parents, etc...). Then, it just costs you more money in the long run.

Sorry for the long post...let us know how this all works out for you, though. I wish you the best of luck dealing with this.