M3 Hit and Run, how bad is it?

[LetThatSinkIn]

Hello,

Had a hit and run at a red light on thanksgiving. Dashcam caught the crash, working with the police on that aspect.

But how bad does this look, based on what we can see, anyway? The car slammed into me going about 30mph, I’d guess. I was stopped behind the solid line and it forced the car forward enough that the rear tires were on top of the solid line.

Car is in Richmond, closest Tesla owned shop is in MD. Car is 3 weeks old with 500 miles on it.

If there’s any hint of potential structural damage, I want to make sure it is properly evaluated as a potential total loss.

I’ve only been a Tesla owner for 3 weeks so any of the Tesla specific nuances are foreign to me as of now. Appreciate any help/guidance.

Thanks,
Thomas

 

[Soul Surfer]

I’m no “collision” person, but it seems not that bad. Although Tesla will give you a better response. Thank goodness for Teslacam….

 

[daniel]

It looks a lot worse than mine was after a very slow-speed bump from behind, and mine was several thousands of dollars (paid by the other driver's insurance.)

Everything really depends on your insurance company. If you bought the cheapest insurance you could find they may try to stiff you. If you bought insurance from a company known for taking good care of its customers, you should be fine. if you're concerned about the possibility of structural damage, don't rely solely on the insurance adjustor, who works for the insurance company. Take it to a body shop you trust for evaluation.

I'm certainly not competent to assess damage even if I'm looking at the car. I doubt if anybody can assess the damage from a photograph.

That's really sh***y luck getting hit just three weeks into ownership.

 

[VT_EE]

I can't see the rear quarter panel, but if that is dented, it's a pretty time-intensive and expensive repair. A good body shop will still make it look like new, but it may take a while.

Make sure you give the footage to your insurance company since they will be the ones going after the other driver's insurance. You are entitled to a rental for the entire duration of the repair to be paid by the other's insurance.

Also, if the rear quarter panel is damaged, get a diminished value lawyer. The payout to you will be thousands.

 

[LetThatSinkIn]

Insurance company is USAA, and I have the maximum available amount of coverage they offer for each type of coverage they offer. They did say though that the rental car coverage was $900 - max.

I’m not physically with the car to go look at the rear quarter panel, I’m a few hours away for thanksgiving. Will check on that when I get back tomorrow.

USAA also said something about if the driver isn’t identified, this would likely be processed under the Uninsured/underinsured property damages part of my policy, not sure how that changes things - if at all.

I’ve already sent the uncompressed video to USAA (and the cops), with the help of Reddit I was able to narrow down the make/model to 2007-2009 Suzuki XL7 (car had temp tags on) - so hopefully that helps them (USAA and the cops) with their search. Hit and run here in VA would be a felony with this amount of property damage.

 

[LetThatSinkIn]

That's really sh***y luck getting hit just three weeks into ownership.

That’s just half the story of my bad luck. The reason my M3 is three weeks old, is because my previous car (a ‘19 Volt) was totaled in Hurricane Ian when I was visiting family in FL.

Not having a great year.

 

[daniel]

Laws differ from state to state. But generally, if the other driver is located they or their insurance company would of course be liable. In which case you should be able to recover all costs including a rental car while yours is being repaired.

if the other driver is not located, or has no insurance or insufficient insurance and insufficient funds to pay, then your insurance company will pay, but you'll have to pay your deductible and will be limited on rental-car reimbursement by the amount in your policy.

I'm still waiting to hear if the other guy's insurance company will reimburse me for rental car and related transportation costs. I think they will, but no word yet. It's been 3 weeks since I sent them the receipts but the way insurance companies operate I'm not concerned yet.

Being a hit-and-run suggests that they're probably desperate, maybe uninsured or even unlicensed, so even if they are found you may still be reliant on your own insurance company.

Here's a question I just thought of and do not know the answer to: If a driver is drunk and causes an accident, might their insurance use that as a reason to invalidate their policy and refuse to pay?

 

[daniel]

That’s just half the story of my bad luck. The reason my M3 is three weeks old, is because my previous car (a ‘19 Volt) was totaled in Hurricane Ian when I was visiting family in FL.

Not having a great year.

Oooff! Bad luck indeed! I hope things turn round for you.

 

[T061]

I'm sorry about your ride and that you have to deal with this.

If the driver was drunk, by this time that's not something they would be able to prosecute. If they identify the owner of the vehicle, they'd still have to prove he was the driver. This is probably not a felony since there are no injuries.
Most law enforcement agencies don't spend a whole lot of resources investigating property damage crashes, unless they have a license plate or an equivalent lead.
Basically what I'm saying is don't have very high expectations of the police. You have good insurance so work with them to get your car fixed up nicely.
This is probably something your insurance will have to cover, so you'll be out the deductible.

The good news is the damage to your car is most likely minor/cosmetic. I can't see the quarter panel but since you only photographed the rear it leads me to believe that is where all the damage is. I would get a second opinion/inspection just to make sure none of the suspension, drivetrain and battery components are damaged. Based on what I'm seeing, that's likely not the case.

Did you get the car towed or drive from the scene? It does not at all look like it warranted a tow, so if you drove it, any damage to the components above would have been felt immediately. I think your car will be fine, just more of a PITA to wait for parts/delivery.
All in all, be glad you weren't injured and the car sustained minor damage. Just focus on fixing your ride so you can enjoy it for many years.

 

[KrenGrl]

Make sure you give the footage to your insurance company since they will be the ones going after the other driver's insurance. You are entitled to a rental for the entire duration of the repair to be paid by the other's insurance.

But there is no other driver's insurance to go after unless they are caught since it is a hit and run. OP's insurance for "underinsured motorist" or "noninsured motorist" will have to cover the cost if he has it. And he is only entitled to a rental if he has that coverage. Some insurances include it and some are optional.

 

[LetThatSinkIn]

Thanks everyone for the responses, so far.

The hit and run occurred about 1/4 mile from the hotel I am staying at (somewhat long term, waiting on my new construction to be ready in a few weeks). I did drive it back there, but I honestly couldn’t tell you much about the drive. I was somewhat in shock and riddled with adrenaline.

I’ll take better pics when I get back to Richmond tomorrow. I do seem to remember the damage somewhat extending to the area immediately below the charging port. I think that might be considered the quarter panel?

 

[VT_EE]

But there is no other driver's insurance to go after unless they are caught since it is a hit and run. OP's insurance for "underinsured motorist" or "noninsured motorist" will have to cover the cost if he has it. And he is only entitled to a rental if he has that coverage. Some insurances include it and some are optional.

The OP said they provided video to the police so it is likely the offender’s insurance will be identified.

 

[S&B's M3]

The OP said they provided video to the police so it is likely the offender’s insurance will be identified.

That assumes the Police are actually going to follow-up and do something. I doubt they will.

 

[VT_EE]

That assumes the Police are actually going to follow-up and do something. I doubt they will.

The insurance company can also take the video and track down the offender from the license plate.

 

[daniel]

The OP said they provided video to the police so it is likely the offender’s insurance will be identified.

That assumes the Police are actually going to follow-up and do something. I doubt they will.

The insurance company can also take the video and track down the offender from the license plate.

If the video shows the license plate, the offending car can be identified, and the owner's insurance is responsible even if the driver cannot be proven. That's assuming the owner has sufficient insurance. One possible reason for fleeing the scene is that the driver is not insured. Another is that the driver was drunk. A third, of course, is simply that the driver is an a-hole.

The only difference, though, is whether or not the OP will have to pay their deductible and how much of the cost of a rental car is covered. Criminal charges against the other driver for hit-and-run won't directly affect the OP.

 

[RedModel3]

Definitely make sure the cops stay on this, because that is easily 5K of damage. If your car is drivable, which it looks like it is, then figure out where you want to take it. Coordinate with your insurance company, take it to the shop to have them give you an estimate, get the first payment from the insurance company, and order the parts. It might take a couple of months to get the parts. When the parts come in and work has started, then get your rental car. You might have to wait for other parts once everything is taken apart. My side/front repair including paint took about 5 weeks.

 

[BigNick]

Possible driver's mindset? "Oh fudge, I just hit a Tesla, they're expensive to fix and I only carry state minimum coverage. Run away!"

Never mind the fact that many state minimums are woefully inadequate in even the most basic of accidents, and even 50K of property damage coverage won't replace many new cars. And nothing is cheap to fix.

 

[jjrandorin]

Possible driver's mindset? "Oh fudge, I just hit a Tesla, they're expensive to fix and I only carry state minimum coverage. Run away!"

Never mind the fact that many state minimums are woefully inadequate in even the most basic of accidents, and even 50K of property damage coverage won't replace many new cars. And nothing is cheap to fix.

Perhaps.

In any case, this OP should be planning on using their own insurance, because, its not much of a "stretch" to think that someone who ran from an accident (hit and run) is in a situation where they either dont have enough coverage, have any coverage, were not supposed to be driving the vehicle, etc etc.

It would be a reasonable assumption to assume (yes I know, "assume") that someone who had plenty of insurance, no drivers license issues, and was supposed to be behind the wheel of the car they were driving, would not run from a situation like this.

So, even if the driver is found, the OP should expect that there likely isnt much that they can do about it.

 

[domodan]

The insurance company can also take the video and track down the offender from the license plate.

He said it had temp tags...no license plate.

 

[AdamVIP]

Either way you use your own insurance. Its what you pay for. Either you get paid out from your uninsured motorist policy or they find the guy who did it and get reimbursed through their insurance. The only reason to ever get a lawyer is if its something your insurance wont cover or you are out of pocket a significant amount, or theres some sort of injury.