M3 Rear Ended...

[Nix Alba]

Sadly, two days ago I was rear ended in my M3. It was a relatively slow speed impact; however it was enough to cut a hole through the bumper facia. When filling out the police report, I realized that although I THOUGHT I knew all the details, I really couldn't be SURE about it. (Yes, I thought the light was red, which is why I was stopped, but was it? Had it changed to green?)

It was really great to be able to refer to the dashcam and side view videos as it narrowed the time of the accident to within one minute, showed me the weather conditions, the exact position of every car around me, the state of the traffic lights, and the fact that the vehicle behind me didn't brake or slide on ice before impact.

Prior to this event, I intellectually knew the benefits of the dashcam capability, but I didn't really know how valuable it could be. The last accident I was involved in was over twenty five years ago. Obviously, there were no dash cam videos at that time. It was a mess that required a long investigation as the party that caused the accident insisted that they were blameless. Having videos of that event would have instantly solved any dispute, as it has/will in this instance.

 

[Pkmmte]

I, too, got rear ended recently (well, last month) and found the dashcam footage very valuable.

Be sure to check your rear windshield for any cracks, by the way. The damage inspector nor me did not notice one at first so I've been trying to convince the insurance that it wasn't there before the accident.

 

[PittCaleb]

I voted "no" but peace of mind is substantial value... or should be...

I love that with 2019.16, Sentry mode is auto-enabled now when I am not at home too.

 

[Nix Alba]

I voted "no" but peace of mind is substantial value... or should be...

I love that with 2019.16, Sentry mode is auto-enabled now when I am not at home too.

Sure, I'd agree that 'peace of mind' is substantial value. In the poll I excluded 'satisfying curiosity' from substantial value.

 

[afadeev]

Sure, I'd agree that 'peace of mind' is substantial value. In the poll I excluded 'satisfying curiosity' from substantial value.

It also did not list "wasting battery on sentry mode" as a form of negative value.
Which is, primarily, why I only used it once, and forgot about it.

For the OP - rear end collision is 99.9% of the time fault of the vehicle that initiated contact with the rear bumper. Full stop. It's not even up for debate with insurance companies. With the possible exception of Geico - those @#$%ers will argue and delay settling claims over sun spot activity.

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[EricUSC]

When filling out the police report, I realized that although I THOUGHT I knew all the details, I really couldn't be SURE about it.

In the future, I would recommend not getting a police report for an accident. I’ve search many Carfax reports and find that insurance claims don’t make it onto Carfax but police reports almost always do because they are public record. Since it’s already done, I’d recommend filing a diminished value claim.

 

[Nix Alba]

For the longest time I always wondered why someone would drive around a really nice car with some crappy damage that should be fairly easy to fix. I wondered, "Are these folks just pocketing the insurance money?" Now I know one possible reason: 3 to 4 weeks to get parts for the repair.

 

[Nix Alba]

In the future, I would recommend not getting a police report for an accident. I’ve search many Carfax reports and find that insurance claims don’t make it onto Carfax but police reports almost always do because they are public record. Since it’s already done, I’d recommend filing a diminished value claim.

Interesting. I wasn't fully aware of that. Also, this is the first I'm hearing about a diminished value option. Apparently Colorado (where I am located) does allow this. I'll have to look into it.

 

[Avid]

Apparently there are companies out there that you can hire to process your dv claim to the insurance company. My understanding is that it is difficult to get the insurance company to accede to your dv claim and these folks are like hiring a lawyer to intercede for you.