first car accident, need some advice

[winggx]

so my 2011 golf 2.5 got into a car accident tonight, i was at fault.
i bumped into another car's back.
speed was not very fast, but that car has a trailer hitch, and that trailer hitch penetrated the front vent area and damaged the radiator (the fans)
I was quit nervous, all I did is follow the tow truck's driver instructions....
he towed my car to this auto repair shop that he recommended
atlantic-group.ca

so i am just wondering that if someone is familiar with this repair shop?
is it any good?
and how do i know they use original/genuine volkswagen parts?

P.S. the tow truck's driver said it will properly take about 3-4weeks to repair my car, does it sound a reasonable?

thanks in advance!!!

[Mk2-Dub-GLI]

atlantic i know however i havent seen there work 3-4 weeks is abit unheard of for a repair of that miniority. insurance has to come to their shop assess the damage read over what the estimator has written and can make any changes accordingly. when thats ok'd parts are ordered and work is completed 2.5 weeks at most would usually be more than enough for that type of collision. I can recomend colony ford in brampton for body they good jobs. I used to be the esitmator there.

Bon Chance

[actng 1.8T]

here are some facts i know, some of which might be too late for you but you can note for next time:

1. you don't need to accept any tow, if you accept, you can ask for quote before getting towed so you're not dinged with some ridiculous $1000 charge later

2. you don't need to take it to any specific shop the tow truck guy tells you or the insurance company forces you to. insurance especially, will try to talk you into taking it to their shop citing warranty and all that kind of crap. it is just a sales pitch. you can tow it anywhere you want. you can even tow it home after getting the accident reported and then tow it to a shop after doing research.

3. it usually takes just a few days to repair an accident. sometimes it takes longer because the shop is busy or the parts needed are not in stock locally and they have to order it from somewhere.

4. when you take it to your own shop (not insurance recommendation), the body shop submits their quote to insurance and the insurance company will send an adjuster out to double check the claim to make sure the quote is reasonable. this is when a lot of times modified cars are scared ****less because they think the insurance company will deny them of the claim. as long as the car doesn't look like it's from fast and furious, most adjusters don't care. but this is a risk you run as a car enthusiast.

5. when your car is in the shop, and your insurance has replacement vehicle coverage, you are entitled to a rental car up to a maximum of whatever your coverage is. usually this is $30ish. that means you don't get a BMW rental for your BMW car.

when your car is in the shop WAITING for parts, insurance may not provide you with a rental and you may be without a car or paying out of pocket. insurance only gives you a car when your car is actually being worked on. this may differ from insurer to insurer.


6. when your car is getting repaired, it is often a good opportunity to think about cosmetic mods (add body kit) or other repairs (parking lot trolley accidents). there is some room for negotiation with body shops to get what you want done without paying a lot of money, in some cases, no additional cost.


at this point for you... if i were you... my priority is to get my car in a shop that knows what they're doing. communication is key so if you find you're having a hard time getting a hold of the guy at the body shop or understanding what he's saying.. or if he's one of those slicksters that keeps saying things like "we'll take care of ya" without getting specific, you may want to go elsewhere. you want to look for new OEM parts if possible and if not possible, you may have to settle for used parts. either way, you want to make sure they're getting you OEM or OEM quality and not some cheap part from china.

[Mk2-Dub-GLI]

here are some facts i know, some of which might be too late for you but you can note for next time:

1. you don't need to accept any tow, if you accept, you can ask for quote before getting towed so you're not dinged with some ridiculous $1000 charge later

2. you don't need to take it to any specific shop the tow truck guy tells you or the insurance company forces you to. insurance especially, will try to talk you into taking it to their shop citing warranty and all that kind of crap. it is just a sales pitch. you can tow it anywhere you want. you can even tow it home after getting the accident reported and then tow it to a shop after doing research.

3. it usually takes just a few days to repair an accident. sometimes it takes longer because the shop is busy or the parts needed are not in stock locally and they have to order it from somewhere.

4. when you take it to your own shop (not insurance recommendation), the body shop submits their quote to insurance and the insurance company will send an adjuster out to double check the claim to make sure the quote is reasonable. this is when a lot of times modified cars are scared ****less because they think the insurance company will deny them of the claim. as long as the car doesn't look like it's from fast and furious, most adjusters don't care. but this is a risk you run as a car enthusiast.

5. when your car is in the shop, and your insurance has replacement vehicle coverage, you are entitled to a rental car up to a maximum of whatever your coverage is. usually this is $30ish. that means you don't get a BMW rental for your BMW car.

when your car is in the shop WAITING for parts, insurance may not provide you with a rental and you may be without a car or paying out of pocket. insurance only gives you a car when your car is actually being worked on. this may differ from insurer to insurer.


6. when your car is getting repaired, it is often a good opportunity to think about cosmetic mods (add body kit) or other repairs (parking lot trolley accidents). there is some room for negotiation with body shops to get what you want done without paying a lot of money, in some cases, no additional cost.


at this point for you... if i were you... my priority is to get my car in a shop that knows what they're doing. communication is key so if you find you're having a hard time getting a hold of the guy at the body shop or understanding what he's saying.. or if he's one of those slicksters that keeps saying things like "we'll take care of ya" without getting specific, you may want to go elsewhere. you want to look for new OEM parts if possible and if not possible, you may have to settle for used parts. either way, you want to make sure they're getting you OEM or OEM quality and not some cheap part from china.

x2

[Ed52]

here are some facts i know, some of which might be too late for you but you can note for next time:

1. you don't need to accept any tow, if you accept, you can ask for quote before getting towed so you're not dinged with some ridiculous $1000 charge later

2. you don't need to take it to any specific shop the tow truck guy tells you or the insurance company forces you to. insurance especially, will try to talk you into taking it to their shop citing warranty and all that kind of crap. it is just a sales pitch. you can tow it anywhere you want. you can even tow it home after getting the accident reported and then tow it to a shop after doing research.

3. it usually takes just a few days to repair an accident. sometimes it takes longer because the shop is busy or the parts needed are not in stock locally and they have to order it from somewhere.

4. when you take it to your own shop (not insurance recommendation), the body shop submits their quote to insurance and the insurance company will send an adjuster out to double check the claim to make sure the quote is reasonable. this is when a lot of times modified cars are scared ****less because they think the insurance company will deny them of the claim. as long as the car doesn't look like it's from fast and furious, most adjusters don't care. but this is a risk you run as a car enthusiast.

5. when your car is in the shop, and your insurance has replacement vehicle coverage, you are entitled to a rental car up to a maximum of whatever your coverage is. usually this is $30ish. that means you don't get a BMW rental for your BMW car.

when your car is in the shop WAITING for parts, insurance may not provide you with a rental and you may be without a car or paying out of pocket. insurance only gives you a car when your car is actually being worked on. this may differ from insurer to insurer.


6. when your car is getting repaired, it is often a good opportunity to think about cosmetic mods (add body kit) or other repairs (parking lot trolley accidents). there is some room for negotiation with body shops to get what you want done without paying a lot of money, in some cases, no additional cost.


at this point for you... if i were you... my priority is to get my car in a shop that knows what they're doing. communication is key so if you find you're having a hard time getting a hold of the guy at the body shop or understanding what he's saying.. or if he's one of those slicksters that keeps saying things like "we'll take care of ya" without getting specific, you may want to go elsewhere. you want to look for new OEM parts if possible and if not possible, you may have to settle for used parts. either way, you want to make sure they're getting you OEM or OEM quality and not some cheap part from china.

Hey Mods>>>make this a sticky, good information to know before your accident happens.

[actng 1.8T]

i want to clarify on my comment about parts from china...

one benefit to driving volkswagen is actually an availability of OEM part from china!

my comment about cheap parts from china was in reference to non-VW parts from china, knockoffs, that are marketed as such as a cheaper no-name alternative. i find those to fit/work poorly even if they do. for instance my friend took a cheap bumper from china and it just didn't fit. same with headlights.

there were no VW part numbers or VW emblems on those parts.

[winggx]

Thank you very much for the information!
I was worry about parts too...I love my car very much and I want them to use original vw parts only...
So what you meant is that it is actually hard to find non-vw parts to fix my car?

And how can I tell if they use real vw parts even if I asked them before?

[Paul-QC]

Thank you very much for the information!
I was worry about parts too...I love my car very much and I want them to use original vw parts only...
So what you meant is that it is actually hard to find non-vw parts to fix my car?

And how can I tell if they use real vw parts even if I asked them before?

Many of the Volkswagen parts have either the emblem or a number identifying if it is OEM or not.

Parts such as bumpers, motor mounts, etc.

[actng 1.8T]

Thank you very much for the information!
I was worry about parts too...I love my car very much and I want them to use original vw parts only...
So what you meant is that it is actually hard to find non-vw parts to fix my car?

And how can I tell if they use real vw parts even if I asked them before?

what i meant is that if it's from china, it doesn't mean it's no good. since vws are made in china also. but just make sure it is oem or better.

if it doesn't have vw emblem or vw part number, then for sure it is not real. but then even if it does have emblem and part number it can be fake too.

this is why you need to go to a shop that you can trust and doesn't take short cuts.

for a 2011, they should be able to get you brand new parts locally.

for something older like my 2004, then they may have to get used parts.

[mlochab]

well even the smallest of jobs can take some time. I was rear ended, took the car to the who of my choice, an adjuster did not come out for 2 weeks., got my car back today , accident was in August. but then again use your money wisely. insurance had given 700$ to replace rear bumper ( top and bottom on the mkv) instead got a thunderbunny one piece for 220$

[me66]

Something similar happened to a buddy of mine. But the car was drivable, so he took it to a trusted shop in Milton.Whole thing took about 2.5 weeks (including adjustor, ordering of parts - from VW - and paint) But it was just cosmetic (bumper, grille, one headlight) Would have been less than 2 weeks but there was some issue ordering the grille apparently. Maybe he said 4 weeks as a buffer, just in case, but it should be about half that.....