Went to Walmart, came out to...

Originally Posted by hsindogg

There is definitely a science to parking a luxury vehicle.

1) know your locality, a Walmart in Southeast DC and Cherry Hill, NJ have extremely different clientele.
2) If you're in a suspect area, park as far as possible from where you think anyone would actually try to park
3) If #2 is not possible, try to get a spot where there's a curb end or a spot that is only adjacent to one other spot. Try and park as far as possble from the side of the spot that has an adjacent spot.
4) Get a handicap permit from your grandmother, lol!

That is really funny but I always use option #4

First, every state has different laws on insurance, so what applies to me in California may be different in 49 other states...

If you READ an auto policy, the 'Comprehensive' coverage will cover everything except the specific instances they lay out in the "Collision" section (hence the term 'comprehensive'). In collision, they talk about 'contact with other cars, inanimate objects, or 'upset' '(ie you roll it but don't hit anything). So if some other car hits you in the lot, it is a collision- if you cannot ID them, you are SOL.

I had a mishap jacking up a car. When I talked to insurance they said 'not covered under Comp, it will be collision', I asked why- they said if it fell of the jack and hit something, that is collision. I explained the jack was in the wrong place, and when lifting it damaged the car- so no 'impact' nor 'upset'. "Oh, then covered under comprehensive, and that is not a chargeable event on your 'record'"... Sweet.

On choosing a shop. DO NOT assume that a "BMW Approved" shop will be the best. BMW has some crappy paint.... get local recommendations from people that know paint. Find out where the Porsches and Ferraris are painted.... The only benefit of using an 'affiliated' shop (ie Gieco, Statefarm, etc) is that the insurer can extend a warranty to you- AND, if the shop balls it up, they can stand behind the work/leverage the shop to do it right. Just FYI.

One of my rules is never ever go near a walmart, no exceptions and life will be better! Good luck with it!

Originally Posted by ard

First, every state has different laws on insurance, so what applies to me in California may be different in 49 other states...

If you READ an auto policy, the 'Comprehensive' coverage will cover everything except the specific instances they lay out in the "Collision" section (hence the term 'comprehensive'). In collision, they talk about 'contact with other cars, inanimate objects, or 'upset' '(ie you roll it but don't hit anything). So if some other car hits you in the lot, it is a collision- if you cannot ID them, you are SOL.

I had a mishap jacking up a car. When I talked to insurance they said 'not covered under Comp, it will be collision', I asked why- they said if it fell of the jack and hit something, that is collision. I explained the jack was in the wrong place, and when lifting it damaged the car- so no 'impact' nor 'upset'. "Oh, then covered under comprehensive, and that is not a chargeable event on your 'record'"... Sweet.

On choosing a shop. DO NOT assume that a "BMW Approved" shop will be the best. BMW has some crappy paint.... get local recommendations from people that know paint. Find out where the Porsches and Ferraris are painted.... The only benefit of using an 'affiliated' shop (ie Gieco, Statefarm, etc) is that the insurer can extend a warranty to you- AND, if the shop balls it up, they can stand behind the work/leverage the shop to do it right. Just FYI.

While insurance is a state regulated industry, a lot of insurance laws and regulations are similar. If your policy has Uninsured Motorist/Underinsured Motorist coverage, a hit and run, which is what we are talking about in this post, will more often than not fall under this category. The problem that can come into play when dealing with a direct insurer like Geico is that the guy on the other end of the line is getting paid $x/hour no matter how your claim is handled. An agent on the other hand, has a vested interest in making sure you're happy and your claim in handled properly. The other thing I tell my clients is that when a claim occurs, that's when you really find out what kind of insurance company you are doing business with.

Originally Posted by bubear99

While insurance is a state regulated industry, a lot of insurance laws and regulations are similar. If your policy has Uninsured Motorist/Underinsured Motorist coverage, a hit and run, which is what we are talking about in this post, will more often than not fall under this category. The problem that can come into play when dealing with a direct insurer like Geico is that the guy on the other end of the line is getting paid $x/hour no matter how your claim is handled. An agent on the other hand, has a vested interest in making sure you're happy and your claim in handled properly. The other thing I tell my clients is that when a claim occurs, that's when you really find out what kind of insurance company you are doing business with.

If you read an uninsured/under insured clause, you will note that it REQUIRES the identification of the other driver and the establishment that they are not insured....in auto unions case he has no idea if the other driver has insurnace.... and a 'hit and run' will still be considered a Collision claim.


Anyway, from insurance.com:
UMPD does not apply in hit-and-run accidents, because UMPD coverage is cheaper than collision coverage-making it very tempting for some drivers to make a "hit-and-run" claim under their UM coverage instead of their collision coverage, or to purchase UM coverage and not have collision coverage at all.

I do wholeheartedly agree with your comment about a claim uncovering the true colors of your insurer... I watch the Progressive advertisements, and think about how my BMW dealer will NOT allow a dealer owned loaner to go out to someone with Progressive! They get an enterprise loaner, nothing better. There is a reason for this....

Finally, as with so many things in life, YOU need to understand your rights and where you stand...and not rely on Geico, BMW, etc to TELL you.

A

Originally Posted by ard

If you read an uninsured/under insured clause, you will note that it REQUIRES the identification of the other driver and the establishment that they are not insured....in auto unions case he has no idea if the other driver has insurnace.... and a 'hit and run' will still be considered a Collision claim.


Anyway, from insurance.com:
UMPD does not apply in hit-and-run accidents, because UMPD coverage is cheaper than collision coverage-making it very tempting for some drivers to make a "hit-and-run" claim under their UM coverage instead of their collision coverage, or to purchase UM coverage and not have collision coverage at all.

I do wholeheartedly agree with your comment about a claim uncovering the true colors of your insurer... I watch the Progressive advertisements, and think about how my BMW dealer will NOT allow a dealer owned loaner to go out to someone with Progressive! They get an enterprise loaner, nothing better. There is a reason for this....

Finally, as with so many things in life, YOU need to understand your rights and where you stand...and not rely on Geico, BMW, etc to TELL you.

A

Guess things are really different in California (insert the joke of your choice here). The company I represent in the Lone Star state does classify a hit and run as an Uninsured Motorist. Here's how my policy reads:
D. I. Uninsured motor vehicle means a land motor vehicle or
trailer of any type,
1. To which no liability bond or policy applies at the time
of the accident,
2. Which is a hit and run vehicle whose operator or
owner cannot be identified and which hits:
a. you or any family member;
b. a vehicle which you or any family member are
occupying; or
c. your covered auto.

Insurance.com apparently contains some incorrect information. When it comes to insurance, you get what you pay for. I always laugh when I hear the commercials for the discount insurers," rates starting at $25 a month." They always forget to add the part about, "good luck filing a claim."

Just one more reason for me to stay in the great state of Texas. I wasn't born here, but got here as fast as I could.

All the Walmarts in my state have video surveillance in their parking--these cameras have been used to ID shoplifters, record hit and runs and check alibis for murder cases. My advice is to ID the other car and make it their problem. Ask the manager or "loss mitigation Dept" at the store to check the tapes--you should have their name, lic # and physical description in 20 minutes.

As I said, it depends on your state.

Providing the OP a definitive guidance, based on your state (no matter how great) is a disservice if OP doesn't live there...

I will also point out that the OP will still need to prove he was hit. Maybe they take his word, maybe not. Those cameras would be useful for that...

Originally Posted by roadkillrob

One of my rules is never ever go near a walmart, no exceptions and life will be better! Good luck with it!

This.



Sorry to hear AutoUnion. Hope everything gets fixed up good as new soon.

Originally Posted by ard

As I said, it depends on your state.

Providing the OP a definitive guidance, based on your state (no matter how great) is a disservice if OP doesn't live there...

I will also point out that the OP will still need to prove he was hit. Maybe they take his word, maybe not. Those cameras would be useful for that...

No disservice done. You apparently didn't read my initial post. If you had, you would have seen that it started as follows: "Not exactly true, since this is essentially a hit and run. Depending on the state you live in, it could be classed as an Uninsured Motorist claim (which is a Not At Fault). "

As an insurance agent, I don't give my clients a definitive answer unless I'm 101% sure that what I'm saying is correct. If you go back and reread YOUR posts, you'll see that you were actually the one giving absolute advice, not me. Insurance.com isn't exactly the place I'd go to get concrete insurance advice.

I'm not trying to beat anyone up, but unless you're licensed to sell insurance in CA, I probably have a little more knowledge of the industry than you. I was merely trying to help Autounion out by advising him to get a second opinion before paying out a Collision deductible and having this accident listed as "At Fault" on his accident history (which can affect future rates). I can't tell you how many times I've run an accident report on a new client that said he had no accidents only to find one or more coded as At Faults that really weren't. While we can sometimes get these fixed, it's a real headache.

Sorry to see that happen on the car; had a couple issues like this:
I came out of the supermarket to find someone did that to the left rear door on my car; big swipe and slight indentation. I haven't really fixed it since my car is silver and it doesn't really show, but it was heartbreaking to see nonetheless.
Another time someone did this to my rear bumper after spending a day skiing; left paint scrapes and scratches on my car; luckily my car has an unpainted bumper; again it was still a real downer.

At least it wasn't your wife who did it AU!!! just sayin. still have a little anger toward my rear bumper mishap. can it be buffed/polished out?

AutoUnion:

That really stinks. My college aged son was working at WalMart and got hit twice in three weeks in their lot. He asked about the security camera tapes and, as an employee, was told that it was against company policy to release them. So, I would not count on any help from them.

Now everytime my wife mentions that something is cheaper at WalMart, I ask if she has figured in the price of our insurance deductible.

Best of luck with your repair!

yeah
sorry
that really sux !
this is why i dont let my wife take mine to "grocery" - one honda guy tells me" its a thing to carry me from point a to point b so y worry about it " - *****es like these really dont care whats parked next to them - my boot can carry them from point a to point b, no gas, no insurance,all green.
fyi i used gas on my accord to clean something like that - it disappeared and came out clean...

Originally Posted by effenn

yeah
sorry
that really sux !
this is why i dont let my wife take mine to "grocery" - one honda guy tells me" its a thing to carry me from point a to point b so y worry about it " - *****es like these really dont care whats parked next to them - my boot can carry them from point a to point b, no gas, no insurance,all green.
fyi i used gas on my accord to clean something like that - it disappeared and came out clean...

I would've slapped that guy or kicked him

If you don't give two ****s about your Honda doesn't mean I shouldn't care about my significantly more expensive car

So, what did you decide to do? Wipe off the white paint with acetone/nail polish remover and not put in a claim, or have a body shop do that and charge you $1200?

Sorry to hear that. I always park our bimmers as far as possible specially at walmart, or if it's not possible I park right next to another bimmer or other luxury car. I would be pissed if a $500 rusty ****box dings my baby
So far so good for the new X5 but I have few stories about my M3
First my car was parked and an old guy with a ****box van hit my front left fender arch. At least he was honest and came to confess what he did
Again my car was parked and somebody hit and broke my front right turn signal and also scratched the front bumper
Next are some weird abuses to my M3 (always when parked)
- Somebody bended my left windshield wiper
- Somebody smashed boiled potatoes all over my roof, windshield and hood
- Once I found two pieces of bologna salami on my hood!!! Can you imagine what kind of brainless people are out there
At least the food abuse doesn't do any permanent damage to my car
Why certain people hate good, new, expensive cars? What do you think is the profile of that kind of person?
Why they despise other more or less successful people that achieved something in their life? It's all hard work to get any benefits like nice car, house etc...

Sounds like a good ole case of the have's vs the have nots. Certain politicians are constantly playing the class warfare game. Never mind that most successful people earned what they have, it wasn't just handed to them. If you don't have initiative, blame your parents, not me. I have a very strong feeling that between now and November 2012, it's going to get much worse.

Originally Posted by tol4o

Sorry to hear that. I always park our bimmers as far as possible specially at walmart, or if it's not possible I park right next to another bimmer or other luxury car. I would be pissed if a $500 rusty ****box dings my baby
So far so good for the new X5 but I have few stories about my M3
First my car was parked and an old guy with a ****box van hit my front left fender arch. At least he was honest and came to confess what he did
Again my car was parked and somebody hit and broke my front right turn signal and also scratched the front bumper
Next are some weird abuses to my M3 (always when parked)
- Somebody bended my left windshield wiper
- Somebody smashed boiled potatoes all over my roof, windshield and hood
- Once I found two pieces of bologna salami on my hood!!! Can you imagine what kind of brainless people are out there
At least the food abuse doesn't do any permanent damage to my car
Why certain people hate good, new, expensive cars? What do you think is the profile of that kind of person?
Why they despise other more or less successful people that achieved something in their life? It's all hard work to get any benefits like nice car, house etc...

Is your license plate pretty neutral?

Originally Posted by c-dubmobile

Is your license plate pretty neutral?

It's completely neutral random license plate number

Judging from the Weymouth location I would suspect a seagull dropping the sandwich on the hood. They are notorious garbage thieves and while flying away with their ill gotten gains frequently engage in aerial combat with their henchmen and drop things like sandwiches in random and unusual locations.

Originally Posted by bubear99

Sounds like a good ole case of the have's vs the have nots. Certain politicians are constantly playing the class warfare game. Never mind that most successful people earned what they have, it wasn't just handed to them. If you don't have initiative, blame your parents, not me. I have a very strong feeling that between now and November 2012, it's going to get much worse.

I agree with all of this, but I would argue that the people who vandalize BMWs are not "have nots." In my experience classist hatred is strongest among those who despise achievement, but disguise their jealousy in terms of "social justice" and purport to act on behalf of the "have nots," the environment or some esoteric creed of egalitarianism.

Originally Posted by tol4o

Why certain people hate good, new, expensive cars? What do you think is the profile of that kind of person?
Why they despise other more or less successful people that achieved something in their life? It's all hard work to get any benefits like nice car, house etc...

It doesn't sound like people hate good, new expensive cars. It sounds more like someone hates you. Your stories sound far too personal to be random.

I parked my brand new 1992 green 325is at walmart. Parked it way out in the lot away from everyone. Someone kicked the driver door with their foot. About a year later, same car, i came out to the parking lot at work and someone keyed the trunk lid. Reported it at work and was told about 19 others were keyed. They caught the kid who did the key job. She was 13. When asked why, she said her mom owrks at DMV and cant afford nice cars. Made her mad. Of course she got this from her mom who must have verbalized her hate for those that can afford at foreign car.

Our liberal ideology in CA is at fault. We have created a culture where it is okay to lust over anothers possessions when they should be more responsible for their own station in life. I was emancipated at 16. Worked full time while in high school. Put myself through college with 3 jobs...one at night! I have no guilt for having worked my #$%& off to get what i have. I pay way too much in taxes and i refuse to hand out more. Thx for letting me vent. Short story long, people are jealous and lash out because they have no respect for u or how u got to where u r in life which allows u the luxury to have a nice car. Dont shop where they do. If u can afford a bmw, u can afford to shop at better stores. That is what they r thinking! Minimize your exposure.

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Bimmer

The level of self-righteousness in this thread is astounding.

They're BMW's not Bentley's....get over yourself.