# Another Retread victim



## coolhandgoat (Nov 2, 2006)

Count me in among the masses who have had the unfortunate experience of hitting a huge chuck of tire doing 70+. The pickup in front of me didn't slow down, didn't tap his brakes, didn't do ANYTHING. Just drove right over it like it was nothing (which to him I am sure it was), leaving me to have enough time to curse and take the hit. 

Luckily, it didn't damage anything other than the bumper and lower grill. My question: is it going to be possible to use some sort of epoxie on the bumper, and then slap the SAP front extension on it? The only body shop I have had the time to speak to so far said that they wouldn't just glue the crack shut and cover it up, because "it will surely not last". Silver lining: now I have an excuse to get the SAP front extension arty: 

The picture is kind of misleading-- I stuck the crack back together, and rearranged the broken grill pieces back into some kind of order.


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## 04GoatBoy (Jun 22, 2006)

I hear this is great to use for that: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330065780227
Kinda pricey 

Found this too, don't know about the quality of this one though: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330067273715


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

coolhandgoat said:


> Count me in among the masses who have had the unfortunate experience of hitting a huge chuck of tire doing 70+. The pickup in front of me didn't slow down, didn't tap his brakes, didn't do ANYTHING. Just drove right over it like it was nothing (which to him I am sure it was), leaving me to have enough time to curse and take the hit.
> 
> Luckily, it didn't damage anything other than the bumper and lower grill. My question: is it going to be possible to use some sort of epoxie on the bumper, and then slap the SAP front extension on it? The only body shop I have had the time to speak to so far said that they wouldn't just glue the crack shut and cover it up, because "it will surely not last". Silver lining: now I have an excuse to get the SAP front extension arty:
> 
> The picture is kind of misleading-- I stuck the crack back together, and rearranged the broken grill pieces back into some kind of order.


*It would seem to me that if you slap on the SAP facia on a repaired crack and the crack should open up, the flexing of the damaged bumper may aggitate the attached SAP facia causing it to come loose in time. It would irritate the hell out of me knowing the grill has a fracture line in it if it is epoxied back together. 

What's your insurance company say? What sux is the insurance companies will treat this as a collision claim because you were moving. Not a comp claim which has lower deductibles. *


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## V8 GOAT (May 22, 2006)

GTO judge said:


> *
> 
> What's your insurance company say? What sux is the insurance companies will treat this as a collision claim because you were moving. Not a comp claim which has lower deductibles. *



Check with your insurance company. This might not be the case. Mine does NOT consider this a collision. My mom, who uses the same company, recently had the same thing happen in her C5, and she claimed it as comprehensive. Nor do they consider hitting an animal a collision. It may be viewed on a case to case basis, but it never hurts to ask... Good luck, and enjoy that SAP extension, I sure know that I do!


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## coolhandgoat (Nov 2, 2006)

I haven't talked to my insurance company yet... I was hoping I could get the damage "repaired" for less than my deductible, and then slap on the SAP extension to cover the crack. I agree though that I would have to be damn sure that the crack won't open up sometime in the future before I just cover it up.


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

V8 GOAT said:


> Check with your insurance company. This might not be the case. Mine does NOT consider this a collision. My mom, who uses the same company, recently had the same thing happen in her C5, and she claimed it as comprehensive. Nor do they consider hitting an animal a collision. It may be viewed on a case to case basis, but it never hurts to ask... Good luck, and enjoy that SAP extension, I sure know that I do!


*
Lucky!! According to my insurance:

If you are operating your car and you hit something, or someting hits you it is considered collision. 

GET THIS >> If your car is parked in a parking lot and a shopping cart hits your car, that is a collision claim. Why? Cause the shopping cart has wheels!!! I argued that one, but if it has wheels it's considered collision.   

If a car smacks your car and your car is parked.... That too is a collision claim, again..... the other car has wheels and it was a moving accident.

Gotta love insurance companies*


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## V8 GOAT (May 22, 2006)

GTO judge said:


> *
> Lucky!! According to my insurance:
> 
> If you are operating your car and you hit something, or someting hits you it is considered collision.
> ...



OUCH Judge!! I'd say that it is about time for a new insurance company. :lol: I hit a deer about 2 years ago going 70mph in my truck, and needless to say, it did some serious damage. Luckily that went as a comprehensive claim. If hitting deer were collisions, I don't think that I could afford insurance. I actually hit 2 of them within a year. You still have to be careful though, too many comprehensive claims and your insurance can still drop you...

And I gotta say, that shopping cart thing is killing me..."because it has wheels"!!!! :rofl:


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

V8 GOAT said:


> OUCH Judge!! I'd say that it is about time for a new insurance company. :lol: I hit a deer about 2 years ago going 70mph in my truck, and needless to say, it did some serious damage. Luckily that went as a comprehensive claim. If hitting deer were collisions, I don't think that I could afford insurance. I actually hit 2 of them within a year. You still have to be careful though, too many comprehensive claims and your insurance can still drop you...
> 
> And I gotta say, that shopping cart thing is killing me..."because it has wheels"!!!! :rofl:


*
I'm tellin ya it's the truth. When I heard that explanation when I thought someone drifted a cart in to my GTO I was livid. That is exactly what I was told. When I asked the woman about deer hits I was told if you are driving and hit one it's a collision. I told her but deer don't have wheels. But they have legs, same difference.  Fortunately the adjuster determined it was not a shopping cart that hit my car, the wounds were off angle for that, so it cost me 50.00 for my ded. instead of 250. He too told me the same thing. I told him you gotta be kiddin me, if a shopping cart has wheels and some a$$hole slams me, I have to pay a collision ded.? Yep I was told. Amazing ain't it? 

I have Erie Insurance, 31 years now. They are BY FAR the cheapest. I will never be surcharged for future accidents should I have any, since I am in the preferred club. That does not mean I cannot be dropped however. 

This explanation rates up there with the people in Louisiana when the Hurricane hit. They have Hurricane Insurance for wind damage but not water surge, and they live along a levy.     *


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## kegbelly (Mar 23, 2006)

coolhandgoat said:


> Luckily, it didn't damage anything other than the bumper and lower grill. My question: is it going to be possible to use some sort of epoxie on the bumper, and then slap the SAP front extension on it? The only body shop I have had the time to speak to so far said that they wouldn't just glue the crack shut and cover it up, because "it will surely not last". Silver lining: now I have an excuse to get the SAP front extension arty:


A cheap fix would be to buy some *top quality* industrial or automotive epoxy and glue the cracked bumper back together. Then glue a piece (or several pieces) of ABS plastic to the _inside_ of the bumper across the crack at a right angle to it. That way you have some reinforcing material behind the crack and you've got a whole lot more holding it together than just the little dab of epoxy on the edges of the crack. Think of it as butterfly stitches for your car. Use a good epoxy and it won't come apart. In the mean time get a couple estimates from some body shops and maybe you can sweet talk your insurance company into writing you a check for the repair, then buy the SAP kit and put it on. We used to have this industrial two-stage epoxy at work, it came in a double syringe with a plastic mixing "needle", man that was good stuff. I liberated a few tubes of it before they stopped using it. I call it employee relations. I just used the last of it on my buddy's original door panels in his '70 Challenger. We used the same principle, reinforcing some cracks with some ABS behind the cracks and the repaired area is stronger than original. Of course we had to do some grain-matching, but since you'll be covering it with the SAP facia, you wouldn't have to do much besides smooth it down where the new facia fits snug with no bumps or gaps.
<edit> I should add that I used this technique on my '94 Formula... not two weeks after we bought it, an ice spud --a steel bar 6 feet long and 1 1/2 inch square with a sharp chisel point on the end-- somehow got knocked over and when it hit the car it punched a hole clean through the composite door skin. I worked a couple strips of plastic in behind the hole, reinforcing it like I described, and my brother then filled and painted the top half of the door in his garage. I was out maybe $50 in materials, including bondo and paint. 12 years later it's still holding.


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## coolhandgoat (Nov 2, 2006)

At this point I think I am going to cover all my bases and just get a new bumper... my deductible is kinda high, but I figure I might as well take advantage of my insurance (that's why we pay for it after all). Then I will probably just have them put on the SAP front extension while they are at it. At least this way maybe I won't have to pay for the paint set-up fees.

Not to hijack my own thread, but what does everyone think about the whole SAP kit? What all is involved in replacing the rear on an 04? I am still debating if I want to update to the SAP or the 05/06 tails. The pictures online of the SAP read don't really make me that enthused about it. I am fairly sure though that I won't put on the SAP spoiler, I am pretty content with the stock one.


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## GTO JUDGE (May 14, 2005)

coolhandgoat said:


> At this point I think I am going to cover all my bases and just get a new bumper... my deductible is kinda high, but I figure I might as well take advantage of my insurance (that's why we pay for it after all). Then I will probably just have them put on the SAP front extension while they are at it. At least this way maybe I won't have to pay for the paint set-up fees.
> 
> Not to hijack my own thread, but what does everyone think about the whole SAP kit? What all is involved in replacing the rear on an 04? I am still debating if I want to update to the SAP or the 05/06 tails. The pictures online of the SAP read don't really make me that enthused about it. I am fairly sure though that I won't put on the SAP spoiler, I am pretty content with the stock one.


*The SAP is a matter of personal taste. Many like it, many don't. Many like a mixed bag. Personally for me, I wanted a different looking GTO. Most of what you see on the road is the stock version. I wanted something different.

As far as upgrading to the SAP rear on the 04' You'll have to modify the 04' exhaust system to accommodate the configuration to the SAP. The 04's twin tails would have to be upgraded to the 05-06' separate R - L, exhaust configuration. The SAP rear or the 05'-06' rear for that matter will not work with just a simple swap of the rear facia on the 04 facia.*


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## V8 GOAT (May 22, 2006)

coolhandgoat said:


> At this point I think I am going to cover all my bases and just get a new bumper... my deductible is kinda high, but I figure I might as well take advantage of my insurance (that's why we pay for it after all). Then I will probably just have them put on the SAP front extension while they are at it. At least this way maybe I won't have to pay for the paint set-up fees.
> 
> Not to hijack my own thread, but what does everyone think about the whole SAP kit? What all is involved in replacing the rear on an 04? I am still debating if I want to update to the SAP or the 05/06 tails. The pictures online of the SAP read don't really make me that enthused about it. I am fairly sure though that I won't put on the SAP spoiler, I am pretty content with the stock one.



I, like Judge, wanted a car that was slightly different than everybody else's. I have all of the major SAP pieces on my 04 with the exception of the rear bumper. I actually went with the 05/06 rear. It is pretty much the same process though. Like Judge said, for the most part, you just buy the bumper that you want (SAP or 05/06), and it is easily replaced with the stock one. The only real "modifications" that will have to be done are to the exhaust. Good luck, and let us know how it turns out!! :cheers


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## coolhandgoat (Nov 2, 2006)

Thanks for all the help! I am currently planning on putting on the SAP front extension, and eventually maybe the rockers. As for the rear, while I too don't want to have the same thing as everyone else, I think the 05/06 tails look better than the SAP, especially if they lower valence is painted to match the body color.

On that same note, anyone have a ball park estimate on the rockers? I can't seem to find them online anywhere, at least not easily.


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## ELP_JC (Jan 9, 2007)

Here's the skinny: ANYTHING that hits your car is considered a COLLISION indeed, whether moving or not. However, colliding with an animal, hitting those retreads, or like me, being hit while parked, it's considered a 'NO FAULT COLLISION', which for practical purposes, it's like if it wasn't a collision. 

Here's what makes a difference, however. If you have uninsured/underinsured property damage, that would cover any of the above events, at a lower deductible (max of $250 by law, I believe). But that's really a duplicate coverage, as your collision also covers all the above scenarios, and without affecting your rates, but with your regular deductible. As a last comment, most insurance companies allow up to 2 of those events per year, or they have the right to either cancel you or increase your rates. 
When my Lexus convertible was hit while parked (barely), it had $1,100 in damage, and since I didn't have un/underinsured property damage (but I do carry the liability portion), my collision paid for it, and didn't increase my rates, and wasn't even reported to 'CLUE'. But I had to pay $500. 

So there you have it. If it's pretty close to your deductible, which sounds like in your case, don't even go thru the hassle of making a claim. Good luck.
JC


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## coolhandgoat (Nov 2, 2006)

My insurance company is covering it under comprehensive, and it won't affect my premiums in anyway whatsoever.

Now I just have to find some time when I am willing to be away from my car...


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## PEARL JAM (Sep 6, 2005)

Well, hit one on the highway last week. New bumper is being painted this weekend.


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## coolhandgoat (Nov 2, 2006)

Holy smokes! Now I don't feel so bad after having only that little crack... hope it gets fixed soon! :cheers


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