[eurban]

It sounds like it could have happened to anyone. Still, it is the driver's responsibility to establish a safe following distance for the conditions at hand. If you are too close to stop when the vehicle in front of you brakes (even full on) for ANY reason, you are the the responsible party for the collision.

 

[anotherdude]

It sounds like it could have happened to anyone. Still, it is the driver's responsibility to establish a safe following distance for the conditions at hand. If you are too close to stop when the vehicle in front of you brakes (even full on) for ANY reason, you are the the responsible party for the collision.

Thanks! Lesson learned. Glad the outcome wasn't any worse.

 

[Rubisean]

Let me guess, you went to a shop that the insurance company has a relationship with...
Of course the discount repair shop will cave in and side with the insurance company that "sends them work as a drp partner"
Drp equally discount repair partner.

Never ever ever go to a shop that the insurance company partners with.



Sent from my SM-G988U1 using Tapatalk

 

[trainman605]

It doesn't take a Rocket Scientist to determine it was Pryor damage, if the owner didn't notice it before, he does now. But you keep figuring out ways to how it happened, maybe you can get something to stick and the insurance will pay the claim, but they will probably cancel your policy when it expires.

 

[OneFish]

It doesn't take a Rocket Scientist to determine it was Pryor damage, if the owner didn't notice it before, he does now. But you keep figuring out ways to how it happened, maybe you can get something to stick and the insurance will pay the claim, but they will probably cancel your policy when it expires.

So how do you explain that the damaged beam where the paint flaked off was not rusty in the pic immediately after the accident, but was rusty 11 days later?

 

[OneFish]

One more thought for the OP. In your side-by-side pic of the damaged beam, the paint flaking has progressed over the 11 days between the first pic and second pic. By comparing specific paint flakes from one pic to the other, it is easy to see big changes to the individual flakes, with some big pieces even falling completely away. This is especially apparent for the flakes which were mostly separated from the metal. If this were old damage, then the paint flakes should have finished this kind of change long ago, and reached some kind of steady state equilibrium.

With a bit of a closer look, the evidence that the damage occurred during the accident seems kind of obvious. I suggest you may want to consider how the insurance company would respond if this had been a serious life-changing accident with significant liability instead of a (thankfully) minor event. We purchase insurance to prevent castatropic consequences. If an insurance company can’t be trusted to meet their obligations, even on small things, then purchasing their product is not just a waste of time, but also a dangerous risk.

 

[Wisconsin_Mike]

This appears to me to be pretty textbook example of beam buckling. You have a curved beam. For arguments sake, let us say that the ends of the beam are fixed. As you apply pressure somewhat evenly across the front of the beam, that load is transferred to the ends, trying to push them both rearward and more importantly to this discussion, apart (due to the curvature of the beam). The beam cannot straighten because the ends cannot move farther apart (we assumed the ends are fixed). This applies compressive force across the entire length of the beam. When the force applied exceeds the beams ability to withstand the compression it is under, it buckles. Notice that the bottom of the beam actually intruded onto itself. One side of the buckled beam pushed over onto the other side of the buckle, forming a zig-zag in the steel. Textbook beam buckling.

My background actually is in physics, lol.

As far as the insurance company portion... Remember that time is on your side here. If you truly feel like they're trying to low-ball you, then I would simply wait it out. The vehicle is fully capable of being driven, so don't be in any hurry. In my experience, insurance companies rely on people needing to have their cars repaired or replaced as leverage. If the car is fully drive-able, then time shouldn't even be a factor in this discussion. Simply tell the insurance company what you want. They will tell you what they are willing to offer. If those two things are not a reasonable distance apart, then wait. Eventually they may even send you a check in the mail. Feel free to throw it away. Wait for them to call. They will. They have to clear this claim off of their books. Eventually they will be more willing to negotiate.

But you need to remember to be reasonable here. You were at fault. You were following too close to stop or change lanes. Meh, it happens. But it sounds like your insurance company is willing to ignore that and cover your mistake without any repercussions on your premium. If that's true, I would be MORE than willing to meet them part way to get the truck fixed. In the long run, you come out WAY ahead!

 

[anotherdude]

I just realized this... The white paint on that buckled beam is over spray from the repair to the bumper PRIOR to my ownership. That part is OEM black, at least according to parts I find. Looking at the photo of my damaged cross-beam, you can see the top of it is black and see the white paint overspray overlapping. IMHO it shows the beam wasn't prior damage.

Probably the most difficult part of this whole thing is the insinuating that I'm lying about it (or was must've be unaware of the damage before my accident). It's mental, so I accept it and that I may not be able to change their opinion.

And I'm prepared to go with the process, let the body shop do their thing. And trust that once they find what they need to connect that damage (and any other damage they might find) to my accident, they will submit the supplemental request to my insurance to cover.

I'm glad I had the collision coverage. My cost at this point is $500 deductible and parts & labor for the crossbeam. (I recognize I probably paid more the last x years in premiums for collision than the portion my insurance is covering, based on the estimate -- $664)

I'm grateful to have a drive-able truck still. I have rental car coverage. And what I have to pay won't likely cause me hardship. AND, no one was hurt.

Also value and appreciate all the help from you all.

 

[stevem5215]

Yep, like I mentioned prior. Looking for replaced parts on a prior repair is usually pretty easy to see on cars unless you have a guy like Fdeno who's an expert at perfection! (just look how perfectly clean his garage is! )

 

[OneFish]

I just realized this... The white paint on that buckled beam is over spray from the repair to the bumper PRIOR to my ownership. That part is OEM black, at least according to parts I find. Looking at the photo of my damaged cross-beam, you can see the top of it is black and see the white paint overspray overlapping. IMHO it shows the beam wasn't prior damage.
View attachment 441787

Probably the most difficult part of this whole thing is the insinuating that I'm lying about it (or was must've be unaware of the damage before my accident). It's mental, so I accept it and that I may not be able to change their opinion.

And I'm prepared to go with the process, let the body shop do their thing. And trust that once they find what they need to connect that damage (and any other damage they might find) to my accident, they will submit the supplemental request to my insurance to cover.

I'm glad I had the collision coverage. My cost at this point is $500 deductible and parts & labor for the crossbeam. (I recognize I probably paid more the last x years in premiums for collision than the portion my insurance is covering, based on the estimate -- $664)

I'm grateful to have a drive-able truck still. I have rental car coverage. And what I have to pay won't likely cause me hardship. AND, no one was hurt.

Also value and appreciate all the help from you all.

I don’t think anyone here believes you were being untruthful, else we wouldn’t have tried to help.
Let us know how it all turns out.

 

[anotherdude]

I don’t think anyone here believes you were being untruthful, else we wouldn’t have tried to help.
Let us know how it all turns out.

Sorry for confusion. I was referring to the insurance adjuster and body shop. You've been especially helpful and generous with your attention. Thanks!

 

[gti16vman]

It doesn't take a Rocket Scientist to determine it was Pryor damage

I don't think that Richard Pryor was involved at all....

sorry, bad joke, I will see myself out!

OP, hope you get it straightened out with the insurance company. Definitely lots of good info to work with in this thread. And mostly, glad no one was hurt!

 

[Vlad the Impaler]

Lots of bending vs. buckling talk here.
One thing I can tell everyone.... That beam can bend just like that and the bumper cover can flex just like that without showing much sign of the impact.
The rules of this post = Don't ask me how I know.
Also...
Those beams are pretty reasonable to replace, ship right to your door, and are quite easy to install.

 

[Coralbrief]

[snip]

Probably the most difficult part of this whole thing is the insinuating that I'm lying about it (or was must've be unaware of the damage before my accident). It's mental, so I accept it and that I may not be able to change their opinion.

And I'm prepared to go with the process, let the body shop do their thing. And trust that once they find what they need to connect that damage (and any other damage they might find) to my accident, they will submit the supplemental request to my insurance to cover.
[snip]

AnotherDude, check out my post back in January at 2017 RTL-E front end damage -DYI?

Very similar circumstances (daughter accelerating at a stop light when the car in front stopped). No airbag deployed. Other vehicle, also a Honda, showed no signs of damage other than maybe a scratch (which could easily have been pre-existing). Here's the other vehicle.

To a casual observer, the Ridgeline grill was cracked (but not so you would notice it unless you were close to the vehicle) and the right front fog light was displaced. I can't find the photos from before began to remove the grill to replace it, but here is a photo of the front end after I got the grill out and discovered the cracked beam.

And here's the cracked beam:

Might be worth talking to the body work team at a Honda dealership to get some insight. Given our mutually similar experiences, I'll bet they tell you it is fairly common.

 

[snax]

Well, without getting into the whole cause of the accident, which seems strange to me, a couple of observations, if the A/C condenser checks out with no leaks there is a tool called a "fin comb" that can address the bent fins. I'd be reluctant for the shop to break open a working A/C 200,000 mile system unless it was necessary.

Second, exposed metal can "flash rust" in high humidity overnight, you can see it on freshly installed brake rotors quite often, so that's not a factor IMO, vis a vis, prior damage.

However, I don't see how the deformation of that beam could occur like that behind a largely intact bumper. It could well be from prior damage. Moreover, that beam damage is not from a flat, square-on "hit".....something fairly sharp edged, vertical and prominent caused it (again IMO) - like a corner of a wall or a sign post or the like. You could get a CarFax for the car's VIN, but, unlike popularly believed, those reports do NOT always show prior collisions.

So two conclusions, you'll have to get the beam fixed to insure future integrity of the front of the car, and,

You may have a fight on your hands getting insurance to pay for it but you could go up the bureaucratic chain a bit at the company to see if they'd cover it.

Those bumper beams rust like crazy in the northeast, and have had minor hits on both RL and my ody... they bend easily, but having been hit from behind and in front a few times in square hits like yours... bumpers didn't bend like that.
None of my hits show on carfax, they were all the insurance too.
My guess, prior damage caused a crease, and weakness, and your hit pushed it back further.

 

[anotherdude]

Honda body shop and paint center took my truck in on 9/27. 9/29 body shop manager called me to say they found damage that connects the buckled crossbeam to the accident and reported to my insurance. Part on order.

10/3 received text message update that "hidden damaged parts" received and reassembly started.

I believe I get my truck back today.

My insurance is in arbitration with other driver's insurance. I'm hopeful they will be successful, in which case I will be paid back my $500 deductible.

My air bag light on dash started blinking after the accident, and I was told this issue would need to be addressed by Honda service department if it does not reset once body shop completes repair.

I'll update at least once more when I get truck back. Big thanks to everyone here for all your help!

 

[johnc1960]

View attachment 441717 View attachment 441718
View attachment 441715

Interesting story. Maybe it was damaged in another accident before you obtained it, and didn't notice, since it's behind the bumper assembly? It certainly didn't affect anything in the operation of the vehicle, for the entire time you have been driving it . Was a CarFAX done before you obtained the vehicle? That's all I can think of at the moment.....

Hope you got it straightened out for 700 bucks, etc.

John C.
2007 Ridgeline RTX Owner Since January 2009
216,212 miles