I hate cars
August 21, 2013 9:45 AM   Subscribe

Is what my tire shop did negligent? Or am I in the wrong for not being more thorough in my description of what was wrong with my car?

On Monday night, I was in a car accident that resulted in me crashing onto a steep curb with the passenger side of my car. I am thankfully okay and no one was hurt, but my front passenger tire popped like a balloon.

I had the car towed to my tire shop and dropped it off (because it was after-hours). I had called in advance and explained that I had a flat tire and they said they’d be able to look at it the next day. The next morning I called back and explained that I’d run up on a curb, and could they check the rear tire as well. They assured me that they would check all of the tires.

The car was ready this morning and I went in to pick it up. All was well with the world, until I got out on the road with it. In order to drive straight down the road, I had to have the steering wheel cranked hard to the left, like almost all the way over. I took the car back in, canceled a long-awaited doctor’s appointment that I had this morning, and waited on it. After looking at it again, they explained that various things were bent, something about the steering column (here’s where my utter lack of automotive literacy is showing) and will be about $2000 in fixes.

So, the price tag has me horrified, but I did after all wreck my car and I wasn’t expecting it to be cheap. However, I’m alarmed that they sent me on my way with something still so obviously wrong with the car. Should they have checked the alignment or steering wheel or whatever before pronouncing it fixed? When I explained that I’d run it up onto a curb and asked that they check both tires, should I have assumed that they would also look at whether the alignment was all jacked up? Or is this my fault for not explaining that there may be more things wrong with it than a simple flat tire (or two)?

My boyfriend thinks I should write a letter to their corporate office, and that I should have taken it elsewhere to have it fixed. At this point, I am so utterly stressed by the whole affair, and had to get to work, so I just told them “go ahead and fix.” I don't necessarily want to try to wring anything out of them, but am disturbed that things were still so wrong with my car when they gave it back to me.
posted by whistle pig to Travel & Transportation (23 answers total)
 
If they didn't have a good understanding of the severity of the accident, and figured it was just a blown out tire, then it is entirely possible that they wouldn't notice the other damage.

That said, it wasn't very good customer service on their part.

I'd suggest you take the car to another garage and get a second opinion. Hitting a curb like that can do a lot of damage to the front end, but 2000 dollars in damage seems like it would be noticeable.

Also, you should have your rim checked, too. Alloy rims are pretty easy to crack if you smack them good. Steel rims hold up a bit better, but are heavier. Point is, you should give the entire front end a good going over after an accident like this.

You do have insurance ? Did the other car have insurance ? The price tag sucks, but you might want to consider getting your insurance company involved.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 9:53 AM on August 21, 2013 [5 favorites]


When you told them you ran up on a curb, they should absolutely have checked the alignment. Talk to the manager and point out that it is his or her job to be smarter about cars than the customers. Don't expect any discount or reward, but some form of apology (even just verbal) would be nice.

If you can, call them back and ask them to stop so you can get a second opinion on the severity of the damage.

And yeah, get your insurance company involved. This is what they're for.
posted by Etrigan at 9:54 AM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


You didn't tell them what had happened. You asked for specific work to be done. They probably assumed that (a) you knew there was other stuff wrong, and (b) that you either didn't care, or were going to get that stuff fixed elsewhere.

They're not under any obligation to check everything else on your vehicle and suggest or quote for repairs that you haven't asked for. Where would that end? Of course, in an ideal world, they'd have at least pointed out to you that other things needed attention.

I'd suggest shopping around for other quotes for the work. A tyre place generally isn't where you want to go for mechanical repairs.

And next time, take it to a proper mechanic, explain what actually happened, and get them to do an appropriate inspection of the damage.
posted by pipeski at 9:55 AM on August 21, 2013 [13 favorites]


A tire shop is not a body shop or a mechanic. It just isn't. If it isn't immedeately apparent what the problem is, they'll usually do what you ask them and send you on your way.

If you had told them, "I was in an accident and hit the curb with such force that it popped the tire." That's much different information than, "I ran up on the curb."

So in this scenario I'd say your about 80% at fault and they're 20% at fault.

You may want to involve your insurance now. They can recommend a shop that provides work at rates they approve of. The adjuster will also know how to assess all the damage to your vehicle.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:58 AM on August 21, 2013 [8 favorites]


I think the problem is that you took it to a tire shop, not a general mechanic. A good mechanic would have noticed, but those corporate tire places don't always employ good mechanics. For future reference I would start asking around to find a reliable full-service auto shop you can patronize going forward.
posted by something something at 9:58 AM on August 21, 2013 [4 favorites]


For this kind of aaccident, the tire shop was not the place to go.
posted by k8t at 9:59 AM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


You DO have collision insurance, right? In states where car insurance is mandatory, usually only liability insurance is required -- which pays for things like injuries and medical bills -- but if you only have liability and your car is damaged, you're on the hook for the repairs. That's why you also should carry collision.

If you do have collision insurance, you should have gotten both the police and your insurance company involved. Maybe you still can call the insurance company, but don't expect them to pay for the new tire you just bought (they will pay for any remaining damage, probably, minus your deductible). They need to do an assessment of the damage. Since you've already fixed some of the damage, they probably won't pay for it now. Oops. Lesson learned.

The tire shop was not the place to bring your car. The **first** thing you should have done was call the police to investigate the accident (they can then provide the accident report to your insurance company); then called your insurance company and have an adjuster look at it. Only then should you have gone to a body shop (not a tire shop), and your insurance company would likely have paid for most if not all the repairs minus your deductible. This is precisely why you (hopefully) have collision insurance, and why you need it.

Sorry for the lecture. But hey, hopefully you will have learned from this mistake.
posted by tckma at 10:20 AM on August 21, 2013


Response by poster: Ack! I called the tire shop and asked them to stop working on it, and as soon as I can will call to see if it's a viable option to take it to the dealer for repairs.

Yes, I really, really, REALLY hate cars. I do have collision insurance, with obviously no knowledge of how to use it. The police were involved, but this never came up.
posted by whistle pig at 10:26 AM on August 21, 2013


I do have collision insurance, with obviously no knowledge of how to use it.

Now that you've stopped work at the tire place, the next thing you should do is talk to your insurance company. Make sure you reach a human, not a robot.

It may or may not make sense for you to file a claim for this (depending on what your deductible is), the human who you talk to at the insurance company should at minimum tell you what your deductible is, and may even help you through the process of figuring out out what would be most cost effective for you.

Chances are, in order to have your insurance company pay for the repairs (if you do file a claim), you will need to take your car to one of their authorized mechanics. It's likely that a dealership for your make of car is authorized, but you need to check to make sure. Again, the human at the insurance company should be able to answer that for you.
posted by sparklemotion at 10:31 AM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


This absolutely should fall under your collision insurance, as you ran into an object and did damage to your vehicle. Pot holes and ditches also qualify as collisions. Whether you are negligent is not an issue for getting the coverage. You should only be out less your deductible.

What I would do at this point (I worked in insurance claims for awhile) is immediately contact your insurance company. They may allow you to continue work on your vehicle where it currently is, and you would only pay your deductible for damages. Or, they may have a perferred auto mechanic in the area that they will ask you to take your vehicle to. The benefit of the second option is that you know it is also a place that your insurance company has vetted to do good work. In any case, definitely contact them before continuing work, not only for the coverage, but also so that you are aren't liable for money if the body shop overcharges what the insurance company would reasonably pay.
posted by SpacemanStix at 10:39 AM on August 21, 2013


To elaborate a bit on what tckma said, I do think there is a good chance that your insurance company will pay for your new tire, assuming it's pretty comparable to what you had. In an ideal world, someone would not start work getting their vehicle repaired before contacting the insurance company, but it actually happens quite a bit, because people think it's the right thing to do. We would work as much as we could with auto shops that had started work, as long as the repair costs were reasonable. The reason this often worked is because although a shop can BS a customer, they could generally not do it to knowledgeable adjusters at the insurance company that would be paying their bill. You'll very likely be okay.

Also, the police report is most likely not going to be necessary for your insurance company to cover this. If there are no liability issues or damages, the police aren't necessary, as far as the insurance company is concerned. It might be necessary if your insurance company thinks they should pay for any damages you caused. If that doesn't apply, they will look at your vehicle damages and it's going to be obvious that some sort of impact/collision took place.

Good luck, and don't worry too much about it. This kind of stuff happens all the time in the insurance world, and unless there's something here that hasn't been said, it's a pretty efficient and straightforward process for getting this claim moved through their system.
posted by SpacemanStix at 10:55 AM on August 21, 2013


First of all, don't do anything else yourself. This is a remarkable level of knowledge gap you are continuing to demonstrate. That's why others exist in our lives.

Give your boyfriend the role of all future decision making with this repair.

Begin your own study of the basics of the insurance you pay for, and what steps to take after an accident. Owning and operating a car is an awesome responsibility, no matter how much you hate it.
posted by Kruger5 at 11:01 AM on August 21, 2013 [2 favorites]


Yeah, unfortunately I got in a lot of car accidents in my 20s so I'm somewhat of an expert. :(

I take it from your story that another car was not involved. Almost always, when another car is involved, the drivers exchange insurance information. Unfortunately, this means the cost of your car insurance WILL go up in the future, but likely not by very much.

If the police were involved, that is good.

When you call your insurance company (call the claims phone number, not the customer service number), they will ask you questions about the accident. Date and time, where it happened, the road conditions, what happened, et cetera. They will ask if the accident was investigated by the police, and which police department. If you know the officer's name, that helps, although it's not needed.

The next thing they'll probably do is send an adjustor to the tire shop to take a look at your car. Ask if you can be present for this inspection; it's a good idea so that you can be sure your insurance company isn't trying to cheat you. The adjustor's will look at the car and give you a written estimate of the damage, as well as what the insurance company will pay for.

Insurance companies have preferred auto body shops; if you go somewhere else, they might not pay for it. A preferred auto shop is (a) judged by the insurance company to do good repairs, and (b) will generally accept the price that the insurance company offers to pay for the repairs. It's likely that Joe's Tire Shop is not a preferred repair shop, but you never know. An auto body shop at a dealership is almost certain to be a preferred repair shop, but again you never know; talk to the insurance company. You're not required to use a preferred shop, but if you don't, your chosen shop may charge more than what the insurance company will pay them (in my experience, though, they accept insurance company offers) and you'll be on the hook for the difference. The insurance company may even refuse to pay a non-preferred repair shop.

Whether or not you use a preferred shop, the insurance company will likely send someone to inspect the repair before they will pay for it. This is a good thing; if the job isn't done or isn't done well, the repair shop will have to finish or re-do the repair before they get paid.

If you have what's known as "replacement coverage" (an option you may not have -- check with your insurance company), your insurance company will also pay for a rental car for you while your car is being repaired. Usually this is limited to 30 days with the rental car, which is more than sufficient to cover all but the most complicated repairs.

Good luck. Get off the computer and on the phone to your insurance company.
posted by tckma at 11:06 AM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


Last comment, I promise. This is not the case here, but in the future, if you think the repair costs are going to be less than your deductible (usually $500 or in some cases $1,000), in that case and that case ONLY would you not run it through insurance. You'd be on the hook for the full amount AND your insurance costs would go up, so if it's less than your deductible, just pay for it yourself.

Don't "give your boyfriend the role of all future decision making with this repair," unless it's his car. Even if he knows more about cars than you do. You may not know about cars or insurance but there's no reason why you can't (or shouldn't) learn.
posted by tckma at 11:11 AM on August 21, 2013 [3 favorites]


Give your boyfriend the role of all future decision making with this repair.

This is crap. Few educations are free, and nobody learns anything without mistakes. You are totally capable of handling this on your own.

You've made a few mistakes here, but they are correctable and otherwise not that big of a deal.

If the other driver was at fault, your insurance company will pursue getting him to pay and you'll possibly get your deductible back. If not, then, they'll pay for it and possibly raise your rates. Your agent or someone else can help you sort out the possibilities here.

Cars are not hard to understand. I know that dealing with car stuff likely fills you with anxiety and dread. But, they aren't rocket science, and I can promise you that you are at least as smart and capable as the grease monkeys working on your car now. Please don't be afraid to ask questions and to learn more about them - you'll be dealing with cars for the rest of your life and you can save yourself lots of time, effort, and money with just a little bit of knowledge.

If you have more questions, feel free to memail me.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 11:20 AM on August 21, 2013 [8 favorites]


You must have went to a chain, because a locally-owned tire or automotive repair shop would have never returned it to you in that condition. Riddle me this: didn't the shop have to drive it into and out of the bay to fix the tire? Yes they did. The moron who fixed the tire should have said something, and it's a good thing you weren't hurt after they released the car to you because they could have been liable. In any case, I would take it somewhere else and get a second opinion.
posted by brownrd at 11:38 AM on August 21, 2013


They didn't swap the tire in the parking lot. It should have been immediately obvious driving it into the garage the steering was screwed up. Knowledgeable and experienced staff with good customer service skills would notice, have investigated further, and realized from experience a shaken customer may not realize their car was damaged when they blew the tire. I wouldn't trust them to do the work right if they don't even notice the car trying to careen into the side of the garage while moving it from the parking lot to the lift, or too lazy to look at the suspension while the wheel was off.
posted by Slap*Happy at 11:58 AM on August 21, 2013


Response by poster: Thanks again for all your answers. I called the tire shop--they had not done any further work on it since I left there, so it is still in the same condition it was when I dropped it off Monday night (except, obviously, they fixed the flat tire).

I called my insurance agency and am awaiting a return phone call from my agent.

I truly had no idea of the crazy extent of the damage--I thought it was merely a flat tire. (And yes, thanks Slap*Happy--"shaken" was a good word to describe my mental state that night.)

I would not have known to do any of this if I hadn't asked my question, so thanks! In all these years of driving I've never been in an accident, nor had to invoke insurance or get repairs beyond maintenance. So yes, I guess I was clueless.
posted by whistle pig at 12:10 PM on August 21, 2013


Give your boyfriend the role of all future decision making with this repair.

This is sexist crap (fixed that you, Pogo).

What else do we know about her boyfriend, besides that he is ... wait for it ... male?

Scroll back up: all we know is that he said "yeah, you should write a letter and demand better service". That does not translate to "more competent at cars".

So there's no need to cede all authority, and further, no need to man-back-splain about proactively delegating power while telling her to shadow him. Ugh. Just stop when you're wrong, already.

Whistle_pig, it's normal for anyone to be shaken and not immediately know what to do. Not being well-versed in the ways of accidents and insurance is a good thing. You stopped driving and started asking questions, which is the right thing. Now you get to learn the joys of insurance ...
posted by Dashy at 12:33 PM on August 21, 2013 [11 favorites]


I truly had no idea of the crazy extent of the damage

Unfortunately, running into a curb can not only puncture the tire that hits the curb but also put the car's steering out of alignment, bend important connections in the steering mechanism, and/or crack the axle or damage bearings in the various complicated joints between the engine and the tire. But going to a reputable repair shop and talking with your insurance agent should eventually get it straightened out.

Don't be too hard on yourself - accidents and repairs are often, maybe usually, a hassle, and the process can seem needlessly convoluted and annoying -- even, ahem, for us men with our our manly man insider special gender power over cars. (Yes, sarcasm.) Sorry for your difficulties and good luck.
posted by aught at 12:46 PM on August 21, 2013


Thank goodness you are okay! now make sure that car is safe before you drive it again.

You've gotten good advice in this thread already (except for the bit about turning the car over to your boyfriend, which is utter crap*), but I want to tag on a couple more general knowledge tips in case you are in another situation like this.

You will get rattled and shaken after an accident, even a minor one. You may not think clearly. Your first instinct is always to say that you are okay and you don't need any help. It's best to call someone close to come meet you, so that they can objectively vuew the situation. You will be thankful to have that extra set of eyes and ears, because your recollection for details is going to be a bit fuzzy after the shock of the accident.

Your adrenaline will be up. You may be more injured than you realize but just not yet feeling the pain. Your contact can make sure you are okay to leave the scene (though obviously you should not drive right away!) or if you need to go to the hospital. If you do, he/she can drive you rather than having an ambulance take you, if you are worried about coats. Your contact can also hear what the police have to say, and remember it with you later.

If the police get involved, sometimes you will be given a copy of an accident report, and when you call your insurance company, giving them that number saves a lot of time, as the officer will have already given info the insurance company needs to file your claim. So save that form if you have it, and maybe have your contact write down the number as well.

Also, before you have the car taken anywhere, that contact can go around with your cellphone and take pictures of the damage. Your insurance company may want a couple estimates, and they will take the cheaper one, so you want to make sure ALL the damage is being documented and the full cost assessed in each quotes so you don't get short-changed (or drive an unsafe car!).

*This is YOUR car, not your boyfriend's. You can handle this yourself. Be attentive, use the internet (Mefi s a great resource!) to verify anything you aren't sure about, and call your insurance company if anyone tries to charge you more than the estimates you were given. Yes, sometimes people assume women know nothing about cars. Make that their problem, not yours. If anyone gives you a hard time because you are a woman, stand up to them or go somewhere else. .
posted by misha at 12:48 PM on August 21, 2013


I think a partial cause of the tire shop not noticing the other stuff was the way you asked for service. You specifically asked for the tire to be repaired. They did that. If I asked a shop to fix a tire, I would want them to fix a tire and not upsell me a bunch of other stuff. They probably assumed you had another shop to take it to for that, and that all you wanted from them was the tire so you could limp to the other shop.

In your situation, I wouldn't have asked for the tire to be changed (or gone to a tire shop.) I'd have taken it to my general car repair shop and told them the story and asked what they recommend.

I'm not saying you're dumb, it's just a thing I used to see all the time when *I* repaired things (not cars). People think they're being helpful by guessing what the problem is, but forget to tell you that they don't really know for sure. A good service person would interview a little bit to find that out, what your goals are (just fix tire vs. make car good-as-new) and how they fit in. But I can see how a tire-specific shop wouldn't feel responsible for the rest by default unless you told them otherwise.
posted by ctmf at 1:23 PM on August 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


Should they have checked the alignment or steering wheel or whatever before pronouncing it fixed?

No, you were very specific about the job you wanted them to do, and they did that.

They aren't supposed to be taking your car out for a drive when you buy tires.

Give your boyfriend the role of all future decision making with this repair.

WTF!? Because he knows how to write a complaint letter, he's supposed to be knowlegeable about automotive repair? That makes no sense, those aren't related to each other at all.
posted by yohko at 7:23 PM on August 21, 2013


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