I'll be glad when March is over...

Post #409,054 by Another Scott 3/31/16 7:20:33 PM 3/31/16 7:20:33 PM Reply	I'll be glad when March is over... The last week has sucked pretty bad. My mom died last Thursday the 24th, about 45 minutes before I was able to reach her in the ICU in the hospital in Ohio. :-( Since the hospital messed up (two doses of heparin rather than one), the coroner decided an autopsy had to be done. It took ages to figure out how to contact her surviving brothers. Nobody had up-to-date information on the family burial plot that is in the middle-of-nowhere, she never told anyone what she wanted done after her death, etc., etc. It wasn't clear when the coroner would release her body. The funeral home was booked up into early April. So, lots and lots of delays and frustrations. But I was able to get in touch with relatives I've not talked to in ages, so that's good. I decided to have her cremated, her remains shipped to me, and we'd have a family memorial at some time later when more of us (including my brother) could get together. Monday as I was heading back to my hotel I was driving on I-75 south near Troy. 3PM, beautiful day, straight clear road, traffic not heavy, just motoring along at 70 MPH in the center lane when WHAM!!! And lots of air rushing noises, tires screeching. WTF?!? I was rear-ended by someone in a 2015 Ford Exp(lorer) who must have been going 90+ mph. :-( My car (2004 VW Jetta TDI wagon, 5 speed manual, 120000 miles) still drives fine, but the back window was smashed, the bumper was smashed, the hatch was smashed, etc. Everything else seems OK (no rear quarter damage, etc.). Fortunately, no injuries. The Exp looked fine except for the antifreeze being puked out on the side of the road where we stopped. I got it appraised for the repairs today and was initially told that it would be around $2500 and it wasn't close to being totaled. Yay! Then I pointed out that the plastic floor cover had a couple of broken plastic bits and it wasn't listed. She said she's adjust the estimate and send me a copy. No big deal, I thought, so I went to my favorite body shop and talked with them about repairing it. I also asked them to paint the roof and hood (faded) - they'll do it for $600. The rental car place came and got me and I came home in a sinister looking black 2016 Camry SE. Then I saw that my insurance company said it was totaled. They say it's "worth" about $4100 based on the comparables they (CCCOne) found and since Virginia has a state law that repairs that cost more than 75% of the "value" are "total"-able, I may be forced to get a salvage title, etc., etc. Since I had planned on holding on to it until it is worn out (5+ years), and then giving it away, I guess a "salvage" title isn't a big deal, but I've never had one before so I don't know... KBB says the usual range for my car is $4200 - $6200. Similar cars I've seen on Autotrader and eBay are ~ $6500-$8000, but they're not close by. The person at my insurance company says she used to work in their "totalled" department and they never reversed a "total" decision when she was there. I told the shop that I probably still want to have the car repaired, but I would need the final estimate (after they take off the bumper cover, look for other damage, etc.) before they start any repairs. I may have that tomorrow. My luck is that the repairs will take longer than the insurance-covered period for the rental car. And cost a lot more than I fear. And there may be something I still don't understand about salvage titles that puts the kibosh on getting it repaired. (sigh) But, man, will I be glad when March is over. April can't be worse, can it?!?! ;-p Cheers, Scott.
Post #409,055 by dmcarls 3/31/16 8:20:35 PM 3/31/16 8:20:35 PM Reply	Re: I'll be glad when March is over... Sorry about your mother, my sincere condolences. Would you mind emailing me -- dmcarls at yahoo dot com? Thanks
Post #409,056 by Another Scott 3/31/16 8:24:49 PM 3/31/16 8:24:49 PM Reply	Thanks. Done.
Post #409,057 by a6l6e6x 3/31/16 11:36:19 PM 3/31/16 11:36:19 PM Reply	Condolences, Scott! :( It's hard to imagine that April will not be an improvement. Alex "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge." -- Isaac Asimov
Post #409,058 by Another Scott 4/1/16 12:07:05 AM 4/1/16 12:07:05 AM Reply	Thanks. April 1 being on a Friday might not be a good sign... It's a good thing I'm not superstitious!! :-) Cheers, Scott.
Post #409,059 by pwhysall 4/1/16 12:57:36 AM 4/1/16 12:57:36 AM Reply	Re: Thanks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoDKy7F_Xtk What a shit sandwich of a month for you. Hope things look up. Looking on Autotrader UK, the valuation of your car seems on the low side of fair. Jettas don't seem to hold their value like Golfs do. e.g. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201603202148306 (yeah, I know the body shape is different, but whatever)
Post #409,064 by Another Scott 4/1/16 7:53:10 AM 4/1/16 7:53:10 AM Reply	Catchy tune. Thanks. ;-) I understand them not saying the car is worth close to $9k like this 2005 that a dealer is asking, but it surely should be worth more than this 2003 with 74,000 miles more on it, no alloy wheels, no dealer maintenance records after 101,000 miles, etc. that is listed for $5400. I wonder if the VW emissions cheating scandal is having an effect on the values. I guess one could look at it two ways - 1) enthusiasts would be more interested due to the risk that decent VW diesels would become more rare, 2) everyone interested would be waiting to see the fallout and hoping the price drops. But since they sold so few of them in the US anyway, it's probably a wash. (sigh). Thanks again. :-) Cheers, Scott.
Post #409,066 by pwhysall 4/1/16 8:17:52 AM 4/1/16 8:17:52 AM Reply	Two things spring to mind 1. You'll only ever get rock-bottom value from an insurance company, and you'll get dealer prices, not private sale prices. Dealer has to make a living, so figure ~10-20% less. But you get (some?) peace of mind, a limited warranty, more consumer protection, etc.* 2. Yes, I think people are nervous about VWs after the emissions scandal. * in the UK, anyhoo. Over here, a car sold privately is "sold as seen" - i.e. it's up to the buyer to do any and all due diligence. As long as the car is substantially as described in the advert (e.g. I cannot advertise a car as a turbo when it's not, thinking I can just say "well, you never looked under the bonnet, tough titties"). Dealers have more obligations (warranty, fitness for purpose, etc) and are subject to regular consumer legislation.
Post #409,067 by pwhysall 4/1/16 8:27:54 AM 4/1/16 8:27:54 AM Reply	Also: dealer == "any trade seller who sells cars for a living" Not just OEM dealers.
Post #409,069 by malraux 4/1/16 10:23:19 AM 4/1/16 10:23:19 AM Reply	Sorry to hear that Scott :-( Hope things look up for you with the new month. Regards, -scott Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
Post #409,072 by Another Scott 4/1/16 10:37:27 AM 4/1/16 10:37:27 AM Reply	Thanks Scott.
Post #409,080 by mmoffitt 4/1/16 11:44:08 AM 4/1/16 11:44:08 AM Reply	I hope April's already better for you. My mom died last April, so my heart's with you. Even if my politics aren't. ;0)
Post #409,081 by Another Scott 4/1/16 12:06:01 PM 4/1/16 12:06:01 PM Reply	Thanks. Condolences to you as well. We'll keep battlin' on the politics. :-)
Post #409,103 by hnick 4/1/16 8:09:16 PM 4/1/16 8:09:17 PM Reply	So sorry... It will pass. My FIL passed today 15 years ago. It still seems recent. But no longer painful. The car is an annoying distraction. If you were rear-ended, it's clearly the other guys fault. It's up to his insurance to make good to your satisfaction. You are not his insurance's customer; he is: the guy that will get sued if you don't sign off. They have to make him happy which means they have to make you happy enough not to fuck with them. Don't sign off on anything until they come to your satisfaction. "Religion, n. A daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable." ~ AMBROSE BIERCE (1842-1914)
Post #409,110 by Another Scott 4/1/16 9:55:26 PM 4/1/16 9:55:26 PM Reply	Thanks. Excellent points. I'll keep that in mind. :-) (Remember the good times.)
Post #409,104 by scoenye 4/1/16 8:19:35 PM 4/1/16 8:19:35 PM Reply	My condolances as well :-( As to the car, it may be worth checking with the DMV how hardnosed they are converting a salvage title back to something that can be driven on public highways. (Given what the insurance co. stuck you with, you're looking at getting a "rebuilt" title.)
Post #409,112 by Another Scott 4/1/16 10:27:15 PM 4/1/16 10:27:15 PM Reply	Thanks. My insurance is now saying they'll pay about $1k less than I thought due to "the reduction of the salvage value for the vehicle." Grr. It looks like this may drag out a while. I hope I don't have to get a lawyer involved... The repair shop says the title won't be an issue because the car is over 7 years old and because I'm holding on to it. I hope he's right! I've asked the DMV for pointers, but haven't heard anything back yet - I guess I'll have to call them Monday. Wish me luck! Cheers, Scott.
Post #409,115 by Ashton 4/2/16 5:00:28 PM 4/2/16 5:00:28 PM Reply	Re: I'll be glad when March is over... Serious-level condolences Belatedly.. all sorts of distractions here recently, (but none as compare with losing a Parent AND apparently via nurse overload/all which that might trigger.) Second hnick's observations; you tend to cut a generous amount of slack to the 'daily scams on which huge bizness was ever Founded'. (While this saves a lot of unnecessary suffering, aka the Bastards Screwed moi!, methinks it is unsatisfying long-term. Eh?) I mean--as taught by The School for Scoundrels--"He who is not ^one-Up? ..is _..one-Down!" {{sob}}
Post #409,116 by Another Scott 4/2/16 5:21:57 PM 4/2/16 5:21:57 PM Reply	Thanks Ashton. I think it was her time and the mistake wasn't a factor. People make mistakes. They were trying their best... I won't have the autopsy report for 6-8 weeks, so I won't know the official explanation for a while. Given the conditions that nurses and physicians have to work in, it's kinda amazing that they don't kill more people by mistake. :-( But I think it's been that way for a very long time - I remember stories as a kid of oldsters saying that they dreaded going to the hospital because "that's where people go to die". The hospital will get a copy of the autopsy, I think, so I hope it causes them to rethink their procedures so mistakes like that don't happen again. I hope the weekend is treating you well! It's cool and beautiful here, with the redbuds blooming and the dogwoods just starting to flower. The DC cherry trees supposedly peaked last week, but ours has just barely started. I'm resting up for the next round of battles with the insurance company about my car. I'm in no hurry to sign anything... ;-) Thanks again. Cheers, Scott.
Post #409,128 by a6l6e6x 4/3/16 4:58:56 PM 4/3/16 4:58:56 PM Reply	Re: "I think it was her time?" Based on something you once said, I thought that she was about 77. That is only a year older than I am. So, it's more than age that's in play. It's a crap shoot all too often. Alex "There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge." -- Isaac Asimov
Post #409,130 by Another Scott 4/3/16 5:15:22 PM 4/3/16 5:15:22 PM Reply	She just turned 78. She had a bad stroke something like 10 years ago and a few other issues. 78 is young these days, but it wasn't anything the hospital did. She was very sick before she was admitted. She had to be defibbed 2x the night before they even gave her the heparin (the next day)... Apparently she had undiagnosed problems with a heart valve and several coronary artery blockages that neither I nor the nursing home knew about. I'm not sure what would have been done about it given her other issues, but it was a shock that she died so suddenly. Her mother died early (43, intestinal cancer, IIRC), her father died at 78 after several strokes (he was a life-time smoker). One never knows when one's time is up, so make the most of it! :-) Thanks. Cheers, Scott.

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