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Truck rear ends my Hyundai Exter: A pleasant repair experience at ASC

3rd February 2025, 13:37 by Ananth Iyer

Total damage to the pocket - Rs 14.5k but the car has been restored back to perfection by Advaith Hyundai.

BHPian skanchan95 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

The Accident

On January 06, 2025, around 8 AM while returning from the city and heading towards Suratkal, just after the Kulur Bridge, the car met with an accident when a rashly driven KL-13 registered truck rear ended the car.

This was just after the downward ramp after the Kulur bridge where the traffic slows down because of some barricades put along side the road for some road expansion work that has been planned. I was moving slowly on the right lane some distance behind a truck and had just begun accelerating when this truck hit me from the rear. Just seconds before, I had caught a glance of him in my IRVM coming in fast on the downward ramp. I felt he impacted the car twice in quick succession. He may have tried braking hard and may have slowed down but not well enough to avoid hitting the car.

My kids were in the car, checked on them if they were ok. I got down, looked at the damage and asked the truck driver to take his truck to the side and not wanting to get down.

Initially, he kept blabbering something in Malayalam. I told him to speak in Hindi - This is not Kerala and I don't understand Malayalam! In broken Hindi and in a thick Malayali accent he replied - "Thum mera saamne kyom aaya?"(Why did you come in front of me?).

Angry at his non-sensical reply and flabbergasted, I asked him - Andha hai kya? Itna fast kyun chala raha tha tu? Tumney mujhe hit kiya, maine tumhe nahi (Are you blind? Why were you driving so fast? You hit me, not the other way around). Again he started blabbering something in Malayalam. I knew it was pointless arguing with him as I knew where he was trying to take his defence to.

I pulled the car to the side of the road and he followed suit.

I asked him who was going to pay for the damages to my car. He replied 'Jisko bulaana haim, bulao thum. Jo karneka haim, karo. Hum dartha nahim"(Call whom you want, do what you want, I am not scared). Looking at his behaviour, false bravado and lack of repentance, I almost slapped him in anger because what he was saying was making no sense to me and the thought that his rash driving could have resulted in serious injuries to my kids. But better sense prevailed over me.

I went back to the car to be with the kids. I thought of calling 112 to ask police to intervene in the matter. But then, I had my kids in the car, they were upset and were getting late for school. I couldn't continue arguing with an idiot who had nothing to lose to pay for the damages.

I decided to let it go, bear the damage and simply drove off. As I was driving away, I noticed this driver had crossed over to the other side of the road and was jogging away, probably trying to flee after abandoning his truck and his cleaner. Although, it didn't hit me at that time, I realized much later he might have been drunk and that was what was giving him the false sense of bravado to tell me "do what you want" despite knowing fully well that it was his mistake. He may have also thought that I had called my friends and relatives to come and teach him a lesson.

Repairs

I dropped the car at Advaith Hyundai's workshop in Baikampady for repairs that day itself (January 06, 2025).
1. Tail lamp Cluster - Replacement
2. Tail gate - minor dent/paint damage - Repaint
3. Rear bumper Scratches - Repaint
4. Rear Garnish (Scratches, cracks and damage) - Replacement

The SA was of the opinion that I was really lucky that the car was moving forward and not stationary, which minimized the damage. Had the car been stationary, the damage would have been catastrophic.

The Tail lamp cluster was in stock but the rear garnish wasn't (which had to be ordered from Chennai and which would have taken 7-10 days to arrive). As I could not wait that long and wanted the car back as early as possible, I chose not to claim insurance.

On January 09, 2025, I got the car back. The RHS Tail lamp cluster was replaced, bumper & tail gate repaired/painted but the Black Garnish had not arrived. I was advised to take the car now and when the part arrives, they would replace it.