REVscene - Vancouver Automotive Forum

Amaru · 10-28-2009, 11:55 PM

I've searched for this but haven't found a coherent answer. Any help is appreciated.

This past weekend I was in Portland for a brief 3-day getaway with my girlfriend. I valet parked my car (we got a good deal on a 5-star hotel) Friday night, and was awoken on Saturday morning to a call from the hotel security saying my car had been hit & run. Great.

To make a long story short, I filed a police report and made a claim with ICBC. The damage is not huge, but it will be an expensive fix. There is a big dent/huge scratch on my trunk, smaller but still large scratches on the rear of the car below the tail light, and fairly large but superficial scrapes on the rear bumper. Lastly, my driver side tail lamp is broken. It still works, but it's broken.

The problem: my tail lamps are not OEM. They are one of only three aftermarket parts on my car. They are actually OEM replicas of the LED tail lights that came standard on 04-06 models. I bought them because they were cheap ($175 before shipping) and they look great (very modern, yet still clean and fully OEM looking). They fit just like OEM tail lamps, except that they come with a big resistor/ballast thing that's tucked away inside my trunk panel. This is to prevent the "tail lamp out" light from illuminating on my dash... if you don't have a resistor with LED tail lamps, the car thinks the bulb is burnt out.

So, should I tell ICBC that the tail lamps are aftermarket? Will they cover it? If so, do I need to order the lamps myself and deliver them to the repair shop, and then give ICBC and receipt for which I'll be reimbursed? Or will ICBC say "go fuck yourself" and agree only to replace the lamp with an OEM one? As an alternative option, I could perhaps just work out a deal with the body shop, and bypass ICBC. That's gamble, too, though.

If ICBC refuses to replace my aftermarket tails, that would be ironic, because a single new taillight from BMW costs more than a set of 2 aftermarket ones purchased online.

Anyway, sorry for the long post, and thanks very much in advance to anyone who can help me out with this!!

XTC_604_DKNY · 10-29-2009, 01:46 AM

i wouldn't lie about it, there's no need. i'm almost certain they'll just replace the aftermarket taillights for you.
when i first got my car, i had aftermarket wheels on it and had an accident and they replaced 2 of the wheels for me. i think it'll just bring up the cost of your car damage higher or lower depending on the price of the parts they have to replace for you.
and especially since the tails are cheaper aftermarket, i dont see them turning you away unless they were like illegal in some way, such as not being dot approved or not being able to see amber bulbs or whatever.

good luck.

TRDood · 10-29-2009, 02:10 AM

yup. they should either
1. replace it for you, you should have the receipt ready in case they ask
2. work out a deal with you, giving you cash reimbursement so you can buy another set yourself (usually they wont pay 100%)
3. if your tailights are discontinued, then tough luck, you will just get another set of OEMs. in that case, take the cash since you have a set of OEMs already.

Shun Izaki · 10-29-2009, 06:35 AM

you shouldn't even need the receipt in this case cuz it was something bolted right onto your car.

second thing is, if it's cheaper, they'll do it... buncha jub4gs

silentengine · 10-29-2009, 06:54 AM

icbc will replace it for u especially that

an OEM bmw taillight would be more expensive than ur $175 replica pos

Mugen EvOlutioN · 10-29-2009, 08:11 AM

^

lol harsh

shantz · 10-29-2009, 08:21 AM

ICBC will cover these parts.
best to tell the shop you take it to where you specifically bought them so they can order you another set. If the part is bolted on to your car, and is damaged (not stolen) ICBC will cover it.

VR6GTI · 10-29-2009, 02:35 PM

You will need to tell the shop where you got the lights from. You might have to order them in and get reinbursed from ICBC. ICBC will pay for them if they Motor Vehicle Act Regulation and the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

Amaru · 10-29-2009, 04:45 PM

Thanks for all the informative replies. I have the receipt so I'll just take it to my appointment tomorrow.

FYI, I have a friend who opted to go the OEM route for the LED tail lights... the aftermarket ones look identical, and I don't have any "bulb out" lights on my dash (he does). Kthxbai.