Accident damage:(
 

Hey guys need some advice. My neighbor just backed his truck into my quarter panel:( does this look like a bad area to try and repair? I drove around the block and there is a little wobble in that wheel and you can see a wear line along the outer edge of the tire. I fear there could be some suspension damage maybe. bad day.http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1383607471.jpg
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:(

Not cool.

Can't say if it is a bad area to repair, but there are a lot of potential suspension components that could have been damaged. it may not be safe to drive. Why not just call your insurance company and let them figure it out. I would not drive it until they stop by and check it out. Maybe get it towed for a damage estimate.

Actually, call the neighbor's insurance company, since they're the ones it will be paying for the repair. They will send and adjuster out, someone who knows about this stuff, to have a look at it. Then, take it to the body shop or the dealership and let them give you a real number, which you will then use to negotiate with the neighbor's insurance company, since the adjuster has never evaluated damage to a Porsche before. These things are negotiable, however, so don't panic. Just stand your ground. Your neighbor is in the wrong, not you.

I hope he was over for beers and just made a simple mistake :(. Sorry about the bang up.

That looks like about $7,000 - $8,000 in damage if repaired at the dealer. If there's suspension/frame damage, oh boy.


Go to the dealer and ask for repair estimate from a shop they work with. Send that estimate to their insurance company for payment direclty to you, and NOT the dealer. The neighbohr's insurance will pay you for new parts for each any every affected part. They will send you a check.
Then it will be up to you to decide if you want to pay the dealer rate or negotiate these repairs with another respected body shop. Chalk up any savings towards the diminished value because you're car may now have a red flag on the carfax.

Is just getting it towed to a Porsche dealership the best thing to do..

Yeah, they need to see the extent of the suspension damage. The bodyshop will give you their take on the cosmetic.

Hopefully you just have a really weird new alignment with some new control arms on the way. Although the impact looks a bit too high up for it to be too bad. Did your car move from its place at all?

No the impact didn't move the car at all. I drove the car at low speed and it did seem a bit wobbly

Depending on your state you may be eligible for some cash for your diminished value due to the accident but you have to ask.

Steve

FWIW, never deal directly with someone else's insurance company. They are truly out there for your satisfaction. That's your insurance company's job. You are almost always better off getting your insurance company to take care of the repairs to your satisfaction, then your company can seek restitution from the other company. Only downside is paying the deductible then waiting for a refund and potential rate hikes. It's never happened to me that way, but it has happened to others from what I have heard.

Other than that, I too would suggest going to a Porsche recommended body shop that will use Porsche replacement parts.

Both he and I have AAA insurance he wants us to go together to our local office tomorrow

Sorry to hear about your trouble man, not cool and bad day indeed.

Nothing to worry about your suspension (lol).... it's not like you would have hit a tree in the middle of the night or anything. A stray basketball can do the same damage on thin foil like the 986's panels.... ask me how I know!

If your neighbor has insurance, changing the panel would be a far better option than trying to pull it out and filling it with bondo. < $3000 at the dealer, 2 days job. excluding the 2 weeks wait for the panel to show up.

Just make sure nothing rubs on the rear tire before taking it out for a spin. You'll and the car will be just fine mate

Umm, no. I've dealt direct with their company and unless you have some injuries then do it through their company, don't put a pay out or claim on your ins, and you get to have say over what parts and how they are fixed. If I had not done that myself I would not have come out ahead as I did I my accident. And what's all this he wants to go to AAA together?? One call to claims, they send tow truck or you drive to where you want the car fixed, and done. Why haggle? If he wants to save $$, he can agree to cover any and all costs, not file the calm, then you can use your own insurance if you wish.

He hit you. He has insurance. Don't lift a finger besides to point to where the paint didn't turn out perfect.

Also, demand a bump up in rental car. They tried to give me some Chevy Lumina and I said "but I dropped off a Porsche!!" And they gave me a very nice upgrade mid SUV no charge.

FWIW...

About 10 years ago, a large tree branch fell on my car as I was driving down the street. All body panels except for the drivers door and the windshield were damaged to some extent. I was in California and had AAA insurance. They were extremely fair, no hassles whatsoever, and paid in full the bill at a high end body shop.

Hopefully, AAA service is the same or even better today and you'll be back on the road in no time.

Good luck

Thanks for all the advice guys-love the forum.

Looks almost identical to mine, same color even. Dealer estimate was $3500. Given my situation, I had it fixed at a local shop for under $700 and am very happy with the outcome. No insight on the possible mechanical damage....hope it work out...

First off, if you can avoid it, do not get your own company involved, as then it shows as a claim on your loss record (regardless of who winds up actually paying for what).

Second, you should always make a claim for diminished value. How hard you have to fight for that will vary, of course. The last one I had, which involved a hotel valet, I had to sue the hotel for damages because their bottom of the barrel insurance company wanted to repair the car with used and/or "reconditioned" parts and offered me $100 for diminished value. Of course, it certainly helped when they didn't even show up for court so I won in 5 minutes LOL

As to your car, I doubt you have any suspension damage, though it's going to be a bit of a messy repair to pull that quarter out, and it will leave the car with a lessened value (since it wasn't just a bumper, for instance).

Still insist on an alignment at a minimum. They will certainly not deny that. Maybe even have that rim checked for straightness?

Yes I am definitely going to insist on a mechanical inspection of the car for that wheel, tire, alignment, and my mechanic said to definitely check the strut mount.

Tell them new factory Lits would offset any potential devaluation.......we can just settle on this now without the attorneys involved.....;)

So after my car sat all day at the "AAA approved" shop closest to me, I didn't get a call from them. So I just drove over there to have them tell me "we can bang out that fender and Repaint it but otherwise we are not equipped here to repair Porsches". I spoke to my regular mechanic who I trust 100% and he recommended a shop that he has sent several Porsches to. This shop however is not listed on AAA approved list and they would not guarantee any work by them. I really want this shop to do the work mainly because they work in conjunction with my mechanic who would make sure the alignment is ok and check for any sub damage-sorry for all the questions but this is actually my first body shop experience(knock wood). I just want the car back to its original good condition with as little bondo as possible. I also called AAA about diminished value but no response.

Ask your ins company about banging out the dent vs new fender. They would know the laws in your state. I would not want bondo, period. It didn't have any before.

Make them change the IMS too....

Am I being unreasonable?

There are specific Porsche approved repair shops that have the right equipment and training to repair Porsches; I would research the list and use one of them. Your local dealer should be able to get you the names of the closest ones. Don't let the insurance company push you around - using used parts, their shop, etc. You will have to live with the results, they won't!

**************** happens! Get the car repaired to the best of your ability and get on enjoying it!

No!

They are going to try and get it done as cheaply as possible. That is their job. It sucks, but you are going to have to push back.

Had it happen in a previous car, and I kept pushing and pushing. The car came back with an "orange peel" looking paint job, I made them re-do it. They might not like it, but they will do it.

You might even try to butter them up by asking if they have a recommended Porsche shop.

For the diminished value claim I had (on a 96 Chevy Lumina) I went to the dealership where I bought the car and had them type me a letter on their letterhead that said that if they were to take the car back in on trade it would be worth $2500 less than it would be without the damage (t-boned on the driver's side, about 7k-10k worth of damage if I can remember). Then I had to keep after the other insurance. They finally sent an adjuster and I got a check for $2500 in addition to the car made whole. This was in NC; other states have different laws. The repair (by the shop they chose) also took longer and I had to fight to get the rental car paid for the extra time. it is a hassle but you have to be persistent.

You definitely want the car repaired back to exactly like it was. Anybody else would want the same thing. You did nothing wrong, and should not be punished for some else's mistake. It's worth the fight, and is not unreasonable at all.

To overcome any hesitancy you may have in locking horns with the insurance company think of it this way:

You are out on the hunt for a Porsche (pick your model), you're considering two potentials with similar miles / condition but one has a Carfax record, maybe even shows signs of waviness from aging or shoddy filler prep, Which one are YOU going to buy?

Remember that when the insurance company tries to whittle you down on properly repairing it. I'd even go to a Porsche dealership (if you have a friendly one near you) and ask for a letter like Steve suggested above. Never assume they are interested in your satisfaction nor the state of your car after the repair, THAT responsibility falls squarely on YOUR shoulders at this point. Good Luck......:cheers:

Do not hesitate to insist that the car be repaired to it's previous condition. The insurance will have to pay who ever you choose to take it too, they cannot tell you where to take it.

When you do get it repaired, make sure to test drive the car and give it a thorough once over before signing any paperwork. You can refuse to take the car back, if it has not been repaired to your standards, which is much easier than trying to convince the insurance to let you take it to another shop for additional repairs. I had to do this when the shop refused to repair my custom painted bumperettes after a fender bender.

Sorry to hear about your Box, I hope it turns out well. I would suspect several thousand in damage. That rear panel is not cheap, and it sounds like you may also have some hub/rim and possible suspension damage.

These posts contain excellent advice. What you have done is entered into is a business deal with your insurance company. Expect that they are your adversary and trying to get out of this as cheaply as they can without regard to you. Zero cost would be great for them, leaving you to deal with the damage. They'd take that in a heartbeat and would pursue that if at all possible. They will certainly pursue minimal cost to them without regard to you and push that agenda. As a negotiation tactic there is no reason for you not to be unreasonable. They are intentionally unreasonable by citing "policy". Ask them if they can fix it "right", and make a big deal about it. That way when it comes back with sand scratches and inadequate (to your standards) body work, you can reject it and refer to the "you said you could fix it right" conversation. That strategy has worked, and I have never had an insurance claim I did not have to push back on. It's all about the money. I know I'm sounding negative, but I've had to deal with this and from my experience the best defense is a good offence. Don't make the mistake of being nice to the insurance company representatives, they do not have your best interests in mind. It's not personal, it's just business. Good luck and treat this like it should be treated, nothing more than a game between you and the insurance company. You might get lucky and get a positive resolution without conflict which would be outside my experience.

I have found a shop that does a lot of Porsches and am comfortable with how they explained the repair process and mechanical inspection regarding making sure the alignment is right, etc..I left a message with the AAA agent making it very clear that this is where I want the car to go-she never called me back today so it's still
Sitting at the first shop.

Just take it where you want it fixed and give them the keys. It's your decision where to have this work done, period. Regardless of their approval or preference or guarantee.

Anytime I had to deal with insurance because someone else screwed up I always said...ok thanks for the info. I am going to get with my attorney and have them look this over. They immediately freak out and will give you what you are looking for. They will screw you any way they can...might as well have fun with it.

I will post my recent experience on this matter:

I was rear ended at a slow speed while I was stopped at a traffic light which pushed me into the trailer hitch of the truck in front causing a small indent on front bumper and a 1/8" chip to the trim portion of headlight (replaceable triangle).

Called the other guys insurance and filed a claim, they had an adjuster come out and I pointed out any and all damage I could find, he provided an estimate on repair costs and provided a list of their approved shops.

They have their approved shops but you do not have to have work performed there but it does make any supplemental charge requests slower.

I took my car to the approved shop to have them take rear bumper and front bumper off to investigate if any further damage was done, which there was none expected or found.

But now for the good part ..........

The estimate was to replace bumper, the estimate was for a base bumper but I had the Aero Kit 1 bumper on so the approved body shop submitted a supplemental to insurance for added cost to replace which they approved.

For the Litronic headlight they also marked it as a replacement for entire headlight for $2600.00 :D

I then told them I would just handle repair on my own with my body shop and for them to send me a check which they gladly did and also provided me with rental while car was in shop.

My costs to have indent fixed and entire front bumper resprayed (it needed it anyways) and to replace the headlight triangle: $923.00

The amount the insurance cut a check for was $5100.00 :dance:

As far as the "diminished value" if your car is over 5 years old and not a classic or high end car it does not fly here in Texas, California may be different.... but they may throw in some pocket change just to make you happy if you do complain.

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They ended up painting a lot more of the car than I thought

Now's your chance to make it Speed Yellow !

Speed yellow is nice. Maybe

You may just have had rear-quarter damage, but the other panels are being resprayed to blend and fade the repair into the existing paintwork. That way there isn't an obvious colour difference from the repaired panel to the rest of the car. Especially important for metallic paints!
oc, it looks like the shop is doing a good job for you.