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GOT REAR ENDED, What do i do now?

3K views 26 replies 17 participants last post by  Tommy D 
#1 ·
I was rear ended by a Pontiac Sunfire, the damage to me looks so bad but I am told it isnt anything but cosmetic. Anyone know how long this should take, I am dealing with her insurance company. However, I had the car towed to Harrisburg, PA because of the feedback I received about www.sunmotorcars.com dealership and they guarantee on there work.

Her excuse was that she could not stop fast enough, after coming around the bend at a high rate of speed. So instead she hits my precious Heidi! Dont know whether to be furious and upset until she is fixed or just plain bummed. :mad:

Just picked her up in March Euro Delivery,

2005 325ci sport, premium, xenon, HK silver gray

I think I am in mourning
:cry:
 

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#4 ·
Sorry to hear about the incident. (Has the rear-ending season started or what? :eek: )

From the pictures, it looks like you'll need a new rear side panel, new bumper, new exhaust and a new trunk. I can't see the trunk lid, but it looks like undamaged.

My rough estimate is at least 1 week in the body shop. (had a similar accident with less damage, it took the body shop 5 weekdays.)

Good luck and head up, they'll fix it right.
 
#6 · (Edited)
well i'll sing you a different tune. Not to scare you but my insurance company had some issues and it took them 3 weeks to repair a bumper (lights and and what not) depends on how well your repair place negotiates with the insurance company AND if your insurance company recommends a place and you choose not to take it to that place (you have that right) they usually charge more and there is a negotiation process...so on so forth.
so bottom line
-taking it to an insurance recommended repair shop where estimates are done in house = probably 1 to 1 1/2 weeks
-taking it to a dealership or other places instead of the recommended or even a bmw shop because they usually charge more and there is negotiation (like i did) = probably 2 - 2 1/2 weeks.

This has been my experience, good luck my friend
 
#7 ·
That just plain sucks!

You said you're dealing with "her" insurance company. I would not do that. I would definitely call your agent and let him/her know you were in an accident. Regardless of fault, they will be on your side when it comes to getting your car fixed and they'll handle the ugliness if/when it gets ugly.

I had a similar accident with my '99 5'er - bumper, trunk likd, tail light housing, and the shock absorbing framework underneath. I don't remember how long it took, but I do remember the car looked nasty when it was all apart. I got it back looking as good as new. They had to blend the paint and did a fantastic job.

I hope her insurance company drops her a$$. There's really no excuse for that kind of accident, she was not paying attention and shouldn't be driving IMHO.
 
#8 ·
Don't forget to go after damages for reduction in value. Even after it is repaired, if it ends up on CarFax your car will be worth considerably less evern after it is fixed...
 
#10 ·
Alex Baumann said:
Sorry to hear about the incident. (Has the rear-ending season started or what? :eek: )

From the pictures, it looks like you'll need a new rear side panel, new bumper, new exhaust and a new trunk. I can't see the trunk lid, but it looks like undamaged.
This is America... too many idiot drivers that shouldn't be on the road in the first place. It is because of this that it is "Rear-Ending Season" all year round.... :(

To mab436: That looks like a little more than just your average "cosmetic" damage to me... I agree with Alex.... take it to a BMW Factory Certified Collision Center. They'll be able to restore it to as close to "factory" as possible than most other body shops can. Good luck.
 
#11 ·
Your car absolutely must go to WagonWork in NoVA with that kind of damage. There's a long wait, but they're the only ones who seem to be able to paint competently. I'm going to guess that you've got somwhere around $12K there. Possibly more.
 
#12 ·
Thanks

Thanks for the feedback from everyone!! With this being my first accident I didnt know about all of this. I have contacted my insurance company and asked them about diminished value of my vehicle. Being that it is 3 months old and also registered in GA along with my policy being GA, I have a good claim for diminished value. Apparently GA is one of only a few states in which this the state insurance dept say accidents victims are entitled to this.

Thanks Again,

P.S.

I have to say after being hit my car performed brilliantly, everything was rock solid and safe. BMW Assist went off and they made sure I was ok and dispatched police, fire and ambulance to the scene. Everyone else on the scene was astounded by the way BMW Assist performed. Including myself

Bayerishe Motor Werke...The Ultimate Driving Machine!!!!!!!!! :)
 
#14 ·
Put your best guess or an expert's (advisable) in writing and make demand on the insurance company. Permanent reduction in value as a result of damage of this kind is certainly foreseeable in the real world (you drove into my car, so now it's damaged and worth less -- pretty obvious), so you should be able to recover. In court, if they don't want to play ball.

If there was any structural damage, that could make it hard to sell the vehicle in this age of carfax, even if perfectly repaired. In that event, you might even want to claim conversion -- have them buy the car from you, in essence. If there are innumerable perfect E46s out there, who would buy one with a serious accident on its record? Hence, the vehicle may be repairable but have lost most of its residual value. If you do have damage of that kind, I would consider consulting an attorney experienced in auto accident law about the options (if any) in your state.

Having said that, it looks like in this case we're talking about a bumper and a body panel, so I would think it's not likely to affect resale.

mab436 said:
How would I go about getting reimbursed for the value of the car after the accident?
 
#17 · (Edited)
Get a lawyer the moment her insurance company becomes unresponsive or seems like they're hoping you would blow off. They gave my bro a hard time when he got rear ended; even tried to trick him to pay for the damages and promised to reimburse him later.

Oh, and see a reputable chiropractor. Even if you don't feel anything.
 
#19 ·
Diminished Value

Well, i was rear-ended up in Harrisburg, Pa. The other person was at fault, so her insurance Erie Insurance Group, is paying for the repairs. I also stated that due to the car only being 3 months old I would like diminshed value. They are waiting to settle for sure after the car is completed repairs. I went to www.collisionclaims.com and spoke with a Mr. Hixenbaugh. He told me that usually insurance companies will only offer diminished value if you ask. Many times they still will only give you a small fraction of what you are due. Usually you stand to get 15%-20% of the value of your vehicle. If they play hardball i would seek out the services of Mr. Hixenbaugh. He has a lot of experience having worked on the insurance adjuster side. From what I was told is that if the insurance company in this case Geico, does not offer you 15-20% of the value of your vehicle that you should ask for it. If nothing comes of it then with collisionclaims services, they will send an adjuster out to give you resale value of your vehicle, they then will type of a formal draft explaining why you are asking for diminshed value. He said usally after receiving this letter 95% of claims are then settled. If not at that point you can use their documentation to file a lawsuit against the insurance company.

You may want to look up diminished value on the internet. A few states have certain laws, luckily my car is registered in GA. GA is one of the states that is very aggressive in getting diminished value for not at fault car owners. With that being said, not at fault persons can seek diminished value against the at fault insured in all 50 states. Especially since, if your car is fairly new and it is considered a sport luxury brand.

Hope this helps let me know if you have any further questions.

MARK
 
#21 ·
ouch, that looks bad!, im sry for the two of you, i know i would be pissed if that happened to my car, but i have question u can get $ back if ur not at fault? and does it matter how old ur car is mines a 2000 328ci my cars value is ~$20,000 what i can get money back depending on the value of the car?
 
#22 · (Edited)
YOU KNWO WHAT SUCKS.. that rear side panel is like THE main panel of the whole entire car!!!! There is no way that they will replace it. I bet they will just bang it back and you still have the same panel or they refurbish that spot. Go ahead and look at where the panel ends, it travels throughout the whole car. KILL THE BITCH!!!!

I have a 2004 325Ci silver grey just like yours. i feel bad for you :mad:
 
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