Car Accident in my brand new 535!

Originally Posted by Ralph1201

Sad about the accident.. but life moves on..
Glad that you and your better half are unhurt.

M5 is going to get the LCI facelift next year (square headlights, mirror indicators).
so maybe you can postpone M5 idea for now.
I agree with dunderhi - its all going to be ok. i hope that your body shop does a fantastic job and that you will be glad to see how undetectable the accident is.
Performance of the car is untouched by the accident, so I am sure you will forget abt the incident soon after that.

Thanks for the kind words, you're write about everything. Besides, I guess if the M5 is getting an update then when the time comes we could entertain that idea again. Good lookin out...

Originally Posted by Die Wolfe

Yeah, the other guy has insurance. I have a $500 deductible which is being waived (I don't have to pay) because he has insurance AND is 100% at fault. I thought it was a good thing?

Sorry as well about the accident. Yes, it is a good thing. I think the overall question is, though, if it isn't your fault, why would your insurance company expect you to pay a deductible anyway? Are you expecting a check directly from the other driver's insurance company? I know sometimes your own insurance "fronts" the funding, then gets reimbursed from the other guy's insurance. Even in that case, not sure why a deductible would come into play. I think maybe your insurance company is simply stating the obvious and making themselves seem "extra nice" to you.

I'm going through the same thing right now - I bought a beautiful low mileage '10 335i X-drive M-Sport in March got hit in August, got the car back in September and got hit even bigger in October. Neither accident was my fault so I am pursuing diminished value claims in both cases.

Assuming I get made basically whole I will then dump the '10 for a ED F30.

I don't want to recommend the company I'm working with because I have not had success yet with the DV claims but if I'm ultimately successful I will let you all know.

Do your research seems like a legitimate way to get made whole. However, to earlier points it also proves that Insurance companies are profit centers and not out for their customers. Because if they were they would pay out the DV on your vehicle automatically instead of spawning a whole industry to deal with DV claims.

Insurance companies of course claim that if they automatically pay DV claims that rates would go up across the board to cover the additional expenses. So if the customer doesn't bring it up they will not pay out period.

Originally Posted by markl53

Sorry as well about the accident. Yes, it is a good thing. I think the overall question is, though, if it isn't your fault, why would your insurance company expect you to pay a deductible anyway? Are you expecting a check directly from the other driver's insurance company? I know sometimes your own insurance "fronts" the funding, then gets reimbursed from the other guy's insurance. Even in that case, not sure why a deductible would come into play. I think maybe your insurance company is simply stating the obvious and making themselves seem "extra nice" to you.

I don't think they expected me to pay a deductible, unless they found me partially at fault. That was just the caveat they told me when I first made the claim, but after hearing both sides they obviously realized that I was 100% not at fault. I'm not sure about receiving a check or how it all works, I've never been in an accident like this. But you're probably right, they want to sound all nice...they're in the business of money I guess.

Originally Posted by DslDwg

I'm going through the same thing right now - I bought a beautiful low mileage '10 335i X-drive M-Sport in March got hit in August, got the car back in September and got hit even bigger in October. Neither accident was my fault so I am pursuing diminished value claims in both cases.

Assuming I get made basically whole I will then dump the '10 for a ED F30.

I don't want to recommend the company I'm working with because I have not had success yet with the DV claims but if I'm ultimately successful I will let you all know.

Do your research seems like a legitimate way to get made whole. However, to earlier points it also proves that Insurance companies are profit centers and not out for their customers. Because if they were they would pay out the DV on your vehicle automatically instead of spawning a whole industry to deal with DV claims.

Insurance companies of course claim that if they automatically pay DV claims that rates would go up across the board to cover the additional expenses. So if the customer doesn't bring it up they will not pay out period.

Good luck with the DV, I'll try that myself! If not, that ED is tempting lol

Originally Posted by Die Wolfe

I don't think they expected me to pay a deductible, unless they found me partially at fault. That was just the caveat they told me when I first made the claim, but after hearing both sides they obviously realized that I was 100% not at fault. I'm not sure about receiving a check or how it all works, I've never been in an accident like this. But you're probably right, they want to sound all nice...they're in the business of money I guess.

It will work very simple: you deal with your insurance, they deal with"enemies".
E.g. all checks to you will be coming from your insurance, and they will deal with other insurance to recover their losses on their own.

P.S. did your insurance make an appraisal?

Btw, how far are you from "total loss"? Having potential hidden damages you may be able to get there if you "unhide" them (open up panels etc before appraisal).

One thing just crossed my mind what insurance company does the guy have who hit you? Perhaps he has the same insurance company as you.

Originally Posted by wildvlad

It will work very simple: you deal with your insurance, they deal with"enemies".
E.g. all checks to you will be coming from your insurance, and they will deal with other insurance to recover their losses on their own.

P.S. did your insurance make an appraisal?

Btw, how far are you from "total loss"? Having potential hidden damages you may be able to get there if you "unhide" them (open up panels etc before appraisal).

Yes, my insurance company made the approval...I think I'm far from total loss and I'd have to pull some shaaaaaddddyyyyy stunts to pull that one off lol

Originally Posted by bboy1234

One thing just crossed my mind what insurance company does the guy have who hit you? Perhaps he has the same insurance company as you.

No, I have USAA and he has one called "Kemper."

Originally Posted by Die Wolfe

Yes, my insurance company made the approval...I think I'm far from total loss and I'd have to pull some shaaaaaddddyyyyy stunts to pull that one off lol

Sometimes they are not as shady as you think, you just need to know how insurance works.

For example, during initial appraisal they don't look into any "hidden" damages. E.g. if appraiser does not see damage - there is no damage. When later during repair they open up panels and found "new" damages they call for appraisal one more time, but having that some work was already done - it's less likely to get into total.

So, for example, if your car was rear-ended there is very good chance that floor panel in the trunk got damaged. And sometimes it cost well over 5k to replace just that (it actually can get even more). And if you don't take trunk interior off - appraiser will not see it. (I did take it off when my Lexus rx was rear ended and it went into total loss just because of the floor panel). Though on almost new car it may be much harder to get there.

FYI: there is also one more option available: take insurance money and do NOT make repairs. Just sell the car for parts (there even will be no salvage on the title, so somebody can actually restore it). On older cars with appraisals just slightly below total, the repair appraisal can still be more than trade-in value of the car.

Originally Posted by wildvlad

Sometimes they are not as shady as you think, you just need to know how insurance works.

For example, during initial appraisal they don't look into any "hidden" damages. E.g. if appraiser does not see damage - there is no damage. When later during repair they open up panels and found "new" damages they call for appraisal one more time, but having that some work was already done - it's less likely to get into total.

So, for example, if your car was rear-ended there is very good chance that floor panel in the trunk got damaged. And sometimes it cost well over 5k to replace just that (it actually can get even more). And if you don't take trunk interior off - appraiser will not see it. (I did take it off when my Lexus rx was rear ended and it went into total loss just because of the floor panel). Though on almost new car it may be much harder to get there.

FYI: there is also one more option available: take insurance money and do NOT make repairs. Just sell the car for parts (there even will be no salvage on the title, so somebody can actually restore it). On older cars with appraisals just slightly below total, the repair appraisal can still be more than trade-in value of the car.

Ahhh, I see. Yes, my friend who owns the body shop said it was a complete "tear down" for the appraisal; so he took off and apart all panels to get the most accurate appraisal.

Originally Posted by Die Wolfe

Ahhh, I see. Yes, my friend who owns the body shop said it was a complete "tear down" for the appraisal; so he took off and apart all panels to get the most accurate appraisal.

Then ask your friend to help you to check how much salvage value you can fetch on auction and see if that + repairs appraisal will put you into brand new car

i'm sorry to hear about the accident.

The car's value goes down eventually given the fact it has met a mishap. How bout just trading it? And give it a shot for a brand new car? Well, just my thoughts.

Glad you're OK. An accident can be unsettling to say the least.
My suggestion is to see how well the car is repaired and then decide to keep it or flip it.
I had a major accident in my retired E60 in 2010 and kept it for 1.5 yrs before I traded it this year for my F10. I was extremely pleased with the repairs and never had a single issue with the way it performed. Another reason I kept it was to minimize the pocket hit. I estimate I lost 13% of the value at trade-in. If you trade immediately 13% of a larger value would be a huge hit versus 13% of a future value wouldn't hurt as much. Either way it sux but not every place has diminished value laws. Its one reason why I pay an extra $85 in insurance for full replacement car coverage for the first two years of ownership.
GL with the repairs. Mine involved the entire drivers side, rear suspension and both bumpers with a cost of $14,000.

Originally Posted by BMdude816

i'm sorry to hear about the accident.

The car's value goes down eventually given the fact it has met a mishap. How bout just trading it? And give it a shot for a brand new car? Well, just my thoughts.

Yeah, I think I'll have to swing by the dealer and see what strings they could pull..I'll most likely end up keeping it though.

Originally Posted by Gilgorm

Glad you're OK. An accident can be unsettling to say the least.
My suggestion is to see how well the car is repaired and then decide to keep it or flip it.
I had a major accident in my retired E60 in 2010 and kept it for 1.5 yrs before I traded it this year for my F10. I was extremely pleased with the repairs and never had a single issue with the way it performed. Another reason I kept it was to minimize the pocket hit. I estimate I lost 13% of the value at trade-in. If you trade immediately 13% of a larger value would be a huge hit versus 13% of a future value wouldn't hurt as much. Either way it sux but not every place has diminished value laws. Its one reason why I pay an extra $85 in insurance for full replacement car coverage for the first two years of ownership.
GL with the repairs. Mine involved the entire drivers side, rear suspension and both bumpers with a cost of $14,000.

True, it might also be wiser just to keep it since the value will drop dramatically over years and miles. I know the body shop owner very well and I know they do quality work so I'll most likely be happy with the end result.

Originally Posted by Emilner

Life is not fair

lol ain't that the truth.

Feel your pain. Same thing happened to me a couple of years ago. Stopped on the freeway in rush hour traffic and a girl in a Dodge Durango smashed into me. Rear quarter panel, bumper, lights, trunk gone. Damage came to around $10,000. The rails were not damaged, so my dealer's shop replaced everything. The claim can be handled two ways. Either your insurance pays and goes after the other parties company or you deal directly with the other insurance company. The advanatge of going first through yours is repairs can start right away. You would pay the deductible (waived in your case) and get it back from the other company. If you decide to deal strictly with the other company, be prepared to wait for repairs to start. Also, question what parts will be used for the repairs. Most insurance companies require the body shop to first go out and see if less expensive "used parts" are available. Most come from junk yards. I was lucky and got all new parts.

The good news is it's amazing what a good body shop can do now with repairs. Mine came back with no indication from the surface that the car was repaired. Paint matched (black shapphire), panels lined up, even the weld seams looked new. After a month driving a Prius, it felt great getting back into my car again.

One kicker after everything was finished. My premium from State Farm went up a little on the next renewal. I questioned it and my agent said SF had a policy they would raise the rate even if I was not at fault just because I was involved in a claim related accident. It was a small amount, but I hit the roof. My agent got around it by swapping the policy on the BMW with the policy I have on an old sports car,resulting in an "accident free" policy for the 535. Crazy.

Originally Posted by Crmgr

Feel your pain. Same thing happened to me a couple of years ago. Stopped on the freeway in rush hour traffic and a girl in a Dodge Durango smashed into me. Rear quarter panel, bumper, lights, trunk gone. Damage came to around $10,000. The rails were not damaged, so my dealer's shop replaced everything. The claim can be handled two ways. Either your insurance pays and goes after the other parties company or you deal directly with the other insurance company. The advanatge of going first through yours is repairs can start right away. You would pay the deductible (waived in your case) and get it back from the other company. If you decide to deal strictly with the other company, be prepared to wait for repairs to start. Also, question what parts will be used for the repairs. Most insurance companies require the body shop to first go out and see if less expensive "used parts" are available. Most come from junk yards. I was lucky and got all new parts.

The good news is it's amazing what a good body shop can do now with repairs. Mine came back with no indication from the surface that the car was repaired. Paint matched (black shapphire), panels lined up, even the weld seams looked new. After a month driving a Prius, it felt great getting back into my car again.

One kicker after everything was finished. My premium from State Farm went up a little on the next renewal. I questioned it and my agent said SF had a policy they would raise the rate even if I was not at fault just because I was involved in a claim related accident. It was a small amount, but I hit the roof. My agent got around it by swapping the policy on the BMW with the policy I have on an old sports car,resulting in an "accident free" policy for the 535. Crazy.

Wow, I wonder if USAA could swap that with my other car policies? Does it matter though since all my vehicles are on the same policy?

Well good news, kinda...

My entire exhaust system, tips and rear diffuser needs to be replaced! With that said, any ideas on what kind of exhaust system I should replace it with? I was leaning toward the Magnaflow since it isn't too obnoxiously loud. Any ideas? I wish Dinan had a kit right about now...

...?

Sorry, probably would not work in your case. I have two different policy numbers. Then again, your company may not nick you, since it was not your fault.

Originally Posted by Die Wolfe

Wow, I wonder if USAA could swap that with my other car policies? Does it matter though since all my vehicles are on the same policy?

Bad pics...in more ways than one, but this was the night of.

Now at the body shop in shambles

The metal bumper brace under the bumper exterior was completely destroyed. However, they said they were thoroughly impressed at the fact that that was where the damage stopped since no panels or frame buckled.

Originally Posted by Emilner

Life is not fair

Originally Posted by yogi799

Can someone explain something to me please? I too know a person who was hit, the car was repaired, but needless to say, she will lose money come resale time for NONE of her own fault.

How can stuff like this legally take place in today's world? Why would a person who was found completely not at-fault need to bear any loss (that person is already bearing a loss in the form of high inconvenience, but let's forget that for a second)? Isn't that precisely why we have insurance for???? So in this day and age where the insurance companies' fraud in broad daylight (increasing drivers' premiums for speeding tickets, for example) is racking up gigantic profits to those crooks, wouldn't it only be natural that the other person's insurance company pay out a CASH AMOUNT equivalent to the value of the loss to the person who was not at-fault???

What am I missing here??




....

At least two points.

1. Other poster talked about "diminished value." Some states allow that; some do not.
In Texas, the avg diminished value was about $400 approx 5 years ago.

2. In plain words:

a. Life sucks.
b. Life is tough.
c. Life is unfair.
d. Nothing lasts forever.
e. Define your priorities.
f. etc.

(Whoops; looks like 10 other people talked about life being unfair.)