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Great start to a Friday after work!

2K views 24 replies 7 participants last post by  Hectorml07 
#1 ·
So I got off work and decided to go to the atm machine since it was payday today. I get to a four way stop sign, wait my turn and as soon as everyone who was supposed to go clears I make my left turn. Some kid in a Chevy Aveo decides to run the stop sign and nails my passenger side lower door and quarter panel. He put a very noticeable dent on both door and quarter panel, scuffed the paint and broke my M3 quarter panel moulding.:mad: He accepted he was at fault along with his buddy that was in the passenger seat with him. He was already thinking of what his mom was going to do to him when he got home :spank:. He was on the phone with his mom to tell her and she sounded even more pissed when he said a BMW! LOL. Now the hustle of getting it fixed! In this case will the shop I take it to have to respray the entire right side of the car to get the color to match the rest of the car? Because I am pretty sure they wont get the exact same shade of black paint that is on there now after 19 years in the sun.

I will post pictures of the damage a little later.
 
#2 · (Edited)
That sucks. They'll have to feather it into the old paint, so in short, they will indeed have to paint a much larger area than just the damaged section. Which black do you have? I know when I had a header panel sprayed, the shop needed to borrow my gas filler door while they did the paintwork (I installed the part myself) because apparently BMW has four difference recipes of Cosmoschwartz Metallic, and they all have the same code. Go figure.
 
#3 ·
Yea, also there is a weird lumpy dent right below the window on the same quarter panel, I am going to see how much more they will charge to get that fixed to make it look nice while it gets fixed. Or shall I add it to the kid's tab for being smart and running into my car:rofl:? I have 668 Schwartz II. Yea I remember they did the same thing when they sprayed my e39 when I had it. Yea hopefully they can get a good match :eek:.

So I was trying to take pictures of the damage and since the car is black it wont budge to show the damage other than the paint scuffs. But the door is dented towards the bottom and the quarter panel has around the same damage.
 
#4 ·
So I just got done talking with the insurance agent. She told me based on the year of my car the car might be a total loss! She said she will let me know for sure after I take it for an estimate at a shop tomorrow. She said if I wanted to forfeit my car to them they will cut me a bigger check and yaddi yaddi yadda. I'm like the damage is only to the lower door and low quarter panel!! Not the entire right side of the car! Hate the damn kid who hit my car right now! After having a clean title up to this point, I would hate for it to be salvaged!:(
 
#6 ·
Sorry to hear.

If your vehicle is repairable they can match the color by adding tint and blending.

If they are going to total your vehicle, clean it as best as you can to get the most money for your ride. Also start looking for comparables for your car like KBB, NADA, and Edmunds and also on Autotrader.com and Cars.com. So if they offer you a low settlement for your car, you can counter it by providing other similar vehicles currently for sale.

Good luck!
 
#7 · (Edited)
I will not forfeit my car. To be honest I have already invested a lot of money into it for them to give me penuts for it. I will just get it repaired since I do plan on keeping it for a while anyway. I have already refreshed the cooling system, new tires, swapped trans, new drive shaft, M3 Diff, Vader seats all around, engine was rebuilt by previous owner, and on and on. I think the damage should be around $400-$600 maybe? But since insurance body shops tend to give higher estimates, I will try to get them to cut me a check and find a lower estimate from a different body shop. The value of the car will be hurt by all the miles, since it does have 334k.
 
#8 ·
On Tuesday I went to get an estimate for the damage and here is what they came up with.

1994 BMW 325is STD 2 DR Coupe
6cyl Gasoline 2.5
5 Speed Manual
Lic.Plate: WYKDBMR Lic State: CA
Lic Expire: VIN: WBABF3328REF48124
Prod Date: 06/1994 Mileage: 332,038
Veh Insp# : Mileage Type: Actual
Condition: Code: 41122B
Ext. Color: JET BLACK Int. Color: Lederausstattung Montana
schwarz
Ext. Refinish: Two-Stage Int. Refinish:
Ext. Paint Code: 668 Int. Trim Code: 0518
Options - AudaVIN Information Received
AM/FM Stereo Tape Air Conditioning Aluminum/Alloy Wheels
Anti-Lock Brakes Center Console Climate Control For A/C
Cruise Control Digital Clock Dual Airbags
Dual Power Seats Fog Lights Heated Front Seats
Heated Power Mirrors Intermittent Wipers Leather Seats
Leather Steering Wheel Onboard Computer Power Brakes
Power Door Locks Power Steering Power Sunroof
Power Windows Rear Window Defroster Sport Seats
Sport Suspension Tachometer Tilt Steering Wheel
Tinted Glass Traction Control System

Damages
Line Op Guide MC Description MFR.Part No. Price ADJ% B% Hours R
1 RI 474 Deflector,Rocker Panel RT R & I Assembly 0.5 SM
2 I 208 Door Shell,Front RT Repair 4.0* SM
3 L 208 # Door Shell,Front RT Refinish 3.2* RF
2.1 Surface
0.6 Two-stage setup
0.5 Two-stage
>> Blend Partial Basecoat - Clearcoat Complete
4 RI 158 W/Strip,Belt Outer RT R & I Assembly 0.6 SM
5 RI 232 Pnl,Inner Door Trim RT R & I Assembly INC SM
6 E 260 Mldg,Front Door Side RT 51131977274 $45.73 -5.00 0.3 SM
7 RI 692 Housing,Mirror Outer RT R & I Assembly 0.5 SM
8 RI 228 Handle,Front Door Otr RT R & I Assembly 1.4 SM
9 I 390 Panel,Quarter RT Repair 4.0* SM
10 L 390 10 Panel,Quarter RT Refinish 2.2* RF
1.8 Surface
0.4 Two-stage
>> Blend Partial Basecoat - Clearcoat Complete
11 E 421 Mldg,Quarter Side R/F 51131977248 $34.28 -5.00 0.2 SM
12 SB M60 Hazardous Waste Removal Sublet Repair $3.00* SM

Estimate Total & Entries
Gross Parts $80.01
Paint Materials $162.00
Line Item Discount $4.00-
Parts & Material Total $238.01
Tax on Parts & Material @ 8.000% $19.04
Labor Rate Replace
Hrs
Repair Hrs Total Hrs
Sheet Metal (SM) $40.00 3.5 8.0 11.5 $460.00
Mech/Elec (ME) $70.00
Frame (FR) $55.00
Refinish (RF) $40.00 5.4 5.4 $216.00
Paint Materials $30.00
Labor Total 16.9 Hours $676.00
Sublet Repairs $3.00
Gross Total $936.05
Net Total $936.05 = Most likely Total Loss right? :(

Here are the pictures of the damage.
 

Attachments

#13 ·
On Tuesday I went to get an estimate for the damage and here is what they came up with.

Net Total $936.05 = Most likely Total Loss right? :(
My condolences.. :bawling:

TOTAL LOSS??? NO ****** WAY.

Its LESS than one thousand dollars to repair.

KEEP YOUR E36!

Break any man's hand that reaches out saying things like "its a LOSS"..

from experience... I have seen a bill for repair over 2600 for a e36 to damage
done to the UNDERCARRIAGE.. and this car WAS NOT TOTALED.
 
#10 · (Edited)
True, the insurance agent said they would get in contact as soon as they got word from the shop. They have not appraised my car yet. I will make sure of that. Also, I am going to cash out on what they give me for the damage. I will take that cash go to another shop and get the entire right side fixed and painted. The clear coat on the upper quarter panel was starting to peal and it has another ding on the door from a person who hit it with their door while parked.
 
#11 ·
Also, don't forget that they may try to lowball you on their appraisal - it's in their best interest to do so. If they threaten to "total" your car, don't accept their initial appraisal. The damage is so minimal here that I think you'll come out okay in the end.
 
#14 ·
Today I got the call I was waiting for. The insurance agent let me know that they were not going to total my car and that they were going to cover the damages 100% after reviewing their information on the accident :). She asked if I wanted to let them send the check to the body shop that gave me the estimate or send me the check. Of course I asked to get the check mailed to me, I will be getting it in a few days so I will be going to another shop to get the best price. Also I will ask the shop I choose to work on other dings here and there and get a full detail.
 
#19 ·
Yes, due to the age of our cars, there may be a slight difference between the new paint and the old paint. It can be quite challenging to make brand new paint look good when put side by side with 15+ year old paint. That said, if you take it to a highly skilled shop, you will probably be able to get it so that only a very discerning eye could ever tell something was repaired. Your old paint undoubtedly has lots of little swirl marks and ultra-light surface scratches/hazing, as nearly all black cars do simply due to age. Buffing out the rest of the car will help reduce or eliminate all of those fine scratches, making the old paint darker and more shiny, which will help it match the new paint which won't have any of those imperfections.
 
#20 ·
Man, if you lived in my area I was going to recommend the shop I use. So far, a few members in my chapter took their cars to my buddy's shop and have left with huge smiles. But good luck man. I am surprised damage like that would even come close to $900!!
 
#22 ·
Body work gets spendy in a hurry. It cost me $275 just to have a nose panel painted, and that was with me bringing them the part separate from the rest of the car. They didn't even have to do any taping, etc. Just hang it from some wire and paint it...
 
#23 ·
My neighbor with the body shop told me his minimum charge for painting ANYTHING is $500. If he has to pour paint in a gun, use it and then clean it up, $500 minimum. He quit doing full resprays because he was tired of the hassle. He jacked his prices up to the sky ($6k for a basic paint job) and still had a waiting list (he's that good). He's like me...not getting any younger and doesn't get around so good any more.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Well I'm ready to put money on top of what the insurance is going to cough up. I know I may not be able to find a shop that can do what I want for $1k. I will take my time to view a few shops and some of their work before making my decision. I want a nice job but if its anything over $1500 I will just hold on, save some cash and spray the entire car.
 
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