What would you check for a rear end crash?

Yesterady I got read ended by a Buick.

We were in a traffic jam going to lunch and traffic had stopped.
I looked in my read view mirror and there was a car about 500 ft back. We were sitting there stopped and looked in the rear view mirror again and the car behind us was right on us and the driver was looking down.
She never touched the brakes and hit us going about 40. The only word I could get out was "Ohhhhhhhh" then bang.

One of my buddies went to the hospital with a sprained neck. I have one seriously sore neck today but otherwise ok. The two girls in the other car are fine also. So we were lucky no major injuries.

So now the car is at the shop and I'm wondering what things I should check before accepting the insurance companies quote.
Believe it or not, this is my first accident. I just have the funny feeling that insurance is going to low ball the esimate or try not to fix it correclty.

Any ideas of things I should have checked for the repair?

Here are some pics.


Thanks,
Da Taz

Good to hear you're doing good. Obviously check for frame damage, but also check the electronics that are in the trunk. It's unlikely that your driveline was affected, but it couldn't hurt to have it looked at.

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Bimmer App

Who is your insurance carrier? I was rear-ended in my Boxster 3 times, the ass on that car was a magnet!

I had Metlife, Liberty, and Geico over the 9 years I had that car. And not one of them did less than make the car whole using dealer parts and the dealer approved body shop. When the pull the bumper off they will go through and identify what is wrong, then when they start the work they may find more damage. Whenever that happened to me they let the carrier know and they bump up the amount. There is always something that they find afterwards, a trunk that doesn't fit right, supports way underneath, whatever.

Good luck, I always stay on top of all developments with the shop, I expect you will be the same. For me the local dealer doesn't have a bodyshop but they do have the best shop in town that they send all the work to, that is who I used and the insurance company had no issue with this. The insurance adjuster did his estimate, I gave that to the shop, they did it at that price and the insurance company paid them directly.

Wes, Oh, man... big bummer about the accident. sorry and glad to hear everyone is ok. same thing happened to us about ten years ago - except the dodge ram truck was doing over 45 and we were at a dead stop in a honda odyssey... sandwiched us and pushed us into the three cars infront of us... everyone was fine with no serious injuries but the minivan was totaled.

My advice - find out which shop in town does all the high-end work (including bmw's of course) - maybe check with lyour ocal BMW dealers to see who does all their work. Get your inspection and quote done there (and the work to if possible). I'm not an expert but with any rear-end damage, but they need to of course check the frame for twists, etc. and other "internal" damage, which is more important than anything that can be seen on the exterior. The insurance company will undoubtedly try to force you to have their adjuster/shop inspect it and do the work there. I always want an independent second opinion (as the adjuster and shop is frequently incented to do the work on the cheap). Make sure the quote from your indenpendent shop uses all OEM parts (not aftermarket or remanufactured).

Use your quote as leverage and if possible, insist that the work be done at your selected shop. Often, they will find more damage once they open it up and you will sometimes need the shop to be your advocate against the adjuster/insurance company.

Of course, the property damage claims are separate from the PI claims, and can be managed and settled separately. As for the PI, many folks will tell you to get an attorney, but as long as the injuries are not serious, then you can manage the PI settlement yourself in due course.

One more thing, for the property damage claims, don't be in a big hurry, even though you probably want your baby back. Adjusters know this desire and can sometimes use it to their advantage to get a quick (and cheap) settlement. Also, for the PI claims, I suggest you wait at least 6 months or more to settle, as sometimes the injuries from a rear-end collission can show up later.

Best of luck.

Originally Posted by tampamark

Who is your insurance carrier? I was rear-ended in my Boxster 3 times, the ass on that car was a magnet!

I had Metlife, Liberty, and Geico over the 9 years I had that car. And not one of them did less than make the car whole using dealer parts and the dealer approved body shop. When the pull the bumper off they will go through and identify what is wrong, then when they start the work they may find more damage. Whenever that happened to me they let the carrier know and they bump up the amount. There is always something that they find afterwards, a trunk that doesn't fit right, supports way underneath, whatever.

Good luck, I always stay on top of all developments with the shop, I expect you will be the same. For me the local dealer doesn't have a bodyshop but they do have the best shop in town that they send all the work to, that is who I used and the insurance company had no issue with this. The insurance adjuster did his estimate, I gave that to the shop, they did it at that price and the insurance company paid them directly.

Mark - great advice, but isn't the question what insurance did the other guy have...? I'm presuming that b/c Wes got rear-ended, then the other guy is at fault, and her insurance company should handle all the repairs. I'm guessing that your experience in the no-fault state like Florida is that your handle it with your own insurance company isrrespective of fault. In my state of GA, you handle it with the insurance company of the at-fault driver. I'm not sure about Texas, but Wes will quickly find out.

I would call your local BMW dealer(s) and find out which body shop they use, those will probably be the best in the area.

I would insist on NEW oem parts, some companies will try to force you to use non-oem or even used parts if the car is older.

Looks like you will need new bumper, bumper carrier and all the mounting parts for the carrier. The exhaust is probably shot too. I would make sure they check all the pipes up to the engine since those are probably bent. You might also need a new trunk floor - they tend to cut the whole thing out and weld in a new one.

Hopefully the trunk and rear quarters are OK. Check all the panel seams for evenness and fit. (trunk to fender, and the fit of the top storage compartment) Also look down the side of the car from the rear and look for creases or waves in the body panels, especially near the trunk. Sometimes the rear end will sag when you get hit from behind and this causes waves in the panels on the sides of the trunk area.

Bummer about the accident, but glad everyone is going to be OK.

As mentioned, the bigger concern is the shop you take the car to. Go for a place that works on German cars and don't get rail roaded into a network shop. The insurance company will likely try to sell you their network shop program and if the shop you want to use is on that program, then go for it. There is one major national insurance carrier that has drop off location but I would not go that route.

Have the shop be your advocate for the types of parts to use. OEM new is best, but if you have a choice between new aftermarket and used, go for the used ones as those are always going to be OEM parts. Luckily there should be few aftermarket parts for this car.

GA also has a law whereby the insurance company owes the owner Depreciation of Value, they know it as DV. They owe it you, especially if their insured was at fault.

Good point about depreciated value - I recall other threads on this topic here, so do a search, read up and make it part of your property claim.

Originally Posted by gregb

Good point about depreciated value - I recall other threads on this topic here, so do a search, read up and make it part of your property claim.

That is good to explore, Nick (topdowninfl) went through a Diminished Value exercise and won $4,000. Here is the thread, might want to PM him to go through the details. We all know that Nick is a great guy and very helpful! But he is not as frequent on this side of the board due to his upgraded ride.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...minished+value

Originally Posted by gregb

Mark - great advice, but isn't the question what insurance did the other guy have...? I'm presuming that b/c Wes got rear-ended, then the other guy is at fault, and her insurance company should handle all the repairs. I'm guessing that your experience in the no-fault state like Florida is that your handle it with your own insurance company isrrespective of fault. In my state of GA, you handle it with the insurance company of the at-fault driver. I'm not sure about Texas, but Wes will quickly find out.

Ah, yeah, got a bit twisted. So modify my post, what is her insurance? I don't know what property damage limits are in Texas, the Buick didn't look that new from the small view I had of the front end. Regardless, I never had a problem using the dealer body shop in any claim and didn't have to come out of pocket at all.

Sorry, I thought the OP was in GA and I just realized he's in TX. Different states have different laws. GA has a very specific procedure for DV and it is supposed to be part of the standard claims process there.
I don't believe TX has that as standard operating procedure. It's worth bringing it up to the adjustor. Between collision damage, medical, and DV, this could be a long drawn out process.

Wes, I would hold out signing anything until you know if your neck might have been injured. I would have 2 to 3 shops look at the damage. Another thing would be to make sure you get sure that you get any depreciated damage. Not the correct term, but you know what I mean. The damage looks to be minor, with the bumper cover being pushed down. If any air bags went off, it will most likely be totaled! If this is the case, start looking for any & all receipts for any repaired work. If you had a CPO, I would also try & recoup that cost. That M6 might be a bit sooner, but your health is more important than that.

Good Luck!

Here is PA I have my insurance company (Erie) pay to have the car fixed properly then they sue the person who is at fault insurance company for the money.

I've gone through this as well. Glad to hear you are okay. Funny thing is I used to be an estimator at a body shop about ten years ago. When I got out and took a look at my car, I was like this thing is totaled. The insurance company can't tell you where to get your car fixed, so take it to any shop you want. The first estimate is going to be BS. It's not a matter of accepting the offer or not, it's about making sure everything is okay. I got pushed into another car, so I got double whammied. Once you get the car to the shop, they are going to pull it apart and check all the other damage. This is the main reason you want to take it to a reputable shop. I'd use whoever the dealership uses if they don't have their own shop. By the looks of it, you didn't get smacked extremely hard, so your quarters may not have buckled, but definitely check them.

I worked at a Lexus body shop and we always checked the roofs around the sunroof because the energy transfer and they would sometimes buckle. You'll see small dents around the end of the rear roof. probably not in this case, but definitely check. Did your battery cable pop? Mine did and that set off all kinds of electrical lights. I ended up with a new vert out of the ordeal, but looks like yours will be repaired with no problem.

Most importantly you are okay, but do look into a "diminished value" as well. Little thing like carfax is going to come back and bite you later, so you may as well get paid for it up front. In the end any decent shop will handle everything for you once you have that first estimate. The Process:

1. You make claim,
2. They send their claims adjuster
3. He gives you a BS estimate, don't even bother arguing with him at this point.
4. Take it to the bimmer shop if there is one.
5. Get your loan car "that you are going to hate"
6. Let them handle everything on your behalf.
7. Inspect car like crazy when you pick it up.
8. Any lights or anything funny after it's repaired relating to accident (or in general area) Call shop back!

Hope this helps. It's sucks, but you can repair just about anything these days.

Man, that really sucks!!! Sorry to hear Da Taz. I know it's been brought up already but I can't stress the importance of depreciated value. My previous car, an Acura RL, was in a rear-end collision and because they discovered frame damage and listed it in its CarFax, when I tried to trade it in, the best quote I got was $7K under bluebook. I can't even imagine how much it would be on a 6er. Thankfully I decided to sell the car a couple of weeks later and found out. I had to take legal action against the other driver's insurance company to get reimbursed for the depreciated value. My advice to you is to look into this now before everything is settled. Don't sign any papers related to the DV unless you know what exactly you're signing. I know I sound like a law firm commercial, but trust me, nothing beats firsthand experience Good luck sir!

Thanks for all the input guys.
I'm making a list of all things to check out. I'm also going to scan the car tomorrow and save it to file. Who knows what codes got thrown.
I wonder if the top works anymore. I could fit in the famous "top not locked" category now.

The girls insurance is USAA. And I have talked with them. I don't get the warm fuzzy that they will do what's right.
The person I talked to said they won't take responsibility until their insured admits to hitting me. REALLY??? I have pictures, witnesses and a police report.
This is a not a questionable type accident. The rep also told me that it was my responsibility to get the car fixed since I had insurance.
For DV claims in Texas, it looks like I will need to get a lawyer to handle it. We have the law, but no one uses it and insurance knows that.
I don't know enough in order to use it myself. I will need to get a certain type of appraisal done first. Fortunately, a buddy of mine from high school owns the largest law firm in San Antonio.

The DV law might only be for third party recovery, meaning I can sue the person who hit me directly. If that is the case, I will eat the DV value. I can't imagine being a 20 year old kid starting off life with that debt.

Herb, The neck seems to be fine. I don't know if you had this happen, but after they opened up the back of the spine my nerves regenerated and I would get spasms down my left side.
They had subsided about a month ago but came back after the accident for a few hours.

It was a no brainer when the tow truck guy said they didn't have an account at BMW, but his buddy who works on German cars does. I paid him to take it to the shop BWM recommended.

Thanks again, everyone was a big help. I will post the saga of the 6 as events unfold.
Da Taz

As someone who had a DV appraisal business in college: DV in Texas is a third party claim. That means you pursue USAA. Surprisingly USAA paid better than most as it relates to DV. You don't need an attorney yet and maybe ever to get a DV claim paid by USAA in Texas. You need to get a professional DV report done. You want to call someone now as they may want to take pics before repairs begin. You need to be an assertive person and not take any bull**** from the adjuster. The standard offer is 500. Don't counter an offer like that. Say my report speaks for itself and send a demand letter via certified mail. This sets the stage for a small claims suit and let's them know you are not a pushover. DV is not an exact science so the better you can negotiate the better your settlement more often than not. How many miles are on your car?

Sorry about the hassle, USAA is one of the better ones. It's probably normal procedure for them to say they won't cover the claim until either their insured admits fault, or they investigate and determine they are liable. Once they admit it they can't back out of it. At least you were hit by somebody who has insurance so there is hope. If by some sort of fluke they don't agree to take the liability, you will need to work with your insurance company. They will go through subrogation process and if USAA admits 100% fault then your deductible will be reimbursed.

I did a quick on part types and I am seeing reconditioned covers and reinforcements, everything else is popping as OEM only. No used bumpers came up locally for San Antonio but used inventory changes every day. When they write the estimate you will probably see reconditioned bumper parts but everything else should be OEM. Reconditioned is better than new aftermarket made who knows where. If you want the OEM parts, you will probably have to pay out of pocket for the difference but it's a $330 difference on the cover and $140 on the reinforcement. The order in which I would prefer part type to be is:
- New OEM
- Used / recycled grade A
- OE Surplus
- Reman / recon
- CAPA certified aftermarket
- Aftermarket

Hopefuly things start moving with USAA on Monday and you get your car fixed soon.

Fred

[QUOTE=TxTaz;6928426]

Herb, The neck seems to be fine. I don't know if you had this happen, but after they opened up the back of the spine my nerves regenerated and I would get spasms down my left side.
They had subsided about a month ago but came back after the accident for a few hours.

/QUOTE]


Wes,

If you tweaked the spine, this might be possible. A new sudden jolt to the spine, could reopen unhealed problems. I would make an appointment with your doctor, & do a MRI as a precaution. Sometimes problem will show up later, than sooner. Just document this accident, just to protect your self. You are a lot younger than me, & things have a way of catching up with you.

Good Luck!

Herb

Originally Posted by TxTaz

Yesterady I got read ended by a Buick.

We were in a traffic jam going to lunch and traffic had stopped.
I looked in my read view mirror and there was a car about 500 ft back. We were sitting there stopped and looked in the rear view mirror again and the car behind us was right on us and the driver was looking down.
She never touched the brakes and hit us going about 40. The only word I could get out was "Ohhhhhhhh" then bang.

One of my buddies went to the hospital with a sprained neck. I have one seriously sore neck today but otherwise ok. The two girls in the other car are fine also. So we were lucky no major injuries.

So now the car is at the shop and I'm wondering what things I should check before accepting the insurance companies quote.
Believe it or not, this is my first accident. I just have the funny feeling that insurance is going to low ball the esimate or try not to fix it correclty.

Any ideas of things I should have checked for the repair?

Here are some pics.

Attachment 331175Attachment 331176Attachment 331177
Thanks,
Da Taz

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Say it isn't so! That sucks Taz. How is the back after this accident?

USAA is a good insurance carrier, they are headquartered about 10 miles from my house and I know several people that have them. They used to be exclusively for Military Officers only but now are open to non-commissioned ranks.

Like was said before I am sure that the "waiting to admit fault" was some boilerplate statement. Whenever there is an accident they contact both parties to get the official statement, or at least in the ones I had.

Good luck!

Bad Debt, Great information. I already have a DV appraisal company and they will look at the car when I get an appraisal from USAA. The car has 74,000 miles.

AND yes, I am going to see the Neurosurgeon. I get x rays and scans next week. I can tell something got tweaked after the normal pain from getting rear ended went away. Besides, everyone and their brother are on my case for not going.

USAA has said they would accept liability for this claim so things will go much smoother. I guess the rep was giving me the blanket disclaimer which is a little un-settling.

I looked at the car yesterday and scanned the computers. It looks like the only damage, other than the obvious, is a dent in the battery compartment.

I scanned it and got some codes.
2A6B: Valvetronic, power limitation, This is probably a hiccup from being hit.
Heating / air conditioning unit - 9C54: AUC-sensor, No clue yet.
Motorola TCU - US D68E:Again no clue yet.

Time to do some searching.

Thanks again.
Da Taz

That sucks Taz but the major thing here is that you are ok. You are getting some really good advise from the guys here and I hope that you will be made whole. I just went through getting a scratch repaired on my driver door too. Did it through the insurance company and they took care of it pretty good. I really inspected it and I must say the insurance shop did a fine job, plus the shop BMW uses know about them and said they do good work. I made sure I contact the dealer for reference. I will have to look into this DV thing too. Keep us posted Taz on this. I know you love that baby and it sucks when you see that she is out of commission.

Originally Posted by pablo645

That sucks Taz but the major thing here is that you are ok. You are getting some really good advise from the guys here and I hope that you will be made whole. I just went through getting a scratch repaired on my driver door too. Did it through the insurance company and they took care of it pretty good. I really inspected it and I must say the insurance shop did a fine job, plus the shop BMW uses know about them and said they do good work. I made sure I contact the dealer for reference. I will have to look into this DV thing too. Keep us posted Taz on this. I know you love that baby and it sucks when you see that she is out of commission.

DV claim won't get paid for a scratch on the door unless it's a brand new car and even then, sans an exotic, you are talking no more than a few hundred bucks

Originally Posted by Bad Debt

DV claim won't get paid for a scratch on the door unless it's a brand new car and even then, sans an exotic, you are talking no more than a few hundred bucks

I hear you. My insurance company states that I should keep the repair receipts (Which I always do) and that will show the repairs done and that it was done by an approved shop. In the event however that the buyer or dealer, based on a car fax report, wants to mark down the price, they stated that at that time they will do a DV but at this time they cannot do the DV without having a thrid party source such as a car fax or dealer report if I go to trade it in. We'll see what happens in the future on this but luckly I'm not trading her in at the moment.

Originally Posted by pablo645

I hear you. My insurance company states that I should keep the repair receipts (Which I always do) and that will show the repairs done and that it was done by an approved shop. In the event however that the buyer or dealer, based on a car fax report, wants to mark down the price, they stated that at that time they will do a DV but at this time they cannot do the DV without having a thrid party source such as a car fax or dealer report if I go to trade it in. We'll see what happens in the future on this but luckly I'm not trading her in at the moment.

2 year statute of limitations, at least in Texas. Your claim goes down as time goes on. Again in Texas, you are owed the diffrence in market value at the time of the accident.