[modeboy]

Dammit, some f****r rear ended me this morning on the freeway this morning in stop and go traffic.

I filed the claim today. Hopefully, their adjuster will call me back soon. The trunk won't close, and I had to remove my interior lighting fuse in order to keep the trunk lighting off, so as not to drain the battery. This also means I can't roll my windows down or lock or unlock the car remotely, etc.

Sigh!

Modeboy

 

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

Ouch! Damned stupid drivers.

 

[Alex Baumann]

Sorry to hear that.

But from the pictures I can say that the fenders are not damaged, which is very very good. New trunk lid, bumper, paint job and you're fine.

Doesn't look bad.

Glad you're fine.

 

[dj330xi]

Crash

That freakin' sucks!! I would've shot the m-****er!!

Just kidding, but I would've been mighty mighty pissed... and then probably shot the m-****er!!

If I had a gun, of course, which I don't. But if I did I probably would've shot the m-****er!!

Am I making myself clear?

 

[Ack]

Modeboy - that sucks! :thumbdwn:

I second dj330xi . . .

Was it an SUV that hit you b/c you're damage does seem confined to the trunk & upper bumper mostly?

At least you're ok. I'm sure your car will be back to new in no time. :thumb: Keep us posted.

 

[geomax]

Alex is right on - a good body shop will work wonders with that. My Old Man crashed his ML430, and caved in the entire front end. Huge damage. But when he got it back, it looked brand new. Amazing.

Look around and find the best possible body shop, with the best reputation, and then negotiate with your insurance company to see if they will pay. Often, insurance companies have "preferred" body shops they like to work with because the place will give them a discount. But this doesn't necessarily mean they do good work.

 

[johnlew]

Too bad about the bump. The trunk light will automatically turn off after 15 min., I believe, as do the interior lights if the door is left open. Give it a try.

 

[DougDogs]

Crashes suck:thumbdwn: but at least you are ok:thumb:

You should be able to find the trunk switch, and by-pass it. This way you will be able to replace fuse, and use your windows and key remote again.

I don't have a CI, but I'm sure someone here can tell you here the switch is.

 

[Dr. Phil]

:bawling:

Sorry to hear of this. As noted by Alex, it should be a realitively easy fix but even so it sucks

 

[webguy330i]

Uhg, the agony of seeing an e46 all banged up. Good luck gettin it fixed and may your insurance rates never rise!

 

[Zaphod]

That sucks! The good news is that you're ok. The car can be fixed.

 

[modeboy]

Thanks for the support! I filed the claim on the other person's insurance -- not on mine. So, hopefully, it won't affect mine at all. It was his fault, after all.

Does anyone know how to disable the trunk lights without removing the interior lights fuse? That way I can get my windows back. It sucks having to go through a drive through and open my doors.

Modeboy

 

[JST]

Why not just pull the bulbs from the trunk lights? IIRC, there are two bulb holders, on on either side of the trunk opening. You could pull the bulbs or just loosen them so they don't light and tape them in place so you don't lose them.

Thanks for the support! I filed the claim on the other person's insurance -- not on mine. So, hopefully, it won't affect mine at all. It was his fault, after all.

Does anyone know how to disable the trunk lights without removing the interior lights fuse? That way I can get my windows back. It sucks having to go through a drive through and open my doors.

Modeboy

 

[The HACK]

What was it that hit you, an SUV? Looks like the bumper rode up your trunk and didnt' touch YOUR bumper.

Another reason to ban all SUV on the road. It looks like if it had not impacted the trunk but just the bumper, the repairs would be less than $1,000 for a new bumper impact absorber AND a new bumper cover. As it is now, you'll probably need a new trunk lid and new rear fenders.

Really sorry to hear that. Hopefully everything will be repaired to as good as new.

 

[Alex Baumann]

As it is now, you'll probably need a new trunk lid and new rear fenders.

Why new fenders ? The fenders are looking OK to me.

 

[The HACK]

Why new fenders ? The fenders are looking OK to me.

Yeah, I took a second look and it looked fine to me too...At first glance, the car is so dirty I was shocked and thought that the fenders needs to be replaced as well.

Still, if it had impacted the bumper the repairs would be much less.

 

[Eric Giles]

Ouch! Luckily, it looks like your quarter panels were not damaged from what I can tell in the pictures. Here are a few pics of my '00 323Ci when it was rear ended less than 3 months after I picked it up.

Luckily you have a darker metallic color that should be easier to match than the titanium silver I had. After six resprays the body shop still could not get the color match right. Total cost of repair was around $8000, but looking back now it should have been more (if a better body shop had been used). So you see, it could be worse!

I hope the repair process goes well for you. Keep us posted on the results. And by the way-check into a diminished value claim.

 

[in_d_haus]

Are you sure it wasn't Bangle testing out a new design on your car?

Sorry to see that.

 

[modeboy]

Yeah, I took a second look and it looked fine to me too...At first glance, the car is so dirty I was shocked and thought that the fenders needs to be replaced as well.

Still, if it had impacted the bumper the repairs would be much less.

The truck that hit me was a commercial vehicle -- called a Freightliner. The bumper on it hit right in the middle of my trunk lid. And the car was not all that dirty -- quite clean, actually. I adjusted the gamma on those pics way up to bring out some more of the detail -- they weren't nearly that bright when I took them. Here's what Classic BMW Collision Center estimated needs to be done:

QUARTER PANEL
Rpr LT Quarter panel w/o M3
Add for clear coat
Rpr RT Quarter panel w/o M3
Overlap major adjacent panel
Add for clear coat
R&I RT side molding primed w/o M3
R&I LT side molding primed w/o M3
Replace RT Belt molding bright black
Replace LT Belt molding bright black

REAR BODY PANEL
Replace Rear Body panel
Overlap major adjacent panel
Add for clear coat
Add for inside
Replace RT and LT tail lamp assy coupe

TRUNK LID
Replace Trunk lid coupe
Overlap major adjacent panel
Add for clear coat
Add for Underside (Complete)
Replace Nameplate 330Ci
Replace Emblem BMW

REAR BUMPER
O/H Rear bumper
Replace Bumper cover
Add for clear coat
Replace RT and LT aborber
Replace Reinforcement
hazardous waste
cover car
flex additive

Refn Color sand and buff
Algn Setup up and pull

Their total is $3825.74 for everything including tax. He said it could be $5-$6k once they tear it down. I still have yet to hear from the adjuster.

Most of it makes sense to me, but not all of it. Anyone else more familiar with the terminology?

Modeboy

 

[modeboy]

And by the way-check into a diminished value claim.

Can you tell me what all is involved with that? I read up a little on it, but do I just ask the adjuster I want compensation for diminished value? What if they say they don't cover diminished value? I'm in Texas. Do I have to get it appraised after the repairs are done? Any info you could provide would be appreciated.

Modeboy