UK-C200

Guys - I'm confused - why wouldn't you want to get your insurance company involved? Simply to try and prevent it from being reported on the cars record as in an accident?

JimPap

Yea, at MB's prices you'd only have to replace is an emblem somewhere.

RLE

What I meant was asking them to repair the damage minus deductible and then expecting them to go after the other company (subrogation) for the total amount. You will then have a claim on your record even though they got their money back.

The insurance carriers look at their policy holders every time it's time for renewal and any excuse to raise the premium will be used.

Remember, the insurance companies are in business to collect premiums, not pay claims. They are not your buddy.

jstaneff

What he said.


I have once or twice contacted my agent when it was clearly the other guy's fault. I did so because the agent was a personal friend and did not involve the insurance company. He did contact the other party's insurance company and apply a tad bit of pressure, to my benefit ...

A true friend won't tell the insurance company. What a way to find out, though.

Nuru

Good Luck with that car. Wow, sounds like somebody was kinda high when they struck your car - during the day too?

FrankW

whoa....sucks to hear that. damn cherokee hippies!!

chamaile0n

Just found out the driver ended up in the hospital with some bruised lungs due to impact with their steering wheel. While unfortunate, the driver is ok, and should recover soon.

Now that I have a PoS rental (GMC Canyon?) I'm parking it outside as it's not worthy of the garage. I'm also going to try and make myself feel better about this madness by redoing the garage floor, so the car's got a nice "welcome home" if it doesn't get totaled (not looking like it will).

Wish this process was faster - I miss my car!!!

whkento

Hey, I resemble that remark... almost. (I also drive a Grand Cherokee Limited.)



Sorry about your car, chamaile0n. Best of luck.

chamaile0n

Just got an update from the body shop - looks like $15k later, the car will be repairable. They estimate it'll take 3 weeks to fix, though, so I'm stuck with a PoS rental until they get this thing back together, tested, and tuned to be the killer machine it used to be.

3...weeeeeeeks...!!! ahhhhhh

Krytech

Good to hear it coming to a close, but the 3 week wait will be hellish... Too bad you couldn't get over that $25 mark!

ChrisBrown

I am very sorry. Such a beautiful car. I hope it gets repaired quickly.

chamaile0n

Just spoke to both my ins company and the other persons - a claim of diminished value requires an appraiser to examine the damage before the accident and compare to the market price of the vehicle after, and then magically arrive at a conclusion as to what my losses would be. Unfortunately, they won't tell me what appraisers they accept or how this appraisal should occur, just building a case and mailing it in.

Has anyone ever done this? How do you ensure the diminished value is accurately compensated for?

alpinweiss

Yes, any claim of diminished value will require a professional appraisal. You may want to get your own appraiser (in addition to the one hired by the insurance company).

Maybe now is a good time to consider whether or not you wish to keep the car, after sustaining this much damage. If you think you want to trade it in, this will simplify the diminished value part. Simply disclose the damage history to the dealer, and have them give you in writing how much your trade-in is now worth. Then claim the loss in value (from NADA book) as the diminished value with the other driver's insurance company.

The insurance company will not be happy, but it is hard to argue with the real-world loss in value (instead of an appraised loss).

Akita78

Wow! sorry bro....

chamaile0n

Just got the car back this evening - $15,700 later. Oh, and I just found a 3" crack in the windshield (at the base). They didn't do that perma-plate that MB did when I bought it, so I've got to schedule that tomorrow.

Almost back to normal!

QuadBenz

Congrats on finally getting your car back! A few years back, one of my (not current) MB's was involved in an accident. Took 2 and a half months to fix! I was going nuts, and I was also tired of that stupid Volvo S40. I finally was able to get a W203 C-Class rental. So much better.

JimPap

What's perma plate?

ctgilles

Paintguard

RLE

It's a product that all salesman try to sell to their customers because it's highly profitable and they get a big commission which is it's main reason for being.

Save your money.

chamaile0n

lol already spent the money once, so figure if insurance will do it again for free, why not

Getting both the windshield and paintguard done tomorrow, so I'm thrilled. Will finally be BACK to normal. The cost for the other guy is gonna be +$1,500sh on top of the $15,700 so far + whatever the diminished value claim nets me (will letchya know).

ceethreefiveoh

I just wanna chime in a say a couple of thing.

I work with an insurance and we do not look for reason to raise premium on collision claim if it is "NOT" YOUR FAULT.

Depending on who your insurer is, a claim that is not your fault and has been paid through by collision coverage will have no effect on your premium.

For the OP, go after the other party's insurer and go all out if you want to recover the lose in value of the car. Best bet to get your $$ is to let an attourney handle the matter. Less stressful for you and they work for you and not the insurance co. You have the right to recover back to the state prior to the accident; principle of indemnity.

GL

aowhaus

I had a tourist in a rented SUV slid through an intersection and rammed my parked Passat.
The damage was $12,000 and took 4 months to repair -- it happened three days after I bought it and it was the first week the car was introduced so no parts were available at that time. I had my insurance company involved, which was a good thing, as the other driver declined insurance coverage and Progressive took care of the situation very efficiently.

Because the accident was the other driver's fault, I insisted that neither I or Progressive pay a single cent for anything, OEM parts must be used, and the rental has to be comparible to what I was driving. Progressive managed to get the other driver to pay for everything and meet my demands.

I recently had an accident with my W204, but it was my fault which I totally accept. It seemed like a minor bump, but unfortunately I hit a 70's Chrysler beater which was built like a tank. The Chrysler had no damage at all, but my front bumper had three distinct holes from the Chrysler's bumper stop and towing hitch. The headlights and grill was damaged and the hood had a kink.

I took my car to a shop operated by my MB dealership (the only dealer owned and operated shop in my state), as they have an excellent reputation and they repair to factory spec.
The damages came to $14,000 (about 3 weeks in the shop), which was $10,000 more than I thought as the damage was mainly cosmetic.
The headlights were $2,000 a piece, the AMG bumper was $1,000, my custom front end clear bra was $1,400, and the factory paint was obscenely expensive.

So I definitely feel for you and I hope your claim goes through smoothly.

chamaile0n

Thanks for the kind words all. Their insurance company just cut a diminished value check and I'm glad to close this out and move on. Sadly, the check wasn't as much as I'd hoped for, but again - it's over/done with

mikekuriger

sorry you had this happen! i wish I could give advise but it appears you have plenty to chew on already.

best of luck!

woolala

AHHHH!!! nightmare! hahah im not going palo alto xD