davidw1234

I was t-boned around 2 months ago. I must say the C-class is one safety car. (2010 C300 4M) I won't go into details but the guy hit me around (est.) 80km/h+?

He (A 2001 Acura) hit my right rear side of the car (where the gas cap/right rear wheels are). I blacked out and the car spun 360 degrees twice before stopping at an empty street. Didn't have any photos as I was sent to the hospital. Repair bill was ~$26000.

Just got the car back recently from an official Mercedes Benz body shop. Repair items included fuel tank, suspension, wheel...etc. (The whole right rear wheel was bent in). All I can say props to the MB Team who designed this car. Saved my life, All I had was a concussion. (Post-concussion now)

Edit: I got a personal phone call from one of the MB managers at HQ asking how I felt and if I needed help.

SGTzAMG

WOW! im glad your all right my friend, whew! thats crazy, and thats very thoughtfull of MB to do that. These cars are indeed one safe car to be in

Acapulco Bill

The W204 has one of the lowest death rates for any sedan, 24 per 1 million vehicles. The BMW 3 series convertible is double at 48 deaths per 1 million vehicles.

Attached is an official report on car safety.

joshg1001

^^ that might have something to do with the clientele that buys 3 series...

glad the OP is safe, cant believe they repaired it instead of totalling it

Sportstick

Correct! IIHS data comes from insurance company claims for personal or property loss and reports actual experience, reflecting those particular people driving those particular cars. Given the behavior of folks who drive minivans, those vehicles usually perform very well on loss reports, although not necessarily due to any specific advantage in design nor mass. This data helps insurance companies set premiums, based on who is likely to buy each nameplate, how they drive them, as well as how the vehicle performs.

Note for this 2007 data (W203), the 3 series and C class sedans are fairly comparable. For a comparative analysis on the safety engineering brought to the cars by their manufacturers, IIHS also offers their impact test results, free from driver effect, where 3 series missed being a Top Pick by having an "acceptable" roll over performance, where the C Class earned a "good" on all measures. For now, the NHTSA NCAP program is of some diminished value with non-differentiating high 5 star scores being widely achieved. NHTSA is currently redesigning that program to more stringent standards, so IIHS impact testing results are currently the best barometer of which companies are excelling in crash protection.

davidw1234

^Thanks guys! Also thanks for the official safety report, interesting insight on crash rates...

@joshg1001 yeah I agree, A lot of my mechanic and body shop friends also questioned why the car wasn't totaled. Either way the car performs like it was brand new (all parts replaced) cause we have an official MB body shop (not authorized). The car was in shop for 2 friggin' months!

Come to think of it...with the MSRP + repair bill combined, I could have got myself a C63

Helms

glad you are safe my friend!

blue00r6

So your car had 26,000 dollars in damage and they REPAIRED IT? I think I would try for a replacement vehicle.

xolinlevh

+1 to that.......id call that totaled and get it replaced....

albert101

The car may have been really safe and performed well the first time it crashed but after a repair like that, don't expect it to perform the same way if you were to have another crash in it. The car should have been deemed totaled.

davidw1234

Thanks Helms!

Yes unfortunately...the body shop had called the insurance company and they actually wanted to have it repaired instead of totaling it...

what can I say? at least the body shop did a good job repairing it...

ucfbeta92

Glad you made it out safe!

Thinking out aloud here.. could there be any legal recourse for the OP on safety grounds? Makes me shudder

Sportstick

The question would be against whom, and for what cause of action?

- The dealer certified that they made the proper repairs
- The insurance company paid for it, per the policy terms

What is the argument to be substantiated, and by what expert, to impeach the credibility of the dealer and prove the work is not to MB standards? The insurance company merely paid for what the dealer said they could accomplish, and the repair cost fell short of the economic calculation needed to declare the car "totalled".

blue00r6

I imagine that there was some chassis tweaking that occured, at least to some degree - something that was either ignored or not investigated by the dealer. Something that if pursued would have merited a replacement vehicle I'm sure.

I imagine the profit margin on 26,000 dollars of labor is quite a bit higher than the margin on a new vehicle purchased outright.

ucfbeta92

If the statements made on this forum regarding the ability of the vehicle to provide the same quality of safety and protection in the event of a similar collision could be validated by an expert / third party that evaluates the structural strength and integrity of motor vehicles, then a valid case may exist on safety grounds.

I'm not asking if there's a way for the OP to make an extra buck or squeeze more money out of the insurance provider. I'm thinking of the safety concern, and clearly, I'm not the only one here who thinks the repairs put in may look good cosmetically but the structural strength may be compromised.

And against whom: the insurance provider who made the decision to repair the vehicle instead of totaling and replacing it outright. Of course, if the OP didn't have GAP coverage, then he would have to foot the gap as applicable.

Sportstick

Please don't misunderstand...I am completely sympathetic to the concern. I am just outlining what I think is the hill the OP would have to climb. I never presumed the motivation was monetary gain.

The problem remains that all the opinions voiced here have no weight in this situation. The OP would need to have experts examine his particular vehicle and conclude that the work was substandard versus MB standards. The action would not be against the insurance company, as they were presented with an estimate by the MB repair facility who indicated they could achieve the objective. It is not for the insurance company to say the car cannot be fixed when the MB facility states that they can for less than the cost of a new car. The insurance company merely paid the bill. If any tort has occurred, it would be the negligence of the repair facility to deliver what it stated, a vehicle restored to standards outlined by MB. That will be one extremely difficult burden of proof.

JoeVal

From a liability standpoint, I don't think anybody goofed. From what was described the hit was behind the structural carry-weight members, and I doubt if going 26G an Insurance Co would skimp going all the way. I'd just give a good going over to the rear axle, wheels, all linkages, and bearing points by a certified knowledgeable mechanic and move over.

On the value side, you may have a case for a few thousand dollars that the resale value will loose due to the accident report. This should be short and sweet for 10 to 20% of the trade in resale value at the time of the accident.

Good luck, and stick to Mercedes, to me she is just charming!!!

ucfbeta92

You make a good point - the burden of proof will be extremely difficult, and it would be a long, tedious, uphill battle. Here's hoping the OP never has a crash of this magnitude again - in this car, or another.

LILBENZ230

I do not understand why some of you imply that the structural integrity would be permanently compromised on this car if it were repaired to MB standards. That's nonsense. This was not some 90s Civic they sawed in half and used the front of one car and the rear of another.

encoder

I also think it's BS to claim that the vehicle is somehow less safe now.

My ex had a very minor accident in my prev car (volvo S60) and I was struck that the insurance company (The other driver was at fault, they had Allstate) actually had the body shop replace things that they weren't going to replace, based on their expert experience. The steering column comes to mind -- and the seatbelts, even on the passenger side where nobody was sitting (and not just the pretensioners, the belts themselves)

davidw1234

Thanks man!

Thanks for the concern guys, at this point I'm not gonna worry much about structural damage or whatsoever...I've actually had one of my P.E. mechanical engineer friends do some testing to the car...couldn't find anything wrong. The repair shop seem to have done a pretty good job at repairing up to MB standards. I guess time will tell for any undetectable issues. For now, I'm just going to enjoy my C! Drive safe guys!