NYbenzzz

So, i guess somebody had to pop my cherry.......

basically got hit by a FEDEX van (he was coming out of loading bay). Conclusion is: 100% fedex fault. their insurance will be paying.

things needing repair: door, quarter panel, rear bumper and wheel. I have a meeting with the adjuster on friday.

i do have a body shop i trust, but here's a couple of questions:

1) should i let my dealer fix it? (my dealer has collision repair shop) should i get an appraisal from the dealer?
2) any issues at return of lease if i fix this with my body shop?
3) how much should i be expecting? i'm sure the insurance adjuster will lowball me to hell and back..........

LOGOSDJ

Not sure how much a repair like that would cost, but here's what I will tell you:

You should essentially treat a leased car the same way you'd treat a car you owned. If there's damage, you and/or your insurance company are responsible to fix it. If it's repaired, you should have no problems at lease-end when you return the car to a dealer -- whether you had it repaired at an actual Mercedes service entity or at an outside body shop you trust.

The only problem that could arrive at lease-end would be returning the car to your dealer in that condition, without it being repaired (unless this damage occurred right before you were due to return the car). The MBFS charges for the damage would most likely be higher than what you'd pay to get it repaired somewhere beforehand.

The smartest thing to do would be to have your MB dealer or service center give you an estimate on how much it would cost for the total repairs and also have your own body shop give you an estimate. Get it repaired wherever it'll cost less. If these issues were mechanical or internal, I'd highly recommend getting it repaired by an authorized MB dealer/service center, but since they seem to be mostly cosmetic, I think you'll be fine either way. Hope this helps.

scrambler900

Why do you think the Adjuster will low ball you? And I am confused as to how they would low ball you. It is what it is an needs to be repaired. Who is the Insurance Company?

Mike5215

It's pretty hard to get low balled by an adjuster nowadays. Everyone uses essentially the same estimating software, so aside from someone drastically underestimating the sheetmetal repair time on a hit like yours you'll likely find the estimates will line up pretty evenly.

Let Fed Ex's carrier write the estimate, then take the car and the estimate to your shop. If the shop feels the sheet is light they'll call the carrier directly for a supplement.

Mplayers2006

I would think getting involved in an accident in a leased vehicle would require the dealership to get involved since its their vehicle and they don't want anyone not authorized to work on their cars since this could effect resale value using subpar labor and material. Just my two cents

Zavato

Take it to the shop of your choice. I would go to the MB shop and let the body shop manager negotiate with the insurance adjuster. No reason for you to negotiate- the body shop manager wants your job. You'll have a repair that at lease end that MB can't tell you wasn't good enough and it will be fully paid for by Fd ex or its insurer

LOGOSDJ

Not true, especially when it comes to simple paint/body work.

Plus, if he's gone through his insurance company or the police and his vehicle's CarFax will now show an accident/damage reported, his car is worth much less to his dealer. They'll never be able to have it Certified Pre-Owned or resell it to their own customers. It'll wind up in the hands of MBFS or whichever wholesaler winds up buying it down the line.

Zavato

what does "not authorized to work on their car" mean?

Mike5215

The dealer, who is independently owned, holds no ownership interest in a leased vehicle what so ever. With the exception of a "flagship" dealer in NYC, none of the Mercedes Benz dealers in the US are owned by Mercedes Benz. Your leased car actually belongs to you under an arrangement with Mercedes Benz Financial Services, also a separate entity. The dealership will allow you to drop a lease return off, but that involves the dealer calling MBFS and letting them know their car is there. (An independent 3rd party inspection service will have already completed the turn-in inspection). If you look at your lease, there's a $925 "disposition fee". That's a spiff paid to the dealer for the hassle of taking in your leased car.

The receiving dealer can of course offer to buy the car from MBFS if they want it in their used inventory. Otherwise it gets shipped off to auction with all the other stuff the dealer doesn't want on its lot.

You don't even owe an obligation to return the car at all. At any point during ownership you can write a check equal to the remaining payments plus the residual and buy it. Or you can trade it in just like a financed car. The loan payoff is just the remaining payments plus residual.

So no, your leased car is not the dealer's, nor is it Mercedes. It's yours, subject to satisfaction of the financing terms, just like a purchased car. If it's involved in an accident, as long as it's properly repaired, you're fine.

scrambler900

Not real clear what you are trying to say here, but I am assuming that you are saying that a car that has been in an accident cannot be a CPO is false, I am an adjuster that goes to a shop next to an MB dealer to look at dozens of leased cars that they (the dealer) sends there as they are a Certified Repair Shop for MB and have spent all the money on tooling and schooling for the techs. They turn around and sell them as CPO when they get turned in. I personally would only have my car repaired at that shop, but that is just me.

Mplayers2006

Like Craig's boot leg Collision repair shop found in the shady parts of town. I'm Speaking metaphorically of course when I say authorized, I mean someone who does not have permission by the owner( dealership/Financial institution). If. Someone got in an accident in my car and decided to take my car to any shop they felt like I would be worried and so would you be. I only want a professionally insured business that has shown integrity and high qualify work to work on my vehicle, definitely when someone else is paying for it .

I just don't think mercedes benz want you taking their vehicle to any shady places with shady work.

scrambler900

You can have your car fixed wherever you want. Insurance, dealer, or a manufacturer cannot tell you where you can take your car.

Mike5215

Minor sheetmetal damage won't preclude a dealer from certifying the car, if they A) even want the thing in the first place and B) want to bother getting it certified if they do decide to keep it. A big hit with unibody damage would bar the car from CPO though.

No entity is in the position to "authorize" a repair other than you.

whippet007

I would take it to an Approved Mercedes-Benz Collision Centre.

"By choosing a Mercedes-Benz Approved Collision Centre you will not only have the peace of mind of knowing your Mercedes-Benz has been repaired correctly, it has also been returned to the exacting standards to which it was built. The technicians working to restore your vehicle’s appearance and performance are the people who know it best.

All Mercedes-Benz Approved Collision Centres meet our extensive requirements, and make commitments to quality and service crucial to achieving this level of certification. This enables Mercedes-Benz to approve only those which meet or exceed our standards for tools, equipment, facilities, repair work, and the commitment to customer care.

You can be sure that Mercedes-Benz Approved Collision Centres offer:

Mercedes-Benz Genuine Parts for precise fit and exceptional quality.
Mercedes-Benz approved equipment, including tools, materials, and paint.
Technicians with up-to-date, advanced skills and training.
Approved repair methods guarantee the structural integrity of your vehicle is restored to its original condition ensuring safety."

Mplayers2006

I agree 100% .

Your not paying a dime for anything, why not ?

icanectc

I only lease vehicle and my last car an e 350 was damaged by someone backing into my car. She had the bright idea at a traffic light to put her car in reverse to change lanes. Causing about 8k in front end damage mostly due to the fact the led headlamp had to be out right replaced that alone was 4k. She was ticketed as well. Her insurance paid all of it and my loaner for 30days as GEICO kept wanting a authorization everytime mercedes stumbled on new dmg.

Geico let me use the place I wanted my car fixed which I took to dealer they did all the work no problem. Car traded in without hassle from dealer.

Was an easy process overall.

Zavato

As an insured, Geico is a good company to have. As a third-party claimant, they are a hassle.

I insure with Geico-

Mike5215

A good friend of mine owns the local Mercedes Benz Certified Repair center. The guys he has who are banging out Chevys and Hyundais are the same ones working on the Mercedes he takes in. If you saw any one of them in a dark alley you'd run the other way. Body shop guys tend to float around, so it's not like there are "Ford" experts or "BMW" experts.

The guy banging out the quarter on your S550 was probably at a Mazda body shop three months ago.

To get certified my buddy's shop had to meet minimum standards for equipment (laser unibody rack, downdraft spray booth, computer paint match and tinting station, etc). He also had to have a certain number of ICar certified body guys.

He does good work, but he did good work way before he picked up the MB certification. It's not that his techs are magic. It's just that he'll think nothing of doing a job over at his cost if he's not satisfied with a finished repair, before the customer ever sees it.

NYbenzzz

i got a call from fedex's insurance. they will be sending me an adjuster on friday.

so friday morning i'm going to bring my car to my dealer's collision center and get an estimate.
i'm going to ask them to return the car to brand new condition.
it's FEDEX so i'm going to make sure my car gets repaired to MB standards.

i just noticed, all panels are made of alluminum. i thought it would be fiberglass. there's a hole punctured in between the door and quarter panel. i can only imagine how much the estimate from the dealer going to be. LOL.

SoDakBenz

You should just have the authorized Mercedes dealer fix it. If it is done by your own shop and not done right and iv seem some stupid repairs, u would be responsible for the cost to fix it. Especially since your insurance isn't paying just get it done right the first time.

Above someone mentioned accident cars cannot be CPO cars that is false. I work for a dealership and I'd say 10% of the certified cars have accidents on their carfax.

Xtrema

I think having a MB Certified repair done may have less hassle later on lease return.

Since OP is not at fault, I would insist a certified shop.

Sheepy

If you're not paying for it at all then let MB repair it. It is in their best interest long run to make sure it is repaired properly.

Mike5215

The car will never be like new. It stopped being new the day you drove it home. But it can easily be repaired to the extent there's no obvious indication it's ever been hit. They're not likely to be replacing any panels. Just some labor hours and paint.

I'd use the MB certified shop but bear in mind Fed Ex only owes the prevailing market rates for labor, materials and parts mark ups. If MB is way out there you'd owe the difference. (Chances are the MB certified shop's rates are in line.)

You have a right to have the car repaired wherever (and however) you'd like, but the at-fault only owes the prevailing market rate. For example if there's an ultra high end shop doing nothing but Bentleys and Lamborghinis and charging 4x the going rate, they don't owe that.

kasendorf

Sorry, I am late to the conversation but I have been through this so thought that I would share.

1) I would go to whatever body shop that you feel can do the best job and that you are comfortable with. In my experience the dealer shop is not always the best but I can't speak for all dealers. As far as using an approved insurance company shop, I would stay away. You want the body shop working for you as opposed to working under the rules and contract of the insurance company (please no flames!!!). Go to the shop of your choice.

2) Per your lease agreement your responsibility is to get the car repaired properly. As long as this is done correctly by a competent shop you will not have any problem. I have been through this and never experienced an issue.

3) Don't deal directly with the adjuster, that's your body shops job. Don't take your car to an insurance drive in claims center or deal directly with the adjuster. Let your body shop that you selected appraise the damage and than let them work directly with the adjuster. They have more experience in doing this than you do and they no what it is going to take to fix your car properly. Don't let the insurance company convince you otherwise. Don't get in the middle.

I have always followed these rules, have always been happy with the repair work and never experienced a problem with a lease return to Mercedes or any other car company that I have ever dealt with. Again the most important thing is to pick the right repair shop and let them do their job by working with the adjuster and repairing the car.

Good luck.

lbowroom

from Jalopnik,

The fenders, hood, and trunk are aluminum, the roof is aluminum if you don't get the panoramic sunroof, and all the other exterior panels are aluminum save the rear 3/4 panel and parts of the bumpers

So the rear quarter panels are steel, that'll make repair easier. Fiberglass? You really thought any part of the car would be fiberglass?