apdesign

Hi Everyone,

As most of you might of have seen my car in this forum. Anyway I just ran straight into a '05 Porsche Cayenne without brake going about 30 mph that was making an illegal right turn right in front of me. I have some crappy photo of the accident on my camera phone but can't upload it to show you. But here is what happen- my windshield cracked, driver's side airbag deploded, left front panel crushed in, left light smashed, hood crumbled, front bumper with my wald add-on smash towards into the radiator, some other part of the left side of the engine compartment smash. What do you all thing when the adjuster will do. i will love for it to be a total lost, because it would not be worth it to fix the car up, it would never be the same. Will it be a total lost or fixable. Thanks in advance for your comment. If it is a total lost I'm debating whether to get a 911 Porsche, M3, or another CL.

Vader55

Wow

That is horrible news . Your car was *** badass.

CynCarvin32

sounds very fixable to me. the car hitting the side of another car normally fares pretty well.

The car would need serious deformation to be a total loss.

Fix her and have fun! dont sweat it!

DBERRY7578

I got into a wreck in my SL55, and at trade-in I took about a $15,000.00 hit. If someone hits my 65, I plan to pursue my lost in value if possible. Fixing the damn car won't satisfy me anymore, because you have lost value which will result in additional financial damages to you. Any attorneys N the house?

traumadoc

Sorry about your car but you did succeed in putting the Cayenne and its owner out of their misery. Looks like your CL took one for the team.

AMG2GO

Man that sucks. sorry to hear, your car was looking good. DBERRY is right... your car, fixed or not, is officialy worth a whole lot less because when anyone pulls a carfax on it, it will show the car was wrecked. Now your resale value goes to hell. This is the problem with this type of car. We are not talking about a Camry where it doesn't really matter. You may well lose 10K in resale value. This is a serious issue you should discuss with the insurance company and may be worth getting an attorney if need be.

If you do replace it, I vote for another CL... just upgrade! I can also see a 911... but an M3? are you joking? That car is not even close to being in the same class. Sure, its quick. But as far as luxury its like moving from the Trump Tower into a Motel 6.

newton22

are you sure its not m3? motel 3?

BiTurboV12 AMG

Dont get an M3 they are over rated. you will hit your self in the head for getting one. the problem with the M3 is to go fast you have to be over 4,000 RPM and its just not practical on the street. and if you get SMG your really going to hate your self. take my word get a C55 AMG if you want a small fast car. even a CLK 500 is only a second off the pace of the M3 and you will love the CLK more cuse of having that torque it makes it more of a practical car. I am not saying the M3 is a bad car its just not a good street car its made for the track.

apdesign

Thank you for all your feedbacks. Sound like the car is fixable. That really sucks for me. Will talking to the insurance about the de-value of the vehicle do me any good or should I just get a lawyer...even with a lawyer...what more can they do for me? Have anyone been in this situation before? So that's how life goes..if some idiot hit us then they just fix our car and call it even...is that how insurance work. Any other ideas I can do if they are going to fix my car where I can get addition money to justify my lost? Also you guys did all convinced me to get another CL, this time it will be a CL600 either Black or White =).

benzmodz

Usually the CL, SL and S are exempt from being written off due to the high value of the car. You can push to have a complete full shell to be brought in and the whole car transplanted onto a new chassis.

There is no need to settle for a patch job if you can find a quality repairer.

VelocitE55

Absolutely get a lawyer to go after the diminished value of your CL. I had an '05 E55 and I got rear ended at 3700 miles and the damage was $12K+ to repair. The car was never the same again (they never are) and I ordered a CLS55 5 days after the accident because I knew I would never be satisfied with the car following a repair of that magnitude. I lost a lot of money on the trade in but I will see most of it returned to me because I stayed on my lawyer and proved (not at all difficult to prove) that the value was significantly less due to the accident. Go after all you can, especially if you end up stuck with the car being repaired! Good luck!

c43-e55

that sucks you can try getting a lawyer but i dont think it will help because they will tell you when u drive on the road those things are expected or you can keep ur car at a museum. the only way you might be able to get it totaled is if you were lucky enough to crack ur engine but im guessing ur car still runs.

apdesign

VelocitE55,

I did talk to a lawyer today, and what c43-e55 said was pretty right on the spot of what they told me. It would be very hard to go after them for diminished value of the vehicle. c43-e55-should of took your ideas about cracking the damn engine..oh well =).

corgiman

Generally if you hit someone you can't get diminished value. If someone else hits you, you can pursue it.

MarcusF

I think you mean the driver of the vehicle that was in the wrong cannot get compensated for the diminished value of their vehicle. Also, if you lease a vehicle, you cannot get compensated for diminished value. However, the finance company can and frequently does. If I lease a vehicle through MB, and some nitwit backs into traffic from a driveway (they are in the wrong), I will have run into their car AND MB Credit will go after the other driver (the person in the wrong) for diminished value. If you own your vehicle, and the other party was at fault, in der peoples republik of Califonia there are three classes of dimished value that I know of:

• The first one is when the insurance company refuses to pay for the proper procedures, parts, and or materials to bring the car back to pre-accident condition. If a new 5 series BMW is piled up, the insurance company can be forced to use a BMW dealer for repairs because BMW refuses to authorize non-dealerships as BMW approved.

• Poor quality repairs are another case where the insurance company is on the hook to bring the car up to pre-accident condition. No one should be able to tell the car was ever in an accident. If so, it's lawyer time.

• The one that hits you between the eyes is the last one - your vehicle is worth less after the accident, than it was before the accident. REGARDLESS of the quality of the repairs, every dealer and any consumer who has access to CARFAX will not pay you as much for the vehicle because it was in an accident. This one is very easy to prove and usually never goes to court. Would you buy a car whose CARFAX report said "Piled up to the tune of $14K"? Not for the same price as one that has never been wrecked. Someone has to pay the owner, you, the difference. The person who is at fault is indebted to making the other party "whole", as in the exact same state they were in before the accident, OR AS CLOSE TO IT AS POSSIBLE.

That's the way it is here on the left coast. If you're in Cali, and your lawyer said otherwise, it may be time to consider upgrading your legal representation.

VelocitE55

You need to talk to a different lawyer then. I spoke with 4 different lawyers before I found one that was thinking the same as me. And now I will see most of the diminished value returned to me. Its worth going after.

DBERRY7578

I intent to pursue it to the extreme before taking it up the butt for $15,000.00 again!!!!!!!!!!

electromethod

Just thought I would point out that there are some states that don't have dimished value. I was told that Florida is one of those states. When I got into my accident, I was SOL getting DM. Another reason why florida bites the big one. Best of luck!

DBERRY7578

I guess that I will get to find out. Me and my wife were freakin T-Boned by a Corolla. See the thread on SL65 forum. DAMNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

corgiman

Well I hired an attorney after I ran into someone else. In TX iwas not eligable for diminished value even though the repairs looked great and I took a $15k loss on the car at sale. If I had not been the culpable party I could have gotten DV from their insurance co. Basically I don't think you can pursue your own insurance co very easily. This has been to the State Supreme Court in TX.

apdesign

Thanks again everyone for your suggestions and comments. In 3 more days I will find out what the hell they are going to do with my car. I heard from my lawyer today that they said the damage is pretty close to a total lost. The adjuster needed more time to finalized it. Crossing my fingers hoping that it will be a total lost, ain't worst fixing it...and of course it will never be the same condition. When the adjust do their inspection, do they really goes into details. What if the car comes pretty close to a total lost but they don't **** deep enough to find more internal damage and I end up having to fix the car.

DBERRY7578

The last time I was run into I met the adjuster there, just to put a face with the car and it worked in my favor. I plan to be there again, and maybe you should ask them when are they coming out and meet them at the body shop.

AMG2GO

yeah... and slip him a fin and tell him "there is more of where that came from".. hehe

ndabunka

If there is any doubt about totlaing it or not I would have another adjuster take a look at it for a second opinion. Remeber that it is still YOUR car and you may want to make certain that they use 100% authentic parts. If it's only a couiple hundred here or there, another adjuster might come on the right side of the fence (totaled). If they say ANYTHING other than TOTALED, you need to pursue all other avenues. Whatever you do, do NOT let them start ANY work on the car until you are satisfied with the decision. Renting a car (on their dime) is better than settling for less than they owe you.

rmklaw

My CLK 320 was hit from behind last week. Damages $15,000+. Key issue, I got an appraisal and diminution of value assuming a perfect repair will be in excess of $12,000 at trade in. I am pursuing diminution of value claim (I am an attorney )