Carpenter Maass

I was rear-ended at a yield sign by a Tahoe. I didn't even feel the impact till I noticed the trunk lid was elevated in the rear-view mirror. Hopefully my car doesn't depreciate too much as a result of this incident.

Mbenz260e

Glad your alright !

PeterUbers

Sorry, been there... 2014 e550 got rear ended by a 16 yo on her iphone texting... Glad you are safe and well

The accident for me was in 2013 and it took a month to just for parts... I'm sure they are readily available now

ImInPA

Your car has already depreciated more than you would like to know. Despite what CarFax would have you believe, as long you as have it properly repaired, the effect of these repairs are minimal on value.

stale-bread

Sorry man. Distracted driver?

thenew3

Sorry to hear that. I was rear-ended on Monday coming home from my son's swimming class. Was sitting in the left turn lane with a red light, a young girl in a mustang decided she want to take a last minute left turn, so she decided to move into my lane without looking (the center straight lane had green light, she assumed the left turn lane would also have green light) and hit me in the rear passenger side. Most of the force was on the passenger side rear wheel.
Insurance already said her mustang is totaled. Waiting to hear back from the MB body shop on the extent of the damage on my car. It just turned 1 year old and has 8k miles on it.

So I feel your pain! Insurance gave me a crap rental car. Chevy impala with 40k miles, bald tires, front and rear bumper cracked in many places and missing chunks. lots of dents and scrapes on both sides of the car.

Carpenter Maass

Oh man... and I thought I had it bad..

Insurance provided me with a Dodge Charger (I now fully appreciate why the American auto industry nearly collapsed recently.) The worst part for us will be waiting for parts and repair (the collision shop the dealer referred me to already has a lot of Mercedes sedans waiting for body repair in the lot.)

I'm guessing the driver was distracted but I don't know for sure. It turns out she is a car insurance agent.. what are the odds?

The headrests that immediately pop forward on impact are great! Really clever engineering.

Hey Peter - are you still driving that vehicle or is that the one you had all of the issues with?

Lastly, if any of you have not invested in a dash camera yet.. PLEASE do so - here's the one I use (extremely easy setup) :

PeterUbers

Nope, Mbusa bought that car back and didn't make me pay for the depreciation due the accident. The bodyshop got it perfect however

It was the first 550 with trans troubles

thenew3

That dash cam looks really nice. I really wish MB would integrate a dash cam. They've already got cameras for the lane assistance etc, why not use the same camera and take the output and send it to the navigation system to record and store on the nav hd?

In CA, it is illegal to have anything mounted to the windshield or dash that isn't the rear view camera. So no dash cams are legal. They are pretty good at giving out tickets for those.

Carpenter Maass

A good way to get around CA law -
Several rear view mirrors with dash camera integrated into them are available on Amazon.

Need4Speed

that's some impact !

hopefully they can repair it I have seen worse damage that was repaired and the car drives and looks fine.

thefisch

It would be great to have a camera in the back to capture her reaction. And who knows it may show her texting.

Glad to hear those worked. Considering it was hard enough to set those off, are you feeling alright? [posted by a non-attorney spokesperson]

C280 Sport

That is a shame. Glad you are ok. It will be fixed and good again. Your reaction is exactly what mine would of been given the situation. Keep us posted. Sorry to hear about your rental too! I agree with you 100%

BenzV12

Sorry to see the pics and the video .Pics you provided suggest it was really hit by something big .
It will depreciate but don't know how much may be you can upgrade your taillights , bumpers to FL W212 models to lessen depreciation value ,just an idea since all these involved parts have to be replaced because of that nasty incident
The most important part is you walked away unscathed without neck injuries
Happy safe driving

hyperion667

jesus not another one......I really hope this doesn't happen to me because I would probably get out and ring the neck of the subhuman that hit me..........


good luck on the repairs OP, glad you're okay........I've been wanting a dashcam too

2nice4me

[QUOTE=
In CA, it is illegal to have anything mounted to the windshield or dash that isn't the rear view camera. So no dash cams are legal. They are pretty good at giving out tickets for those.[/QUOTE]

I just googled this, which states they are legal? https://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc26708.htm

"V C Section 26708 Material Obstructing or Reducing Driver x2019 s View

Material Obstructing or Reducing Driver’s View

26708. (a) (1) A person shall not drive any motor vehicle with any object or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied upon the windshield or side or rear windows.

(2) A person shall not drive any motor vehicle with any object or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied in or upon the vehicle that obstructs or reduces the driver’s clear view through the windshield or side windows.

(3) This subdivision applies to a person driving a motor vehicle with the driver’s clear vision through the windshield, or side or rear windows, obstructed by snow or ice.

(b) This section does not apply to any of the following:

bla bla bla ...........

(11) An electronic communication device affixed to the center uppermost portion of the interior of a windshield within an area that is not greater than five inches square, if the device provides either of the following:

(A) The capability for enforcement facilities of the Department of the California Highway Patrol to communicate with a vehicle equipped with the device.

(B) The capability for electronic toll and traffic management on public or private roads or facilities.

(12) A portable Global Positioning System (GPS), which may be mounted in a seven-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield farthest removed from the driver or in a five-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield nearest to the driver and outside of an airbag deployment zone, if the system is used only for door-to-door navigation while the motor vehicle is being operated.

(13) (A) A video event recorder with the capability of monitoring driver performance to improve driver safety, which may be mounted in a seven-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield farthest removed from the driver, in a five-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield nearest to the driver and outside of an airbag deployment zone, or in a five-inch square mounted to the center uppermost portion of the interior of the windshield. As used in this section, “video event recorder” means a video recorder that continuously records in a digital loop, recording audio, video, and G-force levels, but saves video only when triggered by an unusual motion or crash or when operated by the driver to monitor driver performance."

Carpenter Maass

Just an update:

Damage total: $17,910

Estimated repair time: 2 months or more depending on part availability.

I submitted the damage write-up to a sales manager at the local dealership and he will provide me with an estimate of diminished value (I'll probably be stuck in a game of back-and-forth with her insurer as I imagine they'll use some sort of formulation that is heavily tilted in their favor.)

thenew3

Ouch! Let us know how you do with diminished value. I just got my wagon back from the body shop for the 2nd time. No matter how good they are, it will never be like new.
I'm fighting the insurance company now for diminished value. not getting anywhere.

thefisch

From that price it appears the damage is pretty extensive - more than you might think from the photos. Anything from the estimate surprise that you didn't think would have been damaged? Not trying to suggest they are overdoing it - just curious about the extent of the damage.

From my experience, diminished value is formula driven. If you don't agree with their estimate, you may need an attorney. How's your neck? Most insurance companies will quickly pay out pain and suffering in an amount comparable to the property damage if there are injuries.

Carpenter Maass

The urea tank and housing compartment require replacement.. Other than what's in the picture

I figure the insurance company will attempt to go by and stick with a 17c formulation.. and at that point I will involve a lawyer. Maybe I'm being overly cynical, but I have zero faith in insurance companies.

thefisch

The only time to have faith is when their interests coincide with your interests. Otherwise, you are on your own.

Critter

Glad you got the car go ahead to be fixed but do not sign off for the liability on yourself and any passengers. Issues come up days and weeks after a hit from behind, that sore feeling may go away and then weeks later you do some movement and bang, extreme pain and you are laid up for weeks. See a doctor and also a chiropractor so there is documentation. My son was hit at a low speed while sitting at a red light a few years ago and is still getting massage therapy for pain in the upper back and neck from whiplash. There are days when he wears the pain and you can readily see it on his face, the BI** H even had the nerve to say he should have moved as the light was green.

Critter

Were charges laid, being rear ended in Canada is automatic full responsibility, the other comments about getting a Charger and an old car with bald tires just does not happen here, you pay insurance on a luxury vehicle, that is exactly what you drive as a rental, besides the other drivers insurance is footing the bill unless you guys have stupid "NO Fault" insurance as we soft shells have up here where your insurance company pays the claim and it does not effect your rate or rating.

Carpenter Maass

Sorry about your son's injuries. The driver of the other vehicle immediately admitted fault and Allstate is covering all of the repair costs. I should probably pursue a better rental option as they initially capped the reimbursement rate at $30 a day till the repairs are complete.

I was surprised by how well the headrests dampened any perceived impact when they popped out.

Carpenter Maass

I had the dealership estimate the diminished value before and after the accident on the basis that I would trade the vehicle in.

I was quoted a loss in value of $10,000...

Now here comes the tricky part, Allstate will have an "independent" appraiser assess the diminished value but isn't the valuation of the dealership (and I will go to several Mercedes dealerships) the accurate one if I were to trade my car in a month or two after the accident?

Another concern too is that I will start seeing different service lights or experience transmission issues and other quirks months after the repair is complete...

If anyone here has gone through a similar experience, how did you ultimately arrive at a fair amount for diminished value with the liable party's insurance company? Also, did you experience any mechanical hiccups shortly after your vehicle was repaired.