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Hi guys, the most unfortunate news, my 2019 s63 sedan got t-boned. Will spare the details but it was the other guys fault. Insurance claim currently underway. He hit me on the right side, passenger. What do you guys think? Total or Repairable? Any possibility of frame damage? Gna be honest, Im ****en angry this happened but then again im glad no one got hurt, end of the day it's just a car. I really hope they repair it.
Damage = Passenger side doors, quarter panel, front bumper side, right rim, driver wheel and knee airbag erupted, outer tie rod broke. No visible damage to the engine. No broken windows, lights. The doors all close properly, no difficulty.
Passanger door Passanger door Right quarter panel
Last edited by Vanquish59; Aug 30, 2024 at 10:56 PM.
Sorry this happened to you. On the surface looks like bent body panels that can be replaced, but the true story is always what's hiding beneath and nobody can tell you from a picture.
Sorry this happened to you. On the surface looks like bent body panels that can be replaced, but the true story is always what's hiding beneath and nobody can tell you from a picture.
Appreciate it bro. Body panel wise, if you had to estimate, what kind of costs am I looking at 3rd party shop? Are airbags like $4-5k? Panels $5k? Bumpers $5k?
That's just a little love tap, sorry it happened though. I would insist on all new parts including the door skins, bumper and all fasteners. Depending on how many airbags blew I would bet it is 30K worth of repairs. That is to bring it back to OEM with all new parts. Parts alone are probably 20K with airbags and the wheel. There is a lot of paintwork with two doors, inside and out, front bumper and potentially hood along with the front fender. Could be further damaged parts underneath though. If the doors all close perfectly fine and don't bind at all then the frame is probably fine. Don't forget about a diminished value claim as well. The real bummer is how long it will probably take to finish the repairs. Glad everyone is OK though.
Glad you're OK!! I agree with the above comments on every point. Those door skin can't be repaired because the aluminum stamping is really intricate, most likely you'll need brand new doors. It took 2 months for my 2017 S550 to get replacement doors from Germany; that will cost aound $10K just for that. More than likely the insurance company is going to total this one out. You might be able to ask them to go forward with repairs, but it's their call in the end. You won't know anything until a body shop does a complete inspection. If it's a good shop, they will put it on a frame alignment jig to see if the frame has been bent.
I had an airbag go off on me several years ago and it left the worst bruise I've had in my entire life. Sounds like you didn't have that problem, good for you on may fronts.
Thanks guys for all the support and feedback. The airbag did indeed **** up my hand. The skin got burned. Attached pic. Still a *****, painful. If it's 30k worth of repairs, I think they'll repair it. Do any of you know how to estimate what salvage value would be of this car if it went to auction? In california, they total the car when repairs + salvage value >= actual car value.
That's just a little love tap, sorry it happened though. I would insist on all new parts including the door skins, bumper and all fasteners. Depending on how many airbags blew I would bet it is 30K worth of repairs. That is to bring it back to OEM with all new parts. Parts alone are probably 20K with airbags and the wheel. There is a lot of paintwork with two doors, inside and out, front bumper and potentially hood along with the front fender. Could be further damaged parts underneath though. If the doors all close perfectly fine and don't bind at all then the frame is probably fine. Don't forget about a diminished value claim as well. The real bummer is how long it will probably take to finish the repairs. Glad everyone is OK though.
Doors, lights, sensors, all work fine. Two airbags went off (driver and driver knee). Car runs fine, the only visible thing broken is the outer tie rod on the suspension. Do you think that 1 rim is fixable if it has no cracks?
Glad you're OK!! I agree with the above comments on every point. Those door skin can't be repaired because the aluminum stamping is really intricate, most likely you'll need brand new doors. It took 2 months for my 2017 S550 to get replacement doors from Germany; that will cost aound $10K just for that. More than likely the insurance company is going to total this one out. You might be able to ask them to go forward with repairs, but it's their call in the end. You won't know anything until a body shop does a complete inspection. If it's a good shop, they will put it on a frame alignment jig to see if the frame has been bent.
I had an airbag go off on me several years ago and it left the worst bruise I've had in my entire life. Sounds like you didn't have that problem, good for you on may fronts.
Ty Carlos, I agree the waiting is going to be the biggest headache. Gotta make sure they value my car properly. My hand got severely bruised and burned.
If you like the car I would go for the repair option. You will get most of the panels that tend to get rock chips and wear, resprayed and the car should look new when done. The only bummer is that most resprays are not as durable as the factory MB paint. I would not try to fix that wheel but rather have it patched up and use it as a spare. If insurance is paying I would insist on a new OEM wheel. That wheel is virtually impossible to fix properly because of the flat face and flat bead with the silver stripe on the edge. I had curb rash on two of mine that are just like that and I took them to one of the best wheel shops in the PNW and they said that this wheel design is one and done with regards to any damage or curb rash because of the lip unless you are ok with no metal ring along the edge of the wheel. The wheel manufacturer powder coats this wheel and then diamond cuts the outer ring so it is very hard to replicate once damaged. I ended up buying a few new wheels so mine would all be non damaged and or repaired.
If you like the car I would go for the repair option. You will get most of the panels that tend to get rock chips and wear, resprayed and the car should look new when done. The only bummer is that most resprays are not as durable as the factory MB paint. I would not try to fix that wheel but rather have it patched up and use it as a spare. If insurance is paying I would insist on a new OEM wheel. That wheel is virtually impossible to fix properly because of the flat face and flat bead with the silver stripe on the edge. I had curb rash on two of mine that are just like that and I took them to one of the best wheel shops in the PNW and they said that this wheel design is one and done with regards to any damage or curb rash because of the lip unless you are ok with no metal ring along the edge of the wheel. The wheel manufacturer powder coats this wheel and then diamond cuts the outer ring so it is very hard to replicate once damaged. I ended up buying a few new wheels so mine would all be non damaged and or repaired.
I need it repaired, i have a lot of sentimental value with the car. My only concern is repairs + salvage doesn't exceed cost of the car. If I go all OEM I'm afraid they'll total it, I'm ok with sanding a bit to repair without replacement, as long as it's a good job and most importantly there is no danger or frame damage. Wonder how much airbags are nowadays?
The only broken item i see is the outer tie rod.
Last edited by Vanquish59; Aug 31, 2024 at 05:44 PM.
Front completely gone, most likely totalled. Young kid too in a bmw.
I figured as much, these cars weigh close to 5K lbs so they can take a pretty good hit with minimal damage. Probably the only sedan that I would own because of the safety factor of all the weight. You should be able to get a couple of good used doors, a fender and the bumper and then just have them refinished to match your car. Suspension looks to be an easy fix. If it was me I would take the check from the insurance company and just do the body panel swaps myself as well as the tie rod and then have the whole car resprayed and then pocket the difference which could be substantial. That is literally all just turning a wrench stuff, with some help from youtube. The hardest part is the respray which you will want to pay top dollar for.
I figured as much, these cars weigh close to 5K lbs so they can take a pretty good hit with minimal damage. Probably the only sedan that I would own because of the safety factor of all the weight. You should be able to get a couple of good used doors, a fender and the bumper and then just have them refinished to match your car. Suspension looks to be an easy fix. If it was me I would take the check from the insurance company and just do the body panel swaps myself as well as the tie rod and then have the whole car resprayed and then pocket the difference which could be substantial. That is literally all just turning a wrench stuff, with some help from youtube. The hardest part is the respray which you will want to pay top dollar for.
Itll be tough for them to sell it back to me (have a loan on it) and having a salvage title gna be a ***** with comprehensive insurance. Yeah car was strong af, pretty surprised seeing my car and the other guys. His car is smashed.
Itll be tough for them to sell it back to me (have a loan on it) and having a salvage title gna be a ***** with comprehensive insurance. Yeah car was strong af, pretty surprised seeing my car and the other guys. His car is smashed.
I think what @superpop was saying is that they can write you a check to get the repairs fixed, based on estimates from a body shop. They will cut you acheck and let you do the repairs all on your own, you can then take it to any repair shop that you want. If you have a good insurance agent, one who knows they work for you, you can disciss the options with him/her. Main thing is that the other driver's insurance company is cutting you the check because the other driver is liable. If you're dealing with your own insurance company, or you both have the same carrier, you don't have as much leverage. But that's where a good agent comes in, to help you navigate based on what's in your best interest.
Since you sound like you really like this car, the check idea would work best, if you can swing it.
I kind of felt like a wimp...until you posted the picture of your hand. Glad it wasn;t worse than that for you, hope you heal soon. Having said that, go get yourself a good PI attorney today. If you were in WA state, I'd have somebody for you. There's plenty in SoCal. My wife endorses "Sweet James" on the radio in LA.
I think what @superpop was saying is that they can write you a check to get the repairs fixed, based on estimates from a body shop. They will cut you acheck and let you do the repairs all on your own, you can then take it to any repair shop that you want. If you have a good insurance agent, one who knows they work for you, you can disciss the options with him/her. Main thing is that the other driver's insurance company is cutting you the check because the other driver is liable. If you're dealing with your own insurance company, or you both have the same carrier, you don't have as much leverage. But that's where a good agent comes in, to help you navigate based on what's in your best interest.
Since you sound like you really like this car, the check idea would work best, if you can swing it.
I kind of felt like a wimp...until you posted the picture of your hand. Glad it wasn;t worse than that for you, hope you heal soon. Having said that, go get yourself a good PI attorney today. If you were in WA state, I'd have somebody for you. There's plenty in SoCal. My wife endorses "Sweet James" on the radio in LA.
Yep, currently have an attorney. They can negotiate on my behalf. At the moment there has been no appraisal yet, waiting for the initial adjuster to come. I really hope they do cut a check for the repairs. My issue is what if they total it based on damage. I mean the car is prolly worth 70k-80k and repairs maybe 30k and salvage value prolly 20k. So if you sum 20k and 30k it's way under 70k. Essentially, in california, they salvage your car if repair cost + salvage value of car >= actual cost of car. So (20k+30k) < 70-80k, essentially makes it repairable, as long as there no imminent danger, like frame damage, etc. What I'm hoping to hear, and seems like I am, is that the damage itself doesn't look like a crazy 50k+ repair, ONLY judging from body damage and airbags. Like just from what you guys are seeing on body damage and airbags alone, at a 3rd party shop, are we saying that 30k seems like a ballpark figure?
Last edited by Vanquish59; Aug 31, 2024 at 08:07 PM.
Considering no headlights, no sensors, no side view mirror or engine work will be needed, I think you will be at 25-35 for a Mercedes authorized body repair shop. A regular body shop will be on the lower end. Depending on your insurance, it may be hard to get a check for the actual value of the damage because the first check estimate is never the full cost of the repairs because they don’t know until they take the car apart. Generally an adjuster will then come out to look at the car and if it’s not there getting repaired like they estimated you will have issues.…. Used parts as mentioned will be the cheapest, but really this repair is all about the paint match. Also, depending on your insurance, they may not even offer you new parts, but LKQ. Additionally, the wheel took some force so hopefully it’s just a few suspension pieces needed and there is no front subframe damage. Good luck op.
I had what I’d consider to be a tiny accident in an older e63 and it was over twenty grand, as these are expensive new cars with expensive parts regardless of age.
Last edited by Baltistyle; Aug 31, 2024 at 11:09 PM.
Reason: fixing spelling mistakes before the edit button disappears for some stupid reason!
Considering no headlights, no sensors, no side view mirror or engine work will be needed, I think you will be at 25-35 for a Mercedes authorized body repair shop. A regular body shop will be on the lower end. Depending on your insurance, it may be hard to get a check for the actual value of the damage because the first check estimate is never the full cost of the repairs because they don’t know until they take the car apart. Generally an adjuster will then come out to look at the car and if it’s not they’re getting repaired like they estimated you will have issues.…. Used parts as mentioned will be the cheapest, but really this repair is all about the paint match. Also, depending on your insurance, they may not even offer you new parts, but LKQ. Additionally, the wheel took some force so hopefully it’s just a few suspension pieces needed and there is no front subframe damage. Good luck op.
I had what I’d consider to be a tiny accident in an older e63 and it was over twenty grand, as these are expensive new cars with expensive parts regardless of age.
Ty sir. I believe the initial impact was on the tire and then started scraping 1-2s after impact. I see a broken outer tie rod under the car. I can't say for sure but I'm estimating he hit me at 30-35 mph from a dead stop.
Yes indeed, my hand was bloody as hell when it erupted. My fingers still have strong pain.
I got to ride a driver’s airbag in 2008. Holes the gas comes out of right in line with where arms end up. Four very unpleasant burns.
Heal well. This could have been a lot worse.
If pain continues for any time and/or insurance gives you any ish hire a good PI attorney. Don’t talk with insurance about injuries until you have spoke with an attorney.
Ty sir. I believe the initial impact was on the tire and then started scraping 1-2s after impact. I see a broken outer tie rod under the car. I can't say for sure but I'm estimating he hit me at 30-35 mph from a dead stop.
Takes a LOT of energy to snap an inner tie rod shaft. Expect a dead wheel bearing and other bent front suspension parts along with fresh inner and outer tie rod. Much of which may be hard to see until the tie rod is in and on the alignment rack.
I got to ride a driver’s airbag in 2008. Holes the gas comes out of right in line with where arms end up. Four very unpleasant burns.
Heal well. This could have been a lot worse.
If pain continues for any time and/or insurance gives you any ish hire a good PI attorney. Don’t talk with insurance about injuries until you have spoke with an attorney.
Definitely retained attorney. Really hope I don't have any bent frames. He hit me prolly 30-35 mph. Thank you for the response.
Takes a LOT of energy to snap an inner tie rod shaft. Expect a dead wheel bearing and other bent front suspension parts along with fresh inner and outer tie rod. Much of which may be hard to see until the tie rod is in and on the alignment rack.
If you have patience, everything should turn out ok. Some repair shops are basically in league with insurance companies, and some aren't. You should call your friendly local MB dealership and ask them where they send cars for body repairs. Maybe even call a couple dealerships. That way you'll know who can do the job right. From there you can decide where to take it for an estimate. The adjuster will perform his inspection, but you don't have to accept that if you don't like. But I'm sure your atty is giving you good info.
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2019 S63 T-Boned, Thoughts?
