SoxFan

I have a 2006 E55 and a truck just took off my left side mirror and seriously dented my left front fender. Separately, my bumper has numerous scratches and could benefit from being repainted. None of this constitutes major structural damage in terms of vehicle performance, but I recall that when I went to sell my last AMG car that the dealers almost universally said that if there had been any body/paint work that they wouldn't take the car and would have to wholesale it...and therefore only offered me auction value for the car. I found this frustrating, because the car was in beautiful visual condition...also, there must be different levels/quality in the way a body part gets repainted. Why can't it be repainted so that it is indistinguishable from the original part/paint job?

tuonor

the reality is that a marred carfax limits the marketability of the car (particularly higher end cars). still, documenting the process could help minimize the impact.

take extensive before / after photos to show what the damage looked like. Also keep the record from the body shop showing what was replaced and what had to be refurb'd.

user z478747

Get the responsible insurance company to pay for diminished value on top of the repair bill so you're whole when you sell/trade. I would say 10-20% of the cars current value (b/f the wreck) would be fair. Good luck.

Aviators

diminished value claim is a MUST in ANY accident.

Just take the approach that you're perfectly willing to litigate should they screw around with you.