Obviously, I'm bummed out by it. Looking at the bright side no one was hurt. The car was hit from behind, and my guess is that it being a wagon and having a bulk in the rear helped absorb the impact. Car was surprisingly drivable, but the air suspension was shot and all kinds of lights came on. Parts came out to be around $7,000, mostly the exhaust and rear body panel and bumper. I have a feeling it's going to get more expensive as I don't see air suspension in the estimate which def was damaged. The dilemma is what to do with the car after it's fixed. My original plan was to keep it for a long time but now I'm worried about it's long term reliability given extensive repair. I've never been involved in a accident like this before, and not quite sure what to expect. BTW, it's being repaired at a MB dealer as regular collision center couldn't handle the complexity of the electronics in the rear.

As long as it's repaired properly I don't see how it will affect the long term reliability any differently than if it never occurred. If thats the only concern I wouldn't be worried especially with the dealer doing all the repairs necessary.

Sorry to hear this. Yes, def a bummer, but if it's all fixed properly you should be just fine. If you prefer to have the all new and pristine thing going, then maybe start over with a new ride. Either way I think youll be cool, as long as repairs are done nicely.

...Again , sorry.

Sell and replace.

Like me, you sound like you don't want a previously wrecked car. Sure they're fixable, but I'd rather not have one that's been pulled apart and put back together by someone that hasn't done that model 100x (like the guy on the manufacturing line at the factory!).

If you're questioning now, you'll always question it.

Agreed.

A $7000 repair ain't that big of a repair on a benz amg, just saying

if you wanna take the carfax hit now and depreciation of selling it early, flip it and move on

otherwise realize it's a car that has parts and they go together like other cars and you don't need an advanced amg degree to get it right .. I would keep it but in your mind you've already sold it

glad you're ok
sorry this happened

Concerns around drivability are usually tied to frame damage. It doesn't sound like you've got much more than a simple part-swap repair. I wouldn't sweat it.

If the "luxury" car is under 9-10k mi, a Carfax will take a 13-15% (minimum) in diminished value. get a lawyer or and adjustor and negotiate with the insurance of the person that hit you.


Also as mentioned before, if you question it now it will always be in your mind.


Sorry mate, it is never fun

Go to the MBUSA website and search for a MB CCC (certified collision center). Those will more likely be able to do a much better at collision repair than a dealership because that's what they do all day.

a big +1.

Sorry to hear it happened man and glad that you're ok (car doing what it's supposed to right?)

The car is so new I feel like you're going to take a huge financial hit flipping it into a new one - good luck fighting with insurance on reduce value. Maybe you can negotiate it into a trade with MB to get the 2018?

youll get slammed on the trade the most .. private sale may be best here to an enthusiast with full disclosure and pre and post pics

So...after 2 months wait, the repair is almost done. The car is just waiting on one last part to arrive from Germany as it's being fixed at a Mercedes collision center. The repair bill was over $20K, mostly for rear panel, and exhaust. The people at the center marveled at how rare these cars and the scarcity of parts was one of main reasons for the length of the repair. My initial thought was to sell it but now I think I might just keep it and just drive it with belief that it must have been fixed properly. I can't wait to get back in and turn on that V8! I've been driving my Golf R which I love just as much but the sound and feel of V8 is just something else.

Why did you drive your Golf and not make the person at fault pay for a rental car until your car was fixed? I have always demanded a rental when the other person was at fault. Also you should go after diminished value on your car.

Wow - triple the original estimate. Glad nobody was hurt!

Suggestion: Don't accept the final settlement check until you have hired a deminished value EXPERT (this will cost you $300-$500) but will give you an accurate amount of what the negative effect of the accident has been on the value of the car.

Hope it all works out for you!

Diminished value for sure

www.collisionclaims.com just as an example