Wellardmac

I like the suggestion of selling the car to them as-is at full retail. Walk away and buy another car from another dealer.

The comments about diminished value are absolutely spot on. I wouldn't touch your car now.

GNALUZU

Diminished value is not that dificult to get paid out on. Yes, it is challenging, but you do not need to have lawyers involved. I went through this process about 3 years ago and I got paid out a more than fair amount.

After the car is repaired, get it appraised by two separate individuals. Let them know the situation. Once you have the stated lost value all you have to do is present that to the dealership's insurance company. Diminished value won't come from the dealership, only the insurance company.

PM me if you would like some more detailed information about the process I went through. Although my car was not wrecked by the dealer, I did go through the work of getting diminished value.

My advice, be patient, very, very patient. They are going to want to settle this quickly. If all else fails, contact one of your local news stations and see if they can help out. Good luck.

TAILWAG

Ask to talk to the GM of the dealer directly and simply tell him what you want done...

CT03911

Trade the car to THEM. As is, damaged. Give them the car and the insurance check. You should get top dollar, that is to say nowdays somewhere between wholesale and trade. The days of getting retail are gone but it would be a good goal.
The dealer can fix the car for WAY less than the insurance check at their inhouse rates, parts, etc. They then dump the car and come out even +/-.

You however, get the price your car was worth beforehand on a trade where they also have huge incentive to make you a good deal too.

Upside: Quick, easy, the problem is gone. You have a new ride!!

Downside: You were perhaps not even close to thinking of trading in/up.

I have personally done this. Call me 203-376-9551 cell anytime if you want.

Sorry it happened. I came out happy on my deal.

himself

Get an attorney. This does a number of things. 1) it lets them know you mean business. 2) you won't get taken for a ride 3) you will be out of the loop (i.e., your attorney will try to get you the most he can 4) in the event you don't get what you feel you deserve, your attorney can sue.

Just my $.02.

-td

Irksome

I have no value to add, just a ton of sympathy. =(

smackboy1

I'm no insurance expert but it seems to me there are 2 fix-it sources at work here: 1) the insurance policy, and; 2) dealer goodwill. The insurance company is obligated to compensate the loss which in this case probably means repairing the vehicle and the diminution in market value. The decision to total the vehicle is up to their adjuster. To that end probably the best thing to do is document evidence to bolster the claim. Before anything is done to the car, take photos, make notes, get the police report, get your own independent written evaluations of repairs needed and lost market value. I would be most concerned about not so obvious damage e.g. bent frame. The dealer is probably under no obligation to go beyond what their insurer must do, but for PR and goodwill, might be persuaded to "do the right thing". It's a no lose proposition to try friendly persuasion to see if the dealer will step up and go above and beyond especially if they see a future dividends (e.g. you tell all your friends on Rennlist and local PCA) about your great experience. I think it's a little premature to retain an attorney. They will probably do all those things above, which you can do yourself. IMHO the time to get an attorney is either, 1) when you reach an impasse and need to take the gloves off, or; 2) before signing something binding and are not sure of your rights. Good luck.

gittledog

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions on the way to handle this situation. I am going to see the G.M. of the dealership tomorrow first thing to see what they are going to do for me.

gittledog

Pic of my wrecked 996....

gittledog

Here is another pic...

Wellardmac

Ouch! Sorry to see that.

Was is two separate impacts? Why is the door pushed in at the hinge? Was the wheel impacted from the side? What report of the accident did you get?

I'm having a hard time putting the photo to an accident scenario that results in damage like that.

Good luck with the GM tomorrow!

WPOZZZ

Yikes! I really wouldn't want my car back after that kind of an impact. Best of luck in your meeting with the GM.

gittledog

Supposedly, the tech driving my car was making a left hand turn against 2 lanes of traffic. From what he said, he was motioned by the driver of the oncoming car closest to him, to make his dangerous turn, and never saw the other car coming in the other lane, which resulted in the accident. The tech was ticketed for the accident.

Wellardmac

Hmm. Now I see... so he was probably perpendicular to the oncoming car when it hit. I still think that door crease is odd.

As I said before, I'm not sure I'd want that back. With that kind of impact I would not be surprised by axle damage. Even if they put everything back cosmetically I'd take a bet that it will tear through tires on that corner like crazy.

TOORUF

The same thing happened to my brother in law 6 months ago. It was a 3 year old Toyota Tundra with approx 36K miles. The Longo Toyota dealership offered a brand new 07 Tundra and money for all of his upgrades. The driver was eldererly and mistaked the gas for the brake. He thought hes was going to have to settle for bluebook. This was with out any negotiation.