Izzy

My mechanic tells me it looks like theres only damage to the tranmission and rear bumper, the TT and clutch/bellhousing seem to be OK, but hes unsure about frame damage. At this point I know I'm gonna get screwed over, I'd settle for a good replacement tranny and new bumper painted black to match my old one. And a rental car, and of course a masseuse. I'd make a big deal about the back issue, but its an existing problem from a youthful me trying to impress a lady. Surgery in the next few months, hopefully my car beats me to it.

I'm awaiting another phone call from their ins co. They're getting a statement from the Jag owner, who is actually a high-risk driver it turns out. Her car escaped with some scratches and a broken front grill, but we all know since its a jag that grill costs $5000, god forbid that hood ornament break off, the car might be totalled in that case. Hopefully I'll try and recoup some money for income loss/rental car because I'd rather not cause more damage to mine and look like I did it all.

Credit_Card_Guy

As a point of ref. I totaled my 89 S2 in July. Car was MINT with 69K miles on it, and the insurance company and I settled at 9k.

Zero10

Check the hatch floor, that is the easiest way to check for rear frame damage. The hatch floor is welded around the frame, so if it bends, the hatch floor will kink.

If it pushed the transmission forward, I wouldn't worry too much about the clutch, but rather about motor mounts. The TT housing will take the brunt of it, not the input shaft, so it wouldn't really stress the clutch assembly. However the exhaust and motor mounts will have taken a beating. I'd bet your transmission will need to be replaced or rebuilt. Whatever happened to it wasn't good for it.

Best of luck in this, I know how much it sucks to get rear-ended.

Izzy

Spoke with ins co again, after I gave them figures for the cost of tearing the tranmission apart to check for damage, they close to agreed to buy another at my ~$1000 estimate, providing I can duplicate the issue to the adjuster. Hopefully this all works out, I'll keep updating.

Izzy

Not sure if I'm allowed to post this, but anyone have a 944 BLACK bumper? Preferrably something that doesn't need to be repainted? I'm trying to get a rough estimate of replacement costs of the bumper.

Zero10

Well, technically it's a bit of a faux-pas, since you're not a member, but you're in a tight spot, so I'd imagine the trolls will look the other way.

Somebody nearby should have one, otherwise give 944 ecology a shout, or perhaps Porschapart (or is it porschepart?...) in toronto a shout, they're not that far away from you.

Izzy

I'll check with them, the insurance company doesn't want to deal with obtaining all the components and paying for all the shops it'll have to goto (bumper and transmission, then spray shop and mechanic) so I'm probably getting a check. In the meantime I'm having fun with this rental Pontiac Vibe, quick to 40mph, useless after. There can only be one p-car! Thanks for all the responses so far.

Zero10

haha, I drove a vibe once, I as well was not impressed. I presently have an 05 golf gls tdi, and it seriously hauls *** though, once you're moving, it's almost as quick as the 951. From a stop, it's a slug until it hits 3rd gear though.

Daniel Dudley

Make sure that car is worth fixing before you get too far along with it. Does not sound too good. Remember that this is a game for the insurance adjuster. make sure he knows that you will be making him miserable if he trys to screw you. Tell him you know he is screwing you and give him hell. Point out that you were wronged and you want it made right. He is capable of doing the right thing by you, he only preys on the weak and easy ones.

Perry 951

Umm.. the burden of proof is on the person who makes the claim. He must PROVE that the tranny was busted because of the accident, not because his buddy used to run the crap out of the car. Sure, there are people in insurance who will do anything to save a buck, but they are the minority. Trust me, it's not worth $2k to any insurer to battle over a claim such as this. Evidence (or lack there of) will decide the direciton of the settlement.

Izzy

So are you telling me I have to prove the accident caused the damage to the tranny? I'm told pinpointing the issue, whether its bearings or something as visible as a stripped gear, will cost me from $500-1000 in labor, with labor being $100/hr. Now while I know its slightly exaggerated, I can see how pinpointing a more complex issue with a bearing might take awhile. They wanted me to initially front the money for diagnosing the issue, which I had argued into the ground, was unfair to make me pay for something, then have the shop rule the damage is inconclusive and I could have bought a new transmission for the money spent. See where I'm coming from?

Now, I can prove theres damage to the transmission. Theres issues shifting into the mid-range gears, why would I be driving a car that ALMOST won't shift into gears, especially coming off a highway. The rep I talked to made it sound like after my argument, that as long as I could show the adjuster the damage, they would try to work on getting the transmission replaced in lieu of diagnosing. It'd save them money on a rebuild anyways. Watch them tell me to prove theres damage to the rear bumper =/ , its RIGHT there, all you have to do is look at it. "Was the bumper like that before the accident? hmm, I'm not sure. Lets bring it to our automotive CSI specialists, theres a chance it was damaged to begin with, maybe we WON'T have to pay if it was.'

It just sounds dumb to me. Imagine being told after you're T-boned, that you have to prove the 10 cubic foot decrease to the cargo room in your car, and the new artistic touch to the doors and quarter panels was, in fact, caused by the same collision. I feel like the same thing is being done with the transmission, its obviously a result of the accident. If they want to play hardball, I'll make them buy me an OEM bumper instead of finding it for them/finding it myself.

Tom R.

i dont know why you are dickering with them to get used parts. what was your car worth before the accident? how much will it cost to repair it? if it costs more to repair, then it is totalled. if totalled, you get what it was worth before the accident plus sales tax.

remember, dont fall in love with it unless you can take it to bed.
remember, the value of a porsche is not determined by miles but by work done.
remember, you can elevate it to a supervisor.
remember, you were hit by their customer, you can go to court...

Izzy

New parts, I was quoted at about $5000 in parts and labor. Keep in mind, I just got the car out of the shop a week ago, after it sitting there for 5 weeks having EVERYTHING fixed and replaced on the car. Hell, I even have recipts for screws.

Izzy

Adjuster came out, $200 offered by insurance co for the bumper only, since its an 'obselete older model' as I'm told by them, who obviously know more about Porsches than I do.

Litespeeds

Sorry to hear about your mishap. Our cars are worth alot more to us than in other peoples eyes. To many, the 944 is a dinosaur of a sports car but we know better than that. It is very hard to place a true value on these cars as some are in excellent condition and some are beaten to the ground. Some of us would pay top dollar for a clean 944 whether it is a na, turbo or S. The insurance companies just looks at the car and check their perceived value from something similar to Kelly Blue Book. They don't know the rarity of the 944S2 and that is why they are giving you such a low price and want to total the vehicle. I feel your pain. It is a shame that you just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Not to put salt on your wound but on your very first post where you posted a picture of your car and you stated pre-rims. Does that mean that you have changed your Design 90 wheels to another set of wheels? If so, do you still have the original Design 90's?