Operator

ok. i just got back from the local walmart where i left my car in the lot. i was in an accident. i believe it was my fault but i really cant think straight right now.. i feel like ****. i was making a right hand turn into the parking lot, on wet pavement, i think i did it too fast, i lost control, rear end kept going out and an oncoming big wheel wrangler with a big metal bumper grill gaurd thing slammed into my drivers side rear fender/quarter panel. its very bent and very disgusting, some of it bend downwards and started scraping against my tire so i decided not to drive the car after trying to bend the piece up enough to drive. so i left it.

because i cant think straight right now i would just like some input on a few things regarding what i should do next. my basic idea is to find some sort of body shop around here (my school.. but its in the middle of pretty much nowhere) where i can have the car towed on a flatbed and then get a whole new quarter panel (i shouldnt need anything else right?).

insurance wise, i have the cheapest form of insurance. the guy who hit me doesnt care bout his car, he said it was fine. now my insurance only pays people i hit since its the lowest level insurance. should i somehow deal with his insurance ? what can i expect? i did slide into his lane so it was my fault. we didnt call a cop. i let him go, he was very nice, but there wasnt anything else i could get from him besides his information right?

sorry if im not making sense im just really distraught.

now about the panel, does anyone know a ballpark figure for a new one? or one from parts heaven? with shipping. is it easy for the body shop to remove the old one? glass looks okay and everything, lights, just the metal is bent like a frog. then paint, is it easy for a shop to paint it the same color as my car? i dont want a new paint job, im very very poor, ill deal with the discolored panel for now. paint jobs are like 2 grand arent they? i cant handle that.

so basically i just want to know if anyone has any good legal advice as to what i should do with insurance, i dont think i can do anything so im probably just going to try and deal with this myself once i regain my senses but if someone knows something i dont..please feel free to enlighten a stupid 21 year old college student. and the panel.. i know people are always asking for fenders and panels from 944s so it must be a common thing to just put a new one on? are my axles okay? it was rubbing but.. not consistantly.. it was rubbing every half rotation or every full rotation i would get a rub rub.

dear god. what have i done. i thought it was going to be hard to pass my classes before, now my mind is gone, im screwed. i dont know what to do and if i cant get this fixed within a months time.. before school is over.. and have to show up at home with no car or a busted car im going to get hell from my parents. ok. no one cares. sorry.

if anyone has any advice feel free to share, thank you very much for your time fellow rennlisters.

bron964

simon - first off, i'm so sorry to hear about what happened. accidents never come at a good time, and although it's much easier said than done, try not to let it interfere with your schooling.

i'm sure you're very distraught at the moment, but by morning, you'll be able to think more clearly on the proper steps to repairing your car. just feel lucky that no one was hurt and that the other driver was fine with the situation...you could have found yourself in much deeper trouble with a more litigious and imaginative driver behind the wheel of that jeep.

take a deep breath...try to get some sleep...then go visit your car in the morning and assess the damage again. it might not be as bad as you think. then make some calls to nearby body shops and to the usual used car parts to try and source out a replacement panel if need be. as a reference, a buddy of mine has his car in the shop right now for similar damage...his quote was somewhere around $1K. of course, i don't know the extent of your damage so don't let that number alarm you.

i'll leave things at this for the moment and let others chime in with more advice.

try and take it easy...things should work out just fine.

take care.

THE Mike D.

Simon,

Accidents are exactly that, accidents. Not planned meetings of chaos but kinda like porcupine sex: awkward (sp?) and ugly. Concentrate on your schooling and be thankful no one was hurt. Your health and well being are more important then a car. As nice and wonderful as they are Porsche's are still that, just a car. Where in CT are you? Most good body shops can "massage" a bad dent out and clean it up. It's not cheap but perhaps you can work a deal out with a shop. Instead of Parts Heaven why not Rob at DC Automotive in Bridgeport. He's a nice guy to deal with.

Good luck and remember; breath in breath out breath in breath out....

Mike D. <img src="graemlins/r.gif" border="0" alt="[king]" />
<a href="http://members.rennlist.com/madmike" target="_blank">85.5 944NA LM6Y</a>

Operator

thanks guys. thank you for the # of the place in bridgeport, right now im in storrs about 20miles from hartford.. so any place in CT is good for parts. where i will fix it is another story entirely. is it possible that i have structural damage? like frame bent? cant fix that right? that would be terrible. i dont think this "dent" i have now is massageable. i think i need a new quarter panel.. its 2 huge disgusting dents with paint gone and .. its just a mess.. the interior light of the hatch even popped out.. and the carpet on that wall popped off a bit.. i hope thats just from the panel being pushed around and not the frame being dented. i wish i knew what i was talking about.

anyone else that has any encouraging words please feel free to share, every bit helps even though i know im not the first one to have to deal with this. thanks again

Robby

Ditto what the other's have posted...

If you were definately at fault, and it sounds like you're readily addmitting that, then HIS insurance has absolutely nothing to do w/it. Your insurance is who you should talk to, BUT, if there's no police report, then you probably can't file a claim anyway- of course, you really wouldn't want to unless the damages were significant- this depends on many factors, including your deductible, and your age (since you're young, your insurance is probably pretty high anyway- it would probably go up a LOT). If it's ONLY the rear 1/4 panel, then it shouldn't be TOO terribly awful, but, that 1/4 is connected to the roof of the car, so I'm pretty sure it would be EXTREMELY expensive to replace- I'm not the best person to ask about that, but I DO know that it would have been more fortunate if it were the front 1/4. I have seen people install the wide body rear 1/4's (on websites) and I've seen where at least one person ended up having someone cut the 1/4 from the top, right behind and below the rear 1/4 glass and then weld the new piece on, and together, to the pillar section- I THINK this would be the best option cost-wise, but again, others would be better qualified to help in this area. Just relax, don't get in a major hurry, and get it done well- especially if the car can still be driven. It sounds like you might be able to bend it upward off the wheel, so that you COULD drive it w/out it rubbing, IF that is the reason for the noise you're getting- I assume it is by your description. But, definately look into it carefully (and quickly) before deciding what to do about insurance- if you can get it done w/out their assistance, then you don't want them knowing, although I believe you said you didn't have collision anyway, so if that's the case, then there's no reason to report it to them, as they won't pay you anything for it anyway- the ONLY thing that could come of that is higher rates...

Good luck,
Robby

Lemon Yellow 87 n/a

Operator: The good thing about our cars being based on skinnier 924s is that the fenders are air filled bulges of metal, and you have to dent REALLY far in REALLY hard to bend the frame. 10 bucks says the Fender flare collapsed into the car and the unibody is fine. ****. I feel for ya. I am serious whenI say that If I had a spare drivers side rear quarter panel, I'd give it to you for free. I'm also a student ith a not so flexible 944 fund and exams coming up soon. If that happened to me, I'd be depressed too, knock on wood. As gay as this may sound, don't worry, it'll turn out fine.

icat

Operator,
NOTHING is more important than school - including the car. Accidents happen, and they NEVER happen at a good time, so call your parents and let them help. As a college grad and a father of two I can only beleive your parents would want to help. I'm sure they will be far more concerned with your health and well being than that of the car.
I love my Porsche, but not as much as my kids or my family. Let your parents help you out and concentrate on school. Once you've graduated you'll be able to afford this type of minor set back. But for now, your parents may well be your saving grace.

Good luck,
<img src="graemlins/burnout.gif" border="0" alt="[burnout]" />

emilysgranny

Operator; calm down , you are ok ,the car can be fixed.I have the panel you need and I'm sure we can work something out. Show me your grades this semester and if they are c's or better ,the panel is yours FREE OF CHARGE.Catch 23 , you have to pick it up in nw jersey. Concentrate on your grades ,thats your future,the car is just your now. GOOD LUCK emilysgranny@aol.com 973-827-3283.

Operator

on this website i was looking at <a href="http://www.alpinenet.com/drive_it.htm" target="_blank">http://www.alpinenet.com/drive_it.htm</a>
the guy there said that the rear quarter panel is welded to the unibody, and requires 40 hours of labor to replace? holy moly.. its all over for me if that is true.

bron951: your buddy is having the whole rear quarter panel replaced? 1k doesnt sound that bad if the outcome is decent.

also, besides dc automotive and porsche heaven, both great places for parts, does anyone else know of any other places like this? or also does any place sell these panels new? thanks.

Mark Parker

Simon; When I read your post, I hear my daughter. She's 18 and a freshman, so I just want to give you some advice straight from my heart. Call your folks and get this out in the open. It ain't that bad, and believe me, they'll be glad beyond words to know that the car is all that's damaged. I think you'll feel a thousand pounds lift off your shoulders after they know, and I'm sure the hell they raise over this won't be any more intense than you've had before. And when all's said and done they will be your biggest allies in putting this right. Best of luck to you.

bron964

simon - a neighbor backed into his car and struck it right next to the keyhole for the factory alarm. it was pushed in quite a bit. from what i understand, he asked his body shop to replace the entire panel...however, i am not 100% sure. i will contact him today and let you know.

mark - great advice!! and

granny - you da man! <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

Tabor

Operator,

When I had my quarter panel replaced it came to about $2,300 for a NEW quarter panel and new seals (quarter window, side marker, mirror), and a new side marker. This included repainting 30% of the car to blend the paint. This was by a top notch shop that does work for my local Porsche dealer. This was not my money, but the money of the other parties insurance company.

If I were in your position I would see what it would cost to pull the dents (it CAN be done) and use a liberal amount of bondo. I know this isn't the best solution but you can fix it right after you graduate (and repaint the whole car, if your paint job looks anything like mine).

Operator

hey Tabor, 2300 sounds like a lot.. why did you have the mirror replaced? isnt the mirror on the front fender? if the shop i take it to says they can bend it back into place and bondo/whatever it for now.. i might go for it if its considerably cheaper.. but i really would like to do it right, just minus a full paint job. i think im going to go take some pictures of it later.. i dont know why, but i feel i should.

oh yea, i drove it home just now, i lifted the car up enough to get the wheel off the ground, and got a hammer under the wheelwell and hit the bent area from underneath to get enough clearance for the wheel to spin freely and even hit slight slight bumps and not rub.. although.. as i was driving back when i would get a little heavy on the accel i would get a nasty squeal sometimes. bumps are probably just accentuated more through higher speed, ill keep it at 45 when i go to the shop just incase. monday im going to try to call the restoration body shop thats an hour from here.. they should know what theyre doing.

thanks again for everyones help. without this place.. i dont know where i would be right now.

Operator

this is really painful to look at, if anyone has a problem with seeing a 944 in pain please press the back button your browser. thank you

Danno

Operator, you're gonna be fine, you sound better already. I'm going to be upgrading to wider carbon-fibre body panels soon and will have a spare set of fenders I'll sell you cheap. The tough part is that the procedure does require cutting & welding to replace the quarter panel.