porsche928guy

I own an 82 and was recently rear ended. I am now going rounds with the insurance company. I had 3 estimates done including the Porsche dealers body shop all were over $3k the insurance company says $600. I think they are missing something here. I was stopped and the guy came up behind me doing about 30-35, didn't even hit his brakes. The impact moved the car forward a couple of feet. Outside of the body damage, is there anything mechanically that I should tell the dealer to inspect for an estimate? You know how dealers are sometimes...all about 911s. Sometimes I feel lucky that they'll even look at my car so I thought I would ask all you 928 pros out there. Any advice would be appreciated!

ALSO...looking for a good set of rear seats and transmission hump cover (w/o glove box) in dark blue? Anyone have anything?

Barry Johnson

Man, that sucks! Sorry to hear about the accident, but I have a rear bumper cover for you if you get a check from the insurance company and do it yourself or somewhere on your own (which I highly recommend). PM me if you're interested

Nicole

If that other car had hit you at 30-35mph, your car would be significantly shorter than it was before... And you have no damage on the fenders (like bulging out)?

While the 928 bumper cover usually looks pretty good after an impact, there is an aluminum bumper and shocks underneath. That needs to be checked. Also, remove toolset and trunk carpet and look for any deformation of the sheetmetal that's there.

Either way, you are running the risk of getting the car totaled by the insurance company. They don't lilke to invest in such old cars, and value them very low. The condition of your car might make a significant difference here.

Garth S

A 30-35 mph hit is huge - if the car only moved forward 2-3 ft, that could have occured at 3-4 mph: Anyway, glad you're OK. Check a few items and compare them to the list of proposed repairs written by the dealership adjustors vs that offered by the Insurance company. $3K does not go very far, and $600 will get the rear cover resprayed in your choice of colours - a bandaid fix.
Does the car still drive well? Rear alignment OK, transmission fine? Hopefully yes - if so, then lift the rear tool kit and rugs to check for any signs of deformed/wrinkled/folded sheet metal in the floor, spare tire well and battery box: loosen the battery and verify this.
Does the hatch function correctly? This would be a good thing. Then, check underneath for the condition of the rear beam bumper and all the support points for the rear (plastic) cover: similarly, inspect the gas tank and its mountings plus the rearward cover for the fuel pump/filter.
If your checks correspond with the dealership, then challenge the Ins. Companys adjustment offer. Note that at $3K for an '82 they may attempt to write it off - unless you had an appraised value coverage vs conventional red/blue book values.

Thaddeus

INSPECT THE FUEL SYSTEM/GAS TANK/LINES ETC.

You don't want to blow up and die, now.

porsche928guy

Thanks for the quick replies so far...BTW the 30-35 is probably a real liberal estimate of the speed of the other driver. I wasn't in the car at the time, I let a friend borrow it and the police report stated 35.

I guess I am specifically worried about drivetrain components since it suffered a pretty good jolt. I saw an article tonight about the thrust bearing failing due to the drive shaft "migrating" forward. This causes the the crankshaft to grind into the engine block. I know the article said that this isn't common on 84 and older cars. Anyone know if an accident such as this could cause this problem? It hasn't been smooth going down the road and going into gear hard with a whining noise at highway speeds.

Here is the link for everyone on the thrust bearing issue:

http://members.rennlist.com/v1uhoh/9...earticleTH.pdf

I'm sure most of you know about this already.

Thanks again!

Garth S

Good luck.

Nicole

From a conversation Bill and I had with a mechanic who works on 928s a lot, my understanding is that the thrust bearing failures come from a drive shaft that lengthens, not moves. It cannot really move, because of how it is attached on the gearbox end. Also, this only affects automatics.

It is unlikely that your drive shaft has lengthened in the accident, but that does not rule out other damage to the drive train.

Jim bailey - 928 International

There would not be any movement of the drive shaft it is inside the central drive tube which solidly bolts to the engine and to the transmission. As mentioned check the cargo floor spare tire well for wrinkles look at the two collapsible shocks and the alloy reinforcement bar all of which should have been checked by the body shops and noted. Check the B pillars where they meet the roof behind the doors as well as the roof for wrinkles.

T Colvin

Check your gas tank

Scott M.

Check the fit of the door-to-roof seal. When I get back into town Monday I'll snap a shot of an 86 with a 'mild' hit (ha-like there is such a thing) that bent the body.

Scott

jheis

I got rear-ended in my '82 by a Furd Contour which was still doing an estimated 20-25 mph at the point of impact. The repair estimate was $21,322.09 (loved the .09).

Anyway, if your car got hit at 35 mph your friend would be dead - or at least walking very funny. 35 mph vs. a stopped car is a HUGE hit. Most people do not realize that they can be killed in an 25 mph collision.

Fortunately, even with the amount of body damage to my car, the rear suspension was not affected (she hit me square on, spreading the force) These cars are really strongly built, but you need to check everything Garth mentioned.

If the insurance company low-***** you, insist upon an independent appraisal of your car. - increased the pay off on my car by $2,500, but mine was pretty much concours condition pre - accident. YMMV.

James

perrys4

Any chance the frame is damaged with a direct rear hit? How would he check for that kind of damage?

jheis

If there was any kind of speed involved, it's pretty much guaranteed. The rear floor pan will be buckled, the battery box will be smushed, the crumple zones in the rear frame rails will be crumpled (visable in the rear inner fender wells), and the rear quarter panels will have a new "widebody" look.

James

dr bob

Remember that it's up to you tp accept the other insurance co's offer. You always have the option take the car to your own shop and have the repairs done and send them the bill. As much as insurance adjusters would like you to believe that they set the value for the damage, in fact it's your call and not theirs. Unless your insurance co is the same as the other guy's, you decide what to do.

Let them know immediately that you are renting a car comparable to the one they 'stole' from you while any negotiations proceed. Remind them that they will be paying for it. Don't accept any offers until the car is returned to the condition it was in prior to the hit. If your own insurance company won't stand up for you, find a hungry shark attorney to do what you are already paying your insurance co to do for you. The first notice from the attorney will get their attention.