bhensarl

It happened today...
On my way home from work on a small two lane highway, unnaturally choked with overflow traffic due to the damage from Ivan (a portion of the I-10 bridge over Escambia bay, my normal route to work, was blown into the bay) I noticed that traffic up ahead was stopped, seemingly for no good reason. With the help of four piston discs front and rear I stopped easily, leaving myself plenty of room between my beloved 964 and the car ahead of me. As I slowed to a stop I glanced in my rear view mirror, as I always do, to make sure the person behind me was also slowing down. All I saw was a the grill of a red Ford Bronco filling my mirror as it barrelled toward me. I really had only a second to react, but by the time I could it was too late. I don't even really remember the actual contact, because I knew before he hit me that it was going to happen and I was already so pissed off that I couldn't think straight. After the dust cleared, I was so livid that I couldn't even talk to the guy for about 10 minutes, instead I just paced in a driveway nearby. After I cooled off a bit I decided it was time to assess the damage.
The rear end of the car is completely smashed, although it honestly could have been worse. The entire light bar is destroyed, thus making the car undrivable. The engine compartment lid is utterly destroyed. The spoiler itself looks okay, but I think the motor assembly is smashed. All three pieces of the rear bumper are crushed and will definitely need replacement. I did get very lucky in that the engine compartment did not get bent in far enough to make contact with the engine. But just barely. I don't have any pictures yet because I didn't have my camera with me, but I'll get some some time this weekend. I had the car towed to my mechanic so I could get his opinion on the issue, and after a quick look he said that mechanically it didn't look like much work be done as far as mechanicals are concerned. One thing I'm going to insist on before the repairs are finished, however, is to make sure that all the wiring in the rear end is done correctly, which I think he will do. I just don't want to have any of the electrical gremlins, e.g. strange current draws for no reason, to appear after the repair. The vast majority, he said, looked like strictly bodywork. Of course it's going to need some serious paint work once they get all the body panels pulled out and fixed. What sort of specific things should I look out for when I'm choosing which body shop to go with? Which brands of paint are best? I know I've heard of Glasurit, Sikkens, Dupont, and ICI here on the list. I also know that even the greatest paint won't last if the prep work isn't done correctly. What sort of prep work is required? Does it need to go down to bare metal? Any tips or suggestions would be very appreciated. I'll get pictures as soon as possible, though I'm sure it'll make some of you sick.
Brian

j09333

Dang I feel your pain....Sorry to hear that.

At least, you are ok.....

I will start with Porsche dealershop to ask them what bodyshop they use.

Bottom line is, at least the bodyshop dealer use will have some expiriences on Porsche, not BMW or Honda and also these bodyshops are sure listed on the bodyshop list of insurance company and much easy to deal with.

And then, will ask independent shops for their recommendation.

But these bodyshop independednt shop reccommended in my case was high on cost, and high on quality, but insurance company wont pay for labor that high.

So, I couldnt have a chance to try that.

But dealer reccommended shops for sure can do good works.
Just physically go there and check it out yourself and also find out shceduling infos.

May FORCE be with you!

splattergasted

Oh man...words can not express! On the bright side, you won't have to worry about removing those pesky engine mount nuts.

My sympathies!

PS: to make it even, I'll run into the back of the next red Ford Bronco I come across!

mojorizing

Sorry to hear about this Brian

Whoever said "Your brakes are only as good as the brakes of the guy behind you" said it right.

If it's only body damage, that's the good news. If it hit the engine, it would be a different story with a different ending.

Now, I can only speak from the experience I had when someone backed into my quarter panel, and that was only body damage also. From your description, it sounds like you'll get a new spoiler, lid, rear bumper, lenses. From the extent of that damage, the quarter panels might be tweaked, which might necessitate removal of the rear glass so that the shop has access to the crimped sheetmetal under the glass. You'll have to console yourself that in all likelyhood the shop will use plastic body filler to fill in the final repairs. Since my driver side quarter panel was damaged, the body shop repainted the entire rearend. They don't recommend blending a section of newly painted surface with original paint...they repaint from one seam to the next, even if it means the whole rear end.
If I remember correctly, your in the military, so you have USAA for insurance. They're good people. I've totaled two vehicles (none my fault) and had damage to my p-car ( again not my fault) and USAA was right there.

Also, Rennlist member Phil Raby was rear ended over a year ago or so. They had to pull his engine to do body work. You might email him with your concerns. He had some gruesome pics of his rear end!!!!

Again sorry to hear this.

John Boggiano

Brian,

So many times, after having to stop quickly, I've worried about what's in the mirror. This might happen to any of us. At least in can be put right and you weren't hurt. Believe me, those are the most important things.

How was the other driver's attitude?

PC2

Brian,

Ouch............ Sorry to hear this but glad your OK!

JasonAndreas

Sorry to hear of your accident. I had a pretty similar reaction to my first Porsche accident and I was hit by another 964! When I think about it now it was no big deal but back then I think it was the first time I physically wanted kill someone with my bare hands. You work your *** off to be able to afford this machine and in a blink of the eye someone destroys it through carelessness. Hopefully the damage is only skin deep.
There really isn't anything in the front of the motor in terms of wiring. The rear turn signals and center reflector have 4 wires each and the license plate lights have 3 wires total. All the main wiring is on top of the motor so you DON'T have anything to worry about.
If there is anything positive that can come out of this it is that the difference in price between retail (what the insurance company will quote and pay for) and what you can buy genuine Porsche parts for is over a 50% difference. If you are concerned about too much body filler you can always buy entire new rear quarter panel sections from Porsche for around $1000 (retail is way more $$$) (I would fight to have the insurance company pay for it but it depends on the policy of the guy that hit you or your own, also the body shop might quote higher for fixing your current quarter panels than what you can pay for a new piece that only needs to be welded and sealed.) Another thing to consider is diminished value which is the difference between the value of your car after it has been in an accident and what the original value was 2 seconds before the accident. Insurance companies will bitch and moan about this but they have been increasing our policies based on them having to pay out on "diminished value" so you might as well fight for what is legally yours. If you need help with anything, part #s, prices, dealing with insurance companies etc. don't hesitate to ask. I (and i"m sure more than a few of us here at rennlist) have been through this twice and have some experience making things right again.

forklift

Hi Brian,

Sorry to hear. Man that sucks. That is why I don't carry a gun with me. I would have been as pissed as you were and are.

Good luck, luckily I don't have any experience in this area, but it sounds like others unfortunatly have and you will be able to get some good advice.

Jim

bhensarl

Splatter,
You know it's funny, I was thinking that same thing about the mounts! Now I can just have my wrench yank them to see if they're shot. Oh, and thanks for the offer about the Bronco, but it would probabaly end up being some poor 16 year old kid driving his first car that he worked at a lumber mill for three summers to earn money to buy. Or maybe some poor 23 year old kid who'd finally gotten his dream car. Sob, sob. Okay, I'm done feeling sorry for myself. But I do appreciate your offer!
Mojorizing,
You do remember correctly, I am with USAA. I already called them and gave them all the info about the "incident". I hesitate to put it on my insurance though given my $500 deductible and the fact that I was in no way at fault. However, if it's the difference between having the job done right by putting it on my insurance or having Progressive (the other guy's insurance) nickel and dime the value right out of my car I think I might have to go with USAA. It's all going to depend on what I get for estimates and I guess I'll just have to cross that bridge when I get to it.
John,
The other driver was very sorry. I was still in uniform because I was just coming home from work, so I know that didn't make him feel any better. Then coupled with the fact that I'm a pretty young guy and that he smashed my Porsche I think he just about wanted to cry. Oh yeah, and the fact that his insurance is going to go way up probably didn't hurt. But he let me use his cell phone since I'd forgotten mine that day (doesn't it always work out that way?). I also didn't have my digital camera with me, which would have been really nice. Then you guys could better feel my pain. Anyway, he was pretty nice, kept apologizing every five minutes, but what do you say? It was definitely his fault and he smashed my dream car. I just told him I was glad nobody was hurt, and that $#!t happens. That's really what it comes down to.
Jason,
Thanks for the tips. I'll keep that in mind when I choose a body shop and while I'm talking to the insurance company. "Diminished value" is something I was really thinking of being painful. Oh well, I guess that's a good excuse to hold on to this car for a long, long time.

Thanks for all your words guys, I really appreciate them. I know that the fact that no one was injured is really the important thing. It's just hard to focus on that right now when my baby's taken the greatest beating of all.
Brian

bhensarl

Okay, here's a mock-up of the area that was damaged (I'm very sorry to whoever owns this car. I hope you're not superstitious!). My question is about the rounded parts of the quarter panels where the engine compartment. They're smashed flat. I'm sure it's going to take all sorts of filler to make them look good again, and I don't like the sounds of that. Anyway, until the real pics come in, here's generally what is smashed in.
Brian
P.S. Once more I apologize to the owner of this car. I swear, I'm not trying to jinx you or anything!
edit: errr, Arjan is that yours? Sorry mate!!

Johan K

Man, that's too bad. Glad you're not injured (physically that is...).

Arjan B.

No words for this....... Please let the car check at a certified repair station. More damage could be done by this and you don't even see it. In a collision, parts tends to take more enegry then you see after a crash, so important things should be checked, as engine maounts and gearbox mouts. If they moved from the original position, more damaged can be expected....

DavidI

Sorry to hear this Brian
There was a report in 911 & Porsche World recently about a white CS that had a rear quarter replaced - I believe it involves cutting above the 'b' pillar to get the new wing in. I've a ton of filler in my passenger side rear wing and it looks awful. If the new wing is done properly I'm sure it will be far better than a filler job, and no reason why it shouldn't be better than a factory finish.
Best of luck getting it sorted relatively painlessly.

jenskleis

Brian,

I am very sorry to hear about your accident, but happy that you could walk away from the car unhurt.

We are probably many who enjoy the excellent brakes on our cars, but live with the constant fear that the guy driving behind is not equally equipped.

Personally, I loath tail-gaters for that very reason, as I do those who seem to pay too much attention to their cell phones and other in-car entertainment.

JW Hubbers

Hi Brian,

Like everyone else I too am sorry for what happened to your car, and I can only echo the "Good thing you weren't hurt yourself" comments.

In the past few years I had a similar occurence, though not as bad. Just some numbnut who doesn't look, doesn't brake, and runs into the back of me. New center piece for the rear bumper, thank you very much. More details in my second running report

In two other occasions I narrowly managed to avoid such a thing by using the acceleration powers of the 964 in addition to the braking capabilities. But that all comes down to available room and the time you have between starting to brake and having to take evasive action. Maybe it helps that traffic over here is, well, a bit chaotic

Hey! That's my car!
Good thing I'm not superstitious. And if I was, I'd try to focus on having had the rear end replaced twice already...

Anyway, good luck getting your car sorted.

Cheers,

JW