elbeee964

(note to self: steer clear of MA for the time being.)

JasonAndreas

Yes I have, a friend has a house on Flax pond so I end up spending a few weeks there every year. If you ever see a black RSA cruising around, its probably me.

I would find a shop that has extensive experience with the 964 or 993 (unfortunately there are none in your area, nor mine). There are too many ways to screw-up a fender replacement. Most of which you won't find out about until 5 years from now...

Make sure the body shop pushes for OE parts. The estimator is going to try to reduce the claim with junk yard crap. It just blows the mind what the Porsche wrecking yards will send out as useable. Actually it should be criminal. FYI. There might not be any right front fenders in the country at the moment. So you'll have to pay a few bucks extra for expedited shipping or wait an additional 6-8 weeks.

no kidding, i think there were four of us in Mass over the last few months. I've been Porsche'less since July 2nd but i get it back on Wednesday, hopefully...

DrJupeman

I'm sorry to see this. A smushed 911 is never a happy site. I'd be surprised if this is a total unless they value 964s very low or there are rules around "totaling" a car that I don't understand.

New fender, new bumper, other odds and ends is going to be at least $3k+ in parts. Then there probably is some frame work needed, paint of quite a bit of the car, etc. $10k easy, but that's not "totaled".

cbwayo

Took some pictures over to the body shop today to discuss, and they think its probably repairable. I still have yet to talk in detail with the adjustor, need to get them out to see the car, and have it transported to the shop before I'll get a definitive prognosis. I'm thinking that if its repairable, at least I know I've taken it to a quality shop that will do quality work with quality parts. Maybe I'll be printing out this thread in the future for supporting documentation with all receipts when it comes time to sell. At this point, my head still feels very heavy, but I'm looking forward to taking care of some of the other little cosmetic issues that pre-existed the accident, if it does get repaired.

Kahdmus

Also don't forget about the 'diminished value'. If the insurance co. believe you will be filing a dv claim on top of the repair claim then they will figure that into the equation when deciding whether to total it or not. I bet you could easily claim $3k or $4k in diminished value. A $10k repair claim may not make them total it but a $14k claim just might...something to consider if you want to go that route.

cbwayo

Thanks for the tip.

I wasn't able to concentrate much on work today, so for your viewing pleasure, I did some image-correcting of one of my damage photos:

Kahdmus

what exactly did you correct?

cbwayo

I tried to bring out the reflection of the trees on the hood.. i dont know, i thought it looked interesting, but maybe i'm still suffering effects from the crash.

JC in NY

No. This is not in touch with the prices for high quality collision repair, even if the "tub" is bent. 38D's earlier estimate is much more in line with reality, or maybe a little more if you add the "Porsche tax" factor.

Cupcar#12

JC this is west coast - seattle/redmond area - those prices are not in line with the norm. they are about right for here. A top quality respray is $10K (not real body work) for instance.

i'm sure it is cheaper elsewhere.

when i wrecked my Cup - i shipped it to VA for the rebuild (metal and paint) rather than do it here- that was still $25k all in all (+ another 10 or so in misc parts for the Front, clutch, gas tank, etc.)

cbwayo

Spoke with the adjustor, and the initial estimate is $8,400.

Obviously, this can and will likely change once the shop gives the actual estimate.

Looks like investlt is in the lead so far with a guess of $7k

95FL993CAB

Have you talked to the adjuster about the diminished value claim? You need to do that ASAP. The basis is very clear: A car with a Carfax report that shows an insurance claim for an accident is worth at least 20% less than one without a claim. You will have to fight them on this. Go to reputable resellers of older Pcars in your area and ask them to give you, IN WRITING, the trade in and sale price of a car like yours with an accident history.
Good luck.

Kahdmus

The DV is going to be based upon the agreed value of your car. You can get comps from all the usual places (autotrader, cars.com, rennlist, yahoo auto's etc, etc.) Initially however I would NOT argue the value of the car as if you argue a high value then they may not total it. just suggest to them that you WILL be filing a second claim after the repairs for diminished value. That should be enough.

Call the appraiser and they will lay out the options (and if during the process you decide to engage them then they will represent you and negotiate on your behalf).

Your strategy for a total loss is to talk to the shop and be very specific about quality of repairs/parts to get them to give as large an estimate as possible. Secondly tell the insurance company that after they fix your car you will be filing a diminished value claim. If you can suggest to them that repars + dV > $15k then they may allow you to total the car. Once they agree to total the car and remove it from the repair shop to their storage facility, then start to negotiate the settlement.

Your insurance company firstly will send you a valuation done by a company like 'CCC'. It will use some very low comps and likely be far below market value.

At this point send them YOUR comps. make sure they are as high as possible. Use the same year and similiar mileage if possible. If local 964's for sale are below national average then you can argue that your car is fairly rare so you are going to use nationwide comps as opposed to 'local' ones. Also provide every single receipt for any and all work/upgrades you have had done on the car.

If they still give you an offer less than fair get a solid appraisal and INSIST that you want to instigate your right to a private appraisal, as laid out in your insurance policy. They have no choice but to accept this. Once you get an appraisal they will likely give you an improved offer within days. If its good then great. If not then insist that they get their own 3rd party appraisal. The two appraisers will negotiate. If you still cannot agree then they will have to decide upon a 3rd appraiser that will act as 'umpire'. The umpire's decision is final and binding (BE very aware of this point.)

I expect that you can probably get them to total the car and if you supply good comps and receipts you may get a fair offer right from the start. If not and you get an appraisal they will likely make additional offers before going any further so its a win-win for you.

Keep us posted!

cbwayo

The car was delivered to the body shop last night, so I went by and spoke to the shop owner just now.

He said that beyond the damage visible from the pictures I've put up, theres a bend in the hood, and some of the paint damage was spread to the passenger side door. Though the damage is more or less isolated to the passenger side, he's going to refinish at least the front of the other side to match. This is all very encouraging, because while it still hasn't been totaled, the panels that are getting fixed weren't necessarly 100% before (stone chips, a stray scratch or two).

I should have more info by tomorrow afternoon, as they're going to be stripping the car today and tomorrow to check any other damage thats underneath.

The body shop guy wasn't aware of diminished value claims in Massachusetts, nor was my insurance agent...

Kahdmus

I know there are some states that do not allow for DV claims. That sucks if thats the case as your chances of getting it totaled may be much lower.

Still sounds like even if the car is repaired, although not what you wanted, it will have some cosmetic improvements?