I never drive my car in the rain, but last week I was caught in the rain... I must have driven over an oil patch or something slippery, and it had just started raining. I lost my front wheels, tried to correct, i thought I would have had it and ended up in a spin, jumping a curb.

No visible body damage on the outside of the car, but jumping the curb made a mess of the underside..
I had the car towed to a porsche dealer, but my insurance company (allstate) wants the work to be done at some general mechanic.
Any ideas advice for the repairs? I'd rather stick with the Porsche dealer than whatever the insurance will recommend. Do other shops even work on these types of cars? I just want to take the car to the right place. Dealer? Other Porsche shop? I'd say it's best to stay away from a general mechanics shop..

There's substantial damage, all 4 wheels/tires dead, subframe damage, shocks/struts on 2 wheels dead, the list is long.
Anyone else been in this situation? Porsche dealer tells me it is going to be a very tough fight with the insurance company, even though I've got full coverage.
First time I've crashed -ever in my 14 yrs of driving...

 

I just went thru an accident with my VW-R32, got hunted down by a drunk driver at 3AM....I have Allstate....you have the choice to take it wherever you want!!!! Luckily for me, I live in SoCal, the dealership is on their "preferred list", stuff works easier, they have working relationships with places on the "list"...since my dealership also sells Audi's, Porsche's and BMW's I wanted the best quality work done. I believe I came really close, only one small thing to go over still, but have had car back for 2 weeks, and it was done great. Tell your Allstate accident person to go over your rights to where you can have the work done. Remind them that "...this conversation may be recorded...."....don't stress over your accident, most everyone has had some....I had my 98 MBZ C280 Sport totaled (it rolled 3 times), and I got the blame, even thought all I did was drive over (not speeding) a slick, gravelly, maybe icy spot in the early morning...about 2 years later I ran across an article about how the traction control on that particular model had quirks and potentially takes over and in my situation, I believe it did. I did not turn hard right into an embankment, roll on the embankment, back to road and roll twice on the road...my input was moot....so I got 100% blame, for what I felt was technical defect.
Relax, keep good records, and fight for all you are entitled to. Afterwards you can decide what to do with the car. If you don't have rental car, that alone will run you alot. Just be glad you are not hurt, make sure of that, sometimes shoulder neck injuries may not show up right away, go get checked out...even if you told the insurance company you are fine, just tell them you feel something...remember to tell your HMO that this may be accident related, cuz billing will go to insurance....eventually.....
You said no visible body damage, but leave that up to a quality auto repair (Porsche's) to determine, they will check for frame damage, everything......

 

some of the chassis/suspension hard points checked to make sure they're in spec. All that banging around could have very easily caved in or pulled one or more hardpoints out of position.

But without having a special table and the measurements and most important knowing how to take them accurately and if out bring them back into spec, the car may not ever track right again.

A lesser repair shop will use suspension/alignment adjustment to bring car into some kind of alignment but chances are good there'll be no adustment left to correct for normal wear.

Be sure tranny and rear end along with half shafts checked for damage being knocked about. A bent half shaft will cause vibration in car that no amount of wheel balancing will remove.

Sincerely,

Macster.

 

The most important issue to be addressed is to find a body shop that specializes in the repair of high end sports cars. As a starter your Boxster's unibody will have to be pulled and aligned, and of course you will need a four wheel alignment. The good news is that with today's technology your car can be repaired to perfection or very near perfection. I've had some serious track accidents and after the car was repaired, I was able to drive at speeds in excess of 150 MPH without a trace of vibration. But again the challenge is to find the right body shop. Almost any body shop can do a great job of matching paint, but you need a real pro to perform your repair.

Bottom line is that I would never ever be insured by any Carrier that compelled me to have my car repaired at a specific body shop. Insurance companies only concern is to have the car repaired for the lowest possible price.

 

What did Allstate say about your choice of repair shops??? I noticed it's like a club, they deal with each other so much they know each other and sometimes extend trust, but don't be the victim of a bad situation, the guy orchestrating your repair may be new at the repair facility, or having a bad life (dealerships have such a high turnover in people, from top to bottom...when browsing for my car, in the early stages of making the big decision, I ran into the same guy at 2 dealerships, he had moved within a months time, and now he is at the dealership I eventually bought my car from, we talk about alot of things besides cars, like life, bamboo floors, music, ...Keep double checking everything, keep immaculate records, note who said what about what on what date (just as they say "this conversation may be recorded....)....Work hard, and it'll pay off, leave it in someone else's hands and they' may hand you back a minimally repaired car, and I don't know about you, but I do not have the resources to buy or lease a new Porsche every 39 months....I have to work very hard to own my car.

 

update is thta Allstate gave the go ahead for the repairs to be done at the Porsche dealer. They will cover all the parts that the dealer has on their list for replacement, but they do not want to cover the full labor costs.

Dealer service manager says he checked the chassis for damage and does not see any, mostly suspension and wheel damage, and a slightly bent subframe which is being replaced. Dealer also mentioned that the engine moved slightly, but seems ok.

Shall I ask them to check the unibody? Or are Porsche dealers usually on top of this stuff?

 

In my state, the insurance company cannot direct as to where you have the work done. It's absurd to have them say "we'll cover part of the expense, but you have to pay the rest" and in my state, that would be illegal. Let them know it's not acceptable and ask who you have to talk to higher up, or if you have to go through the state's insurance department? I guess some insurance carriers figure they can try to "bag" their customers because most will just roll over and accept their position.

I'd be 100% fine with the dealers in my area handling the entire case.

 

Huh??

 

I had similar experience with Allstate several years ago, when my car (325is) was hit by one of their insured.
They said if I didn’t use one of their preferred collision centers that:
A) I would be responsible for any difference in labor rates between their center and the body shop of my choice.
B) They would not pay to blend the new paint into the existing.
C) There would be no warranty on the work.
D) The best of all, they would not pay for new replacement parts, only used parts (including front bumper impact struts) because my car was 5 years old at the time.
They basically cut me a check on the spot for what they estimated the damage to be (65-70% of the three estimates I’d had) with no accounting for unseen damages. If I took my car to the shop of my choice I would have to pay any difference in labor and I would have to do all the leg work to justify any additional costs associated with unseen damages.

 

Lesson learned with this thread is to stay away from allstate. Or am I wrong about that and you will find this with most if not all insurance companies?

 

NO, I disagree, I feel I had good work done and good professional service (communications)...my work was done within the last month and a half...some of the other examples are further in the past and in different areas of the country....may have something to do with it....

Aron..."A) I would be responsible for any difference in labor rates between their center and the body shop of my choice.
B) They would not pay to blend the new paint into the existing.
C) There would be no warranty on the work.
D) The best of all, they would not pay for new replacement parts, only used parts (including front bumper impact struts) because my car was 5 years old at the time."

I did not run into any of these situations AT ALL...because my car was VW R32 there are very little salvaged parts out there, so I got all new parts from VW....

As for your "engine moving"....that may have put stresses on motor mounts, ask them to show you the mounts if possible, I don't know if it is, I'm on my first Porsche and know very little of the mechanics...someone input here for him if possible...and give an opinion.... I think in my R32 accident the left front wheel took the bruny of the impact, but that it may have moved the engine in your case, and everything connected to it, and in my case my R32 is AWD, and I think that is why my exhaust tips are hanging a tad low.....I'm probably just gonna get it in as best a shape as possible then get rid of it....need to drive my Porsche more anyway.....

This is the dealership wriiten warranty:
1- Metalwork- Lifetime, with elaboration,
2-Paint-Limited Lifetime warrant
3-Mechanical Repairs-one year for repairs related to accident
4-Parts- 1 year limited unless mfr is less or more on new parts installed by or at the shop
5-Sections 1-4: the shop will repair, repain, or replace any items in section 1-4, when claim is made while the present owner stated herein owns the vehicle, unless caused by or damaged by unreasonable use, maintenance, or care of the vehicle. The Written warranty shall be null and void if the repair is altered, adjusted, or tampered with by any person ot authorized by Warranty Center.

When I first had the accident had to go see my insurance accident center, and the woman there even brought up blending may be necessary, she asked me, if I park my car inside or out, I said inside at home and covered at work, she said no wonder the paint was in new condition considering car is about 18 months old....without bringing blending up to the dealership auto repair center, they put in blending...look , they put in all they can to make money....seriously, I am not sure they did it....I checked up on them every day, because 5 minutes from my work.

I would not take the check they were willing to cut, because it would have been about 1/2 of what the repairs are to date, and I recommend that you do not take it as well, let them pay each other off when all the work is done to your satisfaction, and I have 2 issues I need to be resolved still, and have verified with allstate and auto repair center that I have no time limit (within reason...I wanna see if a clicking noise goes away, I think a brace came off that has to do with drivetrain....I heard it and saw it....and for some reason the exhaust tips seem about an inch lower than before but still in line with pictures I have been looking at of R32's on the net....there is a new one still at that dealership and it's exhaust tips are about 3/4 inch higher...it only looks wierd to me because I am obsessive compulsive about my cars.

You said "dealer service manager"...are you talking about the guy who schedules your oil changes, because you should be dealing with the body shop service people, eventually your car may go back to dealership for some work, such as alignment, but from the sound of it, and all the other people who have brought up chassis points, you need to be sure they don't cosmetically fix your car, but they actually put it back to 98-100% of where it was before....

Are Porsche dealers on top of things???? Oh yeah.....that's why they can service the cars that we can drive as they were designed to be driven...don't let lazy, scumbag service, body repair people take advantage of you.....

I did not have to pay any extra for having, I believe, higher quality done, I believe it's in your rights in your policy.

BTW, so far have driven 95 mph and feels solid as before, it's the zero to 5mph range where I get noises.....keep us up to date....

 

Thanks for all the replies so far.

Allstate said they will cover all the parts. I'm still fighting on the labor costs as they claim to only cover up to $45/hr. All parts have shipped and the car is about done, they need the Allstate adjuster to go in again and have another look. I should have more information next week, the Porsche dealer/shop told me the car should be ready by then.

I'm just worried about damage they have not seen, but the Porsche shop told me not to worry, they have inspected it all and the car is at the best place it can be right now... Keeping my fingers crossed!

 

I couldnt tell if you are being serious or sarcastic with:

Are Porsche dealers on top of things???? Oh yeah.....that's why they can service the cars that we can drive as they were designed to be driven...don't let lazy, scumbag service, body repair people take advantage of you.....

Are you saying that chances are a Porsche dealer will make repairs at or very close to orig spec?

 

Remove the sarcasm, which I usually am.....with any business that you use for serveces....there's the old caveat "let the buyer beware".....Auto dealerships, I noticed over the years were very "dynamic"...some I saw would have new ownership or managers quite often. Some, probably the better ones did not change as often if at all. Maybe I live in a fantasy world, but I think that a Porsche dealerships repair shop would do a better job than a non connected shop. Of course you have to check it out to see for yourself. In my case, the car I had repaired was a VW R32, the dealership sells Porsches, Audis, BMW's and the bottom of the barrel, the VW's.....I got a chance to walk through the repair areas and I could see that everything was so organized and clean, cleaner than restaurants I've eaten at. (hint: if a restaurant has dirty bathrooms consistently what does that tell you about their kitchen...increased chances that they neglect some aspects in there)....When I said keep good records, I meant it, because insurance companies always throw that "this conversation may be recorded..." at you....throw it back at them...I'm not saying be antagonistic, I'm saying be precise. Same with the person who is in charge of your car's repairs. Keep notes, they may promise you the world, but they may also may never want to see you again after they have done the repair, the first time...and I say that because you will find things that need to be adjusted and worked on a bit more, so that is why you need to be "civil"....Would a Porsche dealership make repairs at or close to dealer spec??? Depends on the person doing the repair and the mood for his day...YOU need to monitor....I hope this clears some of it up.

I am OK with Allstate, as they have handled about 5 situations over 25 years between me and wife. But that is just my opinion, I never had any other insurance.

 

Here is the latest.
It's been a real pain getting any updates from either Allstate or the dealer in terms of progress and accumulated cost of parts/work to be done etc. I have to call them a couple of times a week since they never call me.

I paid a surprise visit today to find out that I may be liable for around $5k in labor costs. woah! Seems as if both the insurance and the dealer are just working on things with costs increasing without keeping me in the loop.
The last time I spoke to an Allstate rep they were going to try and cover the labor cost but now it seems they are only covering up to $40/hour. I left the dealer to get to my local Allstate rep before they closed for the weekend and had a chat with them. They basically told me that by law they are required to pay only a certain amount, around $45 / hour for labor and no more. The work can be done at any shop of their choosing and they guarantee the work. Something sounds fishy. I asked them to point me to the law, code etc and they had no answer. I'll be going back to Allstate on Monday.

They claim that just because the car is a Porsche doesnt mean it cannot be repaired at only Porsche approved places, and the repair shop of their choosing is just as good. They are quite dense.

What a frustrating situation. Been almost a month now I haven't had my car and the nice weather is here. I'm considering just asking everyone to freeze the work / progress so I can figure out what in the world is going on.