Steve 96C4S

Thanks guys, I'm overwhelmed! I feel the love

Amazingly enough, damage is extremely minimal. These are very sturdy beasts we drive! Rear bumperettes rule. These pics don't really show the cracked paint on the bumper but it's there. Now that I look at these pics, it's not that bad at all externally. The insurance lady asked me if the trunk still opens! I told her the "trunk" is in the front, not the rear. She snapped back "Well, I'm not lucky enough to own a Porsche. How would I know!"

Here's the damage: The first pic shows the creased bumper-hard to see in pic, of course:

2nd pic: Pushed in license plate. Notice my old creased bumper above it- hard to miss. Do you think I could get them to fix that as PART of the accident?

Blue mark on chrome tip, yet the car was maroon! Maybe from his license plate?

Bumperette seems to have separated from the car a bit, though hard to see in this pic:




Their insurance company, Progressive, called me this morning and said that they have a list of body shops that could do it MUCH faster than my own choice. I told them I will only have it fixed at a place that a local PCA member recommends. They said OK, hesitantly, but pushed their own shop choice called Autobody Dimensions in Gaithersburg. They said lots of high end cars like Ferrari's and Lambo's go their! I had to chuckle... they're putting my car in the same class as one of these! I consider mine sort of ordinary, since I've been driving it for a while. Anyone use this place Autobody Dimensions? I've never heard of it. They said they do the best work in this area. (uh, sure ) They also said Royal Autobody is great too.

I called a couple places recommended to me by you guys, but their backed up a month or 2! They are both in Virginia. One kind gent shared his experience with Euro Pros in Gaithersburg. I'm not sure if I want to call them just yet Maybe his experience was just a fluke, but they're not on the top of my list right now.

What a world. If this is the worst thing that happens to me this month, it'll be a great month

Steve

Mark in Baltimore

Steve,

I don't think it'll be a huge deal for the insurance company to take care of your old crease. It's in the same vicinity as your new damage.

Steve 96C4S

That's good news, Mark. Thanks!

Life without digital cameras (to take quick pics and post them showing immediate accident damage or just the beauty of our freshly detailed cars) was such an uninformed, simpler time, wasn't it? The world became so much more connected and productive since they came out.

Our earth's just a great place to live right now.




Steve

swftiii

Steve sorry to hear abou the mishap, but glad you're OK. I haven't used anyone in particular, but Arlington Porsche uses First Choice in Alexandria which is right up the street and they did some prep work on my car as I was buying it from Arlington (Heishman when I bought it).

Good Luck,

-Skip

Derrick B.

Bummer about the car, gald you're OK.

How much is a new rear bumper? Seems like they'll be doing a lot of work to repair a bolt-on item.

BTW, cool PCA license plate. Can't get them here.

Steve 96C4S

Thanks Derrick and Skip and the others... I have no idea how much the rear bumper is, but I'll post all the repair info dutifully on this thread when I get it. I like the PCA plate too! It needs to be hammered out as it's crumpled now! Actually, I guess I'll put the other one on instead. The one I'm supposed to have on the front of the car.

Skip: Most of the really good places have a month wait, but I'll call First Choice if nothing in Maryland works out. Why is it all the good body shops are in Virginia? This is so weird.

I left a voicemail for John H with the 993 TT who lives near me to see how his experience was with which local shop. He used Euro Pros for an extensive body repair I think, but I'm not sure if it was in fact them at all.

Steve

nels415

Steve,

Major bummer. Doesn't look like it's too bad, she'll be fixed all up nice and purdy real soon, don't ja worry. Living in busy SF, I have nightmares about people rear ending me as well.

-nelson

Par911

Steve, sorry to hear about the fender bender.
There are so many idiots on the road in this area that weren't there 5 years ago, and the population explosion doesn't help the already congested roads. I was rear ended in Bethesda about a year ago (luckily not in the p-car). As for Euro Pro's, what you are hearing is probably pretty accurate as I have heard mixed reviews of this body shop. I hear the turnover time is real slow. If you want, I could stop by Autobody Dimenisons in G'burg and see how many Ferrari's and Lamborghini's are waiting for body work . Seriously, since it is in my area, I can stop by and see if the shop is "professional looking".
Good thing your 993 only suffered minor damage.

John H. in DC Area

Hi Steve, I just read your post and picked up your voicemail. I'm very sorry to hear about the accident. However, after seeing the pics I'm certain the car can be restored to "good as new" condition.

The lawyer in me says to pay attention to the sore back.

Although the damage appears merely cosmetic in your pictures, the structures behind the bumper as well as the suspension and engine mounts and pickup points should be checked.

Don't know if it's something to be proud of, but I've had experience with and researched quite a few local shops. The bottom line is that you've gotten really good advice and recommendations from all of the posters to this thread, as there are several excellent P-car repair shops in the area with deservedly fine reputations that could do a terrific job with your car. There are a couple artisan-quality repair shops in northern virginia (Zuffenhausen, I think?), but they aren't exactly convenient for you.

Wagon Works (did an excellent paint job on my former 951) and First Choice in Alexandria, VA are pretty unanimously at the top of any autobody list in the DC/MD/Va area, but Euro Pros in Gaithersburg should be regarded similarly. Euro Pros gets my strongest recommendation, not least because it was started by several repair pros who formerly worked at Wagon Works (same genesis as First Choice) and have the same in-depth knowledge of P-cars, but also because they have great customer service. They do all repair work for Rockville Porsche/Audi. I posted my positive experience with them on the Potomac PCA board and it was followed by a chorus of similar praise from other PCA members who had various 996/GT3/C2/4/993/986 and race-prepped cars repaired there. A link to the thread is here PCA Potomac Board thread re Euro Pros They are straight up Rockville Pike and pretty convenient for you. Customer service is good, they stayed in touch by phone and drove me to the metro after I dropped my car off. I had them handle my door check strap and they also undid some installation problems with my Euro bumper that were caused by another body shop that my insurance (Geico) recommended. If you go to Euro Pros, feel free to mention me.

As Chris and others mentioned, although they're the original gold standard, Wagon Works has looooong wait times, charges $25 for estimates, and stores the car during the two-month wait for the repair outside in a lot separated by five yards and a feeble chain link fence from busy Route 1.

All that said, and speaking from experience, I wouldn't let the wait time issue alone be the deciding factor, as in many respects it's an indication that a shop is in high demand for good reasons. Trust me, don't go to the "expert porsche repair shop" where the shop owner, the chief body man, and the paint man are all standing there waiting to greet you when you come through the door.

I've taken up enough bandwidth, give me a call at home tonight if you want to chat some more about it.

Best,

Steve 96C4S

Thanks John - I'm going to try Euro Pros in Gaithersburg. I set an appt for June 30th, 3 days after our 3 week trip to Switzerland and Northern Italy. I got the estimate back from Progressive and they're saying the car should only cost about $425 to fix! Heck, I took the car to Zamora's Autobody last year and the rear bumper alone was $525 for the creased mark. Progressive said I don't get a new bumper, but that the current bumper can be fixed. I'm sure Euro Pros will go back and forth with them getting them to "pay up" to get it done correctly.

I have confidence that in the end, it will turn out just fine. I'm just glad I get my rear bumper fixed now from that nasty crease mark that's been on it since I bought it 18 months ago! That's a real eyesore. Sometimes an accident can be a good thing.

Regards,
Steve

Harold

Once the repairs are done, just be watchful over the paint... polar silver is one of the hardest colours to spray. The primer must be fully dried and even to ensure there is no uneven absorption/take up of the colour, and the painters hand must be very consistent in movement, otherwise you will end up with a blotchy finish discernible only under fluorescent light or very strong direct sunlight....

Mark in Baltimore

...or on overcast days...

Steve 96C4S

Thanks alot Harold and Mark... I'll talk with the ACTUAL painter and let him know to be extra careful with my baby.

Mark in Baltimore

Steve,

As you know, I have polar silver, too. It's a tough one but I just love the color. Hides scratches, blends in with the pavement mirage (too bad I don't drive on the street that much), and looks so damn gorgeous, despite the plebeian hue.

I think it's important to be an exacting bastard with your paint shop on this one...

JasonAndreas

Steve, do not forget to remind the insurance company that the resale value of your car has been reduced several thousand dollars because of the accident (no matter how well they repair it). You need to read up on diminished value and not let Progressive