XavierLaFlamme

Have we seen pictures yet? Seems like that would tell us a lot.

--Michael

Mark in Baltimore

A bummer, for certain, but if that's the worst of the damage and the only area that got hit, I think you and the shop got lucky. Just have the body shop take care of the damaged area. No way I would do a full respray. I would also ask the shop to cover something for diminished value. The insurance company might cover DV, depending on the state and the company.

Good luck. At least your car didn't fall off of the lift.

Ed Hughes

I'd view this as an opportunity to get closer to having the perfect 993.

NYC993

+1 idk if it's NJ air, but I was thinking the same thing.

Yes it all sucks and sorry it happend, I've been through this myself with my other car, when somebody side swiped it in "residents only" garage and didn't bother leaving a note.

Unless you have 993 Turbo S that's worth over 200k, in the end it's a 15-18 year old car with less than perfect paint all around. You better off just respraying that one part and forgetting about it. Document it, make sure respray is done right and there is no diminished value. Ask the shop to throw in 2-3 free oil changes or full detail of the car or pay for a bumper respray. Nobody in their right mind will do/pay you for full repaint (unless the brake fluid is all over the car), and you would be silly to ask one. Just put yourself in shoes of the shop or the insurance company.

What do you think happen to brand new cars when dealers scratch them my accident? The panel goes to local, hopefully good, body shop to be resprayed. And the buyer would never know.

So have a beer and relax and be thankful this didn't happen

tcsracing1

id go for a blend or paint only the parts that require it.

raw deal either way.

1stgear

Thanks for all the good comments and support, guys. It makes me feel a lot better.

Michael - I posted a picture on page two. It's a little slow to load, but it's there.

I'll keep you guys updated.

Bruce P

OK I'll add my 2 cents here. Here is how it would work in my State. First off, no one is going to look out for your best interests except YOU. Not the shop or his insurance company. Especially the insurance company. The person (shop) who is responsible for making you whole again is the person (shop) that caused the damage. If they happen to have an insurance company standing behind them then good for THEM. You are a claimant in this situation not an insured and your rights are different as a claimant than they are as an insured. If you make a claim on the comprehensive portion of your insurance you will be bound to all the terms and conditions in that contract (policy). You do not have any contract with the shop's insurance company so I would not even have any communications with that insurance company. I would obtain an estimate of the damages from a shop that I chose, repaired to how I wanted it done to put the car back to preaccident condition (no betterment). Then I would obtain a diminished value report from an expert in your area. You should also include monies for the loss of use of your vehicle while it is getting repaired. I would submit all of these to the shop and let THEM sort it out with their insurance company. You have incurred real damages here and to let the shops insurance company determine what those damages are on their own is silly. I also concur that buffing it out is not an option I would choose, as any time you use an abrasive on a paint finish (no matter how fine) it is affecting the life of the finish. Also remember that anytime an insurance company pays a claim it will generate a carfax and or autocheck report so the car is "marked" forever. If you have the available funds the best of all possible scenarios is to first have a paper trail documenting that the shop caused the damages, then have the car repaired at the shop of your choice, rent a rental car for the downtime, pay for the above out of pocket and get a diminished value report and submit all of these to the SHOP for payment to be received within 5 days. All the above talk about what an insurance company will agree to is only applicable when you are dealing with them as an insured so there is a contract (policy) between you and the insurance company. That does not apply here as you are a claimant against the shop. If I were in your position I would'nt give a darn what the shop's insurance company is saying or doing.

goofballdeluxe

Well.....

If you think that anyone is going to agree to a full respray of your entire car for paint damage to a minor area, I'd say you're gonna be in for a very rude awakening to how these things actually play out. I can tell you EXACTLY how this will play out with the mechanic and both yours and his insurance companies. Mark my words.

The mechanic is offering to buff it out. No surprise there. Cost to him: as little as possible. No way he'll agree to a full respray.

Now, lets say you battle with him and/or his insurance and want a full respray. His insurance company will also say no way. They may agree to paint the affected area, but that's it. Fight them if you want, but you'll lose.

OK, have your insurance company take care of it. Same thing: they'll pay for the affected areas to be painted and that's it. They also won't pay to have your entire car painted.

More bad news: you'll never get a single dime for diminished value. From either yours or his insurance company. Fight them all you want. You'll lose.

The mechanic wants to pay as little as possible. So does his/your insurance company. You see, the reason why you cannot win here is, they only hafta make you "whole"; this is a legal term. In this case, that means bringing your car back to the condition it was in before the damage, and repainting ONLY the affected areas would satisfy that requirement in a legal sense, and would be upheld in their favor in a court of law should you fight them on this. If you want to have them respray the entire car, you're gonna hafta pay for it.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but best case outcome for you is they are able to buff it out with no damage, or his insurance pays to have the affected areas repainted. And that is it. You will absolutely never get your entire car painted, or a single dime in diminished value. Fight all you want; spend as much time and money arguing it. They will never, ever pay for it.

Having his/your insurance respray your entire car at no cost to you or diminished value payments are nice fantasies, but you're lying to yourself if you think that will ever happen.

Sorry to hear this. No joy for you, and you really are the victim here.

Bruce P

I agree that a total respray wll not happen as that is betterment. Buffing it out is not restoring to pre accident condition and so that would not be an option I would consider. As to diminshed value I respectfully disagree. I know of numerous payments for diminished value claims in my area and have been the receipient of same. It is not necessarily easy but the courts in my area have recognized DV as a legitimate claim. You need experts to provide the documents etc. to be successful. We have an expert in my area that has made a good living for several years assisting with DV claims. The last tme I was a claimant, I paid out of pocket for the repairs at the shop of my choice under my direction, I rented a car during the repair process, documented the DV, submitted all of this to the person who ran into me and was reimbused in full by that person's insurance company within a few days. I did grant the insurance company the opportunity to see the vehicle before repairs were started but it was at my choice of location and time.

Cuda911

That's NOT what the OP said. The OP said:

If it's a big mess in the paint, with little spots all over, seems to me a full respray is justified. Now, perhaps the impacted area was small. That's a different story. But, per the original post, there are many impacted areas.

I worked for a large insurance company for many years. Of course, they nearly always try to low-ball you. Squeaky wheel gets the oil, as they say. If the paint is ruined, demand a respray, or whatever other option seems best to you to restore the car. This is penny-ante stuff for insurance companies. What insurance companies worry about most is bodily injury claims. Expensive and time-consuming, and never as clear-cut as simply fixing some damaged paint.

goofballdeluxe

Yes, he said, they said, etc. Let's not get bogged down by mere semantics.

We can speculate all we want. Let me know when the insurance company agrees to a full respray for localized paint damage. I think it will be way less likely than them agreeing to respray only the affected area, as is almost always the case, no matter how squeaky the hinge is.

I don't have the data in front of me, but I'd bet situations like this where only a portion of the car is affected, the remedy of a full respray is recommended by the insurance company at less than 1000 to 1. They are in the business of keeping as much money as possible, while only doing the bare minimum they are legally required to do. A respray of only the affected area would satiate that legal hurdle; why would they do any more?

96PCarrera993mg

^^+1^^

AshishM

Diminished value will be easy in GA, it is the only state that clearly recognizes it in their insurance legal muck. If there is damage all over, then you have a good shot at a respray. If it is only situated to a specific area, then it's only likely to be repair/refinish to that area with blends as needed. Pick a good body shop and let them push for what is needed.

Bruce P

What the insurance company is LEGALLY required to do is spelled out in their contract with their insured-- in this case the shop. I do not know what that contract says and I am assuming that you do not either. What is required to make the owner whole by restoring his car to pre accident conditions and to make him whole for his other damages is a question for the courts to answer NOT the insurance company.

Make it simple --- If the shop did not have insurance the OP would be negotiating directly with the shop owner to satisfy his damages. The fact that the shop has insurance does not make the insurance company Judge and Jury. The damages are what they are and should not be influenced by "what the insurance company will allow and or pay"

goofballdeluxe

Like I said, we all can speculate all we want.

History shows that insurance companies very rarely authorize a full respray for a car that only has localized damage. They are not required to do so, so chances are, they won't. Also, insurance companies do have the final say. Courts only have say if you decide to fight the insurance company's decision and embark on a lengthy and costly litigation. Insurance companies usually don't fight court battles unless they feel they can win. They have long experience in this.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see the OP get a full respray, diminished value, great flapjacks and a blow job from Miss Georgia 2013. But I know how insurance companies work, and don't get your hopes up on getting a full respray when only a localized area is affected, that's all