signal

Today in stop and go traffic I rear ended a Van while driving my 996.

I was not going fast, maybe 15-20 miles an hour. The damage from what I see is front bumper, headlights, hood. The fenders have very little dmg, at the corners that connect toward the hood there is some slight dmg that I think can be straightened. I am more concerned about what type of metal typically gets screwed up in the front of the car.

I drove the car home, nothing in the suspension I could feel out of place, alignment even seemed ok.

I am going to get an estimate. What do you all think the dmg looks like in dollar amounts? I have a $1k deductable, and I am thinking between body and paint its probably at least $5-7k, what do you think? My insurance company is USAA, I hope the are not going to give me a hard time with estimating etc.

Do companies let you use used parts typically? I was thinking if USAA doesn't pay what my top of the line body shop charges, I could get the hood and maybe some peices from a junk yard, save some money there. Not sure if the body shops are usually down with that. I defintiely want to get some used litronics since I need new headlights anyways and I did not have litronics. If it only costs me $1k deductable and $1k out of pocket I will say I got lucky.

So my questions:

1. What do you think this is going to cost me?
2. How do these things make it to CARFAX? Does insurance carrier report?
3. How can I get the option label from my hood to the new hood? You think the body shop can get it off and apply adhesive......i would hate to lose that.
4. Will body shops let me use undamaged used parts like a junk yard hood?

As promised, the pics:

Phil G.

Ouch!!!!

So sorry to see the damage - as long as you're OK, count your blessings. A few things - insist on a top flight body shop for your repairs, and ONLY new OEM parts. Hard to say what the cost will be - if there's frame damage, we're talking $$$ - plus, I wouldn't want to keep the car. If not, I think $5K is probably in the ballpark. I wouldn't worry too much about the option sticker - least of your problems. Good luck and remember, it can be repaired.

signal

It was a van, and you can tell from the pics that my car sort of buckled the van's bumper (my car is low, and the van is a bit high), and so my car sort of slid under the bumper to an extent, didn't get locked in there, but you can tell from scraps on the hood. So I am hoping this minimized the front impact and maybe there is little damage to frame. Radiator was fine, temperature was fine, air bag didn't deploy. Its sucks tho....I am 34, this is my first accident, so I was due I guess.

Eric - Plug Guy

Without seeing the entire car and underbody closeup, it's impossible to know how far the damage went, frame, etc. A set of headlights will set you back a couple of big bills. Bumper Cover, Hood, possibly both fenders, and any underpinnings...who knows?

As Phil says, probably in the 5k-10k range, BUT if there is serious frame damage, your adjuster could total it. I've seen it happen, with some Porsches it did not even look as bad but the frame damage was bad enough to total.

Be prepared. Once you file with insurance, they will cross reference the VIN and that will likely end up reporting on CarFax.

Do the doors both line up correctly, open and closed? While driving it, if you let go of the wheel did the car drift left/right? How were the brakes?

Many hidden issues. Find the top guy in your locale for Porsche or other highline work, and have them dig in.

Prepare yourself, but be thankful to be alive and ok, and no one else hurt. What happened to the other vehicle?

Troy R

Ouch! Sorry to hear about your crash. That sucks. I just had some front end work done on my car from a deer I hit. No where near what yours is, but here was my dealings.

- The insurance company (Progressive) pushed me a little bit to use their shop. I said no way and took it where I wanted. In the end they were fine.

-They wrote the estimate up and then I went over it with the body shop. The headlight was priced at $1143 for one from Sunset Imports and I asked them if I supply the parts will they be okay with it and they said no problem. I ended up upgrading to the Litronics as well. I shopped around and found the parts for a fraction of what Sunset quoted, so it actually saved me around $1000. Since they were pulling everything apart I also ordered the clear side markers and told them to put them in place of the ambers. No problem. I also had them repaint the front hood and spoke about the front emblem and they just pulled the one off that was on there, cleaned it all shiny and then replaced it after it was painted. I know yours is much worse, but FYI the hood was $600 to repaint and blend (no damage other than rock chips), the front bumper was around $800-$1000 I think to repaint (again, no damage, just a crack in the paint and clearcoat from the deer). Overall, the body shop let me do whatever I want. They were (still are) irritated at how long it is taking me to get the parts here, but, oh well. The one thing I would definately suggest is finding out what the insurance company quoted for parts and then shopping around for them cheaper elsewhere. You could definately save some money. Good luck. Keep us updated on the progress!

C4CRNA

I also have USAA and they were very good when my wifes Subaru got smashed about 2 yrs ago. I would be VERY interested in how they treat a P car damage. I'm thinking you have $5K maybe 7K in damage, body shops are doing great things now a days you may end with a car that doesn't show any "worse for the wear".Ask around to find out who is the best guy to do the repairs, call some dealers for recomendations. Good Luck !! Those pictures made me queasy .

Porsche_Smile

glad you're okay. i guess in all this... that's the only thing that really matters........ but in terms of damage.... see if your ins. company will write you a check then see if you can get some parts at the junk yard..... no matter what, it will have to be repainted.....Good luck...

Troy R

Oh yeah, Carfax. I asked at the body shop about carfax and they said that in Oregon it only gets on to carfax if a police report is filed. A simple claim through the insurance company won't go through. Another person then confirmed what the first person said.

Mfletch

Signal,OUCH! sorry about your car. I'm glad you're ok. I had to replace the hood on my car and have the front bumper repaired. I would highly recomend using new OEM parts only. One of the places where my bumper was repaired is cracking. My hood had a minor bend near the window, I can tell where it was repaired...it was new but damaged during shipping. You are paying the deductable no matter what. Find the best body shop around (ask your local PCA) and insist on new parts. Your car was beautiful and will be again. Good luck.
Look at this as a chance to upgrade your headlights and get rid of any rock chips that you had.

Zoolander

Signal-Ouch, I am so sorry that happened to you. I had the same exact car...year, color, aero, wheels, everything. I miss that girl so much except I hurt mine a little worse. Thankfully yours will be back on the road as good as new someday.
I am no expert but my guess is $4k-7K. Good luck and keep us posted to the final cost if you can.
Also, way to swallow your pride and drive the thing. That had to suck.

rechromed2

Sorry to hear about the accident. I too have USAA and altough I've never used them for accidents I have used them for theft and break-ins. Both times they have been excellent and took my word for what I had listed as stolen in the car. If I remember correctly they only wanted a police report. I have never had issues with them and no one can touch their pricing. Hopefully they will treat you well too. Glad you are ok.

Indytrucks

So...that's what it would look like?
Sorry to hear about your incident. On a positive note...I see Litronic and a clear bra in your future
BP

Glenn

I just went through a nasty accident experience. Side swiped by a hit and run on the 401 (Toronto - 16 lanes of traffic) at night. Car drove fine, 4 weeks later at the best body shop (owned by the group that owns Downtown Porsche) and $26K worth of parts and labour. The expensive parts were control arms, sway bars, quarters, bumpers, wheel, etc. Its all expensive is what I'm trying to say. Be prepared - and do as others have said. Insist on the best place that is use to working on these cars. Go through a P-car dealer and insist on the best all OE parts. By the way, my experience with the shop was fantastic.

42empress

USAA will send an appraiser to check out the car. They will come right to you or to a shop if you take the car to the shop first. Personally, I would get an independent appraisal first from the p shop. Helps to have a body shop on board who can clearly show all damage to the car, possibly some hidden stuff that the appraiser might miss. Also leave open in case damage is found during repairs. USAA will cut you a check directly after that, minus the deductable. Once you have the money, you can fix it however you want. You could keep the money and sell the car, it does not matter. You are being reimbursed for the loss. BTW, if you decide to keep it, make sure you can take pictures so you can show a future buyer the damage if needed. I would rather see the extent of the damage if I was going to buy an accident vehicle.

tennktm

I have USAA as well......first reaction is I hope they do not ding me for your Pcar Just kidding.........my family has always used USAA and have never had any problems.....I have paid them a lot of money over the years, but never made any real claims....(I did hit a parked car when I lived in colo after college but that was not much $$$$)

Looks like a great deal of damage......I would think about getting paid for the decrease in value on the car if at all possible....it is recoverable if a third party hits you...not sure if it is available if it is your own automobile....

Keep us up to date on how USAA handles the claim..........