sandwedge

Maybe not a common situation but I had a really bad experience with a Porsche authorized repair center. Simple repair of a ding and respray of the front hood and they couldn't get it right after two attempts. Turns out, that Porsche authorized repair center is owned by the same dude who owns the local Porsche dealership. Appears it was authorized for reasons other than quality workmanship. Took it to another authorized shop who fixed it perfectly and effortlessly. Their jaws dropped when they saw what their competition had managed after two tries.

SoCal C2S

Before you settle with the other person's insurance, make sure that you get a check for loss of value. Take it to a Porsche dealer and get a trade in value with and without the ding on the Carfax....then present it to the insurance company for reimbursement. If it wasn't your fault, which it looks like, your plan was not to reduce the value of the car by inflicting this damage. Be strong, be relentless, no matter what. 99% of people walk away once they get pushback from an insurance company, but no one can argue with the facts that the value is now less than before.

vbb

The insurance company won't compensate for that voluntarily because it isn't in their interest to do so. Oftentimes to get money for a diminished value claim, you have to take it to court. And if you take it to court, you need to make sure you have your evidence to support your claim (an expert witness, preferably). These cases are not cheap to pursue and can be time consuming. So most people don't bother. The insurance companies know this. And so they don't pay willingly. So the cycle goes...

tomc_mets

Great advice. If there are multiple Porsche Authorized Collision Centers, get feedback from locals. There appear to be two authorized collision centers in Houston area.

Momentum BMW West
11811 Katy Freeway
HOUSTON, TX 77079

Caliber Collision Centers - Spring Aldine - Westfield
25636 ALDINE WESTFIELD
SPRING, TX 77373

T

flat6ix

Not as close but I recall seeing some good reviews for these guys on the forum before

http://www.stuartspnb.com/

Thedips

yea loss of value is a tough one, but it will be definite when it comes to trade in / resale time.

sandwedge

The difficulty in collecting probably varies from one insurance company to another. My -09 C4S was rear ended and the repairs came to just shy of $5,000. The guy who hit me was with Geico and they wrote me a check for $3,900 for diminished value. No court or attorney involved. I can't say it was easy but they never pushed back real hard and instead went more along the line of " show us why we should pay".

There's so much written about how body work have a negative impact on the value of these cars that the case is not that difficult to make imo. I also got a written opinion from the sales manager at my dealership. As with everything else, come prepared and don't get intimidated.

BHMav8r

Diminished value is much more common these days. After a four martini lunch girl hit my passenger door with a BAC of 0.21, the insurance co didn't blink when I asked for a new door and diminished value. It wasn't as much as I would of liked but it wasn't worth the hassle to get more. I also made it clear that I wouldn't except the paint if it didn't match and the paint thickness was consistent with the rest of the car.

tomc_mets

Stuart's worked on my Porsche after it 30s dinged up badly in a hail storm. First rate. Highly recommended...T

sam0182

Thanks again all for the feedback, it really helps and I'm taking notes and doing some additional research. Photos to follow-up after it's all completed and I'll be sure to have the repairs carefully documented throughout by the facility as to have that process documented for any future buyer if/when that happens.

That said, I'm more inclined to keep this thing until the wheels fall off and turn this experience into a bonding one, if nothing else. We'll see.

Thanks again.

tomc_mets

Right attitude. I'd puke if that happened to my unicorn, but it looks like it can be fixed. The experts will let you know. My 997.2S was badly dinged up 2 weeks into ownership, by a hail storm, and it came back looking better than it left after PDR, bodywork and a detail. Taught me an important lesson, they can be fixed, it may be a PITA, but they can be fixed. Was a lot more relaxed and enjoyed the ownership experience more since then. Get it fixed (if it can be), and then drive the wheels off it…T

sam0182

Thanks, that makes me feel better. I've had the car for four weeks so it's pretty brutal to have something like this happen so early.

Bruce In Philly

Bummer, accidents are never good.....

But..... given that I drive my cars, 197K from my Boxster S, and now 100K on my 2009 C2s, I bang 'em up! The trick is getting a good repair facility..... don't trust the recommendation of the dealer as was my bad experience once.

For me, I would be unhappy for a fortnight, then after a good repair, pretty much forget about it. It is a car, nothing special about installing a new fender, Porsche paint is not anything special..... not a Faberge egg.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

GTS Sully

Ouch! Would be my worst nightmare. But the best news is you're okay!!

stronbl

Sorry for your accident ... glad you are ok though.

Your insurance company adjuster won't get it right for a number of reasons. Hopefully he/she will have a Porsche expert (Porsche authorized shop perhaps) give them an opinion - or accept an opinion from a Porsche expert you provide. The rear quarter panel where you are hit is a continuous piece so much more expensive to fix it correctly versus a cut-weld-sand-paint job (which you do not want). Also there may be (reasonably probable) additional damage to engine/suspension, and hopefully not frame. But there is a fair amount of weight in that area of the vehicle so any movement will have some consequences. Good luck. Keep us posted on your findings if you can.

BTW - I spoke with the people (forget the shop manager's name) at Momentum BMW Collision (Porsche certified repair shop) concerning some body repair work on my other Porsche. He seemed pretty good, but I cannot attest to their ability as I have not yet decided to pursue the repairs.