I get diminution of value all the time, but then I am a lawyer and suit is usually filed. State Farm, Nationwide and All State seem to always fight about everything even when they are in the wrong. If you are serious about getting diminution of value, you may need to seek counsel for that one or they may only offer something like $ 500 for diminution just to settle the case out.

RE: Dealer not saying anything about repairs

When the dealer drives it off to get a bid on it, the wholesellers or appraisers are very liekly looking for over spray or running a paint meter if something looks funky. They may not say anything to you about it, but they may still be discounting the car because of prior repairs.

I have been told that is best to not even respray a hood for paint chips because if something looks too perfect, dealers/wholsellers may discount it based on the assumption that there had previously been repair work.

 

as long as the frame isn't bent there isn't any reason to even have a concern as long as a quality job is done. I mean i've repainted my front end do to sever rock chips, that sure as heck shouldn't take value away from the car. Getting in a fender bender is no different, as long as quality body work is done.


IMO there was absolutely ZERO reason to call your dealer and all you did by doing this is make your car worth less money.

Hell in all honesty the work may come out better, i can't tell you how many bad paint jobs i've seen comming out of factory's lately. The recent dark audi's look like a giant orange peel.

 

You may be right, but given the choice of two cars exactly the same and the same price, the one with no accident history or reapirs will be chosen first at least 9 times out of 10.

The problem is not that the hood looks perfect because of the respray, but the questions that may be raised in one' mind as to why the respray. Absent photographs of before and after and the complete set of invoices for the job, some may be gun shy.

I have perhaps been unlucky, but every car that I have owned that has been wrecked/was wrecked and sustained a fair amount of damage was never exactly the same afterwards.

The car may be fixed perfectly, but then again it may not and there may be no real way of knowing that until after you had the car for a while and little things start to show up like squeaks, rattles, vibrations, uneven tire wear and etc. Just to take the unknown out of the equation, the unwrecked car will be chosen over the wrecked car given the same set of circumstances.

If I am paying close to market value for something as costly as a 996 or a 996TT, I want it to be perfect.

 

Think of it this way, how many cars on the road today have at least SOME body work done on them? 60%? 75%? It's so prevelant that unless the frame is bent or the repair sucks you are unlikely to see the damage again. Also, if the damage is a bolt-on body panel that can be yanked and replaced, what's the big deal? It's no different than changing an oil filter in theory, just on a larger scale. I think the difference is in the industy's ability to properly match paint. The technonlogy has come a long way. After bolting on a new quarter and matching the paint, how different is it than it was before? It's not, really. It's just a touchy subject because of the emotional attachment we all place on our cars.

 

The main problem with reselling a repaired car is that the buyer never can be sure that the complete extent of the damage has been disclosed or even discovered by the repair shop. If you have two cars one you know has never been wrecked and one that has but has been well repaired, Ill bet you always buy the non-wrecked one.