I just got rear ended in my 04 Turbo Cab by an older SUV... First time...ugh

Bumper was hit, and rear deck lid was bent upwards, and will not close. I also noticed that due to impact the air box in the engine bay was cracked.

Car seemed to drive fine after impact. Any advice on what else I should inspect, and have the body shop check?

Thanks much.

 

since you don't have a roof check the side panels for any crumpling...these cars can take a rear hit pretty well but have them check the chassis anyway...I'm assuming you were not hurt or anyone else..hope that is the case...cars can be fixed

 

Since this was not your fault - do not forget to submit for deminished value. Absolutely crusial in your settlement.

 

That's the main issue. No matter how well they fix it, you're always gunna take a hit on resale. Take lots of pictures.

 

Thanks guys... I was afraid of the resale issue. Yes, all ok... and that's what really matters.

 

Did you try to close the top? Or if closed when hit do you try to open it? How do the doors open and close? door gaps look good? Have it put on a frame machine and measured, A body shop does not want to have the car totaled out as they do not make money on the repairs. So be careful.

 

what does this mean? what do you do?

I got rear ended last Friday... 8K in damages.

 

what they are referring to is when you go to sell the vehicle , this accident is going to show up on the records carfax..and others. So when he tries to sell he will take a hit on the sell price due to the fact that the vehicle has been in a accident. So he needs to ask for compensation when this occurs . He needs pics. to prove to the buyer 1.) how bad the accident was 2.) proof of professional correction of the repair and 3.) cost of the repairs with OEM parts

 

You have a choice of buying 2 identical cars,one has an accident and one doesn't,so which one will you buy ? Damage is damage,original paint is gone and the resprayed panels can have issues. Bottom line is,how do you reassure the prospective owner about the severity of the repair

Second scenario: You are looking for a car and the car looks good to you. You get a PPI/Carfax done and find out car was in collision... so regardless of the asking price,will you buy this car ?

Personally i will not buy a car unless the owner can prove to me the extent of the damage/where it was repaired not to mention the adjusted price..

Diminished value is hard to claim but it's there. You might have to threaten them with getting an attorney or better yet spend $100-$200 on a letter and get atleast 10-20% of the value of the car back.

You can also call your local Porsche dealer and talk to the used sales car manager and ask him if you were to trade in your car with rear end repair,what would they offer you and compare that with the one with out the any damage.

They might tell you if the repair was done good than no diminished value which is abolutely rubbish. There's a reason,why all used sales manager carry a paint meter

The unfortunate part is,no matter what you do it,it would be hard to sell this car unles your price is 10-15% less than a similarly equppied car.

Hope that helps.

 

I understand what you said but what i was asking is Who do i Claim this Diminished Value calim with? The Person who Rear Ended Me? or Insurance Company?

 

You claim diminished value with their insurance company. You can not claim it until after the repairs have been made. Here is Houston average price for a letter from diminsihed value expert was $750.

 

You mean the person who hit me, i claim it with them. Ok thanks for the info, shall call my Lawyer tonight

 

If memory serves me right,if the other insurance doesn't pay for it than you can also check with your own insurance to see if it's covered under that ?

Just remember,insurance hates to pay out any money whether it's theirs or yours and in this case you are looking at at least $10,000 to $15,000 ( i valued the car at $100,000) not to mention the in convenience you will experience selling this car.

Make sure you take lots of pics and use the top notch body shop.

Good Luck

 

I had an 03 that was hit by a kid in an older Toyota pickup. The total damages after they pulled the engine and the tranny to inspect for damages was 28k. It did NOT total the car because the total value needed to be 46% or more. After 5 months of work I was happy to have my car back. I should have gone after diminished value but I did not. I wanted my car back. Mind you I had the car 9 days before I was smacked so I was not happy driving a Honda rental.

There is more damage than you can imagine. What was interesting is the fact that that rear bumper bar held things back pretty well. No mechanical damage (other than crushed airbox). But the rear bumper, Lid and spoiler and slightly warped rear fenders made up for it. Have a top quality shop evaluate the damage.

Hope that helps. Sorry for your "loss". I know what it feels like.