I had way more damage than that to my car and it got fixed perfectly! You just have to find the best p[lace. I took mine to Martino Auto Concepts in Glen Cove, LI and they were magicians.....here's a quick look:





Repair pics:





Here she is today......better than new:





No reason to dump her if you choose not to!

Best of Luck,

Tom

 

wow what did that bill run?

 

I'm not appraiser, but that doesn't look like 25K worth of damage. I'd say closer to 15K, assuming there is no damage to the engine.

 

Sorry to hear...

 

In some ways I'll agree, in other's I'd be questioning the decision. I had some nasty hail damage on my car last year. Nothing to challenge being a total of the car, but enough to make me wonder if it would ever be the same car after all of the body panels that required repair. But in the end, I love this car and wouldn't consider trading her in because of some cosmetic damage.

But then again, it wasn't involved in a collision. As good as collision repair may be nowadays, I'd be incredibly concerned about long-term reliability and value. I've never had to trade a car with collision damage, so I'm not entirely understanding of who pays for the diminished value of the car. I'd be able to live with the repairs and the insurance process for repair, but I'd be all over my insurance company for getting some sort of payout for diminished value, because there is no way that car will be worth the same after a collision as it was before.

But as you said, don't dump her if you don't want to!

 

The diminished value reimbursement craze is all but over. Insurance companies are not paying it anymore. You can try, but unless they determine that the repairs were not done correctly, they will deny it now. The answer to your question is YOU PAY for the value loss. That's the ****ty truth and why going through something like this when it's no fault of your own is so frustrating.

 

Interesting...I guess that's why there are all those commercials for attorneys every day. I'd certainly go after the guy for everything I could, especially since it was a drinking-related incident.

 

I guess that's why you're not an appraiser!!

And I'm certainly glad you weren't mine!!

Tom

 

Tommyv, followed your orignal post when you went through your ordeal and after looking at those pics again, I'm still amazed how well the repair was done and how great your car looks.

 

I had the same thing happen to me with another car. The rear wheel was pushed forward and in and the repair bill was huge! Sorry to hear. (I traded the car in immediately)

 

^^Agree^^

no matter his or your insurance.. no matter if your vehicle is or isn't total loss.. find a great appraisal company that specializes in Diminished Value.. Clark Howard referred me to Http://diminishedvalueofgeorgia.com owner Antoine Rached. after dealing with the highs and lows of the accident process, he was clutch. Stay Clear of horrible drivers. Good Luck.

 

Thank you my friend........the artists at MAC are truly magicians! Thank God I took it there!

Tom