My car's fooked - diminished value?

[Mike 1]

Noticed a coupe for sale here that was in an accident. I think it's the same color and a front end collision. Might work? Good Luck.

[KevinC]

Originally Posted by jhm5

A sad situation for sure. Be glad there are no personal injuries. Choose the best body repair shop you can find, no matter what State Farm recommends. Press the shop to repair it to your satisfaction and let them fight with the insurance company. Report the incident to your insurer. Google, ask around, find someone who deals with diminished claims in your area. They can evaluate the repair to your car and the likely diminished value and fight with State Farm. Is there a police report? Was the car towed? If not, there may not be a record of the accident that reaches Carfax and the like. Good luck.

There IS a police report and I have reported the accident online to my insurer (Grundy) and will let them start the process of getting State Farm to pony up. Since Grundy is a collector car insurer, they should be good with stuff like diminished value. I also have some potential leverage with State Farm as they insure everything else we own (house & 2 other cars) and I've been with them for 36 years, so I'll get my agent involved if I need a push there.

[bwright657]

So sorry to hear about the accident, but you definitely saved it from totaling the car. I would fix it right and keep it. The longer you keep it, the less impact it will have on value. And you won't feel as bad putting miles on the car.

This might also give you an opportunity to do a color change and make it truly unique. I'd love to change my Space Grey to Donnington Grey from the newer M's. It catches sun really well and would make the lines of the car pop even more.

[David70]

I also would fix and keep it, assuming no major damage. Either way, no reason to decide now and instead you can see how it comes out. I would keep good pictures of the damage so that when you do sell it the person can see what happened. Carfax doesn't differentiate between a small hit and major damage.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by KevinC

Thanks for all the words of support guys. I do fear that the rear suspension is tweaked. It's hard to tell from looking at it as the wheel is very mangled, which in and of itself is not a good sign. The gravity of this essentially being a near-death experience kinda set in last night. If I'd have T-boned her at 65, she's dead. Who knows what happens to me - the whole thing could have become one big fireball.

You can see in my pictures that the weather is clear, full daylight, and the road is straight as an arrow here. Yet she didn't see me coming somehow, despite being well-positioned to see traffic in either direction before deciding to cross the highway. Be alert out there at ALL times - no matter how skilled or careful of a driver you may be, somebody is lurking out there to make that stuff null and void.

I've started my search for a body shop. I'm in the stocks, 80 miles from Tucson, and the nearest "real" town is small and I don't know that I'd trust anyone there to fix it, or if there is a good shop there, how I'd find it. I'll ask my mechanic in Tucson for a recommendation and I've already reached out to a couple of the local BMWCCA chapter's officers to see if they can point me someplace. I'll update the thread as this unfolds.

While not an M Coupe, my 3.0si Coupe had similar cosmetic damage (bumper cover, fender, etc.) but much worse under the skin (bumper, EVAC pump and canister, a whole bunch of suspension damage, and the corner of the trunk box was bent) $11K in all of repairs at one of the best BMW body shops in the Mid-Atlantic (Fairfax BMW). My car was cherry too at only 32,000 miles. My car was hit at the right rear from behind by a Honda Pilot probably at 35 to 40 MPH. She was pushed in the back by a F450 and was diving right to avoid me and I was diving left to give her room. The wheels hit, her left front to my right rear. Just like any good open wheel race car contact, her AWD Pilot climbed up my right rear tire and went by me on the right, on her two right-side wheels, Joey Chitwood style, as her Pilot traced down the guardrail that thankfully kept her from rolling. All I saw of it was her undercarriage.

Anyway, the accident literally broke the trailing arm, lower control arm, toe strut, spring, and shock of my right rear suspension; the tire slammed up against the forward inside wheel well. Ugly. Fearing that the unibody was bent to shit and the subfame twisted, I figured it was totaled; not a chance, my Z4 rides perfect today (70,000 miles later - perfect and even tire wear). The good news is the chassis of the Z4 Coupe is stiff as hell, and the rear subframe is extra beefy with large diameter tubes that are practically impossible to bend. If the impact to my car didn't bend the unibody and tweak the subframe then what happened to your car is peanuts in comparison. Your wheel looks pretty well centered. keep in mind the suspension arms and locating struts are designed to bend and break from curb impacts so as to save the frame and unibody. All those parts are inexpensive and easily replaceable. Plus by law, you have up to two years after the repair to have the insurance company pay for additional repairs if something else shows up as a result of the accident. Also good news is you are a State Farm customer (even though the M is not insured by them) so State Farm should treat you reasonably.

So I have to say you should find a BMW certified body shop, which means they have the correct frame straightening machine and the BMW CAD files to check the frame/suspension and body alignment. I'm sure Tucson has such a facility. Call BMW or at least a nearby BMW dealership. The fender is bolt-on, and the valence panel is too. Bumper covers are easy too.

I hit a deer in the front too, two years ago... story for another thread... but it was an easy repair with no frame damage also.

It's difficult to bend up the E86 Z4 Coupe.

[KevinC]

^^ good info and encouraging, thanks for that.

A bit of good news - I just spoke to my mechanic up in Tucson. They DO have an excellent body shop they've worked with ("we've all used them") near their shop and looking at their online reviews and info about the shop, they do sound like the ideal place to do the work - and they will work hand-in-hand on mechanical issues with my mechanic. That's what I was hoping to find. And it sounded like a genuinely enthusiastic endorsement - not just a "yeah we refer business here" kinda thing.

I filed the claim with Grundy over the weekend and I'm just waiting to hear from them to get the ball rolling. They are supposed to contact me within 2 business days. Their online tools are absolutely horrendous, but the reviews of their claim handling are excellent so hoping for a smooth ride. But for now I'm VERY relieved that I have a place to take it.

[racerbruce]

^ ^
Great news - is the body shop BMW certified? If not, perhaps you can ask for summaries and pics of other BMW repairs they have completed.

[KevinC]

Originally Posted by racerbruce

Great news - is the body shop BMW certified? If not, perhaps you can ask for summaries and pics of other BMW repairs they have completed.

Doubtful and I don't really care. "BMW Certified" means exactly what? Some guy from Munich flies in and inspects their work? They sign some document that "certifies" that they do things a certain way, then pay BMW some fee to be able to hang a "BMW Certified" certificate on the wall? I had my ZHP fixed at a 2-man shop up in Mesa and those guys were absolutely impeccable and not certified by anybody - they just knew what they were doing and were "pro's pros". Heck I'd go back (3 hours each way) if the guy hadn't retired a couple of years ago.

Not trying to crap on your suggestion Bruce, but it's just not something I'm concerned about. I know you're just being helpful and I appreciate that. I appreciate all the input I've gotten in this thread.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by KevinC

Doubtful and I don't really care. "BMW Certified" means exactly what? Some guy from Munich flies in and inspects their work? They sign some document that "certifies" that they do things a certain way, then pay BMW some fee to be able to hang a "BMW Certified" certificate on the wall? I had my ZHP fixed at a 2-man shop up in Mesa and those guys were absolutely impeccable and not certified by anybody - they just knew what they were doing and were "pro's pros". Heck I'd go back (3 hours each way) if the guy hadn't retired a couple of years ago.

Not trying to crap on your suggestion Bruce, but it's just not something I'm concerned about. I know you're just being helpful and I appreciate that. I appreciate all the input I've gotten in this thread.

BMW certified means the body techs have been trained in repair of BMW automobiles and they follow the BMW techniques/procedures for repair. They use the correct adhesives. They have the proper frame straightening equipment and the frame dimensional data from BMW AG. That's not saying that a non-certified body shop can't affect a good repair; it's is saying that as certified, the body shop follow BMW's recommended repair procedures.

Turns out BMW USA website has a listing by city of Certified Auto Collison Centers. Tucson's is:

Chapman Collision Tempe Certified Collision Repair Center
(480) 752-1475
5301 S Kyrene Rd
Tempe, AZ 85283

Maybe it is the same shop as your mechanic recommended.

https://my.bmwusa.com/ccrc

[W///]

Originally Posted by KevinC

^^ good info and encouraging, thanks for that.

A bit of good news - I just spoke to my mechanic up in Tucson. They DO have an excellent body shop they've worked with ("we've all used them") near their shop and looking at their online reviews and info about the shop, they do sound like the ideal place to do the work - and they will work hand-in-hand on mechanical issues with my mechanic. That's what I was hoping to find. And it sounded like a genuinely enthusiastic endorsement - not just a "yeah we refer business here" kinda thing.

I filed the claim with Grundy over the weekend and I'm just waiting to hear from them to get the ball rolling. They are supposed to contact me within 2 business days. Their online tools are absolutely horrendous, but the reviews of their claim handling are excellent so hoping for a smooth ride. But for now I'm VERY relieved that I have a place to take it.

Sorry to hear about the accident. I honestly wouldn't put too much weight on the fact you were driving the car on a weekday. For one, that's what they're built for, and secondly, this could have happened on a weekend too.

Damage really doesn't look too bad and certainly wouldn't make me sell this particular example just to come back into the exact same car. With the damage I see, the car could easily be put back to exactly how it was before.

As for the M2C, it absolutely sounds better than the M3/4, especially the non-Comp ones. Very similar to how the Z4M sounds better than the E46 M3 stock for stock. I've looked very closely into adding one, or selling the E36 M3 for one, but IMO, it's in no way a replacement for the Z4M. I'm going to hold tight and see what BMW does with the G87 and then decide, but even then, I already know my 95k mile Z4MR is a forever car.

Good luck with the repairs!

[KevinC]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Turns out BMW USA website has a listing by city of Certified Auto Collison Centers. Tucson's is:

Chapman Collision Tempe Certified Collision Repair Center

Oh my. Chapman's on Kyrene TOTALLY butchered the repair job on a buddy's 735i a few years ago - I mean BADLY. Then he had a hard time getting them to make everything right. NFW I'd let them do anything to any car of mine.

If there were frame straightening or other major work, I **might** seek out a "certified BMW" shop. But if that's the only one anywhere near here (and that's not even close to Tucson, it's 100 miles to the north and 200 miles to the north of me), then I'm really not concerned.

I should hear from the insurance company today and hope to have it off my driveway and in the shop in Tucson in the next couple of days. Not happening today because we're under a ton of snow.

[inTgr8r]

Originally Posted by baege

For some reason, the S55 sounds better inside and out in the M2C than it does in the M4. It actually sounds pretty good (for a modern turbo car) from the inside. But yeah you will miss the acoustics of the s54...but suprisingly not as much you might think.I had a 981 Cayman with a very sweet sounding flat six prior to the M2C and, while it sounded better, the gap is not as huge as I thought. I actually drive with the window slightly down even in coldish weather to enjoy the sound.

...now the 718 Cayman; that's a completely different story
It's gone now and I sure am happy that I never sold the Z4MC

KevinC sorry to hear about this incident, I hope it all works out for you.

[KevinC]

Progress today. Grundy called and gathered more info. They had their independent adjuster contact me about seeing the car. Called towing company to set up flatbed with my preferred driver, still waiting to hear back on whether the ride will happen tomorrow or Thursday. Adjuster will inspect at the shop on Friday AM. I may take a ride up there and be present for his visit. I'd like to see the shop and meet the folks there.

My Grundy coverage has zero deductible and this should all be coming out of State Farm's wallet anyways as the other driver is clearly at fault (she's insured with them). But Grundy will handle the claim and go after State Farm to recover what they pay out. I discussed getting compensated for the car being out of service - normally for a 1-car person this would be a rental car reimbursement, but I won't be renting a car. He thinks he can get perhaps $25/day for it being off the road. I'll take it. Making progress!

[racerbruce]

^ ^
Great news - making the initiative to be present w/the Grundy team clarifies your direct interest in your car and the ultimate outcome of this claim.

[JAS1169]

You paid for Grundy's elite coverage, which was a smart move on your part, and by using it, you should have the best outcome.

[Huz-Z]

Nice to see a good news story developing from what was initially bad news. I’m hoping to ultimately see pics of a fully restored car and that you are happy with the work.

[3798j]

Originally Posted by KevinC

Adjuster will inspect at the shop on Friday AM.

I've posted here (on another insurance thread) that I saw a Grundy independent adjuster in action on a friend's vehicle. I was impressed with her thoroughness and knowledge. Feel pretty confident your concerns will be understood. I should add my friend's claim included her returning when additional damage was uncovered.

[KevinC]

The indy adjuster Grundy is sending down from Phoenix said he's been in the biz for 50 years and sounded like a grizzled veteran. The car was flat-bedded up to the shop today. I gotta find out what time he's planning on getting there as I may venture up to meet him and the shop owners. Long hoof from here so hopefully it would be mid-day. He's got a long drive from Phoenix too.

Will be interesting to hear where the estimate comes in and what damage under the surface is discovered. I'm confident this shop is gonna do good work. It's a big relief getting it off my driveway and into their hands.

[racerbruce]

KevinC,
Can you give us a brief overview of the Elite coverage package 3798j referenced - and how this could be advantageous in the claim process.

[3798j]

Originally Posted by racerbruce

KevinC,
Can you give us a brief overview of the Elite coverage package 3798j referenced - and how this could be advantageous in the claim process.

Careful now...it wasn't me referencing "elite coverage", it was JAS1169. While I've got 6 vehicles insured with Grundy's collector & special interest auto policies, I'm not aware of anything that they might offer above and beyond.

[KevinC]

I wasn't aware of "Elite" coverage, only that it's Grundy collector car coverage. So far, the experience dealing with them has been great. Cost was only ~$431/year vs over $700 for full coverage I had with State Farm prior. And - zero deductible! $35k agreed-upon value. That was important in making the switch to a collector policy since KBB values for our cars are, and always have been, hideously low.

[jpbmw]

Sorry to hear about the accident but glad there are no injuries. Best of luck with the claim and the repairs.

Fellow Space Gray owner.