Crashed my 318is/ memorial thread

[Fivemanarmy]

So I crashed my car and I was told it will be about 10K to repair. This was a car I loved some much, and it was my first BMW. 1995 318is, chipped, Dinan suspension, and hi-flow exhaust system.

My goal will be to get back into another BMW, and hopefully if its back into another 318 I'll buy back the car from the insurance company and strip all the goodies off it and put on my new car. The suspension system alone is worth the car...

Here's some pictures, I tried so hard have her look to notch, new paint, new lights. I'm super sad to her in the condition that she is....

RIP

[marti5]

Thats bad news mate, I would buy it back "so to speak" ( its not theres anyway)from the ins comp straight away take all the parts you need and sell the rest, you must remember its your car not the ins comps they dont own it just because they insure it, you can do a deal, example worth 2000, you pay me 1600 and I keep the car!!!

THE CAR IS NOT THERES, UNTIL YOU SAY OK I WILL ACCEPT YOUR OFFER, they basically buy it off you.

Most people just assume that their car is the insurers once they have an accident, this is not the case, it is yours, not the ins comps.

Example:

So if its the ins comps why dont they pay for all the services , tyres etc as in when you lease a car???? then it is the lease companies car.

So many lose there cars this way that sometimes have minor damage just because they thought that their bent car didnt belong to them anymore, how wrong they were!!!!!!!!

[witeshark]

Sorry about that. Hope you find another

[MyBmwHatesMe]

I'm sorry for your loss. Definitely take your aftermarket parts out of that bad boy! Get another one and you got yourself a project. Keep us posted on the progress when you get a new one.

[volcom1359]

Ah that sucks, insurance pays out well sometimes,, bmws hold their value

[Fivemanarmy]

Ok, so I may have some outs here to repair my car. Updates soon, wish me luck.

I really don't want to buy a new car, so repair is my top priority.

[witeshark]

Best of luck!

[Mopho]

I am a retired auto bodyman and painter (30 years experience and a manager when I retired).
I do insurance estimates as an independent appraiser now, and I was wondering if you can post some good photos of your car where the damage is from several angles, and I may be able to give you a body shop type quote as to what you need to do honestly and accurately. Some shops will lowball the estimate to get the job, then write a BIG supplement...what ya gonna do but pay it if they already disassembled the car???
Sometimes, depending on the extent of the damages, it is better to replace the car.
We need photos.
I have the current Mitchell Ultra Mate estimating system like AAA and body shops use (unless they use CCC Pathways or some other inferior estimating system). Mitchell International is the excepted estimating system for AAA Farmers, State Farm, Allstate, etc. It costs me 230 bucks a month for updates on new models, parts price increases, etc.
So, lets see some photos.
Also, what is the labor rate in your area? Any used parts available locally?
I have national sources for parts, too.
Mopho.

[Fivemanarmy]

Well I can only post so many pictures so I'll try to 'choose' wisely:

I had hit black Ice and managed to hit the wall of a bridge 2 times. 1st impact was drivers side rear corner bumper and the 2nd was the front drivers side bumper. As you can see the 4th pictures shows the warpage of the metal in front of the rear taillight. There is a small vertical dent on the passenger side 6 inches in front of the rear taillight which is an inch long and less than a 1/4" wide The rear impact was over and up.

After the impact with the car stopped. I got out to inspect the damage, I tore the corner part of the bumper, (rear), off and threw it in my trunk then drove away. The car drives perfectly straight. Letting go of the steering wheel it doesn't veer any which way as well it doesn't make any bad clunking, scratching, or pinging noises. As a matter of fact if you were to get in the car without seeing the damage, you would never know I was in accident. I believe I have only body damage. My rear end took the worst of it. If this wasn't a BMW it would sure be a lot worse I'm sure.

My trunk won't close now because of the impact. I actually thought it looked pretty good all things considering. But the quote I was given by the body shop was 10K, 6K alone was labor hours. So I have some friends I'm asking for help, themselves knowing people in the auto body trade, etc. So my hope is that there is a way for me to get the car repaired...fingers crossed.

[Mopho]

Originally Posted by Fivemanarmy

Well I can only post so many pictures so I'll try to 'choose' wisely:

I had hit black Ice and managed to hit the wall of a bridge 2 times. 1st impact was drivers side rear corner bumper and the 2nd was the front drivers side bumper. As you can see the 4th pictures shows the warpage of the metal in front of the rear taillight. There is a small vertical dent on the passenger side 6 inches in front of the rear taillight which is an inch long and less than a 1/4" wide The rear impact was over and up.

After the impact with the car stopped. I got out to inspect the damage, I tore the corner part of the bumper, (rear), off and threw it in my trunk then drove away. The car drives perfectly straight. Letting go of the steering wheel it doesn't veer any which way as well it doesn't make any bad clunking, scratching, or pinging noises. As a matter of fact if you were to get in the car without seeing the damage, you would never know I was in accident. I believe I have only body damage. My rear end took the worst of it. If this wasn't a BMW it would sure be a lot worse I'm sure.

My trunk won't close now because of the impact. I actually thought it looked pretty good all things considering. But the quote I was given by the body shop was 10K, 6K alone was labor hours. So I have some friends I'm asking for help, themselves knowing people in the auto body trade, etc. So my hope is that there is a way for me to get the car repaired...fingers crossed.

Getting it repaired is the question. The rear uni-body is tweaked. The bumpers, you can get aftermarket, used etc. Used is best, like the front bumper would come with the impact absorbers, reinforcement bar, shocks, etc. The rear, well......
You have to find someone that has a frame machine and the uni-body special attachments for BMW to properly tie it down to pull the rear end back over. Unfortunately, the rear parts are all welded on, so it is expensive for parts and expensive labor intensive mig welding work. (It's illegal to use a gas torch welding outfit on this car due to high strength low alloy sheetmetal).
Check with your friends, a lot of shops will work at a discount when they are slow (like the present ecomomy)......... but look to see what it would cost to replace it with an undamaged vehicle.
Might be better off, since it is a 1995 (not knowing how many miles is on it),
the Bluebook here in N. California is roughly $4225/$6875. (with 98,000 miles, less with more miles).
I would buy the car back, find a nice one, and at your leisure, change over the parts or sell or part out or

[Fivemanarmy]

Originally Posted by Mopho

Getting it repaired is the question. The rear uni-body is tweaked. The bumpers, you can get aftermarket, used etc. Used is best, like the front bumper would come with the impact absorbers, reinforcement bar, shocks, etc. The rear, well......
You have to find someone that has a frame machine and the uni-body special attachments for BMW to properly tie it down to pull the rear end back over. Unfortunately, the rear parts are all welded on, so it is expensive for parts and expensive labor intensive mig welding work. (It's illegal to use a gas torch welding outfit on this car due to high strength low alloy sheetmetal).
Check with your friends, a lot of shops will work at a discount when they are slow (like the present ecomomy)......... but look to see what it would cost to replace it with an undamaged vehicle.
Might be better off, since it is a 1995 (not knowing how many miles is on it),
the Bluebook here in N. California is roughly $4225/$6875. (with 98,000 miles, less with more miles).
I would buy the car back, find a nice one, and at your leisure, change over the parts or sell or part out or

So I'm still waiting for the insurance adjuster to look at the car. My brother's friend quoted me a better price to repair than the other shop which was 10K. I'm still waiting for a few more options to pursue, so a little patience will be required to see this through. He said two weeks to repair it and that means I have to get it to Calgary from Edmonton.

The value here in Canada is roughly 5-8K depending on km's or miles on the vehicle obviously. I paid 7K, and he quoted me 5K to fix it. The shops here can be ruthless as well our economy is not suffering to the extent as the American economy is, so they won't be helping that way, unfortunately. Hmmmmmmmmm

Thanks for the input. Merry Christmas everyone!!

[Mopho]

One of my best buds lives in Calgary. He rode his Harley down with wife to visit last summer. Not riding lately though... a little to nippy up in Snowland...
Good luck with your repairs.
Merry Christmas...

[MyBmwHatesMe]

Sucks about your car, man!

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all!

[Fivemanarmy]

So here's the skinny, not matter what I tried to do my insurance company will not buck up to repair my car. They actually gave me a great buyout, which was more than the lowest quote I provided them.

When I asked to keep the car they cut 35% off my buyout, which helped me to make my decision.

I'm super sad to see my car go. THe next one I'm going to treat even better.....if that's possible.

Thanks for your input and well wishes everyone.

Have a great year, everyone

5

[witeshark]

Well, I'm glad to see you found a resolution.