| please see my responses to your questions:
Wow man. This is not good. Do the people who drafted this estimate agree on the impact speed?
RESPONSE: 2 body shops, the BMW dealer, and my insurance company all agree that I was going something less than 10 mph, since the front bumper exploded on the driver side in front of the point of impact and no bags went off.
I don't want to be a jerk, but sometimes we do go faster than we think. Still, it sounds a but drastic to have to do frame straightening if you were going at such a low speed that it felt like only 5 mph or so.
I would ask the shop to show you the damage. Have them provide you with pictures and compare your car to a "good" reference unit.
RESPONSE: 2 body shops and the regional senior claims inspector for my insurance company all agree on the extend of the damage.
It doesn't make any sense to me that the suspension and or steering need to be replaced. You did mention that it felt like a suspension component broke. Did any pf the shops see anything that correlates to that? Broken control arm, etc.?
RESPONSE: my insurance company is sending an investigator to determine if there was a mechanical failure preceding the incident.
Let me ask you this: is the car still driveable? Does it feel weird at all? Does it pull to the side, vibrate, etc.? You have electronic dampening, right?
RESPONSE: The car is not driveable - the entire front passenger side suspension is broken, as is the steering system, including the steering gear.
These things aren't easy to diagnose remotely, but from my previous experiences, I am inclined to say that these people have seen you come in an M6 and figured the insurance company and you should have known what they were getting into, and are now trying to run up a large bill.
RESPONSE: Everyone at BMW, the insurance carrier and the two body shops is shocked at the bill, but all agree on the extent of the parts and labor required. | 
