I had an unfortunate accident yesterday that caused body damage to both my 525i and my Z4. I left my 5er in gear and it went up my driveway and ultimately scraped the side of my Z4 that was parked in the garage. I know, not one of the brightest things I've done. I have $250 deductibles on both vehicles and I plan to make insurance claims on both vehicles since the damage will likely be in the $2k (USD) neighborhood for each. I called State Farm and they told me that my rates will not go up as a result.

My question is:
Should I get both cars repaired by the BMW dealership or just go to XYZ place that State Farm recommends? The mom-and-pop place they recommended is less than a mile from my house and State Farm DOES NOT require that one of their adjusters is present for the estimate since this place is "approved" by them. They'll also pick-up my car and drop it off at my house when they're done. Essentially, this place is MUCH more convenient. The BMW dealership with a bodyshop is about 30 miles from my house and the State Farm adjuster must be present at the time of the estimate and it sounds like transportation to and from is on my dime. So, are all body shops the same? Is it really that big of a deal to do with the dealer versus the local place? Both are "certified"....Both will use BMW parts and both claim to be able to match the paint easily.

 

Take it to the most expensive and most reputable place to get an estimate. Get your check, then take it to the place you are comfortable with and save your deductibles + get some cash.

 

I say go with what your insurance tells you to, the mom and pop place.
Sounds better than going to BMW bodyshop. They will probably take weeks on weeks.

Hate to hear about the damages. I love your Z4! It looks amazing with those M6 rims

 

The nearby place is BMW certified? Are you certain?

 

the dealership most probably will do better compare to the other shop but Im sure the dealership will take a longer time to fix your car, so if the other shop is used to fixing up BMW cars,, Im guessing they should be alright, it will all depend on which one will you be comfortable with, good luck with your decision and i hope everything goes well

 

Perhaps that part of my post was misleading. They are certified in the sense of being a certified body shop, NOT a BMW certified shop like the dealer is.

 

Ja, it was. And not every dealer has a certified body shop (some contract out and they may not all use certified BMW body shops).

Still, you need to ignore nonsense such as
unless you don?t care about the outcome.

 

There can be some great mom and pop shops and there can be some crappy "dealer shops." The best thing to do is research, research, research. Some of the independents can do better work than some dealers. If you are a CCA member, inquire with your chapter and see if they have experience with the mom and pop shops recommended by your insurance. Let us know the outcome.
No matter which shop you use, unfortunately, your car will never look the same as it did.

I almost forgot, there is some sort of benefit you can claim, but the name escapes me. Maybe another member can chime in? Basically, what it amounts to is that as a result of the damage, your car will never get to "list" price. Ask for the difference between the list price and what the car will be worth because of the repair.

 

I would go to the shop that does the best work in town otherwise good eye will spot that your car was painted.

 

+1 go to whatever shop you feel most comfortable with (i.e. who you think will do the best work) first off it sounds like if its only scrapes/dents in the paint you wont need any bmw parts, and if you do actually need parts, then you can request from the body shop they only use BMW parts. secondly not all dealerships have their own body shop, alot of them contract to local body shops, so in the end its just a body shop anyway. the only other positive is if you take it to the dealer and they give you a BMW as a loaner car, then thats a plus.

In the end body work is body work is body work as long as its good it doesnt matter who does it