CWS530

Hi. Yeah, in the time it took me to respond, you had updated your signature so I was about two posts behind! Anyway, good to see that at least you have a rental. You are absolutely correct, the repairs surely will be more than 30 days. Many parts will be ordered, then back-ordered, then weather delays, or whatever. Also, if you are like me, you will go over everything with a fine-toothed comb and find several things they missed or flat-out did not do properly, so you'll be back at the shop the next day or not even picking it up and driving away. On a big job, it just seems inevitable. Oh, the Cobalt...isn't that the worst? I think mine was a teal Malibu. I went from "pride in my ride" to burying the thing in the back of the parking garage.

Back to your question. I was rear-ended at a stoplight several years ago while I was driving a car that had a few years on it already (a paid-off Montero). The other driver got a ticket for following too closely, and I got a rental. When the repair time exceeded the estimated two weeks (this was not that serious), the other driver's adjuster contacted the repair shop to confirm, so I was allowed to keep the rental. It ended up taking four weeks due to a back-ordered bumper, some paint work I thought was substandard, etc., and I remember getting a call from my agent saying that he had spoken to the other driver's adjuster who was complaining about the repair time being too long (even though he had called the dealership to confirm the delay). I told him that I wasn't intentionally delaying the process by noting deficiencies, I just wanted my car back as close to spec as possible. The adjuster on the other side still complained, but in the end, they paid for all the repairs, the rental, and my missed work (be sure to document that just in case you go to court or they argue). Sorry, but I have no idea about the lease payment issue--never leased. I do know that I made regular payments on my hailed-on 3er even though the repair shop ended up having for five weeks (parts delays, returns, etc.)

Oh, and those pics are gruesome. Really sorry to see that. Luckily it wasn't a full-on t-bone to the passenger compartment or you'd probably be laid-up right now. Looks like a pretty significant impact. Frankly, I am a little surprised it isn't totaled, at least based on the photos.

pharding

I was hit on the front passenger side corner of my 04 545 in May of of 07. I had much less damage than you and the estimated cost to repair it was $42,000. My car had a salvage value of $6,000 so they wrote out a check to me for the value of the car plus tax reimbursement of $46,000. The problem with your damage is that the steering components will have to be replaced and most inexperienced estimators leave that out. the other thing that is commonly left out is the damage that is transmitted back into the car by the drive shaft. It is important to have an experienced BMW certified body shop look at your car. Somebody that does not know what they are doing will leave out a lot of concealed damage. Also you need a BMW certified shop to do the work or the warranty is voided. If you a have a certified BMW body shop look at the car and prepare an estimate I am sure that it will be totaled out. The welding required to meet BMW specs for the front unibody framework are quite robust and expensive. You need to communicate by letters with your insurance agency. Include a time line showing repair/claim milestones. Explain that their performance is substandard and will cost you a lot of money because of their lack of professionalism. Talking with insurance adjusters and claims staff is waste of time. They take well written letters seriously because of the paper trail. Good luck.

JSpira

I agree with you (naturally) that a BMW certified body shop is the ONLY way to go.

I don?t follow your comment that "their performance is substandard.." as they haven?t done anything yet. What do you mean in terms of "performance"?

5er Sport

I agree that is a lot of damage! I would also suggest getting a lawyer involved.

Good luck!

rsyed

there is no way that a bmw dealer would repair this car - it is impossible to fix the aluminium frame the e60 has. it is a normal procedure here in europe, particularly in germany. such an accident is a write off, the insurance company sells the damaged car to a (please no offence) guy from Poland, who transports the car back home where it gets repaired and looks like new before he heads further east to ukraine or russia to be sold as a cpo car...

JSpira

Ja, that?s why there is so much Stau going east, with car carriers.

jdcinc21

Sorry to hear about your ride Jason. Good thing your not hurt. Remember it could have been alot worse.
I have to agree with everyone else on here. That looks like way too much damage to be repaired. Very smart idea of you to take pics!
Just keep talking to your insurance agent and remind them that they need to go after that kids insurance company. Goodluck with everything and Welcome to the forum!

luigi524td

Glad no one was injured but the car, based on my very humble opinion, is likely to be totaled. Body, frame, and suspension aside, I suspect BMW will find engine and drive-train damage. Salvage will be glad to get some doors, glass, rear clip and perhaps even some electronics out of the deal ... but repairable NAH! [Not to say that it couldn't be done - someone might even try to get away be rebuilding it with a salvage title.]

BMW Finance should work with you on - you probably paid for GAP insurance. That'd take care of any price difference between payoff and current market value. Even that should be non-existent as BMW 5 series have very high resale value.

As for the time it'd take to get a replacement, since '08's are in full production your dealer should be able to locate another car in the pipeline quickly - even a 6 speed.

Good luck working out the details ... once again, good news that there were no personal injuries - a testament to the crash worthiness of these cars!

banglenot

This is critical. You MUST have only a fully certified BMW body shop do the work. No one else can do it right. Call BMWNA and find out who has been certified, and have them give you an estimate. You'll get a more intelligent estimate, and you'll need a certified shop to maintain your warranty. Don't let your insurance co force you to Ed's Bodyshop on the basis of price, because I guarantee you they don't have a clue on what it takes to fix an E60.

I had a deer hit on an E60. The aluminum front end is tricky to fix, and cannot be easily straightened out -- must usually be cut and replaced, with proper training to do so required. Replacing steering components is not unbolt and install; it's matching, torquing and measuring. Stuff gets pushed around in an impact, with a trained BMW bodyshop will see, and a typical shop won't. Paint matching is tricky.

In another incident, my wifes E34 325 got rear ended and jammed into a truck. Lot of non-aluminum work, but still lots of damage. Almost the entire car was repainted, and the shop did a great job (no ad here, but for clarity, the JMK bodyshop in Springfield NJ did a damn good job for me on both cars). I carefully inspected the car before I got it back (up on a lift, and don't be shy about bringing up concerns).

Also, it can take six to eight weeks to get the repair done -- in a not-at-fault, the other company should cover the extra cost of a rental car. Also agree with the dimunition in value item.

Remember, their insurance company is glad you're not claiming medical problems, and will basically kiss your butt if you hint that unless you're satisfied you will do so. Get what is fair to you, when damages are caused by another's stupidity. I'm not a fan of "whiplash" claims by any means, but get what fairly covers your total financial impact from their company. Also, get the contact number of the designated claim adjuster at your company and follow up with that person personally. Treat them nice and be pleasant but firm.

If all else fails, get a lawyer and make sure you get treated with respect and fairness.

Cheers--

westcoast550

You really don't want that car back . It will never be fixed back to factory spec.I'll surprised if this is'nt written off. Good luck,