Accident; need advice/suggestions!

[JFlo]

Hi guys -

I am really sad to post this but I had my first car accident ever, and unfortunately it had to be in the M3

Personally I walked out of the accident with no major issues however parts of the car took a somewhat of a bad hit. Thankfully nothing "major". The passenger side, especially rear wheel took a hard hit up against a curb.

I believe the car is in good hands at the local dealer with certified technicians etc. however I just wanted to make sure I go about this the right way to ensure that the car gets repaired to 100%. They guaranteed OEM parts for everything that needs to be replaced, but I wondered if there were any other things I need to keep in mind during the process? Again, dont have a whole lot of experience with accidents in the past (a good thing I guess!)

Thanks in advance!

[DopeM3]

Sorry to hear about that man. Glad you're okay. She will be back good as new.

[M3ZCP6MT]

Glad to hear that you're okay. Just make sure the frame is not bent. Otherwise, dealership will "max out" with the insurance company to get it back to its original form as much as possible.

[JFlo]

Originally Posted by AyooooJay

Sorry to hear about that man. Glad you're okay. She will back good as new.

Thanks! Due to the fact that damages arent that vast I think this shouldn't be much of an issue. The tech's seemed pretty confident as well.

[Edward]

Rear got away from you on a left turn? Sounds like cosmetic body work will stop at sideskirt and potentially rear bumper.

Everything in the rear will likely need to be replaced. Wheel, toe arm, spring, dampener, rear shock mount, rear sway bar, upper control arm etc.

Basically any of the arms and other metal parts etc that connect that wheel to the car is probably bent pretty badly and hopefully it didn't also cause damage to the frame it's attached to. Good news is that these easily replaceable parts typically do cave and absorb the impact instead of transferring it to the frame.

I'd say there's a very solid chance that it is back to factory new.

[JFlo]

[QUOTE=M3ZCP6MT;14967909]Glad to hear that you're okay. Just make sure the frame is not bent. Otherwise, dealership will "max out" with the insurance company to get it back to its original form as much as possible.[/QUOT

Thanks! Based on the accident and their first look at the car, they said that it was highly unlikely that the uni-body/frame would be affected. They will start working on the car today or tomorrow, so I should have more details soon.

[rev9k]

PM me if you need any help; I am a licensed adjuster/appraiser in the state of FL and have a lot of experience w/ collision repair and BMW in general

[JFlo]

Originally Posted by Edward

Rear got away from you on a left turn? Sounds like cosmetic body work will stop at sideskirt and potentially rear bumper.

Everything in the rear will likely need to be replaced. Wheel, toe arm, spring, dampener, rear shock mount, rear sway bar, upper control arm etc.

Basically any of the arms and other metal parts etc that connect that wheel to the car is probably bent pretty badly and hopefully it didn't also cause damage to the frame it's attached to. Good news is that these easily replaceable parts typically do cave and absorb the impact instead of transferring it to the frame.

I'd say there's a very solid chance that it is back to factory new.

Thanks for chiming in Edward! That was the tech's assumptions as well, and your thoughts about the replaceable parts taking the impact rather than the frame is very consistent with what the dealer said too, and what I've heard from other people in the past. Keeping my fingers crossed she will be as good as new!!

[JFlo]

Originally Posted by hughs65e90

PM me if you need any help; I am a licensed adjuster/appraiser in the state of FL and have a lot of experience w/ collision repair and BMW in general

PM sent!

[///WeissBisBlau]

Hey guys, old thread I know, but it came up during a search and (kind of) relates to my accident a couple weeks ago now. I am winding up having both driver side wheels replaced, and I am wondering what to do bout the old ones. Should I request to have them back when the dealer installs the new ones, or just let the dealer dispose of them? The rear driver side is a total replace. It was apparently "cracked all the way through", but the driver side front was apparently borderline. Insurance elected to replace --for which I am grateful--but it just got me thinking about what I should do with my original rim? Not sure what I would do with it, but perhaps recondition and either keep as a spare or sell, practice with plastidip on it, etc. thoughts?

[Edward]

Originally Posted by ///WeissBlitz76

Hey guys, old thread I know, but it came up during a search and (kind of) relates to my accident a couple weeks ago now. I am winding up having both driver side wheels replaced, and I am wondering what to do bout the old ones. Should I request to have them back when the dealer installs the new ones, or just let the dealer dispose of them? The rear driver side is a total replace. It was apparently "cracked all the way through", but the driver side front was apparently borderline. Insurance elected to replace --for which I am grateful--but it just got me thinking about what I should do with my original rim? Not sure what I would do with it, but perhaps recondition and either keep as a spare or sell, practice with plastidip on it, etc. thoughts?

1. It's not yours to keep since insurance paid to give you new ones and dispose of or total your old ones/other parts which they insured.

2. Unless it just took a curb rashing and nothing more, I'd never trust a cast wheel that took a side impact bearing that much inertia. It's worth nothing to anyone but the scrap metal collectors most likely.

[track_warrior]

Sounds like Dorifto damage! Reputable body shops will always order parts directly from bmw, make sure they inspect all the suspension components and arms.

[///WeissBisBlau]

Originally Posted by Edward

1. It's not yours to keep since insurance paid to give you new ones and dispose of or total your old ones/other parts which they insured.

2. Unless it just took a curb rashing and nothing more, I'd never trust a cast wheel that took a side impact bearing that much inertia. It's worth nothing to anyone but the scrap metal collectors most likely.

Yeah, #1 is what my SA told me--pretty much right after I posted this, today. He said that if the insurance company didn't want them they would give them to me. The front one MAY not be so bad--a good scuffing, though.

Originally Posted by track_warrior

Sounds like Dorifto damage! Reputable body shops will always order parts directly from bmw, make sure they inspect all the suspension components and arms.

Ha ha... nah, nothing so cool as that. I was a victim of the great Southern "Snow"storm a couple weeks ago. I went slippy-slidin' whilst turning into a gas station, hit some black ice, and didn't stop till rim met curb.

Seriously, though, thanks for the advice. Luckily, I find that BMW shops want to get paid to do as much work as they possibly can, so they will "recommend" the maximum repair--meaning they find every little nitpicky detail.

[Petros]

Were you on summer tires? Why the heck are you driving on summer tires on a snowy winter day?

[comment bot]

Originally Posted by Edward

1. It's not yours to keep since insurance paid to give you new ones and dispose of or total your old ones/other parts which they insured.

2. Unless it just took a curb rashing and nothing more, I'd never trust a cast wheel that took a side impact bearing that much inertia. It's worth nothing to anyone but the scrap metal collectors most likely.

+1000,

most importantly to point #1, you better not take it without insurance's approval. They could have legal recourse. Don't follow examples of people who totaled their cars, having insurance cover it, then trying to part it out while it's going through claims. Read the fine print on the claims form, it's pretty much against the rules of the contract and you can be liable for "stealing".

[Vic311]

Roger that, comment bot. We wouldn't the OP to get arrested for felony larceny or anything like that

Originally Posted by ///WeissBlitz76

Hey guys, old thread I know, but it came up during a search and (kind of) relates to my accident a couple weeks ago now. I am winding up having both driver side wheels replaced, and I am wondering what to do bout the old ones. Should I request to have them back when the dealer installs the new ones, or just let the dealer dispose of them? The rear driver side is a total replace. It was apparently "cracked all the way through", but the driver side front was apparently borderline. Insurance elected to replace --for which I am grateful--but it just got me thinking about what I should do with my original rim? Not sure what I would do with it, but perhaps recondition and either keep as a spare or sell, practice with plastidip on it, etc. thoughts?

You should check on the suspension. There is a rear trail arm that is supposed to crush even on slight impacts it may be more than just your wheels.

#10

[comment bot]

Originally Posted by Vic311

Roger that, comment bot. We wouldn't the OP to get arrested for felony larceny or anything like that




You should check on the suspension. There is a rear trail arm that is supposed to crush even on slight impacts it may be more than just your wheels.

#10

Attachment 976683

uhh, you don't understand the concept of making a claim do you? But you're probably right. We should encourage all people who filed a claim with insurance to proceed and sell the parts again. That would be probably alright with your insurance agency!