Damage

[debz]

Sad day for me today

How much you guys think it might cost to get that fix!?

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by debz

Sad day for me today
How much you guys think it might cost to get that fix!?

Why does it matter - this will be an insurance claim regardless, and insurance will cover.
If you got rear-ended - by the other driver's insurance w/o any cost to you.
If you backed into something - by your insurance, and you will be out of comprehensive deductible.

Basically, the ONLY opinion that matters is that of the insurance adjusters.
The rest is just idle speculation!

HTH,
a

[John in VA]

Cost depends on where you live & whether new or used original parts are to be utilized.

[JerseyM3]

If you got hit make sure you get covered for any diminished value losses. I made that mistake once and found out the hard way

[Whitetac]

Originally Posted by afadeev

Why does it matter - this will be an insurance claim regardless, and insurance will cover.
If you got rear-ended - by the other driver's insurance w/o any cost to you.
If you backed into something - by your insurance, and you will be out of comprehensive deductible.

Basically, the ONLY opinion that matters is that of the insurance adjusters.
The rest is just idle speculation!

HTH,
a

That’s not entirely true though is it. If it’s written off and they want to buy it back, then having a rough idea of cost to repair will influence their decision.

I’d personally remove the rear bumper and see if any structural panels are damaged. If yes, write it off and move on. If no, get on eBay etc looking for similar cars being broken for parts.

If that level of investigation is beyond your capability then it’s probably never going to be a financially viable repair.

[Phillies8008]

I can only speak from a US-perspective, but I'd be shocked if it wasn't at least $10k. Repair prices have gotten absolutely out of hand here.

Also, is being able to buy back a totaled car a typical think in the UK? Here you usually don't have that option if the insurance company totals it, unless I'm mistaken. The policy that I have with Hagerty for my Z4M specifically has that option, which I was kind of surprised by when I first started using them. I got the impression that it was a "classic car" specific thing.

[zx10guy]

I'm going through a similar issue now. Not my E82 but my 2019 Toyota C-HR. Got rear ended pretty good by an X5....go figure. Banged up the rear tailgate, rear bumper, rear bumper cover, left quarter panel, and my tow hitch. Have an initial estimate of $3500 for the repairs. We'll see what the final total will end up being.

[dosmildos]

Originally Posted by Phillies8008

I can only speak from a US-perspective, but I'd be shocked if it wasn't at least $10k. Repair prices have gotten absolutely out of hand here.

Also, is being able to buy back a totaled car a typical think in the UK? Here you usually don't have that option if the insurance company totals it, unless I'm mistaken. The policy that I have with Hagerty for my Z4M specifically has that option, which I was kind of surprised by when I first started using them. I got the impression that it was a "classic car" specific thing.

I don’t know how it is where you live (SC?) but in NC once the insurance company declared it a total loss (basically it’ll cost more to repair than it’s worth, according to them) they would give you the estimate to repair and you would negotiate to ‘buy back’ the vehicle. You’d have to fix it for less than they estimated. If you’re attached to your car, it makes sense but your title will be branded as a total loss vehicle for future coverage and it will affect the value when you sell it.

[Phillies8008]

Originally Posted by dosmildos

I don’t know how it is where you live (SC?) but in NC once the insurance company declared it a total loss (basically it’ll cost more to repair than it’s worth, according to them) they would give you the estimate to repair and you would negotiate to ‘buy back’ the vehicle. You’d have to fix it for less than they estimated. If you’re attached to your car, it makes sense but your title will be branded as a total loss vehicle for future coverage and it will affect the value when you sell it.

Yes, SC, and there's a very real possibility that I'm misinformed – I've never been in the position. Branded titles are poison when re-selling and I have no real capacity to repair a totaled car myself, so I think I'd only do it if it were a car that I wanted to keep long term without really worrying about re-sale. And even then I'm not sure.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by Phillies8008

I can only speak from a US-perspective, but I'd be shocked if it wasn't at least $10k. Repair prices have gotten absolutely out of hand here.

Also, is being able to buy back a totaled car a typical think in the UK? Here you usually don't have that option if the insurance company totals it, unless I'm mistaken. The policy that I have with Hagerty for my Z4M specifically has that option, which I was kind of surprised by when I first started using them. I got the impression that it was a "classic car" specific thing.

You can certainly request to buy back your vehicle if it's declared a total loss. The buy back price is going to be what the insurance company expects to get at auction. This is separate from what the declared value of the car is and the actual payout for the total loss. Each state has specific guidelines which the insurance companies follow in declaring a vehicle a total loss. Some states declare a vehicle a total loss if the repair costs equals about 75 to 80% of the ACV (actual cash value) of the vehicle. Some states go all the way to ACV before it's declared a total loss. ACV is just what market value of your car would be in your local market.

I've had a car totaled before when I hit a deer. Fought with my insurance company to get more money out of them for about a month. I got a concession on the nicer aftermarket head unit/stereo I installed in the car to increase the payout. I didn't have the stock head unit so couldn't install that one to pull the aftermarket one out. Other things you can use to increase the payout are any recent major work done on the car, recently installed new tires, etc. I thought about buying back the car to fix it because it still ran fine and didn't seem to have anything majorly wrong with it. But I didn't want to risk other unseen damage when all the body panels were pulled off. The other complication is that after having the work done, I would need to have the car inspected by the state to certify its road worthiness. The title of the car would be branded as a salvage/rebuilt but I wouldn't care because I was going to drive the car into the ground. And finally, insurance. Coverage would be limited to liability only and no option to purchase collision/comprehensive.

[dosmildos]

Originally Posted by Phillies8008

Yes, SC, and there's a very real possibility that I'm misinformed – I've never been in the position. Branded titles are poison when re-selling and I have no real capacity to repair a totaled car myself, so I think I'd only do it if it were a car that I wanted to keep long term without really worrying about re-sale. And even then I'm not sure.

I understand. In my case I had a 10 year old Explorer Eddie Bauer that my daughter drove. She was rear-ended and the insurance company declared it a total loss, their offer wasn’t enough to purchase something comparable. I could tell there was no mechanical damage. I decided to keep it and spent about half the payment on a new bumper, tail lights and some straightening of a fender done at a small repair shop. Most of the remaining money went to pay a rental for my daughter. She drove it for maybe 8 more years and when she was ready to move on I donated it to a local charity. It may not make sense in a different scenario.