Not the Best Wednesday

[spazzyfry123]

Well friends, story time.

Decided to carpool with my gal and drop her off at work this morning. Filled up the M3 with gas right before we got on the on-ramp and got a few exits north on our way into work. I hopped in the Peach Pass (toll lane in Georgia whose rate is dictated by traffic congestion). Rate was at the minimum and we're cruising at probably 70-75 mph. Traffic begins to slow due to an apparent stall in the third from left lane, so I bring it back to probably about 60 mph. The lane is surrounded by double white lines and established that you are not allowed to cross the double white lines - entry and exit is only allowed at specific sections...this not being one of them.

Well, an early 20s girl in her 2005 Mitsubishi Galant decides that she is tired of the traffic and wants to cross the double whites into the toll lane so that she can get around the congestion. This was not a swerve to avoid or anything like that. She just wanted to be in a lane that was going faster as the second to left lane (the lane she was in) was not obstructed and she was going the same pace as surrounding traffic. Insert spazzyfry going 60-ish and a sudden car that is going about 2 mph appears. I slam the brakes and hope that I can thread the needle between the 7'+ concrete center dividing wall and this immediate new car. No dice.

My front right hits her left rear since she was probably entering the lane at about 45° (my speed may have been 40ish at this point since by the time she entered my lane, she was maybe a few car lengths ahead of me). This launches me into the center barrier which has a slight incline. My girl and I actually rode up the wall and went airborne for a bit and came to a rest. I establish that she is okay and that my door cannot open. She gets out of the way and I crawl over to get out of the car which is immediately followed by me screaming and yelling at this... We'll just keep it censored.

I am left with damage to:
Front bumper (very deep scuffs and imagine will need replaced)
Passenger front fender (broken and will need replaced)
Passenger front fender liner (broken and will need replaced)
Driver front fender and gill (will need replaced)
Driver side mirror destroyed (will need replaced)
Driver A pillar damaged (may be able to repair)
Driver front door (need replaced), door handle (need replaced), window (deep scratches), window trim (may be able to repair)
Driver rear door (need replaced), door handle (need replaced), window (deep scratches)
Plastic sections between two driver doors (may be repaired)
Driver rear quarter panel (big damage, but unsure how you could replace the unibody?)
Rear bumper (may be able to repair)
Passenger rear door panel (need replaced)
Passenger front door panel (need replaced)
Passenger side mirror slightly damaged (may be able to repair)
Roof (dent from some part falling on it? - may be able to repair)
Headlights have movement despite no real superficial damage (broken tabs?)
Undertray for front bumper (need replaced)
Three wheels received heavy curb damage and bends (need replaced)
One wheel (front passenger) is completely destroyed along with tire (need replaced)
Passenger front wheel is shifted approximately 6 inches towards the rear of the car relative to center of the wheel well and aiming at least 45° to the right from the driver side wheel
Quick look underneath and the passenger control arm looks like a horseshoe and I have to imagine much more is affected (Quite a bit will need replaced)
Driver door would not open initially but eventually I was able to get it open
Driver door lock will not disengage, but door will latch and open (replace?)
Fuel door popped open (?)

Only items that did not appear to receive damage is:
Hood (difficult to tell and I did not attempt to open, but superficially looked okay)
Both side skirts (but I have my doubts since the passenger wheel is shoved into it)
Trunk Lid
Tail lights
Interior is intact with no airbag deployment (not sure how, but since I just received my airbag recall notice only two weeks ago and have not yet made the change, I am thankful that it did not deploy)
Drivetrain seems fine although I did notice a leak that eventually evaporated - unsure if this is A/C condensation or coolant?

Thankfully both myself and Ivey are in good health. We are both very grateful for how well built the M3 is as we are "just sore" at this point, but this happened about seven hours ago and the "sore" is becoming more apparent. At this exact moment I am pissed more than anything. I searched for, no exaggeration, about three years for this exact car. It is the ultimate enthusiast spec with not a single option aside from "smoker's package" which gives me an extra cigarette lighter. Slicktop, manual, 2011.75, no navigation, manual Speed Cloth seats, etc...I mean THE car in my eyes. I put a deposit on it within an hour of it being listed for sale and drove up to buy it the very next day 5+ hours each way. I later spoke with a member on here that keeps records of our cars and came to discover it is in fact a one of one car regardless of year. One of five throughout the life cycle of E90s if I disregard my exterior color.

At this point, if I am honest, I am hoping that the car is totaled. In speaking with the repair facility the car is at right now, a lot of the repairs will require bondo (which I simply cannot accept) - the rear passenger quarter specifically. Can someone with experience please put my mind at ease and tell me that I won't still be making payments on a Frankenstein car? Georgia is a "Total Loss Formula" state which means if the cost of repairs plus the salvage value of the car exceeds the ACV (actual cost value), the car will be deemed a total loss. This seems like a lot of work and Blue Book on my car isn't crap since it is a low-spec car.

Pictures from the accident can be found here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1eT...zbWBYhTAYL2Mvf

As a side note for items within the last year...
The rod bearings were replaced
I upgraded the motor mounts
Replaced the power steering reservoir
Spec'd out a custom Auto Solutions shifter (which is awesome!) with ZHP knob
Exhaust is Borla Atak
OEM ZCP wheels
PPF on front and rear bumpers, front quarters, side skirts, mirror caps, and in front of rear wheels

Car was immaculate and owned by someone in love with mechanical things and BMWCCA member. This was a forever car for me and I'm struck.

I am 100% not at fault and it looks like it will be going through the person-at-fault's insurance (Progressive vs my State Farm). I can already tell this will be an uphill battle, but I need some help my friends. What should I be doing?

-Tyler

[SYT_Shadow]

Tyler, I´m so sorry to hear about this mess. It could have been much worse so I´m thankful you and Ivey made it through the ordeal without serious problems.

As far as insurance, I cannot help you but I´m sure some of our members can

I´m sorry. There will be another one out there for you. Cars can always be replaced no matter how much we will miss them.

[SEMOM3]

Oh wow this is so sad to hear. I loved your car! Really glad to hear you're alright, these truly are very safe cars.

I don't see how it won't be totaled by your description, but you may want to request panel replacement instead of body filler if that is a concern to you.

Best of luck with the process and definitely keep us updated.

[Mr. BMW]

[m3jala]

Sorry to hear, but... you will get through it. Keep us posted as to progress.

Only thing I can say is with the insurance companies be anal and don't just accept their offer. There are some threads on here with people saying how they managed to get the insurance to compensate for the lost value on resale for example.

[vincE92M3]

Oh man, so sorry to hear this! I'm glad you and your significant other are OK.

As another minimalist enthusiast, who realizes how special the spec of your M3 is, I can only imagine how shitty the feeling is...

Atlanta has got to have the absolute worst drivers. I'm always fearful that someone will rear end me in my car and am extremely grateful to work from home.

The amount of damage you've described does sound like it would be a total loss. I'm hoping that they cut you a check, so you can find another stripper e90.

[shmad]

Oh man, sorry about the car and thank god that you both are OK!

IIRC you can get some compensation back from recent expenses on your car- the rod bearings and such.

also, this makes me think everybody needs dash cams to catch all the crazy

[E90Burgos]

Sorry to hear that, at least you guys are OK and are not at fault. My 335i spontaneously caught fire a couple months ago....definitely fight with the insurance. The finally payout I received was $5000 more than their initial offer. The claim doesn't end until you accept the payout so go back and forth with them until you're happy. Hope everything goes your way

[Law]

Tyler, I'm so sorry to hear this.
This is the shitty thing about owning a vehicle like this.
On the one hand, not driving the car is wasteful but on the other hand, the roads are littered with clueless drivers and people with little regard for other people or their property.
Outside of our bubble of a community here, most people see cars as disposable appliances and drive cars that are boring/uninspiring and thus lack situational awareness.
Whereas we'd be aware of what our cars are doing at all times, these people are only concerned about who just liked their photo on social media or what song to play next on their playlist.
In two words, distraction and negligence.
You're right to be pissed the f*** off and I'd be too.

Needless to say, glad to hear you and your gal are alright, that's the most important.
At the end of the day, you might not find the exact spec E90, but there's still a lot of good choices given the patience. And worst case scenario, even if you can't find the exact spec, a 6MT E90 M3 will still drive the same regardless of color or whether or not it has iDrive, for example. Just stay positive and we hope to see you in another E9x M3 soon.
Good luck.

[Cerberus]

Sorry to hear about this. At least you were not injured, which is most important.

[spazzyfry123]

Link to pictures updated in the initial post. Twilight photos are immediately after the accident in the far left lane. I was able to unhappily drive the car to the far right lane after the police blocked traffic off. Brighter shots are a little bit later in the day. Accident happened a little before 6:30 this morning and I think we finally got off the interstate around noon-ish?

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

Tyler, I´m so sorry to hear about this mess. It could have been much worse so I´m thankful you and Ivey made it through the ordeal without serious problems.

As far as insurance, I cannot help you but I´m sure some of our members can

I´m sorry. There will be another one out there for you. Cars can always be replaced no matter how much we will miss them.

Thanks for words, Danny. Here's to hoping there's a better one on the other side

Originally Posted by SEMOM3

Oh wow this is so sad to hear. I loved your car! Really glad to hear you're alright, these truly are very safe cars.

I don't see how it won't be totaled by your description, but you may want to request panel replacement instead of body filler if that is a concern to you.

Best of luck with the process and definitely keep us updated.

With this not being my insurance, I feel that I am in the right in asking for what I want. And I know that I do NOT want body filler.

Originally Posted by Mr. BMW

Added!

Originally Posted by m3jala

Sorry to hear, but... you will get through it. Keep us posted as to progress.

Only thing I can say is with the insurance companies be anal and don't just accept their offer. There are some threads on here with people saying how they managed to get the insurance to compensate for the lost value on resale for example.

This is going to be a long battle. I'm already off to a great start with my now third phone call to her insurance company and still no rental car. Most recent is that they can't get me one today and that I'll have to get my own which will be reimbursed. Can't wait!

Originally Posted by vincE92M3

Oh man, so sorry to hear this! I'm glad you and your significant other are OK.

As another minimalist enthusiast, who realizes how special the spec of your M3 is, I can only imagine how shitty the feeling is...

Atlanta has got to have the absolute worst drivers. I'm always fearful that someone will rear end me in my car and am extremely grateful to work from home.

The amount of damage you've described does sound like it would be a total loss. I'm hoping that they cut you a check, so you can find another stripper e90.

Thanks, Vince. The damage as can be seen in the photos, isn't absolutely devastating (aside from the obvious!). But it is certainly there. For a car guy, any damage is devastating

Originally Posted by shmad

Oh man, sorry about the car and thank god that you both are OK!

IIRC you can get some compensation back from recent expenses on your car- the rod bearings and such.

also, this makes me think everybody needs dash cams to catch all the crazy

I'll certainly be waving around my binder of receipts.

Originally Posted by E90Burgos

Sorry to hear that, at least you guys are OK and are not at fault. My 335i spontaneously caught fire a couple months ago....definitely fight with the insurance. The finally payout I received was $5000 more than their initial offer. The claim doesn't end until you accept the payout so go back and forth with them until you're happy. Hope everything goes your way

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Law

Tyler, I'm so sorry to hear this.
This is the shitty thing about owning a vehicle like this.
On the one hand, not driving the car is wasteful but on the other hand, the roads are littered with clueless drivers and people with little regard for other people or their property.
Outside of our bubble of a community here, most people see cars as disposable appliances and drive cars that are boring/uninspiring and thus lack situational awareness.
Whereas we'd be aware of what our cars are doing at all times, these people are only concerned about who just liked their photo on social media or what song to play next on their playlist.
In two words, distraction and negligence.
You're right to be pissed the f*** off and I'd be too.

Needless to say, glad to hear you and your gal are alright, that's the most important.
At the end of the day, you might not find the exact spec E90, but there's still a lot of good choices given the patience. And worst case scenario, even if you can't find the exact spec, a 6MT E90 M3 will still drive the same regardless of color or whether or not it has iDrive, for example. Just stay positive and we hope to see you in another E9x M3 soon.
Good luck.

It is a bummer how cars are treated like appliances. I wish more times than not that I could have that mentality so that I wouldn't be so destroyed right now. But I don't turn on the radio, the phone stays in the center console, two hands on the wheel... It's a 3500+ lb dead blow hammer going 80 mph at the end of the day. Sad to see how people cannot take it seriously.

Originally Posted by Cerberus

Sorry to hear about this. At least you were not injured, which is most important.

Very true! My lower back isn't in the best of times right now, my right shoulder and wrist aren't feeling so hot, my neck is sore, and I'm pretty sure I broke my right big toe. Ivey is sore all over, but isn't happy with her neck. I can deal with my pain, but I'm not in a good mood about her not being 100% just so that this girl could get to her Facebook convention four seconds earlier.

[Mvy]

It hurts me to read this. So sorry. Glad you are ok.

All I can say is the road ahead is rough but you have the right connections to find another perfect car. It won't be this car, but it's going to work out.

Focus on you two right now. Don't discount pain or wait to get checked. The pain and suffering money will help you make up the difference insurance will pay just for the car. Lawyer up and get what you deserve.

[shmad]

you both should make doctor appointments for tomorrow or early next week. most likely things will sort themselves out, but it's good idea to have your medical complaints in file in the event of underlying injuries rearing their heads weeks to months down the line. Tylenol/ ibuprofen are gonna be good friends to you for a bit

[MyUnicorn]

Ugh. So sorry to hear about your accident. It is so frustrating when other peoples suckiness interferes with your space. I am glad you were both without injury.

[wyatth]

Man I am sorry to hear this. Best of luck with your path forward, whatever it is. Cars are replaceable, glad you and your gal are okay.

[dparm]

Let your insurance company battle it out with the other person's. That's what they're there for. Make sure your agent knows that your car was well above average and had recently gotten money put into it -- this way they can make sure you get a fair payout if it comes to that. Hopefully you will not need to sue that person to get the extra money.

Hard to say if the car will be deemed a loss, but given the description of what happened, there could be substantial subframe damage that won't be known until they get in there and start pulling stuff apart.

[BOOF-M3]

Tyler is the guy who no doubt drove the shit out of that car today taking evasive action making certain that no harm was done to Ivey or the driver of the other vehicle. Bruh, all things considered we all feel blessed that you/we are only dealing with your car right now, can't even imagine if this had gone down differently. Maya and Nicholas both wanted me to tell you and Ivey that they are both happy you guys are all right.

[94jedi]

Man sorry to hear this dude...Thank God you and your lady are good though. I hear you on the car; finding that spec will be tough but I'm sure with this community, you'll be ok in the long run. Right now, just be patient, get your medical stuff in order (take the advice from the poster above and get checked out), and just play the waiting game. Mark (BOOF) thinks highly of you and, by proxy, so do I. If there's anything I can do (I'm just up 95 in NC), let me know.

[spazzyfry123]

Originally Posted by Mvy

It hurts me to read this. So sorry. Glad you are ok.

All I can say is the road ahead is rough but you have the right connections to find another perfect car. It won't be this car, but it's going to work out.

Focus on you two right now. Don't discount pain or wait to get checked. The pain and suffering money will help you make up the difference insurance will pay just for the car. Lawyer up and get what you deserve.

Yeah we've got a, we'll call it, family lawyer that I'll be working with tomorrow to go over options and the best route. I'm definitely not that guy, but this one pains me down to the soul.

Originally Posted by shmad

you both should make doctor appointments for tomorrow or early next week. most likely things will sort themselves out, but it's good idea to have your medical complaints in file in the event of underlying injuries rearing their heads weeks to months down the line. Tylenol/ ibuprofen are gonna be good friends to you for a bit

I've had a couple handfuls of ibuprofen so far! I'm waiting for my talk with the lawyer tomorrow, but with how I feel now, I don't have a choice. I've been through the ringer.

Originally Posted by MyUnicorn

Ugh. So sorry to hear about your accident. It is so frustrating when other peoples suckiness interferes with your space. I am glad you were both without injury.

Tell me about it. Thanks!

Originally Posted by wyatth

Man I am sorry to hear this. Best of luck with your path forward, whatever it is. Cars are replaceable, glad you and your gal are okay.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by dparm

Let your insurance company battle it out with the other person's. That's what they're there for. Make sure your agent knows that your car was well above average and had recently gotten money put into it -- this way they can make sure you get a fair payout if it comes to that. Hopefully you will not need to sue that person to get the extra money.

Hard to say if the car will be deemed a loss, but given the description of what happened, there could be substantial subframe damage that won't be known until they get in there and start pulling stuff apart.

I initially filed the claim with my insurance to at least get it on their record, and given the quality of the car, I was skeptical that insurance was even going to be apparent. After speaking with my local agent that I've had since day one of driving (originally with parents and then I split off on my own using the same agent however many years back), he's left at that I should file through the at-fault's insurance provider and that if I have any questions, State Farm will provide advice. Really puts me in a "David vs Goliath" situation which I was not pleased with. I can certainly file the claim through my own insurance and have them chase, but I want to talk with our lawyer first before I make the final decision. With it approaching 12 hours since the accident and still not sign of a rental car, I'd say we're off to a great start with the at-fault insurance.

All panels getting hit is scary enough as it is. But a quick peek under the front bumper shows a dirty story. With the suspension bent and sagging with flat tires, I certainly could not get a good look. But there are things bent in shapes they are not intended with misaligned bits specific to the passenger front. With wheel damage to all, I'd be concerned for their suspension pieces and respective mounting - ahem, subframe.

But as you say, I'm just speculating. I think of the last time I had to deal with insurance where a railroad tie and rebar dropped from a truck ripping open my passenger door panel of my GLI. That was a $3500 bill and nowhere near the damage as seen here.

Originally Posted by BOOF-M3

This devastates me almost as much as it does Tyler and Ivey for many reasons. Tyler is the guy who hangs around for hours making sure that YOU are ok when YOU go through the same thing he did today. Tyler is the guy who goes out of his way like a soccer mom picking up and dropping off car parts local to him and mailing them out for members out of state. Tyler is the guy who has been a huge part of making sure the Tail of the Dragon run has been running smoothly. Tyler has been the driving force on working on a charity for the run. Tyler is the guy who no doubt drove the shit out of that car today taking evasive action making certain that no harm was done to Ivey or the driver of the other vehicle. Tyler is the guy that no matter what will be coming on the Tail run and hop in with me and split driving duty if that's what it takes to get him there. Tyler likes beer but Tyler loves Ivey. Tyler is M3Post. Bruh, all things considered we all feel blessed that you/we are only dealing with your car right now, can't even imagine if this had gone down differently. Maya and Nicholas both wanted me to tell you and Ivey that they are both happy you guys are all right. I'll message you off of here as I do have some ideas about the car.

You're a good man, Mark. We look forward to seeing Team Boof soon.

And for what it's worth, Ivey is the mastermind on the charity. And the buyer of beer. Not sure which is more important....

Also if you guys are still heading up in a couple weeks, I have presents for you

[spazzyfry123]

Originally Posted by 94jedi

Man sorry to hear this dude...Thank God you and your lady are good though. I hear you on the car; finding that spec will be tough but I'm sure with this community, you'll be ok in the long run. Right now, just be patient, get your medical stuff in order (take the advice from the poster above and get checked out), and just play the waiting game. Mark (BOOF) thinks highly of you and, by proxy, so do I. If there's anything I can do (I'm just up 95 in NC), let me know.

The community runs deep! I've gotten a huge pour of friendship throughout the day with the vast majority developing within us Bimmerphiles. South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida... Heck I just got a voicemail from one of my top customers that is a big BMW nerd that wants to help me out...From CLEVELAND, OHIO.

Much love my friends. Much love.

[BOOF-M3]

Actually I could have pulled your name and put Iveys in there instead as she is obviously the brains and the beauty in your relationship. Team Boof loves presents. May have one for you guys also, it's what we do.

[DreamTime]

Originally Posted by spazzyfry123

And for what it's worth, Ivey is the mastermind on the charity. And the buyer of beer. Not sure which is more important....

You and Ivey are such great people, I feel very fortunate to get to work with her on the charity for TOTD. You have an amazing girl there, man. And, you're not bad yourself

I'm super thankful that you guys are okay. Again, I am so sorry this happened. I know you loved that car on the same level I love mine, so I'm sure you will go through a whole range of emotions about this. Fingers crossed you don't have to put up with too much BS from that girl's insurance company.

I may be a couple hours away, but let me know if there is anything I can do to help.