Zoom!Zoom!Zoom!

I recently crashed my Rx-8 into a car going the wrong way on a freeway on ramp. I don't know the speed at impact, I would guess 15 mph, serious damage to the front driver's side corner. The 8 is only 6 months old, is now at the collision repair center, my insurance adjuster thinks it is repairable but wants to see the tear down. I am looking for advise about what I should have the repair guys look for to make sure nothing is overlooked as I deal with the adjuster. Here are the details...

The freeway entrance has a 90 degree turn before merging onto the number one (left lane) of the freeway. The highway is divided at this point until after the merge of the on ramp. The guy who is about to hit me thinks that it is a divided highway (not an on ramp) and thinks it is a good idea to make a u-turn -- he is now going the wrong way on the on ramp as I am about to turn the corner.

As I come out of the blind corner, we see each other. He tries to stop, as do I. I try to turn right to avoid the collision but I guess there just was not enough time. His left front hit my left quarter, front off set. I am turned about 20 degrees off his center at point of impact (pointed to his left, my right, of his car). He is angled pointed at me. I take most of the apparent damage. He is in a Suzuki rent-a-something sedan.

Happily, there are no serious injuries. My neck was a bit stiff the next day or two. Sadly, my gorgeous, 6 month old, 8 took heavy damages to the left front quarter.

I had it flat-bedded to a Mazda dealer with a collision center which was recommended by this forum (thank you forum).

So based on my observation: Front left quarter panel crumpled, wheel folded under. Hood not bent but moved to the right by about an inch. All doors function fine. I see suspension damage, but it looks like the impact missed the frame(?) member that the front bumper is attached to. Most who have looked at it have guessed minimal, if any, frame damage but no one can say for sure until a thorough inspection.

My insurance adjuster looked at the car, and asked me to authorize a tear down to get a better look. I'd like to have a perfect car so would prefer a total loss but the best guess of the collision repair guy is that it probably is repairable, but they will not know until the tear down. Adjuster has the same initial assessment.

Now I need advise. I have faith in the collision center but want to confirm they considered everything, plus I want to have confidence that everything possible was done if I am going to have to accept a repair rather than a total loss. (I was advised a total loss is unlikely since it is only 6 months old with low mileage -- around 2K).

Obviously suspension, front wheel, body panel will need replacing. Also frame , subframe will should be measured, look for stress fractures on all welds, motor mounts. What other mechanical issues should be looked at? If the engine shifted at all, can it really be put back with no power train issue? Transmission issue? I'll keep the forum posted but I was hoping to have an understanding of the things I should look for in the itemized estimate after the tear down, if only to educate myself for my discussions with my insurance adjuster.

Next question -- diminished value. My insurance says I would have to pursue that with the other guy's insurance directly. But it seems to me that the cost of repair plus the diminished value might exceed the actual value of the car. Any experience here?

Thank you all for the help.

Max

sammy00

Im sorry to hear what happened to your 8, mines in the shop getting fixed right now but ive basically experienced the same thing that happened to you with my previous car, the ford taurus , and with insurance they will look at everything but they will make a higher estimate than what its normally at so if repair estimates exceed blue book value of your 8 then they are just gonna call it totaled and give you a check for the value of the car even if it is just 6 months old. What insurance does the guy who hit you have?

with the repairs and everything that you listed, if there is damage to the frame especially with metal and the tendency to fracture because of stress you know its not gonna drive the same as it did before the accident....honestly you never know the total damage until you actually get it checked out and run tests and stuff. I would check everything to the last drop because if his insurance is gonna do it then why not, especially if you modded your car in anyway. Anyway good luck with the insurance stuff, and I hope everything works out

Jethro Tull

iTrader: (6)

If you financed the car, did you buy gap insurance by any chance?

Zoom!Zoom!Zoom!

Well, the collision center did a tear down, so far everything looks fixable and very far from being a total loss. Good and bad news for me, I guess. So now I will have to do may best to make sure everything is found and fixed. I'll post details in case folks here can give some specific suggestions about what I should verify they checked.

Seems to have missed the frame but collision repair thinks there must be some slight frame damage but will not know until they measure on their laser/computer set up. They are recommending subframe replacement and rack and pinion steering replacement. No motor mount damage either.

I don't think I got gap insurance, but actual value is going to be way, way above cost of anticipated repairs according to my insurance, unless something drastic is uncovered during repair.

So I am going to have to be optimistic at this point -- anyone care to share stories of how their 8's were better than ever after repair?

How about experiences collecting diminished value from the at-fault party?

Droptop13B

In my experience in the car business, the insurance company will probably laugh at you for requesting reimbursment for depreciated value. More than likely, the only way you're gonna get anything for that is to sue the other driver and his insurance company, which will cost more than it's worth in time and lawyer fees. An GOOD repair shop will stand behind their work for a certian period of time(sometimes for the life of your ownership). I have two personal experiences with severe damage to two of my recently owned cars. My Toyota Celica GT-S was broad-sided by a 3500 Dodge Ram. All the damage was in the left rear 1/4 area. Long story short is that the shop replaced the entire section of the car(FRAME, Sheetmetal, Glass, Trunk, Driver's Door, Fuel tank, Suspension etc.) It took them 4 weeks to do the repair, and the car was GREAT after they finished. I couln't tell they had done anything. It drove perfect, and looked perfect. No rattles. The only problem I had was the power window was slow( they over tightened the regulator). The other accident was in my currently owned S2000( similar to your story, 4 months old, 4800 miles). It was rear-ended by a Ford F-150(I have bad luck with trucks). The damage was SIGNIFICANT. the trunk lid, taillights, bumper cover, bumper support, trunk pan, and left rear 1/4 all had to be replaced. I took it to the same shop that did my Celica up right, and I got the same result. I even had a Honda Master Tech look it ove when they were done, and he COULD NOT TELL that it had ever been wrecked. Bottom line, is that if the shop has a good reputation, then you should be fine.

Sorry to be long winded, just wanted to ease your minda nd shore my experience.

Zoom!Zoom!Zoom!

Well, the initial repair cost is in. Close to $11,000, mostly front suspension work. Looking at the estimate, I have to say that is a pricey headlight! Fortunately its all covered, even waived deductible since it was not my fault. Also will use OEM parts.

I'll miss my 8 while it is being repaired and hope they do a great job.

Since they have to repair the suspension anyway, I was thinking of adding some upgraded components. Details here: https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-aftermarket-performance-modifications-23/shinka-upgrades-121325/

Wish me luck

Ericok

You definately should ask for an additional payout for "diminished value" from the other guy's insurance. If you ever try to trade your car, you'll get a quick education on the effects of diminished value for a trade involved in an accident. You should get reimbursed for that up front.

Zoom!Zoom!Zoom!

I have not lost track of the diminished value, but I think it will be tough to prove. Any experience or advise here? I am still hoping to hear from someone in this forum with some experience or advice collecting diminished value.

corners

For that much damage, I would hire a lawyer to do all my negotiating for me and answer diminished value questions. The amount of extra money and reduction of headaches on your part is well worth the fee the lawyer would charge.

Zoom!Zoom!Zoom!

So my 8 is still in the shop. Good news is that the repairs were fully covered and promise to be very good (mostly replacement of non-structural components). We will see.

For those of you who have had the misfortune like me to have been in accidents that were not your fault, I wanted to share my experience so far in recovering for diminished value.

If you are in an accident that was not your fault, the rule basically is that you are entitled to be put in as good a position as before the accident. That includes the lost market value to your car (after repairs) due to the fact that it was in an accident (aka diminished value or DV).

Put another way, how much less would you pay for an RX-8 that has been in a particular accident compared to an identical RX-8 that has not? That number is DV. If you answer, "if the repair was 99.9% perfect, I would pay $ X less", that $ X is DV.

Also, there are different types of DV. "Inherent" DV is the lowered market value because of the accident repair (it assumes repair was done right). "Repair related" DV is the additional DV because of poor repair work (repair shop did not match the paint, or did not replace a damaged part, or did a poor repair job, etc.) "Insurance related" DV is the lowered market value because an insurance company did not cover things they should have, or that the policy allowed repairs that lower market value such as using after market parts.

Insurance companies seem to pretend that you cannot recover for DV. This is wrong. Insurance companies will fight and resist paying DV, but legally you are entitled to recover for all loss from the accident, and that will include DV. What is true is that your own insurance probably does not cover DV, so you are stuck with pursuing the claim on your own against the guy who hit you or, more likely, their insurance company.

In my case, my 8 was only 6 months old [sigh], and even if the repairs are 100% perfect, the market value of the car is not as high as it was before the accident because anyone receiving an carfax report will not pay as much as if there was no accident. Since my car was practically new, its market value was relatively high, making the DV claim worth pursuing (along with any other non-covered loss).

The problem that I and the typical not-at-fault victim of an accident will encounter is, first, proving the amount of DV and, second, recovering it from the other guy's insurance company.

For practical purposes, proving DV means getting a diminished value report. You can buy one on line (I'm not sure how that works) or you can hire an appraiser (DV expert) to physically inspect your car to look for repair related and insurance related DV and also do market research to establish inherent DV. This is not cheap. It is also money out of your pocket. Theoretically you can recover for the cost of getting your DV report, but unless you actually recover, this may not be a good investment.

After I get the DV report (which will happen after repairs are made), then I will face the second part of the problem which is recovering the DV.

If anyone is interested, I will keep the group informed about my saga. Otherwise I will let this thread die on the vine. I hope others though will contribute their experiences establishing or recovering for DV. There is some good info out there about DV, but no posted success stories as far as I could find.

Hope to be back on the road soon!

ZZZ