[MPower9525]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

Getting my M3 has been a fun, long process and I'm sure most of us can relate! After specing the car out and putting down a deposit in November of '21. To then patiently waiting while my build week got pushed further and further back. To then finally getting a July 27 Build date and updated to a '23 model year. To then see it fly through the build process and wait in Bremerhaven for only a few weeks until the car was loaded on the Liberty to make it's voyage to New York in about a month. To the experience of pick up my first brand new M car from the dealer(shout out BMW of Tenafly), winning the tire lottery. Driving it a few miles very slowly to drop it of at Auto Polishing Center in Waldwick NJ, they did a fantastic job on the stealth PPF, Ceramic coating and tints. To then picking up the car fully PPF'd, looking SOOOOO DAMN GOOD and ready to go. To then have the car at home for less than a week until my neighbor was backing up, wasn't paying attention to where he was going and hit my parked car.

The good news is my neighbor is taking full responsibility for it so I don't have to come out of pocket to fix it. It looks like its going to need a new fender and door and most likely side skirt as the clips snapped off the fender.

I plan to keep the car long term so this isn't a flipper question. I bought and financed the car and payed under MSRP, again thank you BMW of Tenafly. I have Ultimate Care + for 6 years/100K miles and all the tire and wheel insurances ect.

We all know that cars with accident histories sell for less than cars with clean titles and given that this car will have an accident on its history, even though it wasn't a serious accident, I assume it will be worth less. Has anyone been in this situation before? Is there any way of being fairly compensated from the insurance company for the loss in value of the car due to this accident?

Thanks in advance!

Here are some pictures of the accident damage and some pictures when I picked it up fresh from APC after it got PPF'd

[Gfit]

Ouch. Sorry that happened. Been there. Each state has different laws. I would start with googling "diminished value claim STATE".

[bayarea328xit]

That sucks!

Keep a folder with all the documents related to this "accident" - before/after picts, invoice from body shop, summary of accident from insurance company, etc.

If you elect to do a private party sale, it may help reduce the discount expected from the buyer.

If you create an ad when you are ready to sell, you can proactively add some of the information to help address questions that potential buyers may have.

[geko29]

It sucks, but if the neighbor is paying out of pocket (not insurance) and body panels are being replaced (not repaired), many auto body shops will not report their work to Carfax.

And since you're a long-term owner, you don't have to worry that much about diminished value anyway. The damage isn't horrible, and should be able to be perfectly corrected. Get it fixed, enjoy the hell out of the car, and laugh about this experience in five years.

[mr2t]

Not street parked is it? I would be constantly stressed.

[DVG 335]

Originally Posted by Gfit

Ouch. Sorry that happened. Been there. Each state has different laws. I would start with googling "diminished value claim STATE".

1000000000% look into diminished value. There are attorneys that specialize in it. Normally they will negotiate with the insurance company and get some type of settlement.

In my case, maybe three years ago, someone backed into my wife's SUV and admitted fault. I (without an attorney) tried to negotiate with the insurance company for a diminished value settlement over and above the costs to fix the car. They had "never heard of that before". From there, I heard that CT had an arbitration program for auto insurance. I actually took the insurance company to arbitration and won. Fast forward a couple of months for the payment deadline and I got nothing. I called the lawyer representing the insurance company and they said they were not going to pay and they were taking me to "real" court to attempt to appeal the decision. I attempted to get an attorney at that point, but nobody was really interested in representing me at that stage. They all said I should have contacted them first, before seeking arbitration.

The rationale behind all of the grief the insurance company put me through is that they do not want to lose a DV case in court and have that on the record. They would rather settle out of court and have you sign an NDA.

On an M3, I would assume the DV figure would be a material number, so definitely at least reach out to an attorney to see what they have to say.

[Draper]

Sorry, that is a huge bummer.

Is that frozen paint or just stealth ppf?

You might want to get a quote for your neighbor. If he's thinking this will be a $2-3K job, he may be in for a rude surprise.

Insurance would be your best option, especially if you are looking for diminished value.

[Lakeside]

Going to vary by state. My dad went after diminished value and had some injuries from a crash. I know he fought State Farm for 10 years or something crazy. Unfortunately I don’t remember the outcome and he’s gone.

[Znomorph4theWin]

Ouchie! Minor damage , But it can be fixed as good as new. Definitely get a quote from BMW and give to thy neighbor. They might be surprised about the cost to repair…

[GaoKS]

Diminished value claim as already mentioned by others. How it's handled varies by insurance carrier and/or state you reside in.

If your neighbor pays out of pocket, you may dodge the carfax ding but I highly doubt they will - that's gonna cost some $.

So sorry to hear OP- I can't even imagine how much that much suck after waiting in your car. Wishing you the best possible outcome.

[dlong82]

DV is a difficult subject. Some insurance companies have stop reporting repairs to help avoid DV claims. Had a 135i; left front tire/wheel, fender, head light, nose clip... The repair which was paid by my insurance company, was done by an authorized BMW collision center and, was not reported. Later traded for a M car. Dealer ran the Carfax, no repairs noted, no DV issue. Until you trade or sale, DV is a guesstimate; you have not yet incurred a loss.

[MCM4]

OP, sorry for this experience. Hang in there, it will get fixed and be good as new!

[xXMPowerXx]

Ouch!! Sorry OP, it will be back!

[Rollidude]

Man that sucks! but the damage was minor it will be back like new in no time

[1BAD4DR]

Car will never be the same again. I would never buy a crashed car with half the side repainted. Sucks man.

[_E90S65_]

Painful to see this.

Recently witnessed a guy back his truck (with beefy, 3-bike carrier) into a parked car and inflict serious damage.

Glad your neighbor owned up to it. Hope the repairs go as smooth as your ride's stealth PPF.

[Tyga11]

Your neighbor can 'own up to it' but at the end of the day you essentially have a paper weight worth a fraction of the cost now that it's been in an accident.

What steps have you taken to hire an attorney? What has the neighbor offered you in addition to just repairing the car?

[forcefed]

Originally Posted by Draper

Sorry, that is a huge bummer.

Is that frozen paint or just stealth ppf?

You might want to get a quote for your neighbor. If he's thinking this will be a $2-3K job, he may be in for a rude surprise.

Frozen repaint of panels is a pain, apparently the amount of clear coat you spray affects the matte finish. The bmw paint specialist has to test it on a bunch of dummy panels and basically match them up to your car if they're identical. Basically if you spray the panel for 1 second with clear it'll look different than a panel that was sprayed for 2 seconds, the matte look will be different.

[kjx]

Originally Posted by forcefed

Frozen repaint of panels is a pain, apparently the amount of clear coat you spray affects the matte finish. The bmw paint specialist has to test it on a bunch of dummy panels and basically match them up to your car if they're identical. Basically if you spray the panel for 1 second with clear it'll look different than a panel that was sprayed for 2 seconds, the matte look will be different.

This. I know a M5 CS owner who had his trunk lid resprayed twice and they are not able to get a good quality matte finish on. It was going in for a third time last I heard.

If this was just regular paint, it still looks like $5k repair. More if the panels are being fully replaced. I don't what premium there's on repair cost for matte paints. It may end up being a $7-8k job. To keep your relationship with your neighbor, I'd suggest billing to their insurance instead of having them foot all of it.

Hopefully the repair/paint shop techs are respectful and are not cold revving an unbroken-in engine, etc.

[Forzanerazzurri]

You lost me at "tire lottery". Also, another reason to avoid frozen paint like the plague.

[MWPcompM3]

Is this frozen black?

[BMWRacer523]

uugh sucks to see this! Sorry you have to experience this. I agree, it should go through your neighbors insurance but the compensation should more more than just cost of repairs. I would consult an attorney at this point.