After class surprise
 

Hey guys. How's everyone's spring going? :)

Tonight was my first class of the term, and when I come out I find a big beautiful dent in the side of my car! It enhanced my evening ever so. That was fun.. Anyway, the people were waiting and gave me insurance info, name, phone # etc.. So it should all work out. Just thought I'd share my story.

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You might could beat it out yourself. Hopefully the insurance company doesn't total the car. Good luck with it. This is why I have a Mercedes Diesel as my daily driver. It's reliable, worth almost nothing, and they are a dime a dozen. It's sad to see that happen to a Weissach Edition.

Yeah I might be able to. It'll need so paint too though. Hopefully the insurance is able to make it right.

Thanks, yeah it would suck to have a totaled weissach...

How nice do you want it fixed?

I got backed into, and they took off no lic etc, in the rt rear qtr right at the door jamb.

Straight to the ugly $4k and I am not happy with end result, paint crackled after two years.

Looks like you need door painted at least to feather, and that means a lot of expensive old rubber bits should be replaced on the door and both windows.

OTOH that "might" pop out substantially in the right hands, and wait for a time to do a full repaint.

Don't let them get away with trying to paint without removing and replacing the rubber trim.

I'm sitting here typing a long reply on my phone, and suddenly my Internet closes after installing an update to Chrome. I don't feel like starting over right now as I'm about to fall asleep and I'm having trouble thinking of the simplest words. So I'll finish my response tomorrow lol

that sux when you have fukn a**holes driving with their eyes up their a** not looking where their going or some dumb a** who was texting, that would really piss me off.

Sorry, I sat there for 5 minutes trying to think of the word "ideally". After getting some sleep my brain now works! At least as good as it used to anyway..

Ideally, I'd like it fixed perfectly. Insurance should cover it, hopefully it won't cost me anything. However, I'm sure that I won't be happy with the way it's fixed. I've never had an accident so I have no idea how insurance takes care of issues. They have Geico and I believe they let you choose a shop? I'm not sure.. But I'm going to start looking for a shop.

We had to pop it out so I could drive it home, it was rubbing against the tire, and now it looks a little better.

Wow Danglerb, that sucks. I've never been happy with the work done on my dad's cars from various shops. After talking to our insurance they told us that Geico will probably ask us to get 3 estimates, one of which will be from a Porsche dealer. Has anyone had work from the dealer?

I agree imajr, I'm trying to be as nice about it as I can because I'm just happy they didn't leave. But I know it will probably either never be the way it was, or it will be totalled. I might be surprised though and it turns out ok

The dealer should scare the bejesus out of the insurance, but Geico is going to get its money from the other persons insurance.

I would start by talking to some of the local Porsche owners Pacific NW Region | Porsche Club of America and see who is the best. It will take a good shop as the door is aluminum and qtr is steel.

Remind the insurance that its a Weissach, one of 20x ever made etc.

Realistically how nice was it, how nice do you want it to be?

If the whole car could use paint, I would be thinking about finding a nicer one to start from, buy this one back from insurance, pop it out more and keep looking.

Geico is actually the other persons insurance. I'm with state farm.

Yeah I'm hoping that they will take in to conideratiothe rarity of the weissach edition. Before getting hit, the body was perfect other than 1 or 2 VERY small dings. Dings that nobody could see until I pointed them out, and even then had trouble seeing.

My goal was to eventually have the car in perfect shape, so really anything less than perfection in the repair isn't good enough. But of course I'm sure I'll have to settle.

I probably will end up losing the car. I'm not sure if I'll get another 928 or not

If it was my car, I would make sure I ended up with the car. Let them pay you whatever money they're going to pay you, then find out what it would take to buy the car from them. I believe you can ask them not to salvage title the car. Then you can sell the car to another 928 addict, pool the monies, and buy whatever other car you want.

Remember: there were only something like 210 Weissachs made.

The way I understand it the insurance industry won't pay twice on the same car, so if its totaled, it will never have full value from an insurer again.

Ideally you want the car returned to pre accident condition and compensation for the loss in value due to damage and repair, which is NOT insignificant.

OTOH if it won't cause a lot of pain to lose it, chances are it wasn't floating your boat sufficiently to put up with normal 928 issues.

Yeah, as I said, I know nothing about the process, so I'm just going by what you guys, my dad, and neighbor are telling me. I'm thinking I may ask for a recommendation from the dealer when I get an estimate. They'll probably know who does good work.

I'm not sure if I'm ready for the anti-928 attitude of the dealer. I'll have to condition myself.. Lol

I hate it for you, but if they total it, you can buy it back on the cheap....who cares if it has a salvage title if you plan on keeping it forever.....

So what are the estimates? Looks like an extremely minor repair for any competent body shop. Had an almost identical parking lot dent in the quarter panel of a car of mine (that ******* left) and the repair was well under $1K...less than my deductible so I had to pay out of pocket. The urethane bumper that wrapped around to the panel also got scraped and had to be painted too. Local place did the repair, one of the best in my my area. They had the car for two days and it came back 100% perfection. When I sold the car 10 years later, it was still absolutely perfect. Never once did I have one of those moments when I noticed an imperfection in certain lighting.

Find reviews on your local body shops. Should be easy to weed out the HACKS that charge ungodly amounts of money for simple repairs that don't last.

I haven't gotten and estimates yet. I have to drive 200 miles round trip to a Porsche dealer for an estimate. So I'm probably going to do it next weekend. There are really no good body shops locally, so I'll probably have to go at least 45 minutes to find someone I'd trust with it.

I'd call and make sure that Porsche dealer actually does the body work. Many (if not most) car dealerships farm-out their work to local body shops.

Also, there is no law in this country that requires you to take your car to a dealer for an estimate. If an insurance company told me that and it involved wasting a day of my life and $50 bucks worth of gas, I'd kindly tell them to **** off.

I'd also take it to the one body shop of my choice. The three estimates they always want is a bunch of BS as there is no law for that. If they don't like the estimate, then they can send out their own claims adjuster to dispute it. A good insurance company would send an adjuster to your house before you even go to get an estimate.
I'd also make sure to get a rental car too!

Good reading here:
Auto Accident Collision Repair Shops & Insurance Adjusters

and here:
Why get 3 Estimates « Pruitts Auto Collision

Wow thanks 19psi, I'll check those links. Yeah I've already been thinking about the rental, however, I'm only 18, so chances are I won't be able to get a rental unless I can find a small rental agency that rents to people under 21. I'm definitely not gonna let them screw me over.

My main problem as far as the estimates is that there are no good ones locally. They're all those crappy chains that do $500 paint jobs. So either way I'll likely have to drive at least 45 minutes for a reputable shop

Best way to find a good body shop is to ask Porsche owners in your area, the dealer is going to tell you whatever shop they use currently is the best.

The insurance adjuster is coming Wednesday. He's coming from about 45 minutes away. I've got a few ideas for which shops to go to based on friends experiences.

The adjuster decided to come today, he'll be here in about 30 minutes.

I noticed yesterday, the first time I've been in the car since the accident, that the door doesn't open and close like it used to. It sticks a little while opening it. My friend said it looks like it's off a little bit. I'm hoping that doesn't add a whole lot of trouble to getting this fixed.. :/

I got a check for $1,600. He seems confident that it shouldn't be more than that. And if it is, the shop will deal directly with Geico. I'm impressed with Geico so far. I'm getting a rental, but my dad will likely use the rental and I'll borrow his car.

I'm taking it in next Monday, I'll keep everyone updated :)

Thanks for the help guys!

Don't cash that check or sign off on anything until you're 100% satisfied. Glad to hear things are going smoothly so far!

Thanks 19psi, yeah I'll make sure it's all good first.

Ok, so I went to two different local body shops that I have, or someone I know has worked with. They say that the estimate is pretty spot on. But they also agree that it will look bad having shiny new paint on the one spot. Both places said $5-6,000 for a complete paint job, plus the $1,600 for the damage. And insurance will not pay for the entire paint.

I'm kind of bummed after this, because I will never have $5,000+ to put in to a paint job. The car's not even worth that , and I've already got $4,000+ in to it.

I'm strongly considering doing one of two things:
1. Selling it, hanging on to the insurance money, and combining the money to buy another 928 or something else.

Or

2. Fixing it, and then selling it.

I imagine I'd come out ahead if I kept the money and sold the car, as opposed to fixing then selling.

Please share your thoughts.

Edit: the places that quoted 5+ grand for a paint job said that they have to disassemble everything for it. But if you're doing the same color, is that really necessary?

Edit: one of the places I went to suggested getting an appraisal, and then request that Geico pays for a full paint job. But an appraisal will probably say my car is worth under $3,000 and then they'd just total it.

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As you can see, the car needs a paint job. It will look terrible with only part of it painted. You can see the oxidation on the hood.

Also, that is where I was hit. We had to pop it out a little in order for me to drive it home as it was rubbing against the tire.

I don't think you're going to score a new paint job courtesy of the insurance company. That's existing damage/wear that they can't be held at fault for. I'm no fan of insurance companies, but fair is fair.

The Weissach is a clear coat paint so it should be easy enough for them to blend the finish into surrounding panels.
The quarter panel and door are obviously going to be repainted as they were both damaged. The door will need to be blended into the front fender. Negotiate with the insurance company to paint the entire fender and blend into the front and rear bumpers.
That whole side of the car should look nice for not much more money.
Hood and roof line are on a different plane so the difference won't stick out like a sore thumb. Actually the hood looks great from your pictures.
$6K will get you a quality paint job and the car will look incredible. If it's a high mileage daily driver with a tired interior and not worth that $6K, there's always places like Maaco.
Get a bit more out of the insurance company and add maybe another $1K out of pocket and the car will look halfway decent all around for quite a few more years...especially if it's garage kept and waxed regularly.

You'll probably get flamed for such blasphemy, but the truth is, your car will look far better than the average flamers car. Simply ask for some high res pics of their car, and they'll STFU in a hurry. :)

I agree with you about insurance paying for a paint job. The only reason I would think that they should is because my car should look at least as good as it did before I got hit, which it won't if the paint is not blended properly. But Hopefully you're right and they can do it.

I think my main concern is that I could buy a nicer 928 with a decent paint job for less than it would cost for a good paint job. And, given the choice, I would choose a different interior/exterior color than that of the Weissach. It's growing on me, but still not my favorite color. However, I do enjoy having 1 of 20x.

I would consider doing a Maaco type paint job, but from what I've heard, they also use cheap paint that fades after a couple years.

Unfortunately, I have no garage, and my insane neighbor has stolen my carport. If I get it painted I'd make sure he moved his crap though. It's seems to be perfect mechanically though, so I hate to sell it..

I'm probably rambling and making little or no sense. I'm just confused... :confused:

Just off the top of your head, any idea (estimation) what a Weissach would be worth in [near] perfect mechanical condition, interior 7/10, and exterior how it is? Just an idea for if I do decide to sell.

Ya know what? SCREW IT! I love this car, and it's already paid for itself. It was our only car for 6 months after our van burned up. I probably have $4,500 in to it, including the purchase price. I'm getting a job this summer and I'll just slowly put money aside for a good paint job.

I'm so indecisive... :rolleyes:

Edit: I'm going to take pictures of the interior and exterior and get your opinions on whether or not it's a lost cause.

I've seen some that were beat to hell restoration projects go for ~$3K.
If it has over 100K miles and a lot of oxidation on other panels but excellent mechanicals and interior, maybe $5K? I'd definitely choose ebay as the way to sell it.

Do you by chance have the luggage set?

Wow, If I could get 5K for it, I could probably find another 928 with a more desirable color. I'll have to think about it. I am starting to like the exterior color, just not crazy about the interior. Maybe I'd like it better if it was restored.

No, unfortunately :/ I know that Roger had a few. But I never heard back from him when I asked him how much, lol

How do you find out what number your Weissach is? Like yours is #153.

Looking at your 928 makes me want to restore mine. That actually looks really good! I like the rims too.

$5K is going to be on the high side of an ebay sale. Mileage and interior are going to play a big part.
The gold plaque on my dash has the # engraved on it. If you still have the certificate, it should also have the #. I'm not sure of any other way of finding out. Porsche offers a birth certificate which gives a lot of info on your car but I don't know if it lists the #...Roger may be able to tell you if it does. It's not cheap either, I was quoted something like $110 for it.

$5k won't come close to factory quality paint, not even 30 year old factory paint.

If you are ok with it, have a scratch and dent specialist see what they can do for $200 or so.

How much would I have to pay for a GOOD paint job? :(



19psi, oh OK, I'll have to look in to that. May I ask what kind of rims those are on your weissach? Those look really nice. I can't get over how great yours looks. That's my new inspiration lol.

I'll keep you guys updated, and I'll try to stop asking so many stupid questions.. :)

my .02

Fix the car, pay a bit more to have the paint blended as 19psi stated and you'll have a better looking (to some degree) car than you had before the accident.

I don't see the point in selling this car for "cheap" then taking the $1600 and looking for another car, you'll probably end up with something close to what you already have AFTER repairs anyway.

You've put 4k into it at this point. Spend the money to blend that fender to the bumper and continue on with the car like it never happened.

They were from USARIM in CA. Previous owner installed them at about $1,700 including tires. A guy with a Strosek asked me about them last week but after checking the website, they appear to be no longer available. I keep the anodized originals in my home office as decoration. The car currently has about 49K miles.

$6K will get you an excellent paint job unless you live in some kind of Twilight Zone land where everything you buy ends in a horrific rape. $12K to $15K would get you an award winning show quality paint job.

Agreed. I think that's the best solution and should cost nothing out of pocket if the insurance is willing to give a little more.

Currently a nice car inside and out, mechanically good and only $4500 invested!

I agree lowpassat. That's kind of what I've decided. It will just take time (and lots of money) to fix it up, but I need to stop worrying about the money so much.. Like I said, I'm the most indecisive person. I get super discouraged when it seems like I'm never making progress. But hopefully I'm almost to the end of catching up with maintenance. Then I'll actually start improving the car..

@19psi Oh, I see. I'm thinking I want something similar. I like the size too, 19" looks good. Wow, $1,700 is a really good deal! Yeah I saw those rims in your home in your pics. My car is nearly three times as much mileage as yours (130k). Your car isn't lowered is it? Maybe the rims just make it look a little lower.