crashed my boxster.. advice on repairs?

[angelonyc]

I never drive my car in the rain, but last week I was caught in the rain... I must have driven over an oil patch or something slippery, and it had just started raining. I lost my front wheels, tried to correct, i thought I would have had it and ended up in a spin, jumping a curb.

No visible body damage on the outside of the car, but jumping the curb made a mess of the underside..

I had the car towed to a porsche dealer, but my insurance company (allstate) wants the work to be done at some general mechanic.

Any ideas advice for the repairs? I'd rather stick with the Porsche dealer than whatever the insurance will recommend. Do other shops even work on these types of cars?

There's substantial damage, all 4 wheels/tires dead, subframe damage, shocks/struts on 2 wheels dead, the list is long.

Anyone else been in this situation? Porsche dealer tells me it is going to be a very tough fight with the insurance company, even though I've got full coverage.

First time I've crashed -ever in my 14 yrs of driving...

Edit - I am in NYC. I thought my member name would give it away.

Edited April 19, 2009 by angelonyc

[Loren]

I never drive my car in the rain, but last week I was caught in the rain... I must have driven over an oil patch or something slippery, and it had just started raining. I lost my front wheels, tried to correct, i thought I would have had it and ended up in a spin, jumping a curb.

No visible body damage on the outside of the car, but jumping the curb made a mess of the underside..

I had the car towed to a porsche dealer, but my insurance company (allstate) wants the work to be done at some general mechanic.

Any ideas advice for the repairs? I'd rather stick with the Porsche dealer than whatever the insurance will recommend. Do other shops even work on these types of cars?

There's substantial damage, all 4 wheels/tires dead, subframe damage, shocks/struts on 2 wheels dead, the list is long.

Anyone else been in this situation? Porsche dealer tells me it is going to be a very tough fight with the insurance company, even though I've got full coverage.

First time I've crashed -ever in my 14 yrs of driving...

It would probably be helpful if you would fill in your Location in your profile.

No one know where you are to recommend a shop.

[Guest]

Never heard of an insurance company telling you where you can or can't get your car repaired. They may disagree of what they are willing to pay for a repair...has others experienced this.

Also, when you insure your car , most insurance companies offer your the option of OEM replacements parts for an extra premium, otherwise you may receive replacement parts...

[angelonyc]

update. car has actually been finished since last week. New problem now. Although Allstate upped the rate @ which they reimburse slightly, now they do not want to pay for all the hours the shop worked on the car. They claim that the shop did not receive authorization from Allstate and that the shop claims that I signed an agreement with them that I would pay for the hours?? This never happened, I never signed anything, heck.

The shop is not giving back my car until someone pays for all the hours. This is a nightmare. Both parties pointing fingers at each other, I consulted with 3 attorneys and no one wants to take the case. The labor cost is around $4k in terms of the # of hours worked allstate does not want to pay for. That a considerable sum of money.

any help?

[White987S]

update. car has actually been finished since last week. New problem now. Although Allstate upped the rate @ which they reimburse slightly, now they do not want to pay for all the hours the shop worked on the car. They claim that the shop did not receive authorization from Allstate and that the shop claims that I signed an agreement with them that I would pay for the hours?? This never happened, I never signed anything, heck.

The shop is not giving back my car until someone pays for all the hours. This is a nightmare. Both parties pointing fingers at each other, I consulted with 3 attorneys and no one wants to take the case. The labor cost is around $4k in terms of the # of hours worked allstate does not want to pay for. That a considerable sum of money.

any help?

I know squat about insurance and legal documents, but I do know a lot about negotiations. So I say, work with the dealership and your agent, and negotiate a settlement that everyone is happy with. You were at fault, so maybe you might just have to pay more than your deductable, to get your car back. Not fair, but may be necessary.

How does the car look?

[angelonyc]

update. car has actually been finished since last week. New problem now. Although Allstate upped the rate @ which they reimburse slightly, now they do not want to pay for all the hours the shop worked on the car. They claim that the shop did not receive authorization from Allstate and that the shop claims that I signed an agreement with them that I would pay for the hours?? This never happened, I never signed anything, heck.

The shop is not giving back my car until someone pays for all the hours. This is a nightmare. Both parties pointing fingers at each other, I consulted with 3 attorneys and no one wants to take the case. The labor cost is around $4k in terms of the # of hours worked allstate does not want to pay for. That a considerable sum of money.

any help?

I know squat about insurance and legal documents, but I do know a lot about negotiations. So I say, work with the dealership and your agent, and negotiate a settlement that everyone is happy with. You were at fault, so maybe you might just have to pay more than your deductable, to get your car back. Not fair, but may be necessary.

How does the car look?

The car looks very close to what it looked like new. They detailed it, brand new wheels. I haven't driven it, but the Porsche guys say they took it for a few test runs and there are no vibrations/alignment issues. The only thing I notice is the front bumper, the color is just very slightly off, but it could be one of those things that you notice b/c u know it happened. the front bumper was replaced.

[JeTexas]

It varies from state to state depending on laws, but usually insurance only reimburses body work at something like $40 per hour. Sounds like the Porsche dealership wasn't willing to take that rate, and instead of refusing the work, they're going to charge you the difference.

[White987S]

The only thing I notice is the front bumper, the color is just very slightly off, but it could be one of those things that you notice b/c u know it happened. the front bumper was replaced.

Use this "color difference" in your negotiations with the dealership.

[Guest]

Did you not get an estimate from the shop first and get the go ahead to fix from the insurance co. BEFORE work was started?

[angelonyc]

Did you not get an estimate from the shop first and get the go ahead to fix from the insurance co. BEFORE work was started?

Shop gave no estimate to me, in the beginning, only to insurance. The insurance had to go down there and assess the situation before anything started and they could start paying. But working off of that estimate (done by insurance company) that was later sent to me later, once the insurance company looked at the car the hours have remained unchanged.

[Guest]

So the repair cost exceeded the estimate by $4000? That is absurd.