Got rear ended. Quarter panel question

[petstang]

Got rear ended today. Will need basically everything new in the back. Trunk. Bumber. My question is the two quarter panels were slightly bent from the trunk pushing them forward. When I look at them they seem to be connected to the inside of the trunk as one piece. Almost as part of the frame. So can these be fixed or replaced? Also any nice aftermarket bumpers worth looking at?

Sorry to hear about your accident. My 2016 GT PP was rear ended in April and had exactly the same damage...quarter panels needed to be re welded. Total repair costs were over 12K $ and I had to drive a rental car for almost one and a half month but the final result is perfect. I can't see the difference compared to new but I am sure a pro technician can. I have submitted a diminished value claim to the opposite insurance company. They will review the claim and then the car will be inspected by a technician they assign. We'll see what comes out.
Good luck with the repairs

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[chris_5oh]

My car is currently in the body shop with more damage than that from getting rear ended. Whole trunk assembly and both quarter panels had to be replaced. I should actually be getting it back tomorrow. Current repair costs are over $16k. I'm wondering what my diminished value will be.

 

[MSMStannyl]

Quarter panels are welded in. So if they are not repairable in place, the orignial one will have to be cut out and a new one welded in. There was a big thread a while ago where someone showed a bunch of progress photos at the body shop when he was getting major rear end damage fixed.

Sounds like you figured out who's it was. I was going to say it could've been mine as well from last year.

I'm in NY. I was stopped at a light and some guy rear ends the lady behind me. She then hits me. Problem is this guys insurance company is going bankrupt so I have to go thru my own insurance now. Could I still get diminished value?

Possibly. Every state has different laws about that. Some states do allow you to go after your own insurance company for DV, especially in the circumstances you're dealing with. Some states will allow you to file a DV claim against your own insurance company even if you were the one at fault. It's all back to that idea of them repairing your car to pre-accident condition but also needing to bring its value to pre-accident condition...

My car is currently in the body shop with more damage than that from getting rear ended. Whole trunk assembly and both quarter panels had to be replaced. I should actually be getting it back tomorrow. Current repair costs are over $16k. I'm wondering what my diminished value will be.

Probably $8k - $10k depending. I am dealing with a DV claim now myself stemming from my being rear-ended at a red light. It was literally just a tap by a Volvo SUV (without the auto-braking system unfortunately!). Most people wouldn't have even noticed that I had been rear ended. Overall repair ended up being about $10,500, not including rental.

I hired a DV expert to appraise the value lost. It was around $7500. Hired a lawyer and am suing the lady that hit me/her insurance company (which coincidentally happens to also be my insurance company but that doesn't really matter). Ironically, my trial date was for this coming Friday. However, the opposing lawyer postponed it due to a conflict. It's now set for the end of July. Hopefully they settle before that though. We'll see.

In any case, I would expect a DV claim in the same ballpark. I'm not sure that the cost of repair means as much once it's over a certain amount, like $10k or so. I think they look at what clean cars with similar options/mileage are selling for and what the repair being on Carfax would do to the value. Keep in mind, it's a loooooong process. By the time I go to trial for it, it will already have been over 1 year since the accident. That said, I assume all of the value figures should be based on your car at the time of the accident (at least I hope that's the case for me!).

Good luck to all with this. It definitely sucks. However, a good body shop will definitely make it right and will hopefully even fix some of Ford's horrible panel alignment issues! In my case they fixed the rear window glass that was sitting crooked.

 

[chris_5oh]

I hired a DV expert to appraise the value lost. It was around $7500. Hired a lawyer and am suing the lady that hit me/her insurance company (which coincidentally happens to also be my insurance company but that doesn't really matter).

In any case, I would expect a DV claim in the same ballpark. I'm not sure that the cost of repair means as much once it's over a certain amount, like $10k or so. I think they look at what clean cars with similar options/mileage are selling for and what the repair being on Carfax would do to the value. Keep in mind, it's a loooooong process. By the time I go to trial for it, it will already have been over 1 year since the accident. That said, I assume all of the value figures should be based on your car at the time of the accident (at least I hope that's the case for me!).

Good luck to all with this. It definitely sucks. However, a good body shop will definitely make it right and will hopefully even fix some of Ford's horrible panel alignment issues! In my case they fixed the rear window glass that was sitting crooked.

Where did you hire one from? I've been looking into it. My insurance company is also the same as the one who rear ended me. It seems like they are trying to help me push my diminished value and will help me out with it. I don't think I'll need to get a lawyer involved and sue but we shall see. It's tough to find one on carfax with similar options/mileage and then one that's been in a wreck. Not sure how that is going to work out. I really hope it isn't that long either, not sure I have the patience for that haha. I went and checked out the car on Saturday and already pointed out stuff so hopefully it's perfect when I see it again.

 

[MSMStannyl]

Where did you hire one from? I've been looking into it. My insurance company is also the same as the one who rear ended me. It seems like they are trying to help me push my diminished value and will help me out with it. I don't think I'll need to get a lawyer involved and sue but we shall see. It's tough to find one on carfax with similar options/mileage and then one that's been in a wreck. Not sure how that is going to work out. I really hope it isn't that long either, not sure I have the patience for that haha. I went and checked out the car on Saturday and already pointed out stuff so hopefully it's perfect when I see it again.

Check with your body shop. Most body shops should know someone they recommend. My guy is local here in MD. I doubt he'd be able to help you out in Texas. Also, I assume the market where you live could play a part in the DV as well.

The DV estimate should probably cost you somewhere around $250 - $400. At that point they give it to you and you can go after the insurance yourself or get a lawyer involved.

I took my car to a very reputable shop owned by someone I've known for years. I did NOT take it to my insurance companies "preferred" shop. I typically try to stay away from those.

The lawyer part is kind of a grey area and could be different in Texas. For me in MD, it was suggested (by the DV appraiser) that I bring in a lawyer right off the bat. The reasons for this are that with a value over $5,000, it takes the claim out of small claims court and puts it into district court. I believe a lawyer is needed at that point, or at least highly recommended.

With that in mind, I still could've dealt directly with the insurance company on it but if they had lowballed me, there's not much I could do other than...hire a lawyer. Figured I'd save myself the headache and just involve a lawyer right away. It's totally up to you though. You could always try to do it yourself and then bring in a lawyer if needed. Obviously they get 33% of your settlement so that part sucks but it's worth them dealing with all of the communication and filings in my opinion.

To give you an example, the insurance company offered a settlement right away. It was for like $3,000 if I remember correctly. With the DV valued at around $7500, that was definitely a lowball offer. We said no which is why we're going to court. Of course they could still come up with another offer and/or settle with us out of court up until the morning of the trial. We'll see.

I did get a call from the body shop 2 weeks ago telling me that some person was emailing them constantly asking for all of the paperwork on my car repair. Digging into it, it looks like it's another DV appraiser. I'm guessing the defendants group must've hired him to do his own "counter" estimate on the DV value. Of course they should already have all of the paperwork and receipts so I'm not sure who this guy was or why he was contacting the shop but after consulting with my lawyer, we told the shop to not give him anything.

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