City plow 1, Mini 0. Bodywork experts, I need your advice.

"Carl (@stuffcarlsays)" (carllevine) 01/16/2014 at 22:07 • Filed to: MINI

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So Saturday morning around 7:30, I was awoken by a god-awful crash. Didn't think much of it, thought one of our cats was being a douche. As I drifted back to sleep, I heard a knock at the door. In my half-asleep stupor, I scrambled to locate some clothes and opened my front door to see my neighbors standing there with forlorn looks on their faces.

"The city plow just hit your Mini Cooper"

I walked outside to a frozen hell, with a city plow truck wedged across our street. There was the Mini, punched up onto the curb and looking rather dismal. Granted, I had not put my contacts in yet, so the damage wasn't immediately apparent.

The plow driver climbed down out of the cab spouting profuse apologies. I understood, it was a skating rink out there and the cops were already on the way. A maintenance supervisor from the city came down to chat as well, and assured me that the city's insurance would take care of everything. Tow truck came and took the Mini to the only body shop that wasn't inundated with cars.

The following are close-ups of the damage inflicted by the plow. When the blade hit the A-pillar, it deformed and cracked the metal. The hood got ripped open, the door also got a gash, and the blade even managed to puncture a small hole in the rear quarter.

So my big concern in all of this is the damage on the A-pillar. The body shop where the car ended up did an initial estimate, came out to like $8,700. Is it common practice to cut a section out of an A-pillar and weld in another piece on a year-old car? The guy who did the estimate said something to the effect of replacing the outer A-pillar layer and "nobody will see what's underneath".

When I looked at the A-pillar from the rear of the car towards the front, there was a clear deformation in the pillar. Also, it appeared that the roof actually absorbed some of the impact as well.

I am having serious concerns about how this will all get fixed or if this will just get written off. Anyone out there have experience doing body work on an R56 Mini? It looks like the pillar is an integral unit with the respective layers of the entire side of the vehicle from the parts diagrams I've looked at.

Appraiser from the city's insurance agency apparently looked at the car today, and I'll get the city's final word on what they feel is best tomorrow or Monday. As much fun as this car is, I kind of hope that it's totaled so I don't have to deal with future lost value and possible issues from repair.

Oh, and my rental from the city? Chrysler 200. It's the worst.

heliochrome85 > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:10

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Likely totalled now that structural integrity of the safety cage is compromised. At least the city and driver were nice. Theres hope that we may still have a few good souls in this world (outside of Oppo of course)

Mathias Rios > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:11

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That's horrific. I'm so sorry. I would be devastated. My mom lost a Mini in Hurricane sandy (flooded, she could've saved it too...). I would hope that car is deemed totaled too because that car is toasted. That's considered "frame" damage I believe with a car like this. And the carfax/ repair history on that car will make it hard to sell.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:11

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Total Mini replacement surgery.

Also this, "nobody will see what's underneath" just screams hack job.

Carl (@stuffcarlsays) > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 01/16/2014 at 22:12

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Yeah, I was sketched out by the dude.

Bandit > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:15

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Wow, it cut through your car like it was mushy snow, that sucks man. I'm going to guess the car will be totaled.

Mathias Rios > heliochrome85 01/16/2014 at 22:16

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+1, structural integrity compromised. Probably totaled.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:16

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I would never let him touch the car. Good luck, man.

Brian Silvestro > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:16

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I really hope they total it. It'll probably compromise the driving dynamics heavily, especially considering how sketchy and budget-oriented a city-paid repair will be.

Velocity- Peuguette Connoisseur > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:17

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Ouch. That's awful. At least they are owning up to it...

GhostZ > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:18

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Found a picture of the snow plow:

But seriously though, that sucks. Hope it all works out.

pdthedeuce > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:19

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dude , that sucks ... many feels for you . makes me glad it doesn't snow here .

Carl (@stuffcarlsays) > Bandit 01/16/2014 at 22:19

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It's still surreal to look at the pictures.

AthomSfere > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:20

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Not so long ago, I dinged my Civic EX...

(This is the car totaled by the way, when I went to get my stuff from on the side with the damage)

Tapped a curb (Ice, salt, sand, stupid...)

Mostly minor stuff, scuffed rims, lost splash guards...

But the dent by the rear tire:

Apparently was good enough to warrant the same operation. They might have been able to hammer it out, but cut and repair and replace was more probable.

Regardless, Airbags deployed and the bill was enough to total it out.

It did get me a lightly molested Si though...

Carl (@stuffcarlsays) > GhostZ 01/16/2014 at 22:20

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Bwahahahaha, that's exactly how I described the damage.

GhostZ > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:21

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ohthankgodhehasasenseofhumor

You can never tell sometimes.

Aaron James > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:21

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the body shop guy told you that? Not really what I'd want to hear from the people charged with repairing my car.

RyanFrew > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:22

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I would take it to whatever shop your local Mini dealer recommends. Sorry man, that looks totaled. If this sketchy shop is quoting that number, I wouldn't be shocked if you heard a higher number elsewhere.

Lazzris > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:22

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try this then it should buff right out

Mathias Rios > AthomSfere 01/16/2014 at 22:23

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Impressive.

Carl (@stuffcarlsays) > Aaron James 01/16/2014 at 22:23

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Suffice it to say, if the city says they're going to fix it, it's going to the Mini recommended body shop across town.

AthomSfere > Mathias Rios 01/16/2014 at 22:23

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LOL, to which part?

Aaron James > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:24

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You can try telling them that you prefer replacement over repair because you have safety concerns in the event of a future incident. Sorry this happened to you, I know it's a pain when these things happen through no fault of your own.

Carl (@stuffcarlsays) > Lazzris 01/16/2014 at 22:25

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Aaron James > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:26

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yeah, without a doubt, I was going to suggest you not let the "nobody will see" guys fix it.

Lazzris > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:27

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oh and sorry for your car that really sucks. can't imagine losing my baby like that. Hope all ends well.

Mathias Rios > AthomSfere 01/16/2014 at 22:27

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That those two items were enough to total the car. Since I don't know much about civics, I wouldn't take a second look at that dent down there. I think you got a better car in the end though, right?

Carl (@stuffcarlsays) > Aaron James 01/16/2014 at 22:29

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Absolutely. I drive this car routinely for work and for general hooning about as I only live about 3/4 of a mile from my office and walk whenever possible. However, the idea of ever taking a long drive anywhere, especially with my wife in the car, or even kids down the road - that frightens me.

DudeDoYouEvenPeanutButter > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:30

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You should find out where the most high-end, exotic dealers that aren't Ferrari send their body work to. Contact Porsche and Mercedes dealers. Or just find the nicest body shop in town. Have them do everything.

Carl (@stuffcarlsays) > DudeDoYouEvenPeanutButter 01/16/2014 at 22:33

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The body shop that the MB Dealer uses here in town is the same one the BMW and Mini dealer uses. When I bought the Mini, the F+I manager said that if I ever got into a scrape, to send it directly to that shop. When I said this to the public works rep on Saturday, he said I'd never get in there because so many cars had been damaged and that this other shop where it ended up had availability. Thankfully, the appraiser is a 3rd party.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:33

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What year is the car? Most insurance companies will total a car at about 75-80% of market value. At $8700, you may close to that. However!- Freak out thee not.

I see someone posted about the 'structural integrity.' Not really too many worry about this. I used to be a claims adjuster and have written thousands of claims worth millions of dollars while the A-pillar is part of the structure, the car will not be 'compromised.' Yes, they can order the parts of the A-pillar, or even order a whole A-pillar cut out of another mini crashed on the other side. Something as important as a pillar will be several layers of metal stacked over each other so the tech will not be replacing all of it, just the layer(s) that are damaged.

The first thing they will do it take off the door and measure the structure of the car with lasers. BMW will release a series of measuring points, the holes you see under the car, a bolt head, the door hinges themselves, yada yada. The tech will then use the hydraulic frame machine to pull that damaged pillar out to the point that all of those point match the factory specs that BMW says a new, straight mini should exhibit (straight mini, joke there somwhere, let's get back to the story).

After the tech knows that all the important points are where they belong, they will cut out the layer(s) of the pillar that are beyond repair, straighten the areas that can be repaired, and then weld in the new section. Sometimes they will use the entire new assembly and it will be exactly like the factory joints, other times, they will section it into a smaller chunk, they stitch weld the areas where there is a break. This will yield a car that is just as strong as before, no worries about structural integrity, really. By the time they are done grinding, sanding, filling and painting you will not see the repair area. It will appear just as a new car would in this area.

The fender, the doors, the quarter are really 'cosmetic' and can be replaced & reinstalled to look 100% new.

There are occasionally 'structural total losses.' meaning, repairing the car likely could NOT achieve the desired safety of a new, unwrecked car. I would be shocked if yours is 'structural.' I think of the 5000 or so claims I wrote I had less that 5 structural total loss. One was a car that went airborne and landed ON a fire hydrant which punctured up through rear floor. One was a camry that ran off the road stage left and hit a stump in the A-pillar kind of like yours, right at the driver's feet, but pushed the A-pillar, the cowl and the firewall back about a foot. Just no practical repair.

Fear not and good luck. Pick a great shop with great techs and laser measuring frame rack and you should be fine. At $8700, they may just be writing you a check and sending you to CARMAX with Doug.

Spaceball-Two > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:34

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I'm wondering about the internals? That bump has to have moved things around under the hood.

AthomSfere > Mathias Rios 01/16/2014 at 22:36

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I think modern cars are all really about the same. As soon as you start popping modern features like airbags... It gets too expensive really fast.

A better car? Well, in the enthusiasts eyes yes.

I made the mistake of test driving another Si and told another dealership to help me find one that was priced more accurately. Hundreds of Si s later, we found this one a few hours away:

Mods I am aware of:

lowered

Rims

Red shifter knob

Red front badge

Valve covers painted red (Looks well done though)

Stiffer sway bars

And Although everything else looks stock, the exhaust note is slightly lower/ throatier. But Honda couldn't figure it out despite agreeing it sounded meaner.

Otherwise, slightly more miles, more doors and a smaller lien!

Ironically, I turned down a Mini S for this (as well as a Mustang GT - even though I don't like Mustangs much I was almost sold on one if the Si couldn't be found).

Carl (@stuffcarlsays) > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 01/16/2014 at 22:38

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That was very informative and helped ease a number of my concerns. Thank you very much!

The car is an early 2013 (7/2012 build, purchased 10/2012) with 25k on the clock. Clean retail is $19,500, excellent trade (it was excellent before it got boned) is like $17k, good trade ~ high 15k range, and shit-tastic trade around $14k.

M54B30 > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:39

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You're lucky - if the plows are out and about out here, you're not allowed to park on the street. If your car is on the road and gets hit by a plow it's too bad, so sad. They won't even stop.

DudeDoYouEvenPeanutButter > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:40

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Just to make sure we're on the same page, you verified with the other shop that there's no way they could squeeze you in for an estimate, right?

I only take my car to one shop and any insurance agent that has tried to convince me to take it any where else has failed. You have a rental car. The repair is not on your tab. Take your time and get everything done right, damn what the other party is telling you to do.

Carl (@stuffcarlsays) > M54B30 01/16/2014 at 22:40

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Typically, our city declares a "Snow Emergency" when the plows are supposed to be out. This was a sort of freak ice storm that hit overnight Friday night into Saturday, so the plows were sent out only to sand the streets. No such emergency was declared, so we all parked on the street as per usual.

Carl (@stuffcarlsays) > DudeDoYouEvenPeanutButter 01/16/2014 at 22:42

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Oh no, they can totally do an estimate on the car. Right now, it's not drivable and the 3rd party appraisal was scheduled to happen at the original body shop. Had this not been the case, I would have already had it towed to the ideal shop :)

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:45

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It looks (looks!) like a fixer at this point. A few things may still happen. One is your windshield is shattered, but is it physical impact from the blade, or is it crushed because the pillar is 'squeezing' it? Can't tell. Since your roof is wet, I can't the the tell-tale wiggle in the sheetmetal where the pillar meets the roof.

The next big headache is the insurance company gets it to the shop as a fixer, the tech puts is on the frame machine, takes off all them fender/door/quarter and find $3000 more damage than they could see from the outside. They call that a 'supplement' and sometimes that new damage pushes you can into the total loss category. Don't know until you try.

One of my favorite stories was visiting St Louis' swanky luxury dealer body shop and a guy backs a brand new, months old 2006-ish M3 into a thin steel loading dock and slit the car in half horizontally from the tail lights to the back doors. They left the floor, they left the roof, but cut all the quarterpanel, inner quarter, wheel house, rear dash structure out of the car. The roof was held up by 2x4s. The owner came to see it and about passed out...

Not my claim, some other company adjuster has some explaining to do.

DudeDoYouEvenPeanutButter > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:46

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I'm with ya now. Good luck and keep us updated!

Carl (@stuffcarlsays) > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 01/16/2014 at 22:47

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Windshield was cracked by the blade impact, but when the blade hit the pillar, that's what pivoted the car up onto the curb.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 22:47

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They do not decide where your car goes for repair, you do.

Now is it possible that you have to wait longer for your car? Possible. But that's why they are paying for a rental car in the meantime.

JGrabowMSt > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 23:00

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It would be a nightmare, but if the city wont declare it totaled, get a second opinion. Even if a body shop is full of cars, stop in and ask if they can just take a look and let you know if it's something that should be written off.

A shitty body shop will gladly do cosmetic work and charge you an arm and a leg. A good body shop will tell you when it's a future risk. Minis are not fun to work on, and we have two at our house. A tree fell on one, totaled it, and that one got replaced. The same tree managed to just smack the other one and do cosmetic damage, but the shitty body shop it ended up going to was nothing but trouble.

Fast forward to me hitting a deer, my neon went to that trouble body shop. $4800 later, the car is back on the road, but now that I'm driving more often (and it's been getting really cold and warming back up) I'm starting to hear noises that make me wonder if the frame is tweaked. The body panels don't line up very well, so I'm not thrilled. The only benefit to me is that the car only has to last a few more months.

Don't let this happen to you!

TurboSloth > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/16/2014 at 23:30

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I cringed hard when I saw the pictures.

then I saw what your rental car is.

Carl (@stuffcarlsays) > TurboSloth 01/16/2014 at 23:31

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That makes two of us, then. ;-)

Dsscats > JGrabowMSt 01/17/2014 at 00:26

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Of topic question. Can I maintain an S on a budget? Engine stuff, that is.

ihbase > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/17/2014 at 00:35

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So send it to a shop that has a good rep for working on Minis and stop whinging about it. Life happens. Your wife and children will not perish because you car was repaired. But it may leak and not be aligned properly if it is not repaired properly. -Michael

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/17/2014 at 00:37

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look on the bright side, the next potential owner will have a helluva time reading the car fax
"1/16/2014:Involved in accident. Vehicle assaulted with 5 foot tall can opener. Airbag did not deploy"

SteyrTMP > DudeDoYouEvenPeanutButter 01/17/2014 at 04:33

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+1

Trust me, I've been there. I brought my Mini to a classic Porsche restoration shop/dealership. The bill was around 13k, and 4 months of work, as well as 4 months of a rental car.

If they won't replace it, give them absolute hell. Complain about the rental car.

Look hard into "diminished value" claims. I never heard of it until there was a discussion about a damaged car a few months ago. My eyes are closing on their own, but go look into my previous posts and whatnot, and you'll find it eventually.

SteyrTMP > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/17/2014 at 04:34

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YOU call the shots. DO NOT use the shop they ask you to.

Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/17/2014 at 05:12

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OUCH! That looks... well, insidious.

If this gets repaired, make sure they check the wheel alignment/tracking. I wouldn't trust the car geometry anymore, after a crash like this.

desertdog5051 > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/17/2014 at 06:09

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A pillar damage is never good.

Carl (@stuffcarlsays) > GhostZ 01/17/2014 at 08:33

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davedave1111 > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 01/17/2014 at 08:38

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You should make this into a post on Oppo - interesting stuff.

DetroitMuscle > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/17/2014 at 08:49

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I would be more concerned about the Carfax record than the repairs.

A competent shop will do an undetectable repair but the damage record will always be there to haunt any future dealings.

JGrabowMSt > Dsscats 01/17/2014 at 09:06

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Are you doing the work yourself? One of our Minis has the extended warranty, though neither will see mods.

We have a 6spd Cooper and an auto Clubman. The S is nice, I have driven one, but dont know the maintenance record of it. Basic stuff is fine and easy, but just changing a headlight is overly complicated. Often, parts have to be ordered from the motherland, so expect long waits. The starter is also iffy after about 4 years (car hardly has 50k on it). The tires are not a popular size, so if you dont like forking out for nice soft continentals, there arent many options.

If youre keeping it stock, and you drive gingerly, you should be okay. If you tend to give it the beans or have bad luck, it could get expensive.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/17/2014 at 09:29

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I would suggest getting your own estimate also. Not sure what kind of relationship you've got with your insurance agent, but you should be able to call them up and explain what happened and ask their advice on this too. Talking to your agent won't automatically open a claim or anything, so it won't have an effect on your rates at all.

But regardless, definitely get a second opinion on that. If there is as much damage as you're saying to the A pillar and roof it would surprise me a little if it didn't get totalled.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > davedave1111 01/17/2014 at 09:49

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Educate me. I've made a comment, I've actually never made an article.

BrettAM > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/17/2014 at 09:50

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Last May I went on a roadtrip from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Brooklyn, Michigan in a Chrysler 200 with the V6 and you know what? I liked it. Lots of torque, comfy seats, nice interior, relatively quiet... Torque steered across county lines leaving toll booths though.

Compared to what the other guys in the convoy had (Dart, Avenger, Elantra) we may as well have been in an S-Class.

On a related note, holy crap Ohio is flat and boring.

Hobbs, D. Hobbs. > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/17/2014 at 09:59

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Fellow R56 Mini owner is sad :(

In all seriousness, if they're paying for everything, you should take your Mini to the best bodyshop within 200 miles and make them pay for it all. I agree with others who think the current bodyshop sounds sketchy.

Klaus Schmoll > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/17/2014 at 11:33

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Judging from the pictures, the windshield is still intact and the glass from the driver's door seems to fit as well. So my (uneducated) guess is that the pillar didn't move at all, and only got cosmetic damage, which sucks, because I too think that having it totaled would be best for you. No need to deal with such a big repair on a car this new.

Let's hope for the best.

overdrv > heliochrome85 01/17/2014 at 12:56

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It's gone don't let them fix it.

SteyrTMP > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/17/2014 at 13:47

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Here's another discussion we had about damages.

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/i-hurt-emotion…

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Still haven't found the one post I was looking for.

Stef Schrader > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 01/17/2014 at 13:51

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I came here to say the exact same thing. I would not trust the "you won't be able to notice" guy. Bovine excreta, it is EXTREMELY difficult to mask off all the overspray, plus there's the fact that it's your freakin' A pillar!

I just noticed the other day how many little welds went into putting my front end back together when I swapped out a tire. That's not just a scuffed body panel. You're going to notice.

TBH, I wouldn't just ask the dealership who to take it to—ask other car nerd friends, too. Find out who does meticulous work, demands the use of factory parts, and can be as big of a pain in the city's insurance company's bum as needed. (You really don't want the aftermarket/reproduction/refurb parts on a car like this—they often don't fit as well and insurance is, in theory, supposed to put it back as close to its prior condition as possible.) Sometimes it's the same shop, other times, not so much. Most people here referred me to independent shops over the dealership's, even though I think either place would have done a good job. (The one who could get my job done faster ended up with it, heh.)

It's in such spotless condition otherwise that I hate to see it totalled, but balls—if that's your A-pillar crash structure...run away.

Oh, and if the city tries to weasel out of being responsible for the damages, get a lawyer. They owe you repairs and lost value, dude—or full value if it gets totalled.

Sucks to hear. :o(

davedave1111 > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 01/17/2014 at 15:38

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You mean the technical side? All it needs is a slight re-write to work as a general piece, so I assume so.

To post to Oppo you need to have authorship privileges, and I'm not sure how/if I can tell if you already have them or not. If you have them, all you need to do is go to the main Oppo page, click the 'Compose' button top-right, add your text, headline, picture, etc, and from the drop-down boxes at the bottom of the composition window select 'Publish on: Oppo' and 'Save as Public'.

If you don't get the option to publish on Oppo it'll be because you're not yet an author. You just have to be added by one of the mods, so if that is the case let me know and I'll make a post asking them to do so. (Or ask anyone else posting an article to Oppo.)

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > davedave1111 01/17/2014 at 16:01

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Thanks. I'll look into it.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > davedave1111 01/17/2014 at 18:50

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No authorship I guess. I can only post to my personal blog.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > davedave1111 01/17/2014 at 18:51

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No authorship I guess. I can only post to my personal blog.

DasWauto > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 01/18/2014 at 06:33

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Added.

carsandmusic > DasWauto 01/18/2014 at 07:01

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Hey DasWauto, could I also get authorship? Just found out, there is a Top Gear teaser for season 21: http://carsandmusic.kinja.com/top-gear-seaso…

Clown Shoe Pilot > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 01/18/2014 at 10:27

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You will want to pursue Diminished Value and Loss of Use. Ask your lawyer about those.

I had a similar situation to you. My car was damaged through no fault of my own. It was in a parking spot (dead between the lines) and I was sitting in my office when someone hit the car.

It was my experience that the insurance company was only willing to give me some BS amount of money for diminished value. I got my own appraisal. My appraisal and the insurance company's were wildly different. My appraisal report had an explanation of how they came to the number they came up with. The insurance company said their number came from the consideration of factors. They were totally unwilling to describe what those factors were or anything else on how they came up w/ their number.

On the loss of use, the argument can be made that a crappy rental is not substitute for your damaged car. You should be rolling in a rental MINI.

I ended up having to sue the insurance company for the diminished value, and I used an exorbitant loss of use figure as a lever. All I really wanted was the $4475 diminished value that my appraiser came up with. However, They put me in an Aveo, and an Aveo is not a substitute for an M Coupe. Nobody rents M Coupes, but there are companies that will rent you a Cayman. I calculated the difference between the daily rental of an Aveo and a Cayman, multiplied by the number of days and it was a lot - another $4200

The conversation with the insurance company was basically this:

IC: We'll give you $750, or we'll just go to court

CSP: Cool. see you in court. I'm suing you for almost 9 grand, it's worth my time to go to court.

IC: How about 2 grand?

CSP: Nah, our court date is coming up pretty soon, I'll wait.

IC: How about $4250 and we'll FedEx you a check today.

CSP: OK

DasWauto > carsandmusic 01/18/2014 at 12:56

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Done. I'll share that post to Oppo. You can publish future posts straight there now. Cheers.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > DasWauto 01/18/2014 at 16:40

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Thanks.

carsandmusic > DasWauto 01/18/2014 at 20:18

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Thank you very much!