Fender bender [Final update 7]

"HoustonRunner" (houstonrunner) 03/15/2019 at 18:28 • Filed to: None

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Final Update [7]:

Dropped it off Monday evening, picked it back up today. Looks MUCH better. The spot on the passenger rear quarter is gone, and the bumper matches much closer on that side as well.

Overall I can still tell the drivers side is more white than the passenger, but there aren’t any spots where there is a stark difference. Short of spending days or weeks complaining until they possibly repainted the whole thing (which would be a long shot), I think it is as good as it will get.

(Special shout out to The Actual RootWyrm for all of the knowledge around the painting process.)

Did some skimming on diminished value in Texas, and I’m not sure I’m going to do anything there either. The minimum amount of damage to even file a claim is $4k, and I was just over that. I’m not sure the hassle will pay off. How much less is it really worth having a non-airbag accident on the car fax? If I keep it for 5 years and put 150k+ miles on it, then probably not much. If for some reason I sell it in the next couple of years with around 100k miles, maybe $1500? And to get that I’ll need to get some sort of official appraisal, which I’m guessing will be $100-200.

Opinions welcome.

UPDATE 6:

Tuesday turned into Thursday, and I picked it up last night. They said the colder weather here in Houston made the painting process slower, which seems reasonable.

The driver’s side looks great, from any angle I could find it looks consistent.

The passenger side is a different story.

I know it probably doesn’t show at all in the picture, but there is a clear color difference between the bumper and the passenger rear quarter panel right above it. The entire driver’s side was repainted, along with the whole rear bumper which was replaced. So where the newly painted rear bumper wraps around to the passenger side there is stark difference - new paint is much “whiter” and old paint has a faint “yellow” tint. It is very apparent on the rear quarter, and less so on the back of the car, since there isn’t a spot where the bumper lines up flush with the lift gate.

In addition there is an odd round area right above the bumper where it looks like someone held an orbital buffer in the same place for a few minutes. Running my finger over it the texture is clearly different.

I need to ‘burb for a trip this weekend, but it will go back to them next week.

I know getting this perfect will be nearly impossible, but the odd spot definitely needs to be fixed. My opinion is that the whole vehicle looked the same color before the accident, it should look the same after. Am I setting unrealistic expectations for this kind of repair?

Also, once this is done I’m planning to file a diminished value claim with the other driver’s insurance. Any tips for doing this in Texas?

UPDATE 5:

Supposed to be picking it up tomorrow. Would like it to be a sunny day, but forecast calls for cloudy all day.

With that white diamond tri-coat paint, are there suggestions on how to inspect it on site to make sure they did a good job blending it in?

UPDATE 4:

Already got reimbursed from USAA for the deductible, the other side took full responsibility. Now to make an appointment to take it in.

Once I get it back I’m going to file a diminished value claim. Based on what I understand of Texas statutes I need to get the vehicle repaired first, then I can file a claim.

I’m still considering adding the retractable running boards (either factory or !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ) since one side is covered in the claim. Any opinions on installing these myself?

UPDATE 3:

USAA is quick. Estimate is roughly $4k, and they already emailed me that I will have the money in my account in 2-3 business days (minus the deducible). I’ll have to call and talk to them about that, but last time this happened (see BMW accident last year), it only took one call and they reimbursed me within a week for the deductible as well. Haven’t looked at the detailed estimate yet, but I’ll post if there is anything interesting.

Since it did take out one of the running boards, I’m thinking I may upgrade to the auto-retractable ones. They look slick.

UPDATE 2:

Insurance agent for the Volvo driver called and said they are taking 100% responsibility. I told them I needed to talk to my insurance (USAA) first, but would get back with them Monday at the latest. Based on meeting the guy after he hit me, I’m actually not that surprised that he is being proactive about taking responsibility. Now to see where AAA wants to send me for repairs, since RootWyrm pointed out my white diamond tri-coat is a pain to blend.

UPDATE 1

Back home, claim filed. Agree that most of it will, in fact, buff right out. Still going to have my insurance take a look (and I’m going to look tomorrow in better light).

I have pictures of the 240, but not sure on the implications of posting them here, so I’ll hold off for now. I will reiterate that, assuming the brakes did go out, the guy made the best decision possible. Scraped up my drivers side, gave the Accord a Camry dent, but no on was hurt.

Beer time.

[Original post]

Developing.

Sitting at a light in the left turn lane and get hit. There are two left turn lanes, I was in the right of the two, and a Volvo 240 crunches between me and the Accord coupe in the left left turn lane. Older gentleman says the brakes went out. Assuming that is true he actually made a good decision to go between instead of hitting either one of us dead center from behind. Everyone is ok, Constables are here (all of them), waiting for the police report so I can head home.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > HoustonRunner 02/08/2019 at 21:49

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Real lucky at first glance. Looks like all plastic bumper there and no fender damage?

dogisbadob > HoustonRunner 02/08/2019 at 21:55

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The damage doesn’tlook bad at all

Glad nobody was hurt

facw > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 02/08/2019 at 21:56

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Look on the left side of the wheel well (or at the wheel)

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > HoustonRunner 02/08/2019 at 22:01

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“Lucky hi...”

“Ffffffffffffffffffff.”

At least there doesn’t look to be any sheet metal damage, and it’s white and not diamond white tri-coat.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > facw 02/08/2019 at 22:02

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... oops

Tristan > HoustonRunner 02/08/2019 at 22:04

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That pretty pearly white might be a tough one to match, but glad everyone was okay... The “brakes went out” bit is dubious. It’s the default excuse for most accident causers.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > HoustonRunner 02/08/2019 at 22:10

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Lucky! Doesn’t seem like all that much damage! Glad all are OK!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > HoustonRunner 02/08/2019 at 22:10

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Lucky! Doesn’t seem like all that much damage! Glad all are OK!

shop-teacher > HoustonRunner 02/08/2019 at 22:15

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Rough night for the SUVs of Oppo! 

OPPOsaurus WRX > HoustonRunner 02/08/2019 at 22:19

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how bout some pics of that 240. come on man!!!!

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > HoustonRunner 02/08/2019 at 22:35

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That’ll buff right out

wafflesnfalafel > HoustonRunner 02/08/2019 at 22:37

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son of a b...  no more oppos are allowed to have accidents today...

ttyymmnn > HoustonRunner 02/08/2019 at 22:56

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I’ve been driving for 35 years, never had brakes go out. Never met anybody whose brakes went out. 

The Dummy Gummy > HoustonRunner 02/08/2019 at 22:58

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There may be a body work near the wheel but overall not too bad. Glad everyones safe man.

WilliamsSW > HoustonRunner 02/08/2019 at 23:09

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Sheesh. Too many Oppo accidents today.

Not buying the “ brake failure”, but it doesn’t really matter. Glad you’re ok.

pip bip - choose Corrour > HoustonRunner 02/08/2019 at 23:24

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given the age of a 240 nowadays, and IF you’re in a rust prone area, it could be genuine. may have popped a brake pipe or hose. 

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > HoustonRunner 02/09/2019 at 02:12

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So I just watched the doug demuro lukewarm take on buying new vs used cars and why you might want a new car over a used one. ANd people ding the “You buy new to avoid major problems” camp since any car could theoretically have an issue, but I have definitely been there before in the “And suddenly - [ B R A K E—- F A I L U R E]” camp. And the sudden throttle sticking open camp. And the wheel itself exploding. Not the tire, but the literal wheel split itself open. An y one of those could’ve ended in a collision.

....Granted, I still want that vintage fiero I posted about a few weeks ago so maybe i should prepare for this to happen to me again.

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > ttyymmnn 02/09/2019 at 02:36

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And now you have.

Happened in an  ‘03 Regal, had to panic stop, ABS modulator failed resulting in pressure loss. I had enough room to steer out thankfully.

TheRealBicycleBuck > HoustonRunner 02/09/2019 at 04:44

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I’m glad nobody was hurt!

shop-teacher > HoustonRunner 02/09/2019 at 08:37

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Yeah, if the brakes really did fail, I agree he made the right choice. Being an old car, I'm more inclined to believe it too. Obviously, the powers that be will have to investigate it. Glad everyone is OK, and it looks like the Sub be good as new without too much done to it 

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn 02/09/2019 at 08:42

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I lost brskes in  my truck in the end of September. Rust ate a hole in one of the brake lines, pedal went to the floor. Luckily it happened at a stop sign in a 25mph neighborhood at 5am. Could have been much worse, we had a trailer full of scooters and we re headed for the interstate. I had all the brake lines changed after that. Rust had also eaten through a transmission cooler line.

shop-teacher > pip bip - choose Corrour 02/09/2019 at 08:43

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Even in a non rust prone area, those old rubber flex lines could easily burst of they don't get changed.

OPPOsaurus WRX > ttyymmnn 02/09/2019 at 09:20

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Hi I’m opposaurus. My brakes went out when I got cut off on the hig hway.  The initial stab of the pedal had enough power left to avoid rear ending the DB but after that I had nothing.  This was in a 15 y/o explorer in New England so salt n shit ...

HoustonRunner > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 02/09/2019 at 09:30

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Oh, but it is white diamond tri coat.....

HoustonRunner > pip bip - choose Corrour 02/09/2019 at 09:32

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Houston isn’t exactly rust prone.

HoustonRunner > Tristan 02/09/2019 at 09:33

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Yeah, honestly matching the paint is what I’m worries about the most.  The damage overall doesn’t look too bad.  Need to wash it today and assess better.

HoustonRunner > shop-teacher 02/09/2019 at 09:41

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Yeah, I’m not a mind reader, but I am a career consultant, so I do have to read some people at work.  Guy was in his mid 60s, dressed nicely, car was in good shape and generally clean, but not perfect condition.  His address is in a well established neighborhood, and he seemed a little shook.  I’m inclined to believe him.

MM54 > ttyymmnn 02/09/2019 at 11:07

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You must live somewhere that cars don’t rot out. I have had a brake line blow out while driving (twice, different cars) , not a good feeling. fortunately vaguely-modern dual circuit brakes means you still have at least a little stopping ability.

MM54 > HoustonRunner 02/09/2019 at 11:08

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The heat will kill the flex lines pretty well, though. Crusty dried out rubber is just as susceptible  to pop as a rusty steel line.

ttyymmnn > MM54 02/09/2019 at 11:08

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I do not live in a place where brake lines rot out.

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > HoustonRunner 02/09/2019 at 11:13

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FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK.

The entire rear half of the car will have to be repainted to blend it. No, I am not joking.

gmctavish needs more space > ttyymmnn 02/09/2019 at 12:15

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The master cylinder in my e30 failed, so  when I went to step on the brake and start it one morning, the pedal went straight to the floor. I was extremely lucky it happened then, and not the night before when I was driving four people home from a party, at the top of a very steep hill. 

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > gmctavish needs more space 02/10/2019 at 17:51

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Last summer after taking the top off the jeep, I backed up and slammed the brakes to adjust the rear shoes. I blew the rear line. 

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > ttyymmnn 02/10/2019 at 18:17

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The brake master cylinder went on my moms previous car causing her brakes to go out and her crashing into her own garage door.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > HoustonRunner 02/10/2019 at 18:17

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Glad nobody got hurt.

RacinBob > HoustonRunner 02/10/2019 at 18:34

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It could be lines, hoses or the baster cylinder. Mas ter cylinders can fail in odd ways. I had one go straight to the floor in a race, then be fine after the incident. It takes a special kind of cat to own a 30 year old Volvo. I kind of doubt it was inattention.

smobgirl > ttyymmnn 02/10/2019 at 19:42

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Master cylinder went out in our company Jetta  and no one believed me that it felt wrong until they brought it in for a check engine light and the shop mentioned it. I’d already driven it to Rapid City and back. Thankfully, as you well know, you generally have the time and visibility to take 1/4 mile to stop up there.

TheRealBicycleBuck > HoustonRunner 02/10/2019 at 20:29

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In many (most?)  states you can choose whomever you want to do the repair. If Texas does, look for a shop that has a good reputation and give them a call. Ask to see examples of their work, especially on paints like yours. 

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > HoustonRunner 02/11/2019 at 12:54

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Is it...normal for them to just pay you some cash and call it a day? With my one accident experience, the car went to the body shop who handled all of that billing and got paid whatever their approved fee was.

Also holy shit $4k is a lot for what looks like minor damage. Do they have to replace panels?  Glad it’s working out for you, though. 

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > HoustonRunner 02/11/2019 at 13:07

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“$4k”

Yep. That paint really is that fucking expensive . There’s no body panel replacement here, and a $160 running board. That’s four fucking grand for filler and paint. Even if they’re doing a new bumper cover, that’s only ~$300.

For comparison, having the entire front end of my Porsche resprayed at insurance rates by a Porsche-certified shop that will also ensure that the paint will still meter costs about  half that .

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > ttyymmnn 02/11/2019 at 14:18

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I had the next closest thing in my Crown Vic - ABS going into ice mode on clean, dry, warm asphalt

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 02/11/2019 at 14:28

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Nope. The paint is just t hat fucking expensive .

The door handle on my Buick Regal was a $78 part, retail.

Replacing it was a $1500, 1 week job.

HoustonRunner > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 02/11/2019 at 14:29

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I think it is higher than normal because of the three stage paint.

I have a choice with USAA - they can pay me directly, then I take the appraisal to an approved shop and the shop will do the work for the appraised amount. Or I can have them pay the shop directly. I usually prefer to get the cash.

There are incentives to using a shop they approve - USAA will warranty the work for a period of time (maybe 24 months?).  Haven’t decided what exactly I’m doing yet, and probably won’t until next week.  We are heading on a short ski trip Wednesday, so I’ll deal with it when I’m back next week.

JustAnotherG6 > HoustonRunner 02/20/2019 at 11:46

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I haven’t had to use them for an Auto claim in several years but in my experience USAA is a good company to work with.

Chariotoflove > HoustonRunner 02/20/2019 at 11:46

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USAA is the best to work with on these things. I’m glad it worked out. 

JustAnotherG6 > HoustonRunner 02/20/2019 at 11:53

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good time to replace the rear bumper with an off-road one.

JustAnotherG6 > ttyymmnn 02/20/2019 at 12:00

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I too have had my brakes go out while driving... 3 times actually. Once the rubber line blew when I was in HS. Fortunately I had just changed lanes into a lane that was closed for construction, which I didn’t notice b/c it was snowing and my wipers just decided to stop working. It was fortunate since either a) they hadn’t started ripping up the road yet b) the work was being done much further down, so far down I was able to stop by down shifting and then shifting into reverse.

The other two were a Caliper ceased (closed) situation making it difficult to drive much further. This is a much preferred way to have your brakes go out.

HoustonRunner > JustAnotherG6 02/20/2019 at 12:02

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Interesting idea, but probably pass on that.  Truck is 2WD, and honestly don't see it going off road.  If I do any of that I'd probably borrow my brother-in-law 2500 Suburban, that also happens to be 15 years older.

Ssfancyfresh > HoustonRunner 02/20/2019 at 12:37

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A guy I work with just installed those retractable running boards on his full size chevy. It looks sharp. and they work great. Having the controller plugged into the OBDII port seems a bit hacky, but I’m sure that’s the cleanest way to do it aftermarket. I don’t know what the OEM kit would entail. Maybe there is a unique harness and BCM when that option is selected from the factory.

HoustonRunner > Ssfancyfresh 02/20/2019 at 12:59

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Yeah, I scanned the instructions on how to install the aftermarket ones and saw the OBDII part.  Need to look up instructions on how to install the factory ones and see what it entails.

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > HoustonRunner 02/20/2019 at 16:26

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I’m so jealous of how quickly you got everything taken care of. We are still missing our deductible after almost 2 months. We got the repairs finished a few weeks ago thankfully but it’s been nothing but a headache. Also if you have communication with them, thank the offending driver for being honest instead of dragging it out. 

Monkey B > HoustonRunner 03/04/2019 at 16:40

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being overcast or cloudy will help you see the color. My professional advice, don’t look too hard to find something wrong with it or you will.

TheRealBicycleBuck > HoustonRunner 03/04/2019 at 16:58

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“With that white diamond tri-coat paint, are there suggestions on how to inspect it on site to make sure they did a good job blending it in?”

I always find a light source reflected in the paint, then move around so that I can see the light reflected in different areas of the car. Let me try to explain again. Look at your picture of the damage. See the reflection of the white light from the burger king sign? Now imagine squatting down and moving left and right to see how the reflection changes as it is reflected off of different areas of paint.

If they did their job right, it should be very difficult to tell where the paint is blended. If they did it wrong, it will be very easy to tell.  

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > HoustonRunner 03/04/2019 at 16:58

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The best way to check the blend is to get some screwy light conditions and then walk around. Look for jarring cuts in the yellow/blue shifts outside of body cuts. Bumper to quarter having a rough transition is expected. Same for raises/cuts in the metalwork. You want to examine flat-to-flat, which is the only place the color shift should be consistent. (It can be consistent across cuts but it depends on the lighting.)

Varying light temperatures are the best for spotting it. No joke. It’s because it’s supposed to color shift based on lighting and angle both. Bright consistent lights will actually mute the shift.

GoodIdeaAtTheTime > Ssfancyfresh 03/04/2019 at 17:20

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I hate retractable running boards. Had a Navigator damn near take my foot off. It malfunctioned and trapped my ankle between it and a lift post. The crunching noise was sickening. Took 45 minutes to get my out of that predicament. Body shop wired it up wrong and it went all gremlins on me. I now have a fear of running boards, powered or not . And black beady eyes for some reason. My wife tortures me with those honey bottles that look like bears. And when she is upset with me she breaks out the teddy bears. I have to leave the room.

Ssfancyfresh > GoodIdeaAtTheTime 03/04/2019 at 17:59

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Yep. That all makes sense.

NKato > HoustonRunner 03/04/2019 at 18:23

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You know, the damage is on the bumper cover. Instead of blending, nuke it: remove the bumper cover, strip old paint , color match, full repaint. Done.

Costs more, but removes the difficulty of blending that hardass paint.

HoustonRunner > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 03/04/2019 at 18:58

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I will take my LED work light and set it in a few different places.  Thanks for the tips!

HoustonRunner > NKato 03/04/2019 at 18:59

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They replaced the entire bumper.

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > HoustonRunner 03/04/2019 at 19:17

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Sure thing. If you can get it out in poor sunlight, that tends to work better, as confusing as that sounds. This is what an optim al blend should look like:

(I’ve had the plate 10+ years. I’m not worried.)

Starting with the bumper: note how the change in lighting at the same angle causes a yellow cast on the left and a blue cast on the right, with a slight red cast in the license plate area.

Crossing up to the trunk badge area below the chrome, the portion angled toward the camera is the ‘whitest’ part, transitioning cleanly at the bend into a much stronger pearl effect with no unusual hue casting. Above the chrome is a cut-in and spoiler, again showing the yellower cast from the light source side which transitions to a blue with strong pearl.

Note that this is not blended; that was taken with 21 miles on the car. But it’s a good illustration of all the ‘transitions’ that diamond white tri-coat exhibits under optimal ‘show off’ conditions. Sharp transitions should only occur at breaks and bends where the angle or the lighting changes.

HoustonRunner > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 03/04/2019 at 19:30

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Thanks so much for the help.  I'll study this before I head in to pick it up tomorrow.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > HoustonRunner 03/04/2019 at 19:41

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Did you get the retractable steps? 

NKato > HoustonRunner 03/04/2019 at 20:08

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 then you're fine. Color matching an entire bumper is easier than a piece of it. 

Keon > HoustonRunner 03/04/2019 at 21:20

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Hope it turns out alright. One of my cars has the diamond-white clear coat (MB) and this is my worst fear. 

HoustonRunner > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 03/04/2019 at 22:23

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Not yet, but wife has approved the purchase.  Will have to happen after this since the shop it is at now is only a body shop, they don’t do anything electrical.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > HoustonRunner 03/04/2019 at 22:47

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Those things are rad! Have a good one.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > HoustonRunner 03/08/2019 at 09:18

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Re: update 6

1 bright boi

TheRealBicycleBuck > HoustonRunner 03/08/2019 at 10:03

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“My opinion is that the whole vehicle looked the same color before the accident, it should look the same after. Am I setting unrealistic expectations for this kind of repair?”  

Good luck with that. If they didn’t get it right the first time, chances are they don’t care enough to get it right the second time, especially if insurance is footing th e bill.

We had multiple issues dealing with the body shop at the dealer where we bought our Explorer (which was a fancy tri-layer white). They ranged from color mis-match to failure to clean off the overspray. When it came time to repair my WRX, I made absolutely sure that I was taking it to a reputable body shop. I had exactly one complaint and they fixed it immediately. When my daughter scuffed one of my newly repainted panels, they fixed it up for about $100 and gave me the leftover paint to do additional touch ups on some rock chips.

A good body shop is a rare find and worth every penny.

HoustonRunner > TheRealBicycleBuck 03/08/2019 at 10:09

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Agree. This is the same place that did a great job with the BMW last year (though that was a flat white), so I went into this with fairly high expectations. When I picked it up I noticed this, and the service advise r to bring it back if needed.  We will see how long I’m willing to deal with it to get it “right”.

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > HoustonRunner 03/08/2019 at 10:13

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Sigh, yeah, that’s a botch job indeed. This is why I stress so fucking much about these and why I always warn people the paint cost is obscene. It shows to me because I have a color corrected and calibrated monitor and I know what I’m looking for.

The problem here is simple; they painted the bumper on a saddle (because they have to and it’s the correct way,) and laid down the passenger half wrong. It doesn’t have the right amount of mid-coat at all. Then they installed it and saw the problem. At which point some apprentice tried to use anything-but-paint to try and make it match.

Here’s where it gets truly shitty: with that kind of midcoat error, gotta re-do the whole bumper cover . And they also now have to repair the rear passenger quarter, because they cut the paint badly. Which means they’ll have to cut and do a proper respray and re-blend of the entire rear passenger quarter . (Do NOT accept anything less.) What concerns me is they fucked up so bad and then tried to cover instead of doing it right.

HoustonRunner > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 03/08/2019 at 10:17

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Sweet.

Clearly I don’t know these things, and I placed too much trust in the shop based on the work they did on my BMW last year.

Should I tell them they need to do the rear lift gate also? Again, that is harder to see, but I could tell it wasn’t quite right.

Really appreciate the insight you are able to give, thanks.

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > HoustonRunner 03/08/2019 at 10:54

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Glad I can help. This paint really is a massive pain in the ass.

If they didn’t touch the lift gate, no, you never attempt to blend at breaks like that. There’s a sharp right angle and heavy shadow casting. So long as the factory paint is untouched, it’s always best to leave it completely untouched. (Even cutting polishing can screw things up because of the JDSU optical crap in the clears .)

If they did touch the tailgate, hooboy. If there’s blend errors across a flat surface, it’s fucked, gotta do it again. Which starts adding up quick. Because this stuff lays on thick. It’s just a nightmare. The right thing to do when the bumper didn’t line up would be to take it off and lay it down again. If you get a good lay down on a piece like that, you shouldn’t need  to blend. The natural break covers anything but the worst problems.

Which also leads to having one of those really not fun conversations with your insurer. Because a bad DWT paint job does serious valuation damage. And you can’t just keep layering paint on. I mean, it’s just a horrible, horrible situation all around there.

HoustonRunner > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 03/08/2019 at 11:27

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I have USAA for insurance, and to be honest I think they will step up to bat for me and make sure the shop gets it right. USAA has been great to deal with in every instance.  The limiting factor may very well be how long I’m willing to deal with the shop and not having my Suburban.

I have cars I can borrow from my parents (who, with two people, have 4 cars). So I don’t have to worry about a rental, just the hassle.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > HoustonRunner 03/15/2019 at 19:12

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This is my anecdote for diminished value, take it for what it’s worth (nothing):

Car accident in DE (rear ended) . Car fully repaired. Took it to CarMax, got their appraisal and compared it to KBB, it was in the middle of the trade value. CarMax associate mentioned the words “accident” . Sent in a request for reimbursement on diminished value (I don’t remember what amount, let’s say something like $3k), they countered with $750, I said okay.

So, doesn’t hurt to make the demand, you may get something more than nothing.