Just got rear-ended. What were your Lessons Learned?

Just got rear ended. 2001 Cab. Vehicle towed away and sent off on a flat bed. What were some of your insurance experiences? Please share some advice.....

Choose your own body shop! The one insurance wants to steer you to is Not in your interest. Work as closely with your choice as you can to get all the replacements and supplementals. Enjoy how much easier it is to replace/repair cars than people.

Hopefully you rolled around on the ground afterwards and got an ambulance ride to the ER to get checked out. (only half-joking)

If you plan to look into a diminished value claim, DO NOT use your own insurance company to repair the damage and then have them recoup the loss from the other insurer. Yes, the value will be diminished, if an insurer pays out the fact that there was damage will likely be noted on CarFax. Many buyers will just see that there was damage reported but won't know how severe or light and move on to other cars without looking into it. I can't tell what state you are in but most that do allow diminished value claims, only do so on third-party claims, not first-party. Yes, it seems stupid but that's how it is (for sure here in CO, and I believe same in other states). Look into it before accepting (cashing) any check. You can generally file for diminished value later after the car is fixed. Get good photos as it is now, and with the damaged parts removed. (In any case this will likely help with an eventual sale or trade). You can (and should) tell your own insurer and it would be more convenient to go through them but it could well cost you money in the long run. And yes, you can choose ANY body shop you want, and you can insist on new FACTORY parts being used. Your car was 100% Porsche before the wreck and you want it to remain so afterward.

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You can insist all you want, but if you repair through your own insurance company, there is most likely policy language that states they can use LKQ, Reman, New OE, or Aftermarket, whatever they see being the most cost effective. If you go through the claimant carrier and try to demand New OE parts, they will most likely tell you to try going through your own insurance company. Insurance companies are for profit companies. They won't give away money, so will use whatever is most cost effective.

The insurance Company let me choose which ever repair place so I obviously chose Porsche Autohouse in Lancaster PA. Mine was a slight rear end bump not as serious as your car. Sorry to hear of your troubles. You wont be able to see the car was ever in an accident when it's done so don't worry.

Engine damage is the most costly and hidden problem with a rear ender in a 911. Make sure it's checked out thoroughly... Good luck

Also, make sure you were not injured even a little. Get a personal injury attorney. Even a small rear end tap can mess up your back and neck

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All my policies have had such language, but I've also never had any pushback when I've told them to pound sand. Another game is they try to convince you that you have to use the shop they pick. That's all about money for them as they had negotiated impossibly low rates and that usually translates in to cut corners.

Some states have restrictions on what the insurer or underwriting agent can require for replacement parts and repairs. Back in the 80s, there was a pretty good scam going between insurers and low rent smashup repair shops which agreed to do shoddy repairs on insurance vehicles that agreed to take all claims from the insurer. They were found out, and some state legislatures got into the act and mandated that the owner of the car decided who and where the claim was resolved with. Similar thing happened with roofing on houses. Check your state insurance laws. As for the OP, I learned that if I were to bash the idiot who hit me with a tire iron, I would do 8-15 in Lubbock mens correctional.

Upgrade all parts while youre in there! I just read rear ended 996s is a new known mode of failure and has been officially added to the list. Parts are now being made to correct the factory cost cutting cheapo parts affected by this poor design. I have a fix for it but I cant tell you, yet. Sorry, I couldnt resist. Hope you are not feeling worse a few days later. Not uncommon after a tap like you experienced.

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you in the Lubbock area?

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Nope. There is a state prison around there.

I got a Euro bumper instead of the normal one. I can't remember what the difference is now. Diminished value might not be a worthwhile claim for a 2001, you'll have to see after you do the comparables research. When I did mine (like 10 years ago in Dallas) I hired a company for comps and the diminished value was barely worth pursuing. I ultimately didn't. -td

I wrecked my GOLF R in Colorado after only 1 year of ownership. I was told because it was newer than THREE years old, they were required by the state to replace with OEM parts. However, they said if my car was older than 3 years old they were allowed to use non OEM parts.... Found that very odd, but was still satisfied as my R was re-built correctly at that time.

Some are saying stay away from the insurance co. recommended shops. That's not always true. The body shops insurance co's referring you to must meet stringent standards, must have the latest and most up to date equipment and well-trained employees. They are monitored closely. They will guarantee repairs done at recommended shops. It's in the ins co's best interest top quality repairs are made. If a body shop does a bad job, or a great job, it reflects on the ins co. Most people think and say xyz insurance co fixed my car, not xyz body shop fixed my car. Ins co's write checks they don't repair cars. While it's true the shops must use the ins co's negotiated repair rates, the body shops make that up by volume of business sent to them. Some punky drunk kids found that my rear fender was just the right height to use as a step to run up to, step on, and do their flips. My insurance co recommended a very high-end shop that's factory certified by Lamborghini Audi, BMW, Bentley, and Porsche for repairs. The shop had to sublet part of the repair and my car was sent to the Porsche dealer in Newport Beach. Which took a while because they had to order parts from Germany. It also shows on CarFax now that my car was serviced and safety checked by Porsche of Newport. I was a little embarrassed dropping off my 15 yr old 996 to this shop that was first class all the way and had nothing but every high-end car you could think of there. Several Porsches, all much newer than mine. So, I was extremely happy I used the body shop the insurance company recommended.

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My experience was just the opposite. I initially dropped off my 996 Turbo at a local body shop who had repaired my Boxster after it was involved in a rear end collision. The Turbo had suffered damage from a mule deer encounter and the damage was more extensive. After a few days I checked in on the progress and the body shop owner told me my insurance company was throwing up road block after road block to his properly repairing the car. Since the insurance company accounted for 40% of his business he was reluctant to challenge it on this one repair. He advised me to "get mad" and yank the car out of his show. He even gave me the name of the shop to have the work one. I did as he suggested and the car was repaired properly. Whiel the insurance company still balked at new parts, properly checking the car for tub/chassis damage (it had none thankfully), the body shop owner had been down this road many times and factory new parts were used and the car was checked on a Celette Bench for any chassis/tub damage and after a month or two properly repaired. The car kept its CPO warranty I might add and I used it a number of times after the car was repaired.

If the other driver at fault avoid turning this in to your insurance company. You have more leverage with the other driver's insurance company. Unless you or a passenger were injured and I hope not avoid a personal injury lawyer. You should not need a lawyer for getting the car fixed. Pick the right shop to repair the car. The shop will know what do to. The car will be partially stripped -- rear bumper cover removed and the tires/wheels and the car put on a special alignment bench to ensure all critical hard points are not out of position and if any are will bring these back into position. These is as per Porsche repair guidelines, I might add. New parts will be used. All parts should be purchased from PCNA through an authorized dealer. This is per Porsche. While the body shop is suitable for any body/paint work any mechanical work -- say the exhaust is damaged -- should be done by a qualified Porsche tech at a dealer. This is also as per Porsche repair guidelines. My advice is to avoid any fitting of custom/aftermarket parts. Focus on getting the car repaired back to its pre collision condition. Only after you have had the car thoroughly inspected by a Porsche tech and have spent some time with the car to ensure it was repaired properly then you can customize if you desire. BE aware the repair process takes time and there is nothing you can do to speed it up. The other driver's insurance company even though it will have assumed responsibilty will move with glacial speed. My Turbo took 2 months to be repaired. In some states you are allowed a loss of use of vehicle compensation. In CA it is $50/day for a max. of 30 days. If this is available get it.

I'm so sorry to see this, but agree with many others. Repeating and adding: 1. Use your own shop, don't let them steer you to one of theirs (just had this problem with my own daily driver that is not my Porsche 996, will never do that again, and I know better, back in for repairs now.) 2. If you request OEM parts, don't be surprised if they ask for the difference in cost to be paid for by you, but push to not pay it, sometimes they cave, especially on high dollar cars like Porsches. 3. Make sure that your adjuster leaves the estimate open for addendums (mechanical for sure) and tell the insurer you want an appropriate mechanic to inspect the engine/trans/lights, etc. to ensure no issues--NOT THE BODY SHOP. They are normally not qualified to determine mechanical repairs required. Good luck. I'm sure you'll get a great shop to do the work. This forum or your local dealer will have a good suggestion.

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After reading this thread I did a google search of Porsche approved collision centers. http://www.porschecollisioncenter.com/ This might be a good place to start if in need of Pcar collision repair put in your zip and find what is around you.

Several years ago, when my wife's MB wagon was only 2 years old, she was rear-ended. It took around 3 weeks to get it fixed, but it was done perfectly. A few months later, I filed a diminished value claim and collected nearly $2k from the other driver's ins co. I used a print out from an online company that will give you a report for $50 based on your inputs (year, make, model, mileage). Do an internet to see if they're still around. I did have to haggle with the adjuster a bit because he tried to low-ball me on DV, and ultimately had to threaten to take them to small claims court. The newer the car, the higher the DV claim. Good luck.

The one piece of the issue missing in all this is evidence of fault. I suffered a small a rear ender while waiting at a stop light. The guilty party claimed I cut him off ! I had "Collision Only'. Without witness, it was he said/she said. I eventually got a small settlement after some unpleasant negotiation. I spent most of it on front+rear dual lens dash cams for all our cars

Yikes! Sorry to see the ding, but happily it can be fixed. As noted above, make sure to check for hidden damage and insist on OEM parts.

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Ask rporzio. He frequents the showoff thread.

I got hit in the rear three weeks ago. damage no where near as significant as the OP. Van rolled into me in stop and go traffic on expressway. repairs finished up yesterday, 2000 C4 cab. It needed a deck lid, bumper cover and bumperettes as well as latch pieces. Guards red paint match. $4,100. Used my own guy. Was able to get a used deck lid, the bumper cover had to be sourced new. they are Expensive.