Upcoming visit to body shop

Fender bender OUCH! in nearly empty parking lot. Crazy - I saw the huge old Ford Explorer and purposely parked a full lane down and five spaces to the left. In and out trip to grab a bday card and upon exiting the store I see the very same Explorer I made sure to leave plenty of room for resting against my right front fender. Young kid and he was so shook up I couldn't get angry at him. I let him know I was grateful he didn't just take off. The lot was nearly empty. Scheduled the 19th of Jan, insurance company already paid up $2,400 and agreed to cover anything else they might find. Any think there could any hidden damage?

Wow even all scrunched up and gas cover missing, your 911 still looks badass

I'm sure they're going to check the fuel lines and air vent valves. Other than that, I don't suspect any frame issues. Also the fuel door lock is probably gone.

How in the heck did he manage to hit your car? There would be hidden damage. Rubik covered the fuel vapor recovery lines and such that reside under the fender. The fuel tank filler tube and seals and such will or should be checked. I know this sounds like a broken record but a proper repair will have the bumper cover off, the fender off and the wheels/tires off and the car on a Celette Bench and the various body/chassis hard point positions checked for any displacement. I'm thinking the impact/force may have pushed something in a bit or pushed the metal shelf that runs along the trunk that the fender bolts to out of position. If so the fender and door and trunk gaps won't be right and headlight won't be quite right. There is no way to really look at the car and claim there is no other damage. Someone might guess there is no other damage and he may be right, but he's just a good guesser. To ensure a proper repair you don't want repairs done on based on guesswork. Let me add the fender will probably be replaced with a new one -- that's what I'd want -- and the head light platform along with the headlight moved to the new fender. This is tricky to get right, so when you inspect the car be sure the two headlights have the same fit and gap and positioning. I had to send my Turbo back to the body shop when the passenger side headlight was not right. The fender was replaced and the platform replaced and getting the platform right so the headlight fits in the fender just right is some work. The techs at the dealer told me it can take some fiddling to get it right.

Thanks all. I was also stunned when I saw the Explorer against my car. The kid obviously backed through the lane and then cut left backed into and through the empty parking spaces. All I can think is that he was a very young and rather small kid in a really big and high vehicle who simply lacked the basic parking skills. The adjuster did tell me that many parents make the mistake of putting their new drivers in large vehicles believing they will be safer, but that statistics say the opposite. I must say that the adjuster from his insurance company was extremely nice and cooperative, turns out he is a car guy and a pretty serious road racer. He didn't flinch when I stated that a new fender was a must. I had the estimate from the Porsche dealer and the adjuster accepted it line for line, including a four wheel alignment, and agreed to work with the dealer on any supplemental claim. The estimate does include the removal of the bumper and headlight but no mention of the Celette Bench, so I will be sure to make mention of that. The car seems to drive fine yet I will leave it in my garage until the repair. Hello C4S as the interim daily driver. Thanks again and Merry Christmas.

Bummer, but you are so lucky that the kid at least had some parental training to stick around after his accident. You'll be in good shape after the repair/replacement is complete.

Be sure the ins. Co. Pays for loss of value of the car if your state allows those damages.

not in PA afaik...i've tried in the past

Sorry to hear. I just got hit again today while parked (4th time in two years). Unfortunately they didn't stick around so I'll have to pay the deductible. I just don't get it. I had never been to a body shop with any other car in the previous 40 years. Now I'm on a first name basis with the manager.

Sorry to hear that Bill. The insurance adjuster agreed that I was extremely lucky that that the kid didn't simply drive away and he quoted an unbelievable stat; 9 out of 10 people that hit an unoccupied car do indeed drive away. 9 out of 10; I chuckled and he said no, really, that's a statistic. Just a couple of months ago my wife rocked the passenger side of my olds while backing out of our driveway. $ 1,800 in damage to her car and $2,600 in damage to my car. I was speechless for a few days; meaning I refused to talk to her. My insurance company is not happy and actually made things as difficult as possible during the claim process. My wife's perspective? Just be happy she missed the Porsches - after the hit to C2 I see her point. Good luck with the repair.

Sorry about your accident and I too am glad it's all turned out okay. I too am very particular about where I park, and at various times, I like you having parked at the opposite end of a parking lot to be clear of everybody have almost been hit or someone will park right next to me and mine is the only car in an area. Not long ago I went to Lowe's at 7am. I parked out away from the front entrance and some lady pulls in so dang close to me I almost could not get out. We're talking like an 1 acre parameter of no cars around me and she still parks so close. Is there a magnet hidden in our cars that draws people to park close to us? lol. Glad your car is fixed and happy holidays.

I disagree with Mackster. This does not warrant a frame jig job. No even by a long shot. Pull and repace the fender and inspect anything that's behind it.

I always try to park at the end of the marked spots so that at least only one side is available for someone to park next to me. Its better if I can park on the street next to a curb even if I have further to walk. Parking where the car is safe is just not easy anymore if you live in the city.

Sorry to hear this happened to your car. Glad the kid stayed and didn't take off. Some idiot backed into my Boxster last year hitting the driver side wheel well. No note or anything like that. Since it was driver side, I got the dent fixed on my own dime for less than $400.

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At least he has documentation on here if it becomes an issue when OP tries to sell it in the future. Future buyers can just be directed to this post to get a sense of the original damage.

update - work in progress New fender - never would have realized how much there is under that fender! Going to stop by this afternoon to see the paint up close.

Looks darker. Metallic silver is very difficult to match.

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will know better when I see it in person. My first thought was as yours but as I looked closer at the photo it appears the hood is dust covered. I don't expect it to be smooth sailing but not sure what can be done. I'll post later. Thanks

You will want to refuel A.S.A.P. to insure there are no issues with refueling including fuel door locking operation.

Clean the radiators while its exposed

Good eyes IM0 - depending on the angle of view the fender is slightly darker. Shop will attempt to blend into the door...we shall see. Before I left I jokingly said to call the guys insurance company and tell them I want the entire car repainted, not so sure it should be a joke. On the other hand, the car is my DD and I have much more serious issues to deal with so not sure I will stress over it too much, it's a car, the repair is quality, no body filler and no short cuts. Fuel door lock works and they did clean the exterior of radiators. Will definitely do a fuel fill just to be sure although everything looked to be intact. They did a four wheel alignment and checked the suspension and found no issues, the alignment was still with in spec. And getting spoiled when I drive the rental - park wherever I want with zero stress. Maybe I need to consider just having one 996 and pick up something else as a daily driver and laugh at the mini vans that park within an inch of me.

Sorry to hear! Hope you are happy with the repair