Body repair shop?
 

My '97 328is was parked on the street, as usual. The ice on Saturday morning wasn't usual. A guy slid into the back at about 20 mph.

He knocked on my door and we exchanged info. That was a surprise.

I want the car to be fixed safely, and to a 'decent' appearance. I also want to be sure the trunk and other areas are checked. Right now, I can tell bumper is bunged up, the trunk crushed the rubber liner in 2-3 places but looks OK at first glance- nothing major, I hope.

Any recommendations for shops/estimates in Northern Virginia?

So, they won't be Europros quality...but it's close and they work quickly (at least if parts are available): Matchless on Rt 7 near where Baron Cameron intersects, near the old Datsun Dynamics (and current car-repair-chain-that-shall-not-be-named.)

ed

New goal is to now keep estimate on fixing damage, and NOT total the car (?).
The KBB 'trade in value' is Goodwill level, and the theoretical KBB for "very good"($2k) is well below advertised price for similar cars on C/L. We've put some radiator upgrades and significant maintenance into the car as recently as last week.

I haven't had to deal with an insurance claim since I totaled the family VW Westfalia van in '85... What's the procedure for 3rd party liability claims on value at or near 70% of KBB?

Any "make sure you..." or "make sure you do NOT..." ideas?

Totaling your car may work out well for you. A car the age of yours will not have any change of title status if totaled by the ins. co. What you want is a high estimate by the adjuster and/or body shop. When the ins co. totals it, fight for max. payout/value, then buy the car back from them cheaply. Repair the car at a body shop of your choice. There will likely be a significant difference in the payout for the car and your actual repair costs - in your favor.

20mph is a pretty good impact. Sorry to hear about being hit. Given low value to begin, cost to repair does sound like totaling it out is a good likelihood. Could always buy it back and turn it into a racecar for junior ;)

We just put $800 in last week.

We will see tomorrow.

Total, buy it back and fix to OK standard is one option. Talk to the estimator, sometimes they will adjust the est to what you are looking for. You end up with a set of numbers for a total and another number for a fix up. Ins cos don't like to fix cars that are close to a total. They know that a certain number of them end up going over and another number become future shop queen / headache cars.

I do still have the full E36 roll cage and two Kirkey seats in the basement... but I imagine the better half would object.

D&V Autobody in Dulles, VA... I've had my Range Rover and Porsche repaired/painted and they do excellent work at a fair price.

Seeing them tomorrow morning. :cool: