Sharing my anguish

[Worsey]

Some of you may have seen my "what did someone else do to your 944 today" post from Sunday so I thought I'd post it up here with a couple of pics so all my 944 brothers can rally round and keep my pecker up []. Bit of a ramble so bear with me....

Took my P&J up for a wash and then back outside my gaff Friday avo and towelled it down so I wouldn't get any water spots, and left it looking like a big red shiny cherry in the sun ready for when Dad arrived Friday avo (he hasn't been out in it yet). About 20 yards behind me was a dropside flatbed facing the other way. Popped into town Sat morning and as I parked up in town I walked away with an admiring glance (which I do often, thinking how ace my car is and how chuffed I am to be the owner) and I noted a ding in the bumper:

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Not much you may think but my car's pretty spotless so I was royally pi**ed to see this. I noted this evening when I went out for a run that it's actually cracked underneath too. Anyhow, further on Sat avo I was popping about and noted this:

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At this point I wanted to []. But having seen the towbar ding and the damage to the spoiler it was pretty clear that flatbed had reversed into the Porker. Was then out taking pics of the damage early Sunday morning and this passer by stops and tells me he saw the truck reversing to pull off and then my car alarm going off (I can't actually recall what I was doing Friday avo iih), and then later when he returned from town he had a quick look and clocked the damage. I didn't ask him why he decided against leaving me a note with his details considering he lives 100 yards round the corner but hey, at least I had a witness. Unfortunately they didn't get any of the plate. I'll cut out the bit about it possibly being the guy down the road as he spoke to me on Monday and confirmed none of his trucks were in the vicinity so at this point I've got a biffed rear end, husband and wife witnesses and no details other than it's the aforementioned white cab dropside that parks round here every so often driven by a guy who's 45-55.

Reported it to the Police, and he turned up at half nine Monday evening when I was mooching about in my jimjams and took all the details etc. So far no luck but he did say he's working nights and then off for 4 days.

Spoke to my insurers (Markerstudy) and opened a case for info only at the mo cos I'm hoping to get hold of the 3rd party but having given them the details she's telling me it's a total loss on her matrix due to the age of the car! I did explain that it's clearly not a total loss (see last pic) but she's telling me she's going to get salvage to come and collect it and then talk to their engineers etc etc. Sorry love, there won't be any salvage people coming anywhere near it (notwithstanding the fact that I suspect their UK wide salvage chaps don't operate on the Isle of Man). At the moment it's an open case for information and I haven't yet claimed, depending on how much it'll cost to fix myself i guess. Now before you all chime in, I don't think I have an agreed value (it's my first classic and I'm only six months into the job! Will be sortin it out post claim) but I can't see how it's not worth near to what I paid in Sept but imagine we'll have a bit of debate I'm sure.

Then on a spur of the moment thing I stuck flyers with a picture of a similar wagon through the doors of the rest of my road and those adjacent this evening asking if anyone knew the owner. As I say it's been parked here previously so I'm guessing they must have some reason for being here. No sooner had I walked four doors down than one of my neighbours popped her head out and tells me she saw it all/heard the alarm too, and has a better description of the driver. She did point out that he didn't appear to be rushing off as if he knows he's just pranged someone else's motor. Not a bad start for my amateur sleuthing!

Going to see what OPC give me pricewise for a new bumper and bump strip so I can get a feel for potential replacement cost but the bumper itself could prob be repaired, deffo spoiler. I reckon £1500 with labour, maybe less? Am sure I saw the bumper and bump strip for about 900 bucks somewhere when I did a quick google the other night.

So at the mo I'm waiting for someone to ring me and say they know who it is, or he turns up at some point in the near future and my neighbour/passerby can then finger the perp and I can claim off his insurance. Not sure how long I/the insurers can wait though but as I've got two independent witnesses he'll be hard pushed if he says "sorry guv, wasn't me" so I reckon I'm in decent shape. Still doesn't preclude the ballache of toing and froing I can see coming up with the insurers.

And then to round off the weekend, on Tuesday morning I wake up to find my sleepy suburban street fairly deserted except for this slinky number parked right up my backside (in full view of my dinged bumper and spoiler []). Birds of a feather and all that. Made my morning, and makes for a nice photo too[].

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I'll let you all know how it goes anyway.

Cheers
Lee

 

[DC911SC]

sorry thats grim, lost for words total bxxxxrd scum leaving without putting a note on the car.

Has the bumper moved? I would say its not as bad as it looks, the bumper is a very easy fix, just a matter of getting a good colour match, a replacement rubbing strip won't be a prob.

The bridge spoiler is very annoying, a smart repair might be the best route initially, I had a bs on my turbo but can't remember if it can be removed from the glass?

I would avoid insurance at all costs. Hopefully you can track this idiot down and make him pay up.


bumper trim

 

[DC911SC]

design 911 have bumpers not sure if they are genuine?

maybe also try berlyn and fraser part?

 

[MartinRS2K]

If you speak to the Club they should be bake to do a valuation of the car in its current state taking into account what it looked like before the damage.

Paul McNulty should be able to assist you with this.

Then speak to your insurance company and tell them you don't want the car taken away for salvage you want it repaired.

It's a start []

 

[Worsey]

Cheers for the pointers chaps, all helps so much appreciated.

Doesn't look that bad really, just want it fixed!

 

[JM1962]

S2/turbo bumpers are different to 8V bumpers and the rubbing strip which is again different to the 8V was about £200 from OPC Kendal when I enquired last month. Second hand bumpers can be had on ebay but the rubbing strips are a pain as they are difficult to remove without shearing the studs.

 

[George Elliott]

Sorry to see that Worsey

My approach would be - thankfully the body shell is unmarked, stuff the insurance and drama, rear bumpers are "2 a penny" on ebay (you may get really lucky at porsha-part or somewhere and find a red one) but if not find a good local body shop to paint a used bumper, and do a high build repair on the spoiler before a fine matt black refinish. Budget £400 max. (some could DIY the repair for half that)

Wasting time and energy on what is done......life's too short

I have no doubt some organisation will relieve you of £2000 and you may feel that is a better repair because it cost more, lots of people will agree. OPC headed paper, add to Vehicle History, check the chassis [][][][][][], but my experience of OPC body work is that it is actually very poor in terms of fit and finish.

Nice car, always seems to happen to the nice ones

George
944t

 

[colin944]

Ok First of all I hope the low life who did this is caught or gets similar happen to him.

Secondly Your car is not a write off. Any half decent body shop will repair that bumper ( they are really strong and very easy to fix ) and the spoiler ( the top bit comes off easily and can also be fixed as they are also really strong). It won't cost the earth and there is no need to out and buy a new bumper or a new spoiler.

Take a big deep breath calm your self down and go and talk to a couple of local body shops or spray painters . It's not nearly as bad as you think. I know it's an inconvenience and an expense you can do without, but it's not the end of the world and it's happened now and you can't make it unhappen.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

I'd avoid the insurance if at all possible.

If you've got an agreed-value policy you'll probably avoid a write-off, but even so it'll stick with you for 5 years every time you renew!

I'd agree that it's a cheap and easy repair for a local bodyshop, gutting to come back to that sort of damage though. []

 

[MikeTeesside]

Echoing the above sentiments, stay clear of the legalised robbers (insurance).

 

[JagdHamster]

I agree with the previous posts; fix it yourself for a few £100 and then hope you can find the low-life who did it and make a small-claims court claim for damages from him.

Your 944 looks so much prettier than that 997......

 

[GlennS]

Damage shown in the photos looks to be less than £500's worth at a good bodyshop. It's a pain and an inconvenience and I sympathise with you but it definitely shouldn't be the end of the road for the car.

As for the insurance company, can I suggest you insure with someone else next time. They're plainly idiots.

 

[Ewan]

Surely we are all avoiding the elephant in the room here. The major problem is not the tiny scratch and dent, it's the way the crash has made a complete hash of the 944 S2 badge - it's all misaligned. Definitely a write off.

 

[DC911SC]

i did wonder about the aforementioned but i am more sensitive ;-)

 

[944Scott]

Any use?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Porsche-944-Rear-Bumper-Guards-Red-/331193529314?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4d1cac33e2

 

[pwebb]

The worst thing is that even if you don't end up going through your insurance, the accident is now on your history file for the next five years and will probably affect your premium. And not in a good way. My son recently mentioned a minor scrape on his car when discussing his renewal (he had sorted it himself) and later received a bill for £300 in the post as a revised premium due to the 'accident'. No amount of arguing was going to change their mind and it's now on the industry databases. So think hard about speaking to insurers, they always win...

 

[ja944cab]

Sorry to see that on such a beautiful car
I know your worry with claiming, my wife found a tree with our back bumper this winter and my first thought was make a claim, we pay for it. Then I realised they would probably write it off, so we're riding around looking a bit "fast and the furious" without a bumper until I see a cobalt one appear on fleabay :-/

Also, you may have already caused an insurance issue merely by contacting them. A few years back we had some minor damage on an audi, contacted the insurers to enquire about a claim form, priced the work and decided it was not worth the claim so paid for it ourselves. Next renewal comes and the insurers inform us we have had an accident in the last year, we explained it was never a claim, they said it doesn't matter, they have record of it.
Hope this isn't the case for you, good luck sorting it all.

*edit
Sorry to appear to tell a similar story to you pwebb, when I started my story your reply wasn't there, must learn to type faster

 

[John Sims]

ORIGINAL: pwebb

The worst thing is that even if you don't end up going through your insurance, the accident is now on your history file for the next five years and will probably affect your premium. And not in a good way. My son recently mentioned a minor scrape on his car when discussing his renewal (he had sorted it himself) and later received a bill for £300 in the post as a revised premium due to the 'accident'. No amount of arguing was going to change their mind and it's now on the industry databases. So think hard about speaking to insurers, they always win...

Insurance agreements are a contract of absolute good faith (can't remember the latin). This means you have to tell them everything and, if you don't and they find out about it, it can void your insurance. Yet again the insurers win.

BTW if you get a scamming phone call regarding an accident you had in the last 2 years, string them along for as long as you can bare and then tell them that because of their actions they are increasing everyone's insurance policy premiums. They will insist that it wont cost you anything but you will be getting £2000. It costs everyone because the insurance industry has to pay out the £2000 and it has to come from somewhere. Where does it come from? Our premiums. The pirates that make these calls obviously make enough on commission to make their actions worth while so, indirectly it must be costing us a mint.

Really sorry about the ding. In fairness to the driver he probably didn't even notice he'd done it. No excuse though.

Hope you get it (and the badge alignment []) sorted. You may get lucky and get a replacement in the right colour in good nick from a breaker (Douglas Valley etc)