Hi all:

I went to visit my injured C43 at the body shop this afternoon.

The tech's there say, clearly, the frame is bent. That the uni-body crumpled the way it was suposed to. However, with computerized pulling equipment, they claim that they will bring the unibody ("frame") back to MB's original spec's and that they will only use genuine AMG parts ordered through the local MB Dealer who sold me the car in the first place. They say that they will remove all affected suspension parts, etc., trash them, and replace them with original AMG parts after they have pulled the uni-body back to original MB spec's. Additionally, they claim that neither the differential nor the transmission were damaged, because the force of the impact was absorbed by the rear driver's side crumple zone and that, when the rear suspension is so damaged and the rear wheel knocked out of position, that the transmission won't engage. They estimate 3 to 4 weeks to complete these repairs. Necessarily, this claim will include a new tire, one or two new rims, a stainless exhaust and a four wheel alignment.

I've spoken to Prudential, the insurance company representing the guy that rammed into me, and Prudential has accepted 100% of the liability for this accident, including my rental car for the month. Additionally, Prudential has notified my insurance company of its decision. As a result, my insurance company will close its file on this claim. (Why would it be better to handle this through my Ins. Co. [not as good as Prudential] if Prudential has accepted 100% liability?)

There seems to be two ways to proceed with this claim. 1) Force Prudential to get me a similar Starmarked 1999 AMG C43 with under 41,000 miles, or, (2) let them pay to fix my AMG and cut me a check equal to the amount that my AMG has been devalued as a result of this accident. I estimate $10,000.00 over and above the cost of the repairs. With about $10,000 worth of repairs, $20K will be less expensive than buying me another Starmarked C43, going for between $40K and $43K.

Any thoughts on what the "diminished value" of this C43 would be? Advice?

Thanks in advance
Marc
C43AMG (for 1 hour)
MMCLaw@Optonline.net