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  #16  
Old 11-13-2010, 11:13 AM
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The deer around the Houston area are more the bambi size and have gazzell speed.I witnessed a deer crossing a 2 laned road in our subdivision ,the three others that were waiting for their turn had yet to brave the crossing.It was comical the way they all lined up and had their heads turn looking down the road for the next clear shot to freedom.At Night time you really have to make sight of them well before they do.

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  #17  
Old 11-13-2010, 11:23 AM
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Location: Middle TN
Posts: 4,154
I've dealt with State Farm on dear collisions before. They were reasonable. In my case, State Farm sent an adjuster who listed parts along with R&R book rates. My body shop found some more damage once everything was taken apart. State Farm agreed to the additional repairs easily. They did initially try to sell me on aftermarket crash parts under the guise of their (SF's) warranty. Body shop recommended against this since car was relatively new. I would opt for used OEM sheet metal before going to aftermarket or depending on price, new MBZ parts. You have to consider additional labor cost of a repaint on used parts.

Regarding the radiator, adhesives & JB Weld work well when bonding large surfaces or filling a hole or crack where there is a relatively large surface to bond to. (Friend of mine fixed a tractor block with JB.) They do not work well where they have to add strength to thin material. I tried some plastic weld on my Dodge Ram dash. It didn't hold - I think because of the flex and stress. It may work if I decide to add a dash cap. The plastic weld dried flexible but apparently not strong enough.
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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.
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  #18  
Old 11-13-2010, 11:24 AM
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 695
Moose Story

My wife's friend moved from Manhattan to Alaska with her two little kids after getting a divorce.
No money--barely getting by, living in a Quanset hut. Up there, when someone hits a moose--it's instantly frozen.
You can pick it up for free or they will butcher it for you for 80 bucks(not deer).

They lived off of road kill one year.

Jeff
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1984 300SD 300,000 miles--two tank WVO setup
2.88 diff & 500SEL anti-squat rear end
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  #19  
Old 11-13-2010, 12:10 PM
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Location: Sonoma Wine Country
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Rust and insurance companies

Quote:
Originally Posted by Olivier View Post
Off topic, but your paint look immaculate for a 96 W210, no rust? How do you manage that? This is nice.
The car originated in Portland, Oregon, which is a wet enough place, but was always garaged, which allowed it to dry off between "baths." Owners #2 and #3 had the car for not quite 50,000 miles and I think they garaged the car but am not 100% certain. The last 25,000 miles under our ownership have seen the car in the garage when not being driven. That has to help.

I checked the car all over when we first got it and cleaned all of the accumulated dirt from around the spring perches. The dirt tends to hold moisture and cause rust. There are lots of places in the bodywork, especially down where the various coverings meet the underbody, that collect dirt and leaves and water. I used various probes and air pressure, removed a few screws, and it was surprising how much crud came out.

It's probably been good that the car has seen salt-on-snow only a couple of times in its life. When we return from our winter snow trips, I put the car up on my ramps and hose off the underside, then remove each wheel and rinse the running gear and the wheel so the majority of the salt is removed.

If State Farm wants to total the car, I'll try to negotiate a settlement in which they pay as much as they're willing and I'll pay the rest. We do not want to lose this car, since it's in good shape and we know the provenance all the way back to Day 1. If necessary, I'll do the repairs myself and use the body shop only for paint and things I can't do. That's why I was curious to know how W210 fenders are attached.

It's going to be difficult finding recent E300D sales in California as, if I understand right, the car was not sold here due to emission regulations. I'll have to look in adjacent states.

Jeremy
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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970
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  #20  
Old 11-15-2010, 03:57 PM
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Update

State Farm is sending in an appraiser to give us a current value for the car. The body shop guy says this is a good thing, they're not listening to the computer (which keeps coming up "total loss").

The ball park number for a complete repair is between $5,000 and $6,000; that's what caused the computer to burp. Yes, that's a ridiculous price but not much I can do about it until I hear what the insurance people have to say about it.

I left a copy of the appraisal from 2 years ago plus my repair records going back to day 1 for the new appraiser to look at. The body shop guy says the more documentation the better. He feels that in the end, State Farm will go for it. I hope he is right (and it's in his best interest to be right -- if they total the car the body shop makes nothing).

More as it happens.
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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970
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  #21  
Old 11-15-2010, 04:03 PM
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Location: Albany, OR
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My wife just Dukes of Hazard style ran over a dead deer in the road in the TDI Jetta. Hit it going a shade under 70 on a really dark rainy night. She didn't see it until it was too late. She hit it square in the back on drove right over it. She didn't even skip a beat, jsut kept right on going until she could pull of the interstate and check it out. There were bits of deer all that way down the underside of the car. There was even a chunk dangling down in the center of the underside. The damage is all plastic body parts, a new radiator, cooling fans, and belly pan. Cost me a hundred dollar bill, and the insurance 35 hundred dollar bills.
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'04 Jetta TDI Wagon
'82 300TD ~ Winnie ~ Sold
'77 300D ~ Sold
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  #22  
Old 11-15-2010, 05:18 PM
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Location: Edinburgh
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Hi Jeremy,
hope you get it back
Its in nice condition.
5000 to repair it seems a wee OTT indeed. Sure you can find cheaper,no?
Olivier
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E300TD year 2000. RUSTY SOLD
cost a fortune to maintain on the road
but run well on WVO
Second Merc died due to corrosion ( NOT rust) How can mercedes get away with that for so long?
Third lasted a month then went away...
Fourth now... Corroded too...
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  #23  
Old 11-15-2010, 09:05 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Olivier View Post
Hi Jeremy,
hope you get it back
Its in nice condition.
5000 to repair it seems a wee OTT indeed. Sure you can find cheaper,no?
Olivier
Not sure I want it fixed "cheaper," especially if the insurance will pay for all or most. The part that really bugs me is that much of the work I could do myself for almost nothing but it's not a good time of year -- I'm busy and don't have the time. Murphy wins again!

Jeremy
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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970
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  #24  
Old 11-16-2010, 03:12 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeremy5848 View Post
Not sure I want it fixed "cheaper," especially if the insurance will pay for all or most. The part that really bugs me is that much of the work I could do myself for almost nothing but it's not a good time of year -- I'm busy and don't have the time. Murphy wins again!

Jeremy
Yeah if I ever catch up with that Murphy...
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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!
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  #25  
Old 11-23-2010, 03:35 PM
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Update -- Good news!

State Farm has authorized the body shop to spend up to $8,400 repairing our car. That includes replacing the radiator, not repairing the broken tab. They already have the hood and fender and will be ordering the rest of the parts as soon as they get it torn down (beginning of next week) to see what exactly is needed.
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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970
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  #26  
Old 11-23-2010, 05:56 PM
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Location: Nova Scotia, Canada.
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At 75k miles you have a fighting chance with the insurance company. If you had 200k plus miles it might be a losing batttle. I hope it goes well. In my opinion the insurance company is not always the issue.

The adjuster gets brownie points for lowballing claims. If you draw the wrong adjuster be prepared.

I believe in most areas you are also allowed a second opinion with an adjuster you engage. There is no way you should land up fixing your own car in the driveway. If the bodyshop quoted all new panels and parts in the estimate it could be very high. Used panels might be bearable.

Remember because you took in a mercedes the body shop could have really laid it on pricewise. After all you must have all kinds of money. If the adjuster offers a couple of thousand as total settlement do something.

He is the enemy then. No paranoia here but these things can develop into a hate relationship quick enough.
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  #27  
Old 11-23-2010, 07:06 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by barry123400 View Post
At 75k miles you have a fighting chance with the insurance company. If you had 200k plus miles it might be a losing batttle. I hope it goes well. In my opinion the insurance company is not always the issue. . . . . .
Maybe you missed some of the other posts. The car has 273,000+ miles yet because of its outstanding condition, the insurance company has approved repairs NTE $8,400, which is much more than the body shop's original estimate. Time is now the only enemy, we would like the car finished for our Christmas trip.

Jeremy
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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970
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  #28  
Old 11-24-2010, 12:35 AM
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Location: Nova Scotia, Canada.
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Somehow or other I did miss some posts on this thread.

Yes at 275k it is amazing they did not balk. As stated earlier a lot depends on the adjuster. Get this individuals name just in case you have a claim in the future.

It seems to be one extreme or another. The last total loss my wife was involved in they just suggested a payout that was more than fair. They even knew what we had paid for the car a month earlier. Still they almost doubled it.

This may also have been because of the dogfight over the last car she totalled a few years back. They tried a serious lowball and that got my creative juices flowing.

They never wanted another go with me I suppose. I simply made their costs unbelievable from their perspective on the previous claim and also took them to court.

All we had wanted originally was the fair valuation of what the first car was worth. Eventually they wished they had paid it. I also found them to be slow learners but they had a memory like an elephant the second time around.

. In my mind the second car was pretty easy and economical to repair. They just where not taking any chances. I never surrendered control of the first car until it was settled. Nor the second one.

Actually write offs are based on some kind of formula. I cannot remember what it is but basically if damage is 60-70 percent of the cars fair retail price usually they write it off. Is a 1996 with 275 k worth about 12k? I think not so as usual there is no real standard or consistancy.

My friend is a body guy in a collision shop. He tells me the average repair is between 6k and 10K now on moderate to heavy collision issues. Also he is expected to turn out 2.5 vehicles per forty hours work week. They have an eight man shop and never seem idle. So they process about twenty cars a week.

Last edited by barry123400; 11-24-2010 at 01:29 AM.
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  #29  
Old 11-24-2010, 03:52 AM
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Location: Lawndale, NC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cirrusman View Post
I've had so many incidents with those darned deer... I'm teaching my kids that Bambi's the bad guy in the movie.
True, but I tell my daughter to hit the deer, if there is nowhere else to go, rather than swerve to hit a tree or oncoming traffic. Trees don't move.
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Mark in NC

"Spark plugs?...We don't need no stinking spark plugs!"
1985 300SD "Der Silberne Schlitten" 420,000 mi


Wish these were diesel:
2003 Ford Club Wagon 130,000 mi
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  #30  
Old 11-29-2010, 11:43 PM
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Update

The body shop is in the process of ordering the parts to rebuild the front end of the car, with the parts that need painting being ordered first. The radiator was ordered from the local Mercedes dealer so I expect it will be a Behr or perhaps a Nissens but at least not some cheap knock-off.

Upon closer inspection, the shop found that the [used] hood they got had previously been repainted. That "violates" their rules so they have rejected it and asked for another. This will cause another delay, unfortunately.

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970
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