Think they're gonna total it. '96 E300D

[Bill Ladd]

What should I do?

Some bozo ran into my wife. +458,000 miles, but meticulously maintained by me and both previous owners (forumites). This car runs like a friggen' top, damn it!!

Nationwide adjuster says they'll probably total it - NC law dictates damage at or above 75% value is total loss. Both doors smashed, rocker panel crunched, both fenders dinged.

In the last two weeks I did: motor mounts; all clear lines and new shutoff valve; new crank breather hoses and fittings; new glowplugs; new radiator; new E300 emblem. Sitting in the shop I have the serpentine belt tensioner shock and a new crank breather.

Since I purchased the car, I've rebuilt the front end, rebuilt the entire A/C system, R&R'd the timing chain and H20 pump, replaced door/window switches to make all systems 100%, etc...

We had planned to make a million miles with this car. I guess life is what happens while we're making plans, huh?

[SHARK1007]

Perhaps you need to work with the value of the car considering the recent mods, etc. There is generally some discretion in handling these claims, maybe you could take a few bucks less or work with body shop to avoid total loss.

Don't lay down.

[Jeremy5848]

My wife's '96 E300 was hit by a deer a couple of years ago. We took the car to a recommended body shop and there I met with my insurance company's appraiser, sent to decide if the car was to be totaled. I went in with every bit of information I had -- all of the receipts going back through four owners to Day One, an appraisal I had done when we bought the car, a spreadsheet of maintenance, etc. I gave copies of everything to the appraiser and let him look through all of the receipts. Although the appraisal done for me in the past had a ridiculously inflated value, the importance was the documentation of the car's condition. The appraiser commented that the documentation coupled with my willingness to meet him at the body shop confirmed in his mind that the car was worth repairing. He so recommended to State Farm and they spent almost $8,000 on the repair (2010 prices). [There was much more damage than met the eye.] Because animal collisions are covered under Comprehensive and we had $0 deductible, the repair cost us nothing.



If you have no luck with this approach, you can either let them total the car, buy it back, fix it yourself with the help of a sympathetic small hungry shop, and live with the salvage title (since you planned to keep the car).

Another option is to take the car back, cancel the claim, and fix the car yourself. It will be money out of your pocket but you won't have a salvage title.

Jeremy

[Skid Row Joe]

I'd make the best of it by taking the money and finding another used car that I liked, with a few hundred thousand less miles on it. That's the way life go when you drive a car out of your garage. Sometimes wrecks happen.

[Walkenvol]

Yes.

Work with the adjuster to buy it back then have it fixed yourself. "Salvage" on the title only matters when you go to sell. If you're shooting for 1 million miles, the crusher gives the same price regardless of title.

[upshift]

I work for an insurance company... you can buy that thing back as retained salvage for pennies on the dollar... buy used doors and it'll be good as new.

Or, if you would rather not do that for some reason, just show the adjuster some used doors and get the repair price under the 75% threshold. It's important to note, however, that insurance companies don't use NADA or KBB or anything like that- they use an internal valuation system. It can actually throw surprisingly high values out there sometimes.

[rjz5400]

Take the money, keep the car (buy it back), and fix it either via craigslist or the PNP.
good luck with the appraiser. I say try to inflate the claim and the repairs cost then just do it yourself. unless it is actually under 74% of the value......

[Zacharias]

What the others are saying.

Negotiate what you feel to be a fair settlement and indicate you want to keep the car. What the company is doing is not a reflection on the car, it's just how many operate these days. Some around here don't fix anything more than 5 years old now.

The argument over the work you've done probably won't go far because of the car's age and mileage. The company will likely argue that system rebuilds are part of normal maintenance at that age/miles (been there).

Shop around on the repair and make sure the shops understand that you are paying directly for the work. Quotes for insurance jobs are generally higher than owner-pays (though this is a pretty straightfoward repair so there wouldn't be as much room for padding as in a larger wreck).

[GregMN]

If you are handy enough to maintain the car to 1,000,000 miles, bolting on a couple of doors and a fender should be within your ability.

Having the title stamped "salvage" will make no difference at the mileage you have on it.

Get as much money as you can for it.
Keep driving it until you find the parts.
Do the work that you can do and pay someone with the skills and tools to finish what you can't.

If you don't want the project, offer it to the forum. Somebody will snatch it up.

[Pabster]

Hmmm. Some good parts there may be recoverable. Take the cash and buy another Benz and take your time.

Pabster

[97 SL320]

Does NC have safety inspection? I'd have a garage look at it and have them decide it if still gets a sticker. If it does, have them write up something that states the car is road legal, then I'd press the ins co as to how they can total brand a title when the car still passes safety inspection.

I was just searching WV DMV for lost / abandoned vehicle info and came across a form for cars that are "totaled" by the insurance but only have cosmetic damage and are still road legal. From what I recall the form was to avoid a salvage title.

If the adjuster used new MB parts pricing because they are lazy, the repair costs will be high. Have a look at car-part.com , this is an online searchable data base of salvage yard inventories.

With a quick search in NC, front doors are $ 200 - 350 , same for rears. Use the search by zip and you can find doors in other states. With a bit of searching you can find some in the proper color to reduce costs. With some work on your part,( and there is minimal structural damage other than the doors ) this is a $ 1,200 to $ 1,500 fix.

[124Mike]

From the looks of it the center pillar is going to have to visit the stretcher. The rocker panel is a main frame support for the car and might never be right as rain again. I have parted with some cars that I thought were invincable but you got draw the line and start over or keep fighting.
Make the next one better.

Sorry about your loss, Mike

[Skid Row Joe]

Originally Posted by 124Mike

From the looks of it the center pillar is going to have to visit the stretcher. The rocker panel is a main frame support for the car and might never be right as rain again. I have parted with some cars that I thought were invincable but you got draw the line and start over or keep fighting.
Make the next one better.

Sorry about your loss, Mike

How are you able to ascertain that from the picture?

[124Mike]

I have been hit like that before on my 124 and I had to pull the pillar out. I painted cars for a living while tending college a long time ago. That car can be saved. It depends on his abilities and resources.
I stretched a junkyard ford futura and tubbed the rear for big block presence. Still collecting cougars.
The rocker scares me the most, It will have to be checked on the stretcher for further diagnostics though, It is a bad area to repair.

Mike
Ps: if the doors open and close its a plus, My hit did not look as bad as his. but they hit it good.

[upshift]

Originally Posted by 97 SL320

If the adjuster used new MB parts pricing because they are lazy, the repair costs will be high. Have a look at car-part.com , this is an online searchable data base of salvage yard inventories.

Every major insurance company uses car-part and Hollander interchange, especially on a car over 4 years old. It's actually easier for the adjuster to price used parts. There's no way an adjuster would ever price out brand new genuine parts on a 458k car.

Someone hit my mom's 06 Ford the other day and I had to push State Farm hard to not use a used fender, even though OEM new was only $20 more.