2014 M5 Car Accident - San Diego, LA Help Needed

[rampage76]

Hey guys,

Long time no post.. I got into the dumbest accident of my life a few hours ago. Instead of frantically calling BMW repair shops on Christmas, I figured it was better to post here. I'm not going to beat around the bush... the pictures.. First question, is my car drivable? I was able to drive with only a warning message saying that my right front light had an error. The hood is very slightly bent back. I'll be paying for it out of pocket (no insurance involvement). Does anyone have any idea what this is going to cost me? Does anyone know a good repair shop in San Diego or Los Angeles or anywhere in between? This felt like such a small accident and I couldn't see the damage until after the other car was moved and I already made the decision to not use my insurance. Any assistance or advice would be greatly appreciated!

[RPiM5]

1st, DO NOT drive it anymore! You could doing more damage.

2nd, if it is your fault, then going out of pocket is fine. But if someone else hit you, I'd try to see if they would be willing to settle on the side without insurance involvement if possible, since even if their liability insurance covers your repairs, your insurance company will still be notified.

3rd, since you talked about driving it after the collision and paying out of pocket, I can only assume you did not file a police report. This may bite you, if you damaged private or public property in some way.

That doesn't look good at all man. At least $6,000 in damage, but prolly up to $12,000.

Good luck.

[exmowner]

Damn dude thats horrible timing... From the looks of it you may have damaged your oil cooler. From what I see the fender is gone hood can be repaired by a shop familiar with aluminum, headlight will be most expensive single part.

I have an m5 fender in black factory paint I can send you since its the 25th

It will be as good as new in the end !

[TazOjla]

Is it even legal to drive it? Doesn't look like that headlight even works? and there seems to be a leak somewhere from the puddle underneath.

I would get insurance to cover that as it's going to be expensive. Not sure on pricing in America but LED lights and other bits will start to stack up. C'mon it's a BMW

[rampage76]

1st, DO NOT drive it anymore! You could doing more damage.

2nd, if it is your fault, then going out of pocket is fine. But if someone else hit you, I'd try to see if they would be willing to settle on the side without insurance involvement if possible, since even if their liability insurance covers your repairs, your insurance company will still be notified.

3rd, since you talked about driving it after the collision and paying out of pocket, I can only assume you did not file a police report. This may bite you, if you damaged private or public property in some way.

That doesn't look good at all man. At least $6,000 in damage, but prolly up to $12,000.

Good luck.

1) I might not have a choice about driving it - I am in Mexico about 60 miles south of the border. I don't think I'm going to be able to get it towed to San Diego. I took a look under the hood and nothing seems to be damaged, other than the front-right section. If I had an option, I have AAA and BMW Roadside, I would tow. But this is a bad situation.

2) I would be at fault. My car was on the downward-side of a steep slope (gated entrance, not a public road) and started rolling downhill. I couldn't get to my brake in time. I hit a low wall/high bump. There is no other party involved and no police report. I have valid US and Mexican auto insurance but voluntarily reporting this to insurance would count it as a collision which is at-fault. My insurance rates going up for 5 years and possibly being disqualified from many insurance companies is probably not worth it for me. I had an accident in 3/2014 and my rates are very sensitive to any additional violations.

3) The police came and made sure that everything was okay, no property was damaged, no one was hurt, only my car damage. I have 0 concern about that coming back at me.

It doesn't look good.. It really looks bad compared to the other beautiful side. I think your price estimates are what I was thinking as well. $6000 is if I can find a good body shop that will work with me being a direct pay customer... negotiated rates, lower margins... The only thing I have going for me is that there are hundreds of top rated repair shops between here and LA. I can get multiple estimates, take my time, and choose where I take it. I need a body shop that is good, fair, and needs the business because it is a slow time of the year and will therefore, be willing to make a reasonable deal. $12000 is what it will cost if I take it to my local BMW dealership and near-worst case scenario for potential damage.

The leaking is from the front right is washer fluid. I checked to make sure that no hoses/cooling system were damaged and this looks like the only one that is affected.

Finding a really good body shop is going to be really important.

[rampage76]

Yes, but only during the day-time. I checked the lights last night and there is only one light on the right still active, and it looks dim. Daytime driving only - and probably straight to body shops in San Diego for getting it examined.

And yes, my timing is TERRIBLE. Christmas Eve and new years coming up... no one is going to really work for the next 2 weeks.

[Aapparition90]

apart from the bodywork there would be sensors etc that would need replacing as well I think.

[BossBeamer]

Why man why? Why did you do this to such a beautiful car?

[gblansten]

I think the hood will need to be replaced. Sorry that happened to you.

[ARKONE]

It looks uncanny but the same thing happened to my car on the front left. Only difference is mine was a 2011 328Xi about a year ago.


Here's what I can tell you. The single biggest expense you'll have is a new LED headlight. I think a set is around $6500-$7000 so the new headlight will be around $3250. A new bumper is also needed which is around $750 painted.

The fender should be replaced, but it looks like it can be saved. Let's assume $400 to get it fixed and repainted. The hood is fine. Mine was a lot worse and it came out looking nearly damn new. My damage to the hood was about 2 feet into the hood and it was fixed. Let's assume $500-$600 to get the hood fixed. I think you might need a new oil cooler like someone mentioned. Not sure on the price.

I believe most of the important stuff is on the left like it was in my 328Xi, so you should be good.

I'd say all together you're looking at $6k-$8k depending on the shop just for the bodywork. Make sure nothing mechanical is damaged. Get a quote from a BMW dealership and they will also tell you if anything mechanical is damaged as well.

[RPiM5]

Whoa! In Mexico?! Yeah that changes a lot! You might have no choice but to drive it back across the border. The Border Patrol are probably going to be asking you a lot of questions if they see the damage though. Yikes. This is not a good situation. I hope you can make it back ok.

[rocky]

As a lawyer who handles these types of matters on a daily basis my best advise is to turn it over to your insurance carrier. If you have collision coverage (with an M5 you shouldnt be without it) you will be covered minus your deductible. from the photos you will definitely need a new hood and a new front assembly right quarter panel and fender and all that goes with it. Considering all the parts, paint, labor, etc. you can count on a body shop worth it's salt estimating repairs in the $10,000+ range. There are plenty of quality shops that can do the work and make it like new....id advise to call your local BMW dealer (encinitas) and ask for a recommendation. Keep us posted on how it goes.

[rampage76]

Thanks for the replies. I have Mexican tourist insurance - full coverage. I have AAA insurance - full coverage but only in the US. So, I can'r turn this over to my US insurance, which is why I got Mexican insurance. At this point, going to the insurance company is not going to be an option and I'll have to eat the $8000+ out of pocket. I did not follow the procedures in my Mexican insurance policy and it specifically says that I've disqualified myself from coverage because of certain procedures that I did not follow. It is a bad situation because if I had followed the procedures, my total loss would have been the $500 deductible instead of how astronomical it will be now.

I don't see how I am at risk legally. It is only my property that is damaged, so I don't think I need a lawyer - am I wrong? The plan is to drive back over the border tomorrow. I am planning to go to at least one body shop tomorrow and get an estimate and then try to get a couple of quotes from BMW repair shops with the highest ratings.

Does anyone think I should do something else given my actions so far?

[rocky]

if you caused zero damages to others property and no bodily injuries to third parties you will have no liability other than to yourself to pay for the damages to your M5 out of your own pocket. lesson learned and move on. Moral of your story is under no circumstance do you drive a 100k vehicle to Mexico, even if you have mexican insurance. You are lucky that you can walk away from this experience with manageable damages and nobody was hurt.... cars can always be replaced.

[rampage76]

*Update* - I called my Mexican insurance company tonight (yes, Christmas night) and they sent out an adjuster and a translator who just left. They told me that my car is fully insured and that I would only need to pay the deductible. They said that while I should always call the insurance company first when an accident happens, it doesn't invalidate or void my coverage. They did tell me that this would count as an at-fault accident but that all of the damages would be covered. Since they can't fix the car here, they will be writing me a check to pay for the repairs in the US. I wonder if they will reconsider when they realize how much it is going to cost to fix my car.

[Palomequet]

In which planet are you living?

[Netwon]

USD Prices rough parts only estimate.

Bumper Cover $1,000.65
Tow Cover $26.86
Bumper Beam $379.98
Parking Sensor $140.33
Fender $614.62
Inner Fender Cover Front $101.54
Hood $1,104.44
Headlight $1,646.82
Headlamp Bulb $244.27
Headlamp Gasket $15.74

Total $5,275.25

If it is LED headlamps just minus the cost of the bulb from the total. Assembly is almost the same price.

[sdf10m5]

Holy hell that is bad. I live in sd and have never been in an accident.. IMO you need to take it to solesbee auto crafts in oc or the dealer. insurance should def be involved, those pics are hard to even look at...

[Tylerstar]

I hate that feature, people become to dependent on it. Bmw really needs a feature or some type of noise to let you know when your car is starting to roll. Same thing happened to me except I only ended up with a scratch on my front bumper. Hope you get it fixed asap, those pics are disturbing.

[Netwon]

Originally Posted by Tylerstar

I hate that feature, people become to dependent on it. Bmw really needs a feature or some type of noise to let you know when your car is starting to roll. Same thing happened to me except I only ended up with a scratch on my front bumper. Hope you get it fixed asap, those pics are disturbing.

Which feature do you hate?

[mwlmd]

I'm still trying to understand the logic of taking an M5 to Mexico. Talk about driving around with a rob or kidnap me sign!!! I bet a rental car would have been cheaper than the insurance on the M5!

Anyway. Sounds like insurance will cover it. Problem solved.

[Palomequet]

Originally Posted by mwlmd

I'm still trying to understand the logic of taking an M5 to Mexico. Talk about driving around with a rob or kidnap me sign!!! I bet a rental car would have been cheaper than the insurance on the M5!

Anyway. Sounds like insurance will cover it. Problem solved.

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