My Car had recently been stolen while I was at work. About 3 days later, it had been found while the thieves were trying to steal another car with mine. The police told me that the thieves took my car and plowed into a police car (put the 2 officers in hospital for broken bones), jumped a curb, slid into a tree and finally hit the side of a building . I just had my car towed to my dealerships affiliated body shop (Quality Autobody in NJ - Affilated with Ray Catena). I had a look around with the autobody service rep (real nice guy!) and he went through some of the damage with me. They were as follows:

1. Rear bumper cracked/pushed in
2. The reinforcement behind the bumper was snapped in 2 (This was prolly when they plowed back into the front of the police car)
3. Exhaust Pipe bent
4. Drivers side quarter panel smashed in
5. Front bumber cracked and scraped up
6. Passenger Side - Both windows (back/front) blown out, door smashed in (from tree), side view mirror gone, all metal trim around door gone
7. Interior - Navi system ripped out completely
8. Rims all nicked and scratched!

Other than the above listed, the rest of the outside of the car was all scratched and dinged up. Honestly, it did not look as bad as I had imagined, but the service rep told me that just looking at the car it was around $12k - $15k in cosmetic damage. They had yet to look at the car structurely until Tuesday (Jul 5). The car arrived so late on friday they didnt have a chance for their inspection. He also noted that based on what we know the car went through, he was really worried about the suspension (may need replacement). The engine he said is made for the hi RPMs though he hasnt looked at it yet to see if there really isnt any damage to it. The adjuster is also coming out tuesday or wednesday so I will find out the extent of the damages at that time.

My question is has anyone experienced anything this horrible with their G and what was the outcome? I really do not want the car...what kind of damage do these insurance companies look for before they total a car. I hope that when they look at it, there are other damages too. I've heard something about a precentage of damage to car value is what they base it off of. I had a 05 DG Coupe LOADED!!! Nav/Sus/Aero (Only had it for 4 months). ALL HELP AND ADVICE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!

http://pictures.sprintpcs.com/i/7744...0&outquality=9
http://pictures.sprintpcs.com/i/7744...&outquality=90
http://pictures.sprintpcs.com/i/7744...&outquality=90

They are not the greatest pics (bad angles). Car looks worse in person.

 

???

 

Your links are not working.

 

sorry about the links...this should work

 

Damn, that is horrible. Not only was your car stolen, they also beat the **** out of it. I hope those guys rot in jail for this crap. Hope all works out for you in the end.
Lips

 

I think in CA, if the cost to fix the car is 75% or more of the vehicles value, its considered totalled. Im not sure if it the 75% varies with each insurance company though.

 

wow that sux...i dunno what to tell you man. Im sure there are some people on here that know about these situations and what to do....good luck!

 

Here's the deal... If the car is put on a rack and the frame is not bent then you'll most likely be ok to go ahead with the repairs. Your insurance co. is going to cut you a check for ~$500 for the front bumper and ~$500 for the rear bumper (includes prep, paint, removal and reinstall). They'll probably give you enough money for new rims and tires (which will cost more than most aftermarket rims and tires) and might even be willing to replace a few suspension components.

The real modders already see where I'm going with this... This is the PERFECT TIME for you to pick out a good body kit (at least a front bumper), a new set of wheels and tires and maybe some springs or a coilover setup. The insurance will pay to have all of this stuff painted, installed and looking PERFECT (minus any additional expenses you pay for going over the price of the stock parts).

DON'T SCREW THIS UP LIKE I DID! I had a perfect chance for a new aftermarket bumper after a suicidal deer decided to take me head on and I did not take my own advice! :kicks oneself in the growing:

 

Damn dude, sorry to hear about that. Hope you can get everything settled.

Who did you speak to at Ray Catena? They are all great, great guys there!

 

Yeah Ray Catena has been very helpful with everything. The guys over at the body shop they sent me to are very helpful as well. It sounds like you are saying that any little variation in the frame is grounds for totaling a car? So if they jack it up and see that there is no structural damage, then they can just bring the car back to 99% restoration? If that is the case, having the dealer certified body shop would prolly be the best place to have the car worked on since they would charge the most for the best work possible...right? I like the idea of have some exterior mods added during the whole process, but I dont feel comfortable keeping the car knowing what has happened...everyone says the car will never be the same. With the car's value being diminished from this, it automatically puts me upside down on my loan. I really wont know anything till tomorrow, but I want to atleast have my options ready.

 

Claim diminished value.

From what I hear, its not all that hard to get, most people just dont.

 

well If I have to go the route of having the car completely redone, then I'll try claiming 'diminished value'...hope it works. Thanks

If I understand correctly with this 'diminished value' claim, I should be able to trade-in/sell this car after repairs and not worry about not having enough to pay off my loan cuz the difference is what the insurance company would pay right? If that is the case, I will just get a new G

 

Ummm this may be a stupid question, but how did they steal the car. How did they get around the "computer chip" in the key? I know there is a way to get
around everything, but how did they do this? Sorry for the damage! That sux ****!

 

Supposedly, they popped the driver door lock with something that allowed the windows to roll down. Popped the hood cuz the fused box cover was ripped off and left where my car was last seen. Some guys are telling me that they may have took a pic of my vin number and got a key cut or they had some sort of equipment to start car from under hood cuz the ignition was still intact. Believe me, i'm as boggled as you are as to how they started it without the chip (of course unless they got a key cut....I remember seeing a post from someone on here a while ago that, that was possible).