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Will this be a write off? 2009 3 Series

danlowry
danlowry Posts: 4 Newbie
edited 25 November 2018 at 5:35PM in Motoring
Was in an accident earlier in the week - some muppet in a van puled out straight into my passenger side and put a very big dent in both passenger side doors.

Car has been picked up by approved repairer from Admiral, and expecting an idea of the repair cost within a few days. The guy who collected said it will definitely need 2 new doors, but may also need a new B-pillar.

Car is a 2009 BMW 3 Series (335i) with ~65k miles on the clock. Autotrader would suggest the cost of replacing it would be around 9.5-10.5k. Is this likely to be written off?

My initial thoughts are if the B-Pillar doesn't need to be replaced then probably not as it will probably be 2-3k (?). But if it does, I don't really know how much this likely to add to the cost, and at what point does it become uneconomical to repair (i.e. do they repair it up to 9.5k which is it's value, or do they cut off at less than this)?

Any thoughts would be appreciated - I would really like to keep the car as it's been great for me and could have seen myself keeping it for a many more years to come.

https: \\ drive.google.com/open?id=15wiWawEoxmF055F-X8eYsJeBoGpEWmoo
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Comments

  • wgl2014
    wgl2014 Posts: 1,144 Forumite
    Bear in mind you should be able to buy the car back for a nominal sum and get it fixed yourself if the insurance writes if off.
  • facade
    facade Posts: 7,300 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    You don't want to keep it if it has to have a new B pillar.


    A pair of doors and a lick of paint fine, but a B pillar involves messing with the corrosion proofing, and repaired panels are never the same in terms of corrosion resistance as the shell when it left the factory.


    No doubt someone will tell you they had a complete chassis front end replaced and it lasted 25 salty Winters on a car that lived outside, but I doubt if it was by an "approved" (= cheapest) repairer.
    I want to go back to The Olden Days, when every single thing that I can think of was better.....

    (except air quality and Medical Science ;))
  • 335i isn't a joke of a car. Very fast. A lot better than your Vauxhall Insignia
  • AndyMc.....
    AndyMc..... Posts: 3,248 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    ginashamz wrote: »
    335i isn't a joke of a car. Very fast. A lot better than your Vauxhall Insignia

    Faster than your Yaris.
  • Faster than your Yaris.

    But right now it's in the garage awaiting an estimate on repairs, so you both beat my walking speed :P
  • AndyMc.....
    AndyMc..... Posts: 3,248 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    danlowry wrote: »
    But right now it's in the garage awaiting an estimate on repairs, so you both beat my walking speed :P

    ginashamz walking too.
  • ginashamz walking too.

    You know, it may be my dyslexia, the couple of drinks I've had or something else completely, but I totally miss read that. :rotfl:
  • atrixblue.-MFR-.
    atrixblue.-MFR-. Posts: 6,887 Forumite
    edited 25 November 2018 at 10:38PM
    danlowry wrote: »
    Was in an accident earlier in the week - some muppet in a van puled out straight into my passenger side and put a very big dent in both passenger side doors.

    Car has been picked up by approved repairer from Admiral, and expecting an idea of the repair cost within a few days. The guy who collected said it will definitely need 2 new doors, but may also need a new B-pillar.

    Car is a 2009 BMW 3 Series (335i) with ~65k miles on the clock. Autotrader would suggest the cost of replacing it would be around 9.5-10.5k. Is this likely to be written off?

    My initial thoughts are if the B-Pillar doesn't need to be replaced then probably not as it will probably be 2-3k (?). But if it does, I don't really know how much this likely to add to the cost, and at what point does it become uneconomical to repair (i.e. do they repair it up to 9.5k which is it's value, or do they cut off at less than this)?

    Any thoughts would be appreciated - I would really like to keep the car as it's been great for me and could have seen myself keeping it for a many more years to come.

    https: \\ drive.google.com/open?id=15wiWawEoxmF055F-X8eYsJeBoGpEWmoo


    My thoughts is that its an elderly vehicle regardless of its value, even if it could be repaired i think the insurers will pass on economical grounds.
    If it took a central side impact theres a high chance the B pillar has moved or suffered damage, it is most likely it will need pulling, outer skin cutting off internal structure repaired or pulled, and a new or repaired outer skin welded back in.
    facade wrote: »
    You don't want to keep it if it has to have a new B pillar.
    Thousends are repaired on a monthly basis with B pillar damage that owners keep without having an issue.

    A pair of doors and a lick of paint fine, but a B pillar involves messing with the corrosion proofing, and repaired panels are never the same in terms of corrosion resistance as the shell when it left the factory. Correct it means that corrosion proofing is disturbed, sometimes grinded away and sanded away by having to repair a damaged inner structer peice and around the edges for re welding, "panels are never the same in terms of corrosion resistence as the shel when it left the factory" I disagree with you there, once a panel is repaired the corrosion protection is put back with anti corrosion products with probes inserted into the cavity and sprayed liberally, these have a 360 spray head nozzle on some products, you overide the repair area also, so the protection area is coverd in conjuction with zinc weld through primers on weld areas.


    No doubt someone will tell you they had a complete chassis front end replaced and it lasted 25 salty Winters on a car that lived outside, but I doubt if it was by an "approved" (= cheapest) repairer.
    I think asking any car, more so a 25yr old british car to not rust in 25yrs is a big ask. BMW and Audi's tend to get metal cancer at 6yrs plus, then you are looking at varyables like driving engine mounting bolts in and out (for major services clucthes etc) burning through its rust protection and starting rust in the pair of engine chassis support legs through exposed metal in the threads and rusting metal bolts or disimilar corrosion metal to aluminium.


    Approved repairs can also be hidious and ugly and below standard, but get shipped out to the customer who doesnt know what their looking at expect its same colour and the damage is gone and its shiny!.


    A good throrough repair by someone who is mindful of what he is doing where he needs to apply corrosion protection, how to use a etch primer on bare metals before going onto main painting should see his repair last as good the rest of the car.
  • LandyAndy
    LandyAndy Posts: 26,377 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/15wiWawEoxmF055F-X8eYsJeBoGpEWmoo/view

    Not too easy to tell from one picture with the doors shut but I doubt that needs a new B-Pillar.
  • LandyAndy wrote: »
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/15wiWawEoxmF055F-X8eYsJeBoGpEWmoo/view

    Not too easy to tell from one picture with the doors shut but I doubt that needs a new B-Pillar.
    I cant see it requiring a new one, i can see it having minor pulling into alignments as the door has slammed it, some minor body work. replacement of door pull hinges, repair rear door pull rear hinges new king pins. due to age in op's case its a cat N.
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