Got rear ended...

[CarterH]

Well it's a sad day. I was on my way home after having the cabin fan fixed at last (which I only got to enjoy for 3 or 4 minutes ) and a truck in the opposite lane decided to merge without looking while I was directly next to it. So I was pressing on the horn and had to come to a dead stop to avoid getting side swiped, then a moment later I was hit from behind. All I could think about was how my pride and joy has been written off, how I'd just got the fan fixed and how much I dreaded having to find another car that I knew all the little quirks of.

Luckily nobody was hurt and the damage to my E34 is hopefully not write off material. The entire rear bumper is damaged and will have to be replaced, the rear bumper shocks are undoubtedly used and need replacing, a tail light doesn't work and throws an error, the sound from the right side speaks are now intermittent and worst of all the exhaust has been pushed forward. I don't know how bad the exhaust being pushed forward is but it's not good. Some of the section under the trunk is also pushed in and the trunk is slightly misaligned. The police were there and said I was okay to drive it back but I was hearing a soft thudding noise from the back like I had a flat tire, but I don't have a flat tire? It also occurs when the car isn't moving.

rear2.jpg
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One thing is for sure though, these E34s are tough! The other car is a total write off and the hood of his car was pitched at such a high angle that you could camp in the engine bay. For the sake of his privacy I won't post pictures of his car. He was very friendly, so I can't be too mad about what happened but I'm still absolutely heartbroken. He also had a worse day since his car was written off immediately and he's also been fined on the spot for following too closely and not keeping a safe stopping distance. He estimated that he hit me at around 40 - 45kmph (24 - 27mph) so I'm surprised things weren't a lot worse.

Be careful out there guys, because not everybody else is.

[The Chauffeur]

Damn, sorry to hear that... what a shame...

That thud could be the exhaust pushing against something? Take a look at your fuel tank and lines, also, just to check. Anyways, hope you can get it in tip top shape soon...

[demetk]

Glad your ok. I'm surprised there isn't more damage on the car. Hopefully the frame isn't bent. What happened the the truck driver?

[CarterH]

Damn, sorry to hear that... what a shame...

That thud could be the exhaust pushing against something? Take a look at your fuel tank and lines, also, just to check. Anyways, hope you can get it in tip top shape soon...

I'm thinking it's the exhaust too but it doesn't seem to be moving. It has definitely moved back into the car and one of the tips has been peeled back and I've tried moving it around and nothing happens. Maybe I've got a hole or something is slightly open where I can't see beyond the wheel?

It's going to be a few months before it's fixed unfortunately. Everyone is closing up for the holidays and they're booked solid into next year. She won't be fixed until March

Glad your ok. I'm surprised there isn't more damage on the car. Hopefully the frame isn't bent. What happened the the truck driver?

I'm pretty amazed too. I got out and expected to have no tail lights at all and a fully destroyed trunk. It's hard to see how bad the damage is beyond the bumper, I can't touch or remove anything until it gets assessed by my insurance.

The truck driver pulled off to the side, stood around for a second and then left. I was more preoccupied with the other driver at the time so neither of us interacted with him before he left (and he left quite quickly too). We told the police about the truck but they said it was a "grey area" since he technically didn't cause any damage although we all agreed it was the trucks fault.

Also an additional picture I forgot from my original post. Oops. What looks like water on top of the bumper is actually more tiny glass fragments from his headlights.
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[fo3]

What a shame. I bet repairs are going to be quoted at $3k (1k bumper panel and paint, 1k rear panel/boot floor/bumper mount damage, remainder for exhaust/wiring etc), and their insurer will write it off and try settle for ~$2.5k or less.
Prepare to play hardball with the insurers assessor and also start shopping for another one imo. This isn't going to end well unless you can get a pay out and the car back and know someone in the beating/painting trades (or DIY) and get s/h spare parts yourself.
The friendly guy that hit you is going to cause you a lot of pain as repairs cost more here, less spare parts here, running out of chassis' and wrecking parts.

[CarterH]

What a shame. I bet repairs are going to be quoted at $3k (1k bumper panel and paint, 1k rear panel/boot floor/bumper mount damage, remainder for exhaust/wiring etc), and their insurer will write it off and try settle for ~$2.5k or less.
Prepare to play hardball with the insurers assessor and also start shopping for another one imo. This isn't going to end well unless you can get a pay out and the car back and know someone in the beating/painting trades (or DIY) and get s/h spare parts yourself.
The friendly guy that hit you is going to cause you a lot of pain as repairs cost more here, less spare parts here, running out of chassis' and wrecking parts.

I'm really hoping it won't be a write off. It is insured for almost $10k so even if the repairs came out at $5k I should still be okay. I have considered buying a bumper from a wreck in the correct color, even though it would mismatch ever so slightly, but getting a write off registered again is a battle I just can't afford.

Looking for another car really hurts. It will be a BMW again no doubt although I'd probably get an E39 or E46 or potentially an E90. I love E34s but I would never be able to find one in such mint condition again, mine had actually been at a car show recently and specialist repairers and even a BMW dealership have said it was the most mint condition E34 they'd ever seen.

[fo3]

I'm really hoping it won't be a write off. It is insured for almost $10k so even if the repairs came out at $5k I should still be okay. I have considered buying a bumper from a wreck in the correct color, even though it would mismatch ever so slightly, but getting a write off registered again is a battle I just can't afford.

Looking for another car really hurts. It will be a BMW again no doubt although I'd probably get an E39 or E46 or potentially an E90. I love E34s but I would never be able to find one in such mint condition again, mine had actually been at a car show recently and specialist repairers and even a BMW dealership have said it was the most mint condition E34 they'd ever seen.

That's awesome you have $10k agreed value full comp insurance. Who is it with and what does it cost? I'm suprised an insurer would cover a e34 535 for $10k agreed value, I thought you'd be stuck with 'market' value insurance.
Most of the policies I looked at were lower values for an 'agreed value' policy or only offered standard 'market value'. When it is time to make a claim it's hard to find good e34s for sale to prove your market value when you need your insurance, so you normally get lowball offers to settle from assessors if it's just a market price insurance policy.

[CarterH]

That's awesome you have $10k agreed value full comp insurance. Who is it with and what does it cost? I'm suprised an insurer would cover a e34 535 for $10k agreed value, I thought you'd be stuck with 'market' value insurance.
Most of the policies I looked at were lower values for an 'agreed value' policy or only offered standard 'market value'. When it is time to make a claim it's hard to find good e34s for sale to prove your market value when you need your insurance, so you normally get lowball offers to settle from assessors if it's just a market price insurance policy.

I'm surprised too. When I bought the car I went shopping around for a new insurer since my previous one had me paying for full comp but on closer inspection I only had third party. I dropped them straight away. It was really difficult finding a new one, for some reason all of the insurance companies had 535s valued at $10k and were suspicious that I payed less than $5k for mine even though on Gumtree and CarSales they were going from anywhere between $3k to $8k and the redbook value is only about $2k.

This was almost 4 years ago though and I have noticed prices creeping up. Most E34s seem to be sitting at about $5k these days with some manual versions going all the way up to $10k and beyond. Anyway, the first inspection is today and they're going to try and reattach some of the missing parts and inspect the exhaust system to make sure it's roadworthy. I'd hate to have it stuck in a garage for Christmas

I'm also a little concerned how washing it will go since there's a lot of areas at the back now that have never been nor intended to be exposed to the elements and water. The gasket that goes inbetween the bumper and the bottom of the trunk is gone so that's one part of protection lost.