Hit after only three weeks! Joy.

[Bluto408tdi]

I love DFW traffic.

After only three weeks of ownership, I now need a new bumper cover. Thankfully there was no sheetmetal damage to the quarter panel.

While it's minor, I'm concerned about Diminished Value. Anyone ever deal with an insurance company regard this? Thankfully she was insured by a major company, not Fred Loya.

 

[tdiatlast]

No real experience with this, but I'd say a bumper cover would be considered basic "wear-and-tear", and replacement would have no effect on value.

 

[RoadRunnerTR21]

Sorry about your car. DFW traffic does really suck.

 

[Mcgink]

I love DFW traffic.

After only three weeks of ownership, I now need a new bumper cover. Thankfully there was no sheetmetal damage to the quarter panel.

While it's minor, I'm concerned about Diminished Value. Anyone ever deal with an insurance company regard this? Thankfully she was insured by a major company, not Fred Loya.

Take some pics of the damage for your own records and to photodocument the damage for future owners. That way, if there's mention of it in a carfax report, you'll be able to show and prove that it was minor.

 

[tdiatlast]

Good point about the photos. Minor damage, but expensive to repair. Too bad the driver didn't just pay for it out of pocket, as this sort of small expense just isn't worth reporting, for obvious reasons...rate increase...her's, not yours...

 

[darrelld]

I love DFW traffic.

After only three weeks of ownership, I now need a new bumper cover. Thankfully there was no sheetmetal damage to the quarter panel.

While it's minor, I'm concerned about Diminished Value. Anyone ever deal with an insurance company regard this? Thankfully she was insured by a major company, not Fred Loya.

I had my Lexus IS350 drivers rear fender creased in Plano by an old lady in a beatup pickup truck. Did about $2500 worth of damage and when I sold the car to Carmax they noted the accident but it didn't affect the value.

 

[Bluto408tdi]

While getting my plates over at the dealership today, I talked with their used car appraiser. His view was bumper covers are almost disposable items today, and there would be no effect on the value of the vehicle, even with something on Carfax. The big things he wants to know is if steel panels were replaced or repainted.

He said it's very common to have to replace or repaint them before they retail the vehicle. The other point he made was it's a TDI, and they historically retail well unless there has been major damage.

I'm still not happy about it, but I feel better at least. The shop ordered the cover and is going to let me know after it gets in and they have it painted.

 

[Kchorro]

I see we are a bunch of B7 TDI fan in North Texas..
Why not get together one day for lunch or something to meet us and have some of the Texas Goodness like Texas BBQ and longnecks.. The Hard 8 is one if the best in town (Coppell). Also Rudy's BBQ in Frisco and Denton is good too...

 

[JazzBeBop]

Yes, there are a lot of B7 TDI fans in North Texas.

 

[abctdi]

As long as the bumper energy absorption parts were not smashed...you should be safe also.

 

[Bluto408tdi]

I work out in Irving, so Hard Eight would be fine. In the evenings I'm up in Allen and there is a Rudy's there as well. I could show off my damaged bumper!

 

[allseasondriver]

Bluto408tdi - Even minor damage can have a diminished value impact. I live in Connecticut, not Texas, so I'm not familiar with your laws, but I have filed a diminished value in my state for damages that were around $1200; the diminished value was close to $3000. More information on diminished value in general: http://matthewforrestlaw.com/diminished-value/

 

[MyAvocation]

Great read. Unfortunately and according to this article, residents of few states can take advantage of it. And even fewer policy holders. So first step will be to check your policy for a diminution of value exclusion. Thanks for nuthin' insurance lobby.

 

[Papachristou]

First off, D@mn that is awful to have your car damaged in the first month of ownership. i dont care if you are driving a bugatti or a VW. That just sucks. I am sorry for you there. However, diminished value is really getting to be a thing of the past. first off, repairs and paint work are done so much better than even just 10 years ago. secondly, why should an insurance carrier pay you for an alleged future cost? maybe the new owner will care about the repair, maybe they wont, maybe you wont sell the car at all or maybe it will be totalled or something later on.

There is some great advice here since this is a minor accident. just document the cosmetic damage and keep a copy of the repair paperwork from the bodyshop. I wouldnt have a problem buying a car like that.

 

[Bluto408tdi]

I just got it back, and the paint match was perfect. There was no damage underneath or to the sheet metal. While there was a small ding in the trunk, they got that out with paintless repair.

Still a bummer, but I'm happy to get my car back whole and stop driving the Chevy Impala rental I had. It never got better than 22mpg, rode horrible, and had a very uncomfortable seat.

 

[Texas Realtor]

Great congrats on getting the car back and being happy with the repairs.
Now when are we meeting at hard 8?

 

[Papachristou]

congrats OP. I had an impala for my company car about 2 years ago. Similar to you, It got about 24mpg, rode like shlt and i think it actually caused some knee trouble!

 

[Bluto408tdi]

I'll set up another thread for our first DFW Passat TDI Owners meeting at Hard Eight

 

[jumpinjoe]

congrats OP. I had an impala for my company car about 2 years ago. Similar to you, It got about 24mpg, rode like shlt and i think it actually caused some knee trouble!

I had a rental Impala before I picked up my Passat. The car handled so badly when I had to avoid an object on the highway, that it scared the heck out of me.

 

[Papachristou]

lol, they do drive horribly. it is a wonder they keep selling them. Probably just rental companies because we only give about $15k for them. Still high for that POS in my humble opinion

 

[Bluto408tdi]

The one they gave me was a new 2012 (900 miles) with the 3.5 (300hp) and a 6speed, leather, 19in wheels, etc. It was seriously slow and the engine was very loud. The back seat was surprisingly cramped, shifter was oversized, and the seat had little support. The engine constantly dropped two-three gears to accelerate and seemed to only have any power around 5k rpms. In short, when returning to my Passat after a week, I was VERY pleased. While folks seem to complain, it is a very good car when compared to everything else in the price range. While my CC had some nicer interior elements I must admit (Door Cards, Cruise Control Switch), I really do like my TDI much better.

 

[Bluto408tdi]

Also just read an article showing where much of Toyota and GMs huge sales gains were through rental fleet sales!