minor accident in my x5. help needed

[tsk13]

If you've mentioned Insurance Claim then it will be a full change; no Denting and Painting as is the norm nowadays.

My Xing's left fender, left headlamp and front Bumper was damaged. As I was claiming compensation from Insurer, all the parts were replaced.

Work out how much you have to shell out both ways: Claiming insurance or New Headlamp + Denting + Painting.

Talking of Depreciation, 50% sounds a lot. Total bill in my case was 12k, out of which I had to pay 4k. Depreciation in total terms here comes out 33.3% .

Fianlly, All the Best.

[Mayavi]

Originally Posted by x5india

2. left headlamp

They said the headlamp will need to be changed because there is a crack in the plastic covering.

Can you guys please advise what I should do? Any help really appreciated.

Thanks!

I had a similar accident in my 325, actually even minor than your accident, and there was a crack in the plastic casing of the headlamp. The crack was smaller than what I can see in your pics. I took to BMW authorized service station and a insurance preferred one and both said that the entire head lamp unit has to be changed @1000$/unit.

[Zappo]

Except for the headlamp unit which will need a change I think everything else is repairable. Fenders are repaired everyday by the garages. And so are the plastic bumpers. Go to any good garage where they have some good metal sheet beaters and they will do the fender job for you (I think fenders are always metal!). As for the bumpers, I know that even if the bumper has cracked open even then they know how to repair it. They just heat it up and stick the cracked parts together. Then with a heated flat metal plate/spatula kind of a thing they just make the join go flat to look like new. Thereafter a good paint job makes it all vanish completely.

I had a rear shunt in my car (nothing fancy like your X5 ) when a drunk driver ploughed in. It completely broke the bumper, cracked it in fact along with damages to the C-Pillar and the tail lamp. While the tail lamp had to be changed the rest was all repaired. The garage wanted the bumper and the C-pillar section changed by I was not keen on it as the insurer was going to depreciate on the plastic as well as metal. So they agreed to repair it. And they did do a fatastic job of it, and how!

The bottom line is barring the headlight assembly everything else can be recovered back with a comparatively much lesser cost.

[BeamerBoy]

Ouch! That is exactly not the location where an X5 should be banged.

Consider this: Bumper, Headlight & Fender are all plastic that means even if you cover the repairs under insurance the 50% depreciation applies. To top it, you loose NCB on your insurance as well. For an X5 this will be quite a lot.

Result: You are loosing as much money as you would do by repairing it on your account.

However, if your car has already had an insurance claim (NCB already gone) or if the car has a new insurance cover <4M approximate (X5 is a big car, you might bang it again in the remaining 8 M) then it would be prudent to have it repaired the dealer's way & under insurance.

Now, coming to the other options,

One thing you can do is use the fact that you now have 3 BMW workshops in NCR. Take this X5 to the 2nd Dealer. Get a quote and choose the cheapest option.

And another thing: Give Bird the comfort that you will not snap back at them with a repeat repair complaint, if they help you repair the car using existing bumper & existing fender. Then perhaps they can repair the above parts, replace the headlight and bring down the repair cost. Also, if you do not need the X5 immediately repaired then you can tell them to order the parts by stock order (cheaper) and request them to pass the benefits to you. I'd personally opt for this. The result depends upon your convincing power.

And another thing: Parts sale is important for all dealers (including BMW dealers). You can call dealers in Jaipur/Chandigarh and ask for the best price for Headlight, Bumper & Fender. See if they can throw in some discount. I am sure they won't mind earning marginal returns from some other dealer's territory.

[rubicon]

Originally Posted by x5india

The total estimate they had given was Rs 2.13 lac + 6k for labour charges. I find this absurd. Why is this so expensive?

I am insured with ICICI lombard

Ask them - On the total estimate, how much would be covered by Insurance and what you would need to pay. They should be able to give you an approximate figure of this.

Once you get to know that, it should be easier to decide if you need to get it done there or source the headlight (available in plenty online & many international retailers ship even 1 unit to India & does not involve any hassle).

In my opinion - The bumper and fender can be easily redone. You just got to be patient for a while and not hurry up..