Help Guide me through Accident, Insurance, and Body Shop Frustration.

Apologies in advance for the lengthy post.  Back on September 14th last year, I was hit in the left rear quarter in a relatively low speed accident.   Ultimately, the other drivers Insurance (Travelers) accepted responsibility.  

I insisted that the car be taken to a Porsche approved shop and they were happy to oblige.   Their adjuster wrote up the estimate and came up with a completion date of October 6th.  Shortly after the shop started work they informed me that one of the parts, 99750563101 had been superseded by 99750563104, and they was on back order until November.  I am ok with this since Travelers got me into a rental car,  so transportation isn't an issue.  

To the shops credit they call me once a week to keep me advised of progress.  November rolls around and the car is painted, and ready for the bumper cover to be put back on, but now Porsche gives a release date on the part of December.   I ask them about used parts and they say they can get one from a Porsche salvage yard.  I give the ok and they send someone to get the part.  The part turns out to be broken and they can use it.

I find one on Ebay but they won't, as a matter of policy, use parts sourced from Ebay.   While all this is happening, I accept a job offer in the Los Angeles area.  Travelers says that when they car is ready, they will ship it to me.  

So far I am ok with all of this.  I understand the desire for OEM parts and how supply problems can happen.  And Travelers is still footing the bill for the rental car.

Two weeks ago I found the part at a salvage yard in Los Angeles.  I emailed all the relevant info to the shop and didn't hear back from them.  Today I called and asked them what the status was and they tell me Porsche has still not released the part.  He also tells me they have a Boxster in that has a part on back order until September.   I suppose this was meant to make me feel better.  I ask about the parts I located in LA and he goes into a lengthy spiel about how there are so many variations on this part that when they go by VIN, nothing is a match.   I am pretty sure this is crap since the only variations I know of are 2wd and AWD, or narrow and wide but I am not a Porsche approved body shop.

Travelers doesn't seem all that interested is helping even thought they are going to be out over 7k to the shop and are sitting at 2k+ for the rentals and who knows what for shipping.

How can I find this part and make sure it fits?  I seem to be the only one interested in completing this.  

The part in question is #9 in the diagram below.  If you need my VIN, I would be happy to supply it:

I have no answer but this posting will bump the thread back up to the top so I will ask...

What kind of rental car do you get when your 911 is in the body shop?  Is it the standard Versa Note , Altima, Chevy Malibu?  

I have been down the part's rabbit hole on this kind of stuff, it's very frustrating. I would just ride it out and let the Insurance company and body shop work it out.

Paul B

I've had a car in paint jail for 10 months. Yes. Seriously. 

Sorry to hear about this, but unfortunately, not a lot you can do.  If the shop is going to refuse to use a part you supply them, that's between yourself and them.  Travelers certainly won't do that, as they don't want the potential liability of doing that. 

This is not uncommon on higher end German cars.  Doesn't happen all the time, but I've seen it many times.

Travelers employee here so I really can't comment beyond recommending you just let them handle it. 

VW/Audi/Porsche are notoriously bad for parts going on intergalactic back order. They really need to hire some folks from Toyota to straighten out the mess that is their parts distribution.

My boss just went through this with his C7 Corvette.  The rear bumper cover was not available for several months due to a defect they were correcting (all were bring broken during shipping).  Chevy finally figured it out and he got his car back, but it took 3-4 months to resolve.

I say this as somebody on the shop side... you probably aren't helping the situation let it go be glad the insurance company is treating you right. Both the shop and the insurance company want your car done just as bad as you do but they are obligated legally and/or morally to make sure it's the best they can make it. 

I was the parts manager at a KIA dealership and part of my job was helping body shops get parts they needed. Well we once had a major issue with an insurance claim. Was a new redesigned Sorento that hit wildlife, claim came in and I was able to source everything within a few weeks to get it fixed and back on the road EXCEPT the washer fluid reservoir that sat on back order for 12 months for KIA to have the part available, so the car sat, painted, ready for assembly for a year while awaiting a plastic tank. 

Twice a week I heard from the shop regarding it, asking if there was any change in availability and I would contact KIA directly asking on an ETA. It royally sucks and the shops involved want to get your car out as quick as possible but sometimes there are just things beyond their control.

What does a shop charge for storage per day?  At say $40 a day for a year that adds up to  $14,600. I know the local place I help out now and then he charges $80 a day and insurance pays it. They always try and get him to accept about $60 a day but he has it posted and he told me that because it is posted they have to pay it.   Is there even a remote chance that storage fees could ever total a car?  This is something I know absolutely nothing about. If anyone does know how this works I would be interested. 

In reply to dean1484 :

Storage fees are always an interesting and sticky subject.  It can vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.  Some will put a "cap" on storage per day fees, because shops and tow yards were just simply being thieves.  Many still don't regulate it.  In the unregulated ones, which is more common, a shop can post $1000/day if they want, but it doesn't mean they're going to get paid.  It becomes a business decision for the insurance company at that point.  Take your example above...shop asks $80/day and average going rate is $60/day.  If the car has only been there a few days, then the $20/day difference isn't usually worth arguing over and the insurance company will just pay it.  If the car has been there a really long time, and/or there are ridiculous fees added (some tow yards will add "administration" fee, "buy my lunch" fee, etc...) it can become an issue.  Again, it's a business and customer service decision.  Typically, the first thing insurance will do is call the tow yard and try to reason with them.  If they're just being stubborn, then the insurance company can call the vehicle owner and explain the problem.  Advise the customer that the insurance is only willing to pay $xx/day and the vehicle owner needs to discuss this with the tow yard because we can't proceed any further until the car has been moved.  Alternatively, if it's an older car, the insurance company can simply tell the tow yard to go pound sand and enjoy sitting on the car.  Just leave the car there and the tow yard will have to deal with disposing of it somehow.  This can vary by jurisdiction, because in some places this isn't really allowed, but in those cases there are ways to still play hardball with the tow yard.  So, what I'm trying to say, is that it can get ugly, complicated and hairy...with many different possibilities.  Insurance companies will be reasonable about it, but will also not pay them if it's over the top.  But no, you typically won't have storage fees alone total a car because they would pay the same amount regardless of the car being totaled or not.

By the way, all of the above only applies to cars at a tow yard/body shop after being towed from an accident scene.  If a car is at a body shop being repaired, a body shop can't charge storage for the car while they're working on it, even if they're waiting for parts.  Well, they can try, but insurance won't pay a penny of it. 

Rental fees can total a car, however.  I've totaled many cars that have parts on very long backorder.  If I'm going to pay $2000 additional in rental on a car and that amount pushes it over the total loss threshold...plus I can get a good salvage return....that car is getting totaled.  But again, that gets complicated.

In reply to John Welsh :

The rental car situation has been interesting.  Enterprise is the company used by Travelers, and when I went to pick up a car they only had a Nissan Pathfinder available.   I haven't paid any attention to Nissan's cars so I thought it may be interesting to have a truck.  I was very wrong.  The pathfinder was well built but it was really a giant economy car.  The CV trans is horrible.  I cant remember a time it was in a ratio I wanted. 

I changed that out for a Chrysler 300, that was fun, and having the Sirius Rap station whe I got in didn't hurt the mood.   When I moved to Los Angeles they had a bunch of high end BMW's and Mercedes on the lot and I asked about getting one of those.  They told me I was limited to a "Full Sized" car.   I ended up with an Altima.  It was well built but it was let down by the CV transmission.  The Altima brakes started to squeal so I brought that back for its service.  For whatever reason they put me in a Camaro Convertible.  The Camaro is fun and its a pretty stiff chassis for a convertible, but visibility with the top up is awful and the seats are pretty uncomfortable due to limited recline.  The paddle shifters have a delay that just makes them irritating. 

Thanks to everyone that responded.  I will just let it ride, but the thought of the car being totaled due to storage or rental costs is pretty frightening.  

In reply to ddavidv :

Travelers has been great, once they question of responsibility was established.  Getting to that point took longer than I thought it should.

What folks have to understand is that the opposing company has their first loyalty to their paying customer. The law requires them to fully investigate on behalf of their paying customer before finding him at fault. You'd want that from your own insurer, of course.

What usually slows down the process is one or both of the following:  police reports (cops hate doing paperwork) and getting statements from the paying customer. I worked for a high risk insurer before and it was not uncommon for the insured to dodge phone calls in some blind belief that the claim would miraculously just go away. In my state we have to make and record numerous attempts at contact up to 30 days. If the insured doesn't cooperate by then we can find them at fault (I think; I don't actually handle liability issues). An adjuster can KNOW you aren't at fault but is handcuffed until the PR or insured statements are obtained.

No insurance company likes to drag out claims. All adjusters want them paid and closed ASAP because we've got plenty of others demanding out attention.

In reply to dean1484 :

Storage charges are a good lever to get a reluctant customer to come and get their cars.  Some people want to leave the car on your lot while they search for a replacement.  They don't want to deal with moving it, and besides, you've got all that space - NOT!  It also provides a legal means for a repairer to take control of the car and remove it when it's been abandoned.  

Good news, I received a call from Travelers stating that my part arrived and the car is ready to go.   The Travelers rep said they had never shipped a car before and asked  if I had a preference as to what shipping company to use.   I have never shipped a car before and I am hesitant to Google my way to an answer.  Does anyone have any recommendations?  Its going from Raleigh NC to Walnut CA, and I want a reputable company using an enclosed trailer. 

InterCity or Reliable are your best bets.

In reply to docwyte :

Thanks.  I'll let them know those are my preferred carriers.  This may be first time I have made a decision based on quality rather than cost!

docwyte said:

InterCity or Reliable are your best bets.

I second this.

When I was parts manager for a VW dealer , we worked with other VW dealers to source out of stock parts.

Has this been done ?

At least travelers is treating you right. 

They are treating my father-in-law like E36 M3.  Their insured hit my FIL and effectively totaled his van.  They accepted only 70% responsibility, which I have never heard before.  They won't accept Edmunds, KBB and Black book's valuation of the van, their opinion is 33% less than the aforementioned value guides (and they are only willing to pay 70% of that)  They only paid $165 for a rental car which was a term of over 30 days.  They still haven't paid anything to the mechanic for storage which is now at about 45 days (accident happened NYE).  They finally cut the checks for the amount they felt they owed 2 weeks ago.  Total so far $1800, which is less than the vans $3k value and that doesn't include vehicle rental of an equivalent vehicle.  Travelers is the only insurance company that has ever pulled this BS that I know of.

In reply to iceracer :

I'm not sure where they got the part.  I stopped hearing from the body shop around the time I first posted this.  I emailed them info for the part in the salvage yard and never heard from them after that.

In reply to Brian :

That really sucks.  I don't know why they ended up being nice, it didn't start that way.

Travelers came back and told me that they received quotes from Reliable and Intercity for 2229.00 and 2295.00. 

They went on to say they don't want to be involved in the shipping and will reimburse me once I make all the arrangements.  Im not sure how I feel about that.   I don't want to shell out 2k and not be reimbursed.  What do you guys think?  Is this what I should have expected?  

That seems pretty standard.  You can ask them to commit to paying in writing ahead of time for a pre agreed amount.  They want you to handle the logistics as it is your car and you need to be there for delivery, but they will pay for it.