Earlier this week we delivered our damaged BMW 330i to the body shop at Long Beach BMW. Shop attendant Ted promised he'd take good care of our car, and since he handled the extensive repair to our long-term 2005 BMW X3 last summer, we knew we were in good hands.
After inspecting the car, Ted faxed me the estimate. And let me tell you, it was nothing short of shocking...
Kevin had prepared me for the worst based on the teeth-jarring impact he felt. He was confident the cracked plastic bumpers were hiding considerable damage, but turns out the extent of the damage is really just the cracked bumpers. Oh, and the front license plate bracket. Total estimate with labor is just $1,677.26.
The work won't take long to complete once the body shop is given the green light to get started. But with three insurance companies involved due to the nature of the three-car accident, no repair authorizations have been issued and it's already been a week.
Kelly Toepke, Manager of Vehicle Testing
desmolicious says:
01:57 PM, 08/18/06
the air bags didn't pop?
ktoepke says:
02:10 PM, 08/18/06
Nope. Only sign that an accident occured was the bumper cracks. And probably the stiffness in Kevin's jaw since he said the impact slammed his teeth together.
thebigal says:
12:09 AM, 08/19/06
so where are the pics ?? I thought you said you were going to post pics?? I love looking at wrecked cars.... not that I wish anybody to have a wreck just so I can get my fill, but I do have a slight morbid side to me :D
ktoepke says:
06:31 PM, 08/20/06
I had intended to post photos, but my digital camera was on the fritz when the car went to the body shop.
As a wreck gawker, you'd have been disappointed anyway. The bumper cracks would hardly have shown up in the photos. The most thrill you'd get would be from the mangled license plate bracket.
billt9 says:
09:21 AM, 08/27/06
Wow that's really expensive for 2 pieces of plastic, paint, plus perhaps 20 minutes of labor to install them.
That adds up to $1700?
$1700 has got to include some sort of metal body panel damage..
Unless BMW is on a different, astronomic, galactic price scale.
I am so never looking at a BMW, especially with your article on that $8000 X3 repair bill.
desmolicious says:
10:59 PM, 09/ 1/06
Eh, that's what insurance is for. Just got my 330i last night, took just under 2 months from order to delivery. Now I gotta get some sleep so I have energy to go for a long drive! Couple of quick points, quite silly that the owner's manual/folder is now so big that it doesn't fit in the glove box! And I figured out the indicators in a couple of seconds..