RTA & the likely demise of a C124

[CreosoteChris]

Hi All – today marked the likely beginning of the end for my beloved 220CE, daily driver for the last 2 and 1/3 years, which was involved in a collision in Ripponden, W Yorks on the way home from work. The incident involved my Merc and a 2002 VW Polo at a busy junction. The other vehicle pulled out on me from a minor road as I travelled quite on a major one - definitely his fault – too close for me to stop in time. A fairly low-speed collision of front corners (a frontal corner impact for me and a side-on corner impact for other driver). I tried to get photos of the impact scene but the other driver reversed his vehicle away before I could get my phone camera pointed at the crunch point.

We exchanged details, agreed it would go via insurance, and left the scene. I pulled in to a forecourt a few miles later and inspected the damage in the light, initial assessment is:
N/S indicator lens smashed
N/S headlight pushed out of place but intact
Strip of sheet metal directly below the bumper bent
Bumper pushed out of place at N/S corner (marginal but non-zero displacement
Front edge of the N/S wing bent at the leading edge (directly above and below the indicator aperture

Phoned my insurer when I got home and reported the incident – the claims handler seemed very confident, from my honest and accurate description of the event, that it would be judged the other driver’s fault. Sometime in the next 48 hours, my car will be taken away by the insurer’s chosen repairers, and I suspect (given the low value of the vehicle, maybe £1500) it will be written off.

And here’s the irony / possible twist in the tail: I always realised that daily-driving a 20-odd year-old 124 would eventually result in slow death through rust, and I bought the vehicle (Aug 2014) hoping to get a couple of years of use before rust problems started to appear. A week ago last Sunday I took it to the jet wash and for the first time noticed the paint bubbling on the offside wheel-arch – the beginning of the end. I was pondering what to do about this, and actually spent about 20 mins on Auto Trader whilst at work today, checking out CLKs – then on the way home….

…so I guess it’s just possible that accident repair will provide me with a shiny new n/s front wing, which sort of alters the cost equation for getting the offside done, and keeping the car in decent condition.

Right now my main concern is the insurance companies rubber-stamp their decision on fault. I’m reasonably confident that it’s going to be found in my favour – true if the actual circumstances of the accident, as I reported to my insurer – are accepted. However, there remains, I suppose, a significant possibility that the other driver will concoct some story which makes it my word against his – not really sure what happens then.

The car (which some here have seen) isn’t any show vehicle – but looks pretty when scrubbed up, drives really nicely, and is (was?) basically a decent example of a C124. Would be a shame, if it gets written off, because there’s so many nice aspects to it (powder-coated wheels, VGC black leather interior, decent stereo, still has that "magic carpet glide" fell to drive). I have this horrible feeling that the insurer will take it away and say “write-off, here’s £1500


Any thoughts / advice appreciated.

Cheers

1993 220CE, auto, red / black leather, 121k, Manchester

 

[Scott_F]

You may well be able to negotiate the purchase of the "salvage" with your insurance company and have the car repaired or repair it yourself.

 

[grober]

Mercedes-Benz Teilekatalog (Ersatzteile online)

 

[roadhog]

Firstly, sorry to hear of your mishap but it needn't be the end for your pride and joy. I had a very similar accident last July. In my case it ended up with the car written off but I got to keep the remains and very nearly the same money I bought it for ten years previous. My car was nowhere near the condition of yours with more than twice the mileage and doors too.

DO NOT, repeat, DO NOT let them take the car. This is important. Once it's gone you will be on the back foot should you want to retain the salvage. Much better to keep it at your place and let the insurance assessor visit you. That will give you a chance to make a solid case for why you think it's worth three times what the assessor will come up with. Which will very probably be much less than you would expect or indeed need to replace your car. The guy who came to look at mine freely admitted that he didn't know where to start with a valuation, his exact words were "It's not like a Mondeo..."

Have lots of pictures for him to pour over (as well as the actual car obviously) to show that you have maintained it regardless of cost. Service history, receipts, anything. Clean the car beforehand. Baffle him with volume, he'll likely have another appointment pressing after yours and time will be short. Convince him it's the most cherished car he'll see this year, prices for 124 coupes are going through the roof etc. You get the gist. You simply cannot do this if the car is at a remote yard where it will be just one of many.
After his visit he'll submit a report to your insurer who will decide whether to repair or scrap. Remember they are working for you. Remind them of this. Do not accept the first, second or third offer they make. If as you say the accident wasn't your fault, they will either claim their costs back from the other party's insurance or have some sort of agreement whereby each insurer bears their own loss. Neither obliges you to compromise on anything in order to keep costs down. You are insured to restore you to the position you were in before the accident.
Most insurers allow you to buy back the salvage should you wish to do so. This will be at a percentage of the total claim so the higher your valuation, the more it will cost. Get a reputable bodyshop to affect the repairs using parts sourced from breakers and get any ideas of buying a CLK out of your head. You're obviously still suffering from the after effects of the impact.
Good Luck.

 

[GP801]

Don't give up on a repair. I had something sounding similar when a suicidal small deer jumped out in front of ours. New bumper, new headlight, indicator, bits of the grille - all genuine new MB parts - and paintwork came to a grand total of 1200. I was paying for it myself so probably got a decent rate.
When our sons 300e-24 was badly damaged and written off in Valencia the assessor from Direct Line had no idea on value so contacted Charles Ironside for a figure.
I think Nick Froome (Bolide on here) at www.************ will provide valuations for negotiating with insurers for a modest fee.

 

[GP801]

For some reason can't get the web link to work but just do a search it will pop up

 

[219]

Don't overlook Del320's long running thread after his C124 was hit by the truck from Hamilton Waste and Recycling , and eventually repaired .

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/driving-incidents-roadrage/175958-not-good-day.html

I agree - do not let the car be taken away - keep hold of it until they either agree to repair or make an offer in lieu of repairs , most importantly without the car being written off , then you get a contract repair .

 

[Doodle]

The other advantage being that while it's with you, it's not racking up storage fees which can tip the balance in the final calculations

 

[tanuie]

Sorry for your bad luck, as stated try to get it repaired.

 

[CreosoteChris]

Thanks very much for all the interest and supportive messages - appreciated at this time, because I must admit that this episode is, for me, an emotional wrench in addition to being the usual stress and unpleasantness associated with RTAs.

I really love that car - it’s easily my favourite vehicle I’ve ever owned …I didn’t actually realise I could love a car that much, until about 3 days after I bought it. Whilst that’s all very nice in a warm-and-fuzzy kind of way, I think there’s a danger of it clouding the picture - because the real truth is that I never planned to have the car as a keeper, I always intended to “use it up” as a cheap disposable vehicle. And the evidence is clear - it’s beginning to rust out, I don’t have a garage to keep it for Sunday best, and I need to make decisions based on the hard facts, rather than my strong personal attachment.

Meanwhile, my insurers are being helpful and professional, but they seem process-bound. They say that the vehicle must be taken away for assessment - and advise that they don’t have any facility for getting a loss adjuster out to my home address. They confirm that the customer is entitled to purchase any car they choose to write off. However, I have to say that I’m not well-positioned to take back ownership of a car requiring extensive work, especially where repair costs could easily exceed the value of the vehicle complete. I need a day-to-day vehicle even when the insurer takes back the hire car they’re going to provide, not a restoration project.

So I’m going to let the process take its course, and see what happens - if they choose to fix it including a new n/s front wing, then I will plan to keep the vehicle for another year or two, and look at getting the offside wheel-arch rust addressed before it gets too bad. But I think an insurance write-off is >95% certain.

Thanks to the community here for the advice and insight - I’ll feel a bit bad about abandoning one of the dwindling supply of remaining 124 coupes to the scrapper - but on reflection I think I need to put head before heart in this case. I’ve had a huge amount of pleasure owning and driving that car, and certainly got my money’s worth….

….anyway, let’s see what happens, will update this thread when there are further developments.


Chris

1993 220CE, auto, red / black leather, 121k, Manchester

 

[bolide]

I get asked about this kind of insurance situation on a regular basis. My advice would be not to let the car be taken away, not to accept the first offer and to insist on a quote from a sensible bodyshop based on using secondhand parts

Virtually all frontal impacts on W124s result in the car being written off by an insurer. That is because bodyshops quote based on using new panels. If you use a secondhand bonnet, headlights & etc the final cost can usually be pushed below the write-off threshold

Final thing is no-fault accidents. I believe, from what Honest John has written in the past, that the other driver's insurers cannot write off your car. They can suggest it but not insist on it. In the event of a no-fault accident I believe you are entitled to request your car be returned to pre-accident condition if that can reasonably be done. But you'd be wise to take advice from a professional to find the truth in that suggestion

Despite giving advice on thousands of tech support queries on this website the management do not like me putting my website URL. Hence they block it. Irritating and small-minded, but they make the rules here

Nick Froome

 

[grober]

Thanks very much for all the interest and supportive messages - appreciated at this time, because I must admit that this episode is, for me, an emotional wrench in addition to being the usual stress and unpleasantness associated with RTAs.

I really love that car - it’s easily my favourite vehicle I’ve ever owned …I didn’t actually realise I could love a car that much, until about 3 days after I bought it. Whilst that’s all very nice in a warm-and-fuzzy kind of way, I think there’s a danger of it clouding the picture - because the real truth is that I never planned to have the car as a keeper, I always intended to “use it up” as a cheap disposable vehicle. And the evidence is clear - it’s beginning to rust out, I don’t have a garage to keep it for Sunday best, and I need to make decisions based on the hard facts, rather than my strong personal attachment.

Meanwhile, my insurers are being helpful and professional, but they seem process-bound. They say that the vehicle must be taken away for assessment - and advise that they don’t have any facility for getting a loss adjuster out to my home address. They confirm that the customer is entitled to purchase any car they choose to write off. However, I have to say that I’m not well-positioned to take back ownership of a car requiring extensive work, especially where repair costs could easily exceed the value of the vehicle complete. I need a day-to-day vehicle even when the insurer takes back the hire car they’re going to provide, not a restoration project.

So I’m going to let the process take its course, and see what happens - if they choose to fix it including a new n/s front wing, then I will plan to keep the vehicle for another year or two, and look at getting the offside wheel-arch rust addressed before it gets too bad. But I think an insurance write-off is >95% certain.

Thanks to the community here for the advice and insight - I’ll feel a bit bad about abandoning one of the dwindling supply of remaining 124 coupes to the scrapper - but on reflection I think I need to put head before heart in this case. I’ve had a huge amount of pleasure owning and driving that car, and certainly got my money’s worth….

….anyway, let’s see what happens, will update this thread when there are further developments.


Chris

1993 220CE, auto, red / black leather, 121k, Manchester

On a happier note--- there are other W124s out there if you were to take the insurance settlement and simply buy another one.

 

[moonloops]

My W124 CE-24V was valued at £1500 and written off by a council truck, so yours sound the same.

 

[CreosoteChris]

Felt very down in the dumps all evening - not really happy, TBH, with my earlier decision - miserably clicking through Auto Trader trying to figure out what I want to get......

.....and the truth is - I want my W124 back in decent condition. I don't want some piece of plastic junk, I want an elegant and stylish pillarless coupe, with a tasteful wood-and-leather interior, built to very high quality standards.

I'm shocked at how distressed I feel by the impending loss of this vehicle, it really saddens me.

So thanks to the further updates - I arranged to take the morning off work tomorrow, and I'm going to
(1) wash and vacuum the car so that it's presented to the assessor as a desirable vehicle (gotta be worth £100 on the write-off price)
(2) pop down to the local bodyshop (whose work I know to be reasonable quality / price) and get their assessment before handing it over to the insurance company's assessors.
(3) Remove the CD changer and head unit - no point in giving 'em away to the scrapyard, I always liked my retro stereo (Sony Mindisc + CD changer) setup, and may possibly use it again.

I need to try and make the best of this situation, and give myself the chance of a good outcome, even though the outlook is frankly grim.

Regards Chris

 

[trapperjohn]

All positive actions Chris.

Good Luck whatever the outcome.

 

[WDB124066]

If you have to let it go once you find a replacement things seem so much better.

Any interest in this sort of thing? I have a feeling it is a lot less hassle than people may think....

Mercedes-Benz 320 CE 1994 | Trade Me

http://www.gtlogistics.co.nz/

I haven't read all the posts but another way may be to buy the wreck and another parts car same or close enough spec, make one good car and have a whole bunch of good spares left over to store away or sell on. That is if you have the room, time & inclination etc etc to complete...?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/mercedesbenz/auction-1235068184.htm

 

[daveenty]

Sorry to hear about this Chris, I like that car of yours and fully appreciate your attachment to it, especially having seen it a couple of times. Well worth preserving if possible.

I've nothing to add to what has already been written, apart from to wish you all the best with it and hope that the insurance assessment goes in your favour.

 

[CreosoteChris]

OK, time to stop feeling sorry for myself and get on with turning this situation around...

....further to the heart-on-sleeve confessions of late last night and WDB124066's suggestion - yes, I am interested in looking at other 124s (probably but not definitely coupes) and there are some positives in that scenario:

1. The T&Cs of my insurance policy state that I get the choice in a write-off situation:

- Buy-back
- Like-for-like replacement
- Upgrade

So I can try to turn the screws on 'em to get a really good vehicle - I like a car with a bit of poke, but the performance of my 220 is pretty anaemic. If I get another it will be a 300/320.

2. I have a decent job, and am not skint - I just choose to run cheap cars usually. But if I want to shell out £5k for a really prime example, there's nothing stopping me.


Cheers, Chris

 

[WDB124066]

Amazing what a good nights sleep does.

 

[tanuie]

All the best on your decision.