Is it totaled?

[poor-sha]

I always keep mine in sport as sport will let the car slide some, but it still has stability control. Race 1/2 don’t. I’d suspect very few can run a faster time in one of the race modes vs sport. At spring mountain even the instructors run in sport mode during demo laps without the cars doing any intervention

Just to clarify - I assume you mean Track mode with the Sport PTM mode. I do the same with this car on track.

 

[almazing]

I always keep mine in sport as sport will let the car slide some, but it still has stability control. Race 1/2 don’t. I’d suspect very few can run a faster time in one of the race modes vs sport. At spring mountain even the instructors run in sport mode during demo laps without the cars doing any intervention

Yea I found Race 1 a bit more generous with power delivery but the car is so easy to drive fast that it gives almost a false sense of security. I definitely should have kept it in Sport mode, and I did plan to after that lap to cool down. But things never happen the way you want them to. In retrospect, who knows if ESC could have saved my ass seeing how close I was to the edge of the track. Once the front tires hit the grass, I accepted my fate.

 

[Head Hunter]

I’m really sorry this happened. I’ve been there and know how it feels. Drop me a PM if you want me to look at the PDR data, I’ve done this a fair bit, including on my own crash. I’m a big believer in learning and sharing as much as we can about these awful events.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLY05fETIfNjImPkLbxIqBqBgk2PR825vp

This is awesome - I learned so much - thanks

 

[Carguyshu]

Just to clarify - I assume you mean Track mode with the Sport PTM mode. I do the same with this car on track.

Yes

Yea I found Race 1 a bit more generous with power delivery but the car is so easy to drive fast that it gives almost a false sense of security. I definitely should have kept it in Sport mode, and I did plan to after that lap to cool down. But things never happen the way you want them to. In retrospect, who knows if ESC could have saved my ass seeing how close I was to the edge of the track. Once the front tires hit the grass, I accepted my fate.

yea I’m not sure it woulda helped there either. Would love to talk in person next time you’re out at HPT

 

[PL69]

As you've said a few times, after seeing the video I would agree the line seems a bit off to the inside instead of letting the car deport to the outside more. I don't know the track so it's hard to judge and I feel a bit bad even talking about the mishap so soon..

I spent two days with experienced instructors from the local BMW chapter this year (one drive a 911Turbo and the other funily an SS 1LE) and we talked a lot about the speed of corners and the fact there are some corners that you just have to wait and there is no magic, if look at cornering speeds, one would be surprised how much most "street" cars get trough them at similar speeds. The GT4 isn't that far off the Camaro, M3 etc. They all need to go through.

 

[FrankRizzo]

Sorry for you dude. That sucks...Me thinks you want the car totaled. That shit looked f-ed up and will never be the same.
Happy you got insurance, even happier you did not get hurt.

4BW's are not that hard to get!

 

[Speed Racer 007]

Good to see you walked away, and not hurt; car on the other hand looks totaled IMO.

 

[FLYARMY]

As long as you bring the car to a reputable shop that has all the proper equipment......that hit is very repairable. BUT...alot of insurance companies would rather total it , if the repairs are over 50% of the current book value. They would rather auction it and be rid of any further liabilities. My son got rear ended in my 2016 Chevy Cruze Premier. I paid $23k for the car new and the car was 4 years old with 20k miles. Due to Covid, the adjuster just looked at photos and automatically totalled it for a payout of $17500. I should have kept the car and took a 15k$ salvage on the car. The car only needed a trunk, bumper , tailights , paint (white) and the trunk floor pulled a few inches. The spare tire saved the car from real frame damage. The quarter panels were perfect. I found the car on Copart and followed the auction where the car sold for a measly $4000 !!! My family has been in the auto collision business since 1960 and we could have fixed the car for about $4-5000 in parts.
Here is a photo of a guy I know who had his Honda airbag blow. Got branded.

 

[MookdocOE]

Rob, you can take that one off the list.

 

[MookdocOE]

Sucks man you just got it?

 

[almazing]

As long as you bring the car to a reputable shop that has all the proper equipment......that hit is very repairable. BUT...alot of insurance companies would rather total it , if the repairs are over 50% of the current book value. They would rather auction it and be rid of any further liabilities. My son got rear ended in my 2016 Chevy Cruze Premier. I paid $23k for the car new and the car was 4 years old with 20k miles. Due to Covid, the adjuster just looked at photos and automatically totalled it for a payout of $17500. I should have kept the car and took a 15k$ salvage on the car. The car only needed a trunk, bumper , tailights , paint (white) and the trunk floor pulled a few inches. The spare tire saved the car from real frame damage. The quarter panels were perfect. I found the car on Copart and followed the auction where the car sold for a measly $4000 !!! My family has been in the auto collision business since 1960 and we could have fixed the car for about $4-5000 in parts.
Here is a photo of a guy I know who had his Honda airbag blow. Got branded.

It's not that cut and dry with track insurance because it's insured for agreed value rather than ACV or market value. The deductibles for track insurance go by 10% or 15% of the amount insured, rather than a set amount. I know my deductible will be taken well in to account for repairs here. I insured the car for the amount I owe, plus the deductible. With how much I insured it for, my 15% deductible is over $10K, paid directly to the shop if and when the repairs are completed. Or deducted from the agreed value if totaled, in which the remaining loan will be paid in full.

In Missouri, where the car is registered, 80% is the threshold. I'm not sure if that takes the salvage value of the car along with the actual cost to repair to calculate to that 80%. If it does, then the car is very likely totaled. If 80% is only referring to repair costs, then barring any safety related unibody issues or indefinite parts backorders, they'll do everything they can to fix it. The collision center wants the work, and the insurance company wants to mitigate their losses. Which is why I told the collision center representative assigned to my case to spare no expense in the estimates. If there is so much as a scratch, new part. If the car is going to be fixed, I don't want any half-assery and half-measures. Good thing is, this collision center is the best in the region and probably one of the best in the entire country. I can count in one hand the amount of automotive repair places I truly, sincerely trust to do outstanding work, in some cases better than the factory. And Eveland Brothers Collision Center is one of them.

In the end, I'm fine either way. Would I prefer to not drop over $10k to get the car repaired? Sure. The car being totaled, IMO is best case scenario. I would owe nothing, loan will be paid in full, and my regular insurance rates won't even go up because RLI doesn't disclose information to 'regular' insurance companies. But it's not really up to me. I can't demand they total it. And I know this collision center can, and will bring back the car to its state before it met the concrete barrier. Having to pay $10k is better than being on the hook for $40-50k in repairs out of pocket. Or worse, being on the hook for the remainder of the loan with a car that's in the junkyard. No one said tracking cars was a cheap hobby, and it hurts the wallet, but I wouldn't be taking my cars to the track if I weren't able to pay for insurance and the associated deductible.

 

[almazing]

As you've said a few times, after seeing the video I would agree the line seems a bit off to the inside instead of letting the car deport to the outside more. I don't know the track so it's hard to judge and I feel a bit bad even talking about the mishap so soon..

I spent two days with experienced instructors from the local BMW chapter this year (one drive a 911Turbo and the other funily an SS 1LE) and we talked a lot about the speed of corners and the fact there are some corners that you just have to wait and there is no magic, if look at cornering speeds, one would be surprised how much most "street" cars get trough them at similar speeds. The GT4 isn't that far off the Camaro, M3 etc. They all need to go through.

No you're fine to criticize my driving. If I wasn't open to criticism, I would have ghosted this forum. I made a terrible decision in line choice and paid the price. I normally don't hug the inside of that turn exit that close, but I 'felt' the grip was there. I got greedy with the throttle, the rear broke loose, front tires ended up on the grass, and met with the concrete wall. It's crazy because the crash happened in what? 2-3 seconds? In person, it felt like I had twice the amount of time to countersteer and correct, and another 5 seconds from going off track to hitting the wall.

Once I get the chance to edit the PDR video, I'll post it. You're right. No car is above the laws of physics, no matter how exceptional the car is t drive.

 

[668LT4]

Hey man, just glad you are OK. That is all that matters

 

[Throat Yogurt]

Really sorry for your accident, but glad you are ok. Sounds like you have the right attitude about the whole thing. And props to you for driving hard and taking risks on the track, not the street. Good luck with the repairs or replacement.

 

[almazing]

I got the insurance side estimate today. RLI hires an adjuster from the outside to draft up an estimate. She went to look at the car yesterday. Cost came out to roughly $36k to repair, after taxes. Though I feel that the parts list is incomplete. For one, it doesn't have the radiator support, which was clearly bent inward. Nor did it have the snapped rear lower control arm. I'm sure more parts are missing from this list. In addition, the adjuster listed CF parts for the front and rear bumper, which my car did not have. I assume that she only took a lot of pictures, looked at the parts diagram when she got back to the office, and then started listing them out. The collision center is supposed to have their more accurate estimate ready by tomorrow. I'm interested to see how much more the collision center's estimate will be. Not to mention at least one supplement that I know will turn up during the repairs.

 

[Head Hunter]

Yeah she missed the mark and I’d be curious if she was quoting with GM OEM parts or with aftermarket knockoffs.

 

[almazing]

Yeah she missed the mark and I’d be curious if she was quoting with GM OEM parts or with aftermarket knockoffs.

They are GM OEM parts. The part numbers were listed in the estimate, which is how I found out that some parts were CF. They seemed a bit too expensive for standard non-CF diffuser or front air deflectors. And what parts are listed are shown with GM's MSRP, not the discounted rates that you or I might pay if we order said part from a website online. I don't even know if aftermarket knockoffs are available for the 4BW. In the grand scheme of things, OEM parts for this car are not really that expensive. I did some parts pricing of my own the other day and this platform does share many parts underneath with other GM products. Smart engineering, and parts availability shouldn't be an issue except for Blackwing specific items. I figured that the repairs would be $30k minimum, up to a maximum of $50k if the unibody needed straightening, which I hope it does not if it's going to be repaired.

 

[Jameson's Viggen]

I went through this with my wife's first ATS in '18. It was 4 months old, barely any miles. Bad hit. Didn't want the car fixed.

It was going to take $39k to total the car. The estimate was $24k.

I told the adjuster...it's an onion, once you peel back the layers they'll find thousands more. I'm in a Maserati rental (a perk of my Grundy MVP policy) and thats not cheap. Parts will be on back order which will inflate the rental cost. And lastly I said, when I do get the car back I'm going to be very picky which will have the car in and out of the shop a few times.

She agreed and took it up to her managers who got it totalled.

 

[RDATLTE]

I got the insurance side estimate today. RLI hires an adjuster from the outside to draft up an estimate. She went to look at the car yesterday. Cost came out to roughly $36k to repair, after taxes. Though I feel that the parts list is incomplete. For one, it doesn't have the radiator support, which was clearly bent inward. Nor did it have the snapped rear lower control arm. I'm sure more parts are missing from this list. In addition, the adjuster listed CF parts for the front and rear bumper, which my car did not have. I assume that she only took a lot of pictures, looked at the parts diagram when she got back to the office, and then started listing them out. The collision center is supposed to have their more accurate estimate ready by tomorrow. I'm interested to see how much more the collision center's estimate will be. Not to mention at least one supplement that I know will turn up during the repairs.

It’s very common to have an initial estimate and then the body shop submits for supplemental funding upon getting into the actual repair.

 

[almazing]

I went through this with my wife's first ATS in '18. It was 4 months old, barely any miles. Bad hit. Didn't want the car fixed.

It was going to take $39k to total the car. The estimate was $24k.

I told the adjuster...it's an onion, once you peel back the layers they'll find thousands more. I'm in a Maserati rental (a perk of my Grundy MVP policy) and thats not cheap. Parts will be on back order which will inflate the rental cost. And lastly I said, when I do get the car back I'm going to be very picky which will have the car in and out of the shop a few times.

She agreed and took it up to her managers who got it totalled.

I’m not sure it’ll work in my favor like that for this one. It’d need repairs costing well north of $60k to total it since it was insured for agreed dollar value rather than market value or ACV. I detailed the why and how in one of my longer previous posts. Long story short, this is going through track insurance. They insure only for what dollar amount I put in. I insured for how much I owe, plus deductible, and taxes I’ve paid already. Essentially, for a total loss. But when a crash isn’t total loss, I will pay a huge deductible for repairs. I’ll see what the body shop quotes it for, but I really doubt it’ll be anywhere needed to total the car. Unless they find some unibody damage that is essentially unrepairable, this car very likely go through repairs. Rental on the policy is only good for 20 days, maximum of $25 a day. Hardly worth my time since I have a second car. Though I assume that I can still opt to use it at any time when the car is going through repairs.

For track insurance, there’s not much I can really do. It’s my fault I crashed. There’s no diminished value claim as the policy states that I’m not allowed to file a claim for it. It essentially just covers the entire car up to the dollar amount I put in. I took it to the most high end, expensive body shop in my area. Seriously, their lobby looks like a Porsche dealership. These guys are good. I’m picky too, but I trust this collision center with proper repairs. Hell, I trust this body shop with properly assembling my car more than I do the factory. They’re damn good. There’s no doubt in my mind that the Blackwing will drive just as good, if not better than the day it left the factory after repairs are complete.