Well this has been an adventure. Not sure why, but the first response I got from both my and the other guys insurance was "totaled". Without even seeing it. :|
I managed to negotiate a salvage payout from the other guys insurance of $9,300 and I kept possession of the car. They did insist on branding the title as salvage (thanks a lot....) though. I had filed a claim with my carrier, State Farm and they offered me a good bit less for it and got a bit terse in my protestations of the value. I will discuss the topic with my agent at length when next we speak. I've been a SF customer for over 40 years and expected to be treated a bit more courteously. My dealings with them after Katrina were significantly more helpful so this came as something of a surprise.
So, I found a body shop in Herndon who wasn't afraid of working on totaled cars. On seeing it, his first response was , "that's not bad"...
He indicated that he would have to cut the tailgate off to give me a complete estimate and if I decided not to repair it, I would need to pay them for the labor. No issue.
He called me with a repair price of $5,500 using recycled parts, which we had discussed. I asked him to quote painting the whole car and that was $3,300, which I though high, but the total was less than the payout so I said go.
It has taken him a while longer than expected, but he was able to repair the right rear without replacing the panel. He pulled it out and then used body filler to smooth out the imperfections. I saw it before the filler and they did a tremendous job of getting it straight. They did replace the tail light bucket, but that was spot welded in, so I considered that a win. I was floored when I saw that they repaired it without major cutting/welding.. He told me that's why the price was as low as it was as he was certain it would pull out!
Anyway, I got to see it after paint on Monday and I found out why his paint price was high. They completely disassemble the outside of the car and paint it. The bumpers, mirrors, trim etc were all painted separate. The paint is awsome. It's a light metal flake and it's gorgeous...
It was supposed to be ready yesterday, but the replacement bumper he bought didn't come with the lower valance and the rubber bumper cover on the looked a bit shabby so he was buying them new and they won't be delivered until Monday.
So I'll pick the car up Tuesday/Wednesday.
After that I get to deal with the title. We got the signed title back from the insurance company, and it says that it will be branded as repaired and not salvage after it's inspected. I just need to figure out how to get it inspected. This is completely different from the info posted on the VA DMV website about salvage titles. Oh well.
I'll grab some photo's when I get it and post them for the before and after.
In any event, the car is now mine as my wife bought a demo '16 MDX for herself a couple of weeks ago. That's no rain on my parade as now I don't have to drive the '03 Sienna mommy van in the inclement weather any more!
My fair weather ride is a '08 S2000 which I don't drive in the snow, and typically (until this episode) don't drive in the rain....
cheers,