This happened last monday morning at about 6:40. I was on my way home from work travelling down a long country back road when a deer sprinted out of the woods in front of me. It happened so fast that from the time I saw it until I hit it, all I had time to do was hit the brakes. The car had just started slowing (from 60) when I impacted the deer. It didn't feel like much of an impact at all. I saw the first sign of the severity of the damage when I came to a complete stop. Almost instantly the check control went off... LOW BEAM +... I pulled off to the side of the road so I could get out and further inspect the damage. I pressed the button on the check control to see F. FOG... Now I am thinking, "Great, no freaking lights on the drivers side. That's gonna be expensive, now I gotta find some more Hella Euro Smilies". Then I get out of the car to inspect a little closer. When I get out all I could say was "Holy Shit...now this sucks." Immediatly call the insurance company to get the ball rolling. Well, this is what I found...

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x224/bradams540/DSCN0473.jpg

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x224/bradams540/DSCN0468.jpg

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x224/bradams540/DSCN0474.jpg

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x224/bradams540/DSCN0485.jpg

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x224/bradams540/DSCN0476.jpg

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x224/bradams540/DSCN0484.jpg




I will be taking some pics under the hood today and will post them tomorrow. The fan (clutch), fan shroud, radiator, aux fan, condensor, upper radiator support, d/s headlight, d/s foglight, hood, grille, d/s fender, bumper, and several other parts that I can't identify were all destroyed. I finally received a call from the insurance company yesterday about it. It's TOTALED...:eek::eyecrazy:mad. What the hell....really, no f-ing way.....and a list of other expeitives. I can not believe that a deer totaled my beloved bimmer. Well, I am off now to call them again to find out how if I will be able to get it back or not. I really want to repair it myself but my current financial situation really doesn't allow it. So, I may try to get it back and part it out. Damn thing was in excellent condition mechanically...maybe I will be able to help some fellow BF.c members out... Sorry for the long post and the large pics. It has been a week since I have really been able to get on here when not at work having to look over my shoulder.

Can't see the pics(school) but the same thing happened to me. Insurance didn't total it, but it ended up being $4K to fix. More than I paid for the car.

That is actually something I meant to ask... Does anyone know (approximatly) what I should be getting paid for this car when they total it? Hell, how do they figure that amount out. It is a '94 540iA with about 120k on the clock. Car was in great condition until the damn deer. They are telling me that they are going to give me ~$4,700 for it. Would be good, except I am still paying for the freakin' thing. I would still expect them to pay more along the line of what the car was worth before the accident. Somewhere around 6-8k....something like that. Anyone have any ideas on this???

Seeing the condition of your car I would shoot for around 5400-5900.

Plus you have quite a bit of aftermarket pieces to sell.

My insurance company (State Farm) gave straight NADA for good condition minus my deductible. Sucks for you, especially since you didn't run into someone or roll into a tree because you were sleeping.

BTW - Was the deer totalled too?

BTW - Was the deer totalled too?

mmmmmmmmm:buttrock

You should mount the deer with a roundel on its forehead.

Print out autotrader ads and any other for sale ads you find that you think reflect the value of your car and send it to them. I've heard cases in which this worked pretty well. I will buy your exhaust and sways definitely. Sucks to hear about the car though

Welp, I just threw up.

Sorry for your luck :(

keep a look out for those Deer around this time of year. thats how I lost my first car. Hope you can figure out what to do with it and everything.

sorry to hear about that bad luck. i say sue the deers insurance company, it was his fault right? ;)

p.s. I see you have tan interior, mind selling the dash vent cover to me? PM me

Ins. wanted to total my 300k mile 525im after receiving almost identical damage. I requested an inspection by a third party appraiser and provided receipts from all recent work done in order to strengthen the case that the vehicle was in atypical condition for its age. I emphasized the fact that it is owned by an enthusiast and has been pampered. The appraiser concurred and recommended that the ins. company comply. End result, they finally fixed it.

Dave

As far as Insurance is concerned if they are not willing to look into fixing it. I am not sure what the law states where you live but In a lot of states the insurance company is required to give you average replacement cost not value. What that means is get as many autotrader ads for same year and model vehicle and send it and always say replacement cost with them. If you can, use dealer ads as they are usually higher. Remember Insurance is supposed to be there to help you and the laws are written for that. They just try to get out of it when they can. I have done this several times and ended up with 20% more than they initially were trying to give me.

Good Luck

Sorry to see that happen to a nice car.

sad.... so, so, so, sad....

Ugh, hate to see another nice 540i go down. After I was side-swiped this July (not my fault) insurance wanted to total-out my car, as the damage exceeded the vehicle's KBB value. I had to send them copies of receipts of work I'd had done to the vehicle before it was agreed to have it fixed. Be persistent with them...

you should have kept the deer. that bastard ruined your car. the least it could have done was give you some good meat!!

This sucks. I hope you get it all squared away. I've been on both sides with the insurance companies, so just try to relax and get your receipts and comps together. Don't expect the moon, but your efforts should grant some sort of monetary value.

It's totaled, for sure. The amount of damages easily will exceed 4k. Mine was totalled by Geico and I convinced them to give me over 9k for my 95 540i6. I have about 120k miles on mine. Another member, who shall remain useless, had the similar accident and probably got over 10k for his 95 540i6. You can get many parts from the scrap yard for the hood and the fender, Maybe even the same color.

After mine was repaired, it rides smoothly and was good as new. Even better since they painted over a lot of scratches I had previoiusly. Good luck!

Don't lie down. Stand tall and firm with your car. Insurance will low-ball the shit out of you. Happen with my E30. I stood my ground and they ended up giving me about 1200 more than what they low-balled me at. I cried when I saw your pics. Good luck. Don't back down!!!!!

That definitely sucks bro. Hope it does work out for you. Any damage to the deer? Pics?:D

Man I hope it works out for you.

That is identical to the damage of my car minus the quarter panel damage.

Oh the bad memories :(

My insurance company (State Farm) gave straight NADA for good condition minus my deductible. Sucks for you, especially since you didn't run into someone or roll into a tree because you were sleeping.

Hell, I wish they would have offered that much. This car was in great condition mechanically. The body only had a few chips and scratches, typical for a 13 year old car, and one dent in the passenger door.
BTW - Was the deer totalled too?

Yes.. didn't look to bad but you could tell by the smell that his insides were destroyed...
Print out autotrader ads and any other for sale ads you find that you think reflect the value of your car and send it to them. I've heard cases in which this worked pretty well. I will buy your exhaust and sways definitely. Sucks to hear about the car though

If I get to buy it back from them, depending on what they offer me, I hope to do the repairs myself. If it will be too costly to do that, I will be parting it. I will certainly be keeping everyone here informed of the progress in the case.

As far as Insurance is concerned if they are not willing to look into fixing it. I am not sure what the law states where you live but In a lot of states the insurance company is required to give you average replacement cost not value. What that means is get as many autotrader ads for same year and model vehicle and send it and always say replacement cost with them. If you can, use dealer ads as they are usually higher. Remember Insurance is supposed to be there to help you and the laws are written for that. They just try to get out of it when they can. I have done this several times and ended up with 20% more than they initially were trying to give me.

Good Luck

Sorry to see that happen to a nice car.
Ins. wanted to total my 300k mile 525im after receiving almost identical damage. I requested an inspection by a third party appraiser and provided receipts from all recent work done in order to strengthen the case that the vehicle was in atypical condition for its age. I emphasized the fact that it is owned by an enthusiast and has been pampered. The appraiser concurred and recommended that the ins. company comply. End result, they finally fixed it.

Dave
Ugh, hate to see another nice 540i go down. After I was side-swiped this July (not my fault) insurance wanted to total-out my car, as the damage exceeded the vehicle's KBB value. I had to send them copies of receipts of work I'd had done to the vehicle before it was agreed to have it fixed. Be persistent with them...

I am in the works of getting all of my receipts for parts/labor that has been done on the car since I bought it. The PO didn't have any and I have only taken it to a shop for repairs once since I bought it. The only thing I have to show that it is an enthusiast owned car is receipts for the thousands of dollars of parts I have poured into it. I wish I could show them the time that it took too...

you should have kept the deer. that bastard ruined your car. the least it could have done was give you some good meat!!

The deer was TOAST....Looked pretty good on the outside...but smelled like his insides exploded....lol.

This sucks. I hope you get it all squared away. I've been on both sides with the insurance companies, so just try to relax and get your receipts and comps together. Don't expect the moon, but your efforts should grant some sort of monetary value.

Don't lie down. Stand tall and firm with your car. Insurance will low-ball the shit out of you. Happen with my E30. I stood my ground and they ended up giving me about 1200 more than what they low-balled me at. I cried when I saw your pics. Good luck. Don't back down!!!!!

I am in the process of getting everything together to prepare for war...lol. I am not hoping for a large amount of money but c'mon...4700. I don't think I have seen a "Comparable" car for sale for that much yet. I have seen them for that much but usually not very well maintained. Or someone who really really needs to get rid of the car. I had no intentions of this car going anywhere....ever.

That definitely sucks bro. Hope it does work out for you. Any damage to the deer? Pics?:D

I do have pics of the deer. I will have to upload them when I get home in the morning. And yes, the deer was hurt pretty bad....

Don't take the insurance companies first offer. They'll always try to low ball you. The more you fight, the more you get because it becomes expensive for them to fight back. THey just want to write you the smallest check possible and move on. It sucks that you lose your pride and joy, but there are ways you can also get them to fix it. Get it appraised to see how much the repair will actually be, that might give you more bargaining power, in terms to getting the car fixed. $4700 seems low for a 540ia in good shape.
Fight the man. GL. Sorry about your car.

Sorry for your loss. That really really sucks.

Wow, VERY sorry to hear about this.

I have to watch for dear too...

Your car was very nice, and I hope that they give you ALOOOOT more than that.

maaaaaaaaaan.....shit DOES happen...that is an issue we have here in NC more than any other place in this country aside from some parts of VA.

what sux is you had a lot riding there...racing dynamics, smileys...etc Hope you can replace it.

Real shame. Liked your car.

Buy it back.. Part it out and keep the stuff you want.

If they total it, I'd buy it back and fix it if I were you.. Cheap fix there if done yourself.

Well, I found out how the insurance company came up with the "valuation" of the car. Apparently they use a third party company who does the research on the car. They find some "comparable" vehicles in the local area and get an average of the selling price. The only problem here is that there is apparently only 1 E34 540 for sale here in my "local area" (about a 75 mile radius) and it's condition is questionable. They only list mileage and options that the car does or does not have as their conditions of comparison. They cite the car as being "in typical condition for its age". I don't know about any of you guys, but 1 single car is not a baseline for comparison. Also, as I am sure the majority of members on this forum feel the same about their cars, my car is NOT in typical condition for it's age. How often does someone come on this forum before or after buying an e34 with questions about why the suspension or drivetrain is making noises, or why their car is giving them check control messages? I just looked at a website for more E34 540iA for sale. Came back with many of them across the country. $4,700 is very low for this car. Especially one that has been well maintained. Anyway, I called the insurance company back after he emailed me a copy of the "valuation" from the third party company and he never did answer my calls again. I will have to try again tomorrow I guess. After actually seeing the way they found the value of my car, I got so f-ing pissed. Well, sorry about the rant.... And thanks to all for the suggestions and ideas...

sorry to see that man :(

Don't want to sound like this. But if you do part out let me know if you want to sell the eibachs.

Hope everything works out for you!

sorry to hear... but im excited for part out.

I don't think its possible to deal with an insurance company and not get pissed off. If anyone has ever had a positive experience with their insurance speak up.

I don't think its possible to deal with an insurance company and not get pissed off. If anyone has ever had a positive experience with their insurance speak up.


+1 I have never heard of anyone having a pleasent experience dealing with one. Mine was great...no, make that awesome until I got the price they wanted to give me for my baby... Then to make it worse, I saw that they had got that price from 1 single E34 540iA in the area. Not a more wide spread comparison. ONE f-ing car. Of unknown mechanical and cosmetic condition. Only comparing factory options and mileage......oooooohhhhhhh, I get soooo pissed thinking about it. I can't wait 'til tomorrow.

Sorry for ranting again...

Dang, sorry to see this. Just keep fighting and it will all work out alright.

that sucks about your car, sorry to hear. i thought your car looked amazing, its a shame to see it just go away.. btw what happened to the deer?