SAVE AN M5 - Repair Shop/Insurance Dead End

[Nater]

If anyone can solve this they will change my life.

Short backstory: 6 months ago I had what I thought was a minor front end collision. Ended up not being minor - the frame rails were crushed and the frame needed straightening. The shop and insurance company have now gone back and forth for months, "unable to find the measurements needed to fix the vehicle." I just received a call that they're giving up.

I found this post: http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=133740 regarding front end unibody measurements with a few diagrams but cannot find the "approved attachments" to go beyond the "rough check" numbers.

Here is a quote from the insurance company:

The issue is that there is no frame measurements for the vehicle. We need to replace the frame rails. BMW recommends using the Celette measuring system. There is no measurements for your vehicle. We have checks with Celette, no luck. We have checked with two authorized BMW shops, Autonation and Kuni BMW. We also checked with Pacific, another recommended BMW body shop. They cannot replace the frame rails, due there is not measurement. Metro also checked with BMW, no database for the measurements for this vehicle. Metro checked with a chief measurement system, which is a frame measuring system, not BMW recommend, and they do not have any measurement needed to replace the frame.

Can anyone help? I dearly love my M5 and cannot imagine it being parted out or wasting away. I should've come here earlier, but thought they'd figure it out. I am hoping someone can come through soon, as they've given me until the end of the week to decide.

[Preyupy]

Try calling Roosevelt auto body in Seattle and see if they have measurements for an E28. The basic chassis is the same for all E28s 1982-88. I know they had a Blackhawk universal measuring system as well as a P188 that would have had all of the measurements in the book. You can also try to fund a shop that uses/used the Car-O-Liner system as they also had all of the factory measuring points in the books.

I’ll make a few calls tomorrow and see if I can find one of the body shops I used to sell equipment to that still has any of the old books.

[Nater]

Apparently the issue is with the Celette frame bench, and they can’t find the right measurements for that.

Roosevelt said they don’t have a frame bench and the guy they outsource to is gone.

Anyone familiar with this? Maybe I should put this is in general tech talk.

[Preyupy]

I have a few phone calls out to see if I can find the measurements. The Celette frame bench uses a universal measuring system and all they need is the numbers and they can figure it out. Some of the systems are more proprietary and it is much more difficult to use without the measurements generated by the manufacturer of that system. If they need to replace the frame rail or core support the best way would be with the old Blackhawk Fixture system but I don't even know if the fixtures are still available (I have been out of the body shop business for almost 30 years, but I know what was available for the E28 chassis back in the day)

[Preyupy]

Call Jeff Butler at Haury's Lake City Collision. He is a BMW club member and former E28 owner that knows the cars very well and has repaired them. He is also good at working with insurance companies on car values. 206-365-1565

[Nater]

Thank you for your time and help.

I talked to Jeff earlier in the process but then the other shop strung me along thinking they'd figure it out.

I'll call him back and have told my insurance to call them and take the car there.

They've mentioned being skittish with Haury's in the past, and I don't know exactly why, but I've told them from the beginning that my #1 priority is just getting the car fixed. Fingers crossed.

[Preyupy]

The insurance companies are trying to settle this for the least amount of money. Jeff is not going to be the cheapest place to get it fixed but he will do a great job and he will get it done. Good luck, he said he thought he had been talked to about this car months ago.

[wkohler]

I agree with Preyupy. From what I know about Haury's (through someone that PMed you early on in the process), they do good work.

As for the dimensions, there are a set of dimensions and measuring points in the factory service manual for the E28. They may be the same rough check numbers they already have. This link should take you right to the first page.

https://www.bmwtechinfo.com/repair/main ... tm/680.htm

If you don't mind, what insurance company are you dealing with?

[Nater]

Thank you all for the input.

I just heard from a lawyer family friend that they and their clients have had some truly horrific experiences with Haury's and the owner. I'm very discouraged and feel like I'm back to square one: total my M5, or end up in litigation with a body shop for thousands of dollars.

I'm dealing with Farmers. I guess I need to do more research and find another place. Maybe someone will have another suggestion here. I'd go pretty much anywhere in the Pacific Northwest - or hell, just about anywhere - to make this happen.

Thanks again. I welcome any more ideas/thoughts/whatever.

[Preyupy]

There is not a body shop anywhere in the world that doesn’t have someone that absolutely hates them. I have never had any business dealings with Haury’s. I only know what I have been told by people that have had work done by them and to a person it has all been good reviews. It is completely up to you to do your own research and make your decision. I can tell you having been in the business of selling collision repair equipment ( the exact type of equipment that is needed to repair your car CORRECTLY) that the information is out there and you need to find someone that #1 knows what they are doing and #2 is willing to work on your car. I’m guessing the shop that currently has your car is neither.

Good luck, if they decide to total it, let me know I might be interested in the salvage rights.

[austin8753]

I used to hear good things about Haury’s, but not lately.

https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showth ... p?t=427874

This is one of a few stories. Unfortunate to hear, as they were very well respected in the BMW community.

Sorry to hear about your situation.

[de Witt]

If you do not mind going to Denver, I can recommend Caliber Collision on Evans, formerly called The Paint Booth. They handled an 88 M5 I salvaged in 2005; it had sustained a 35mph collision to the driver's side front fender with some frame damage. They had the Cellete, there were no issues getting it done and I paid out of pocket. I also used them with a claim on my 91 M5 that was damaged when a car backing out of the adjacent parking lot left a crease down the two driver's side doors. I had AmFam, still do, but no issues, they did the work and the ins co paid out.

If I were in your situation Id be asking for suggestions for a shop, regardless of its location in the country. This was the body shop used by Stewarts Ferrari of Denver, FWIW.

https://calibercollision.com/locate-a-c ... east-evans

https://www.yelp.com/biz/caliber-collision-denver-4

[Etip]

Hey, what did you end up doing with your M5?
Mine has a bent frame rail and is at Haury's.
I'm trying to make some decisions and wondering if you worked with them and what your thoughts are?
It's expensive, but I don't want to part out the car.

[Nater]

Hey, what did you end up doing with your M5?
Mine has a bent frame rail and is at Haury's.
I'm trying to make some decisions and wondering if you worked with them and what your thoughts are?
It's expensive, but I don't want to part out the car.

Hey Etip,

I ended up getting the car to European Bodywerkes in Kirkland. Mark was great - it took a long time - some attributable to covid but not all - but the car came back better than it was before the accident, which is amazing. I was cautioned away from Haury's - it sounds like they do good work, but are quite expensive and can be prickly with insurance companies.

I'm very grateful that it all worked out, but it was a 2.5-year ordeal with two shops involved. Good luck, let me know if I can answer any other questions.

- Nate

[austin8753]

Hey Etip,

I ended up getting the car to European Bodywerkes in Kirkland. Mark was great - it took a long time - some attributable to covid but not all - but the car came back better than it was before the accident, which is amazing. I was cautioned away from Haury's - it sounds like they do good work, but are quite expensive and can be prickly with insurance companies.

I'm very grateful that it all worked out, but it was a 2.5-year ordeal with two shops involved. Good luck, let me know if I can answer any other questions.

- Nate

really glad to hear you got it back on the road!!!!

A

[Nater]

really glad to hear you got it back on the road!!!!

A

Thank you! Me too. It was pretty surreal at first after not having the car for so long and wondering if it'd EVER come back.

A couple examples of Mark's professionalism/going above-and-beyond at European Bodywerkes...

- He ended up redoing all of the pinstriping because one small part got screwed up during repairs.
- He couldn't find a suitable replacement front spoiler, so he repaired and repainted my cracked and scraped original.

And there are other things where he found something awry during the repair and made it better than ever... at least during my 10 years of ownership.

It's been in the garage through this nasty fall/winter, but it's sunny today - probably oughtta go for a rip!