Car damaged during transport...any experience

So I was extremely happy to see my car arrive but that quickly faded when I noticed the roof had been damaged during transport. Apparently, the body was not tied down and the car "jumped" up and hit the roof of the truck. Anybody, have any experience with this and how I should go about dealing with getting the car repaired? I have an excellent shop but I'm not sure the transport company will agree to my shop vs. one they recommend.

 

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/ferrari-discussion-not-model-specific-sponsored-algar-ferrari/460592-exotic-car-transport-cautionary-tale.html

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/ferrari-discussion-not-model-specific-sponsored-algar-ferrari/480730-exotic-car-transport-stay-away.html

These guys or someone else?

Good luck.

 

More specifics about type of car, nature of damage, etc before good advice, but here are some general comments:

They caused the damage. They don't get to pick the shop. Be prepared for lengthy battle. Get your insurance company involved if necessary. Get a lawyer if necessary. Explore the possibility of diminished value.

 

Not their choice as long as it is a reasonable market price.

 

You do not have to use there shop. You get to pick the shop. And if they argue with you say... thats fine. Im going to bring it to my shop have it fixed at my expense and then sue you and your insurance for it. Plus get my legal fees and more. Its cut and dry. Unless your shop is ridiculously priced you have every right to have it fixed by your people. Again as long as there is no "hey buddy charge as much as you want" going on.

 

photos or it didn't happen.

document it all, I hope you got photos of it damaged on the truck.

The carrier has insurance, They have to otherwise They will have more problems than just your car.
I imagine this was a Double decker truck

Who did you use? broker or one of the big truck companies ?

 

I photo'd and vidoed the heck out of my car when it was delivered damaged. Noted it on the shipping forms. Made sure to have delivery truck in background in several of the photos. Gave commentary on the video.

I hope you did at least some of this.

Again, who was the carrier?

 

Contact the trucking company, tell them what happened, ask for contact info for their insurance company and submit a claim.

Should be pretty routine.

 

Thanks for the replies.
I do have multiple photos of the damage and the driver took photos as well. A damage report was filled out at the time of delivery. The driver was very distraught. I have contacted the carrier and they are supposed to get back to me soon, but I have a feeling I will be in for a battle.
I don't want to name the carrier yet, but, it was one of the big companies. I have also been to enough auctions and shows to know that this happens to every company that transports cars at one time. Nobody is perfect. I just want the damage fixed properly.
I probably wouldn't be too upset if it was a Camaro but the car is a 330 GTC. What's more, the roof was still the original paint so that make this whole process sting a little more.
Again, I just want it fixed at a shop that has extensive experience with this type of car and repair. I don't want some quick bondo fix. i think the car deserves better than that.
I will keep everybody updated and share my experience.

 

Well, if the car has original paint, as you state, I would involve an attorney NOW. You might have serious diminished value involved, not just the repair bill. Having owned an original paint Enzo era Ferrari I can tell you that original paint can be a very big deal when it comes to value.

 

Try to work it out with the transporter before running to an attorney. The legal process can be long (years) before you collect any money, and a threatening letter from an attorney will only make things worse.

Read your contract carefully; there is probably a clause that covers the claim process. Also, you do not want to waive any of your rights by not following the procedure that you agreed to in the contract.

Document everything, and get the car repaired at the shop of your choice.

Good luck.

 

With a car of this value I would involve an attorney right away. Just because you retain a lawyer doesn't necessarily mean he's going to fire off a nasty letter tomorrow. He can guide you through the process so that if a lawsuit does become a possibility he'll be totally up to speed and he won't have to work around anything you might have done or failed to do that could weaken your position.

 

I would assume if the car is a 330, you have it insured with Hagerty or similar. If so I would get them involved ASAP in the process. As was mentioned earlier, you may also have a claim for diminished value.

 

What if the transporter agrees to pay for everything? Now you've wasted lots of money by retaining an attorney for nothing. Give the claims process some time.

If, and when, the transporter refuses to pay for the damage, then yes, legal advice is a good thing.

 

Exactly what Jack said. I had a Ford GT damaged by a tech 10 years ago. Superficial damage to nose cover and diffuser. Car was fixed to my satisfaction and I got a diminished value settlement. It required the help of attorney to pressure the dealer into doing what's right. You may need an appraiser like Lance Coren or an attorney like John Draneas (writes SCM articles) to help on a car of this magnitude.

 

Again, thanks for all the input.

As of now they wanted to take the car to their repair shop, which is a Ferrari authorized repair center. I informed them I would like to take it to my restoration shop closer to where I live. They informed me to take it to them, get a quote and send that to them for review.

It seems they are willing to play ball as long as the quote isn't ridiculous. The transport company has been very cooperative, so far.

My main concern, and that of others, seems to be the loss of originality. Now, the front of the car has been repaired before, so the car does not have entirely original paint work, but every little bit helps. I don't know how far I would get with the diminished value claim since the entire piant job isn't original, but it does irritate me.

We'll see how it goes.

 

Who are you planning on taking the car to? Fortunately, you have plenty of top notch restorers right in your back yard -Kent Bain, Classic Coach, etc.

 

+1 on Classic Coach.

Their body work is the stuff of legend, on legendary cars..

 

That's what I was thinking, and since the car has already had some prior paint work in its history, this is not quite as critical, as long as the work is done to the highest standard.

 

I think you should talk to people at Classic and other places that restore cars and can speak about what happens to the value. I'd be curious to what they say. Sorry this happened.

 

I've been looking at a couple of places in CT that are relatively close, namely Redline Restorations, Automotive Restorations and Blackhorse garage. They are all top notch.

I'm ashamed to say, I'm not familiar with Classic Coach. Are they located in Elizabeth NJ? If so, by looking at their website, they look comparable to the places in CT. Again, thanks for the info.

Trying to post some pics, but I seem to be only able to post one at a time. Help would be appreciated.
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Another pic
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More pics
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Drivers side is not as bad.

Pics don't really show the damage really well
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I am far from an expert on this but Classic Coach is the place the dealers send cars when they are damaged in transit. Its very highly regarded by anyone I've ever come into contact with. I think you should consult with them among the other shops. You might also want to consult with Miller.

In thinking more about this, I also think if you haven't really defined the mission for this vehicle, you should. Obviously you want to have a nice 330. Those are really fantastic cars. But is it meant to be mostly a collector car? A driver? A bit of both? Are you planning to show it? If so where? Do you just want to keep it at home, admire it, drive it some etc. I think that influences where you should take it and what you are likely to do. For example, if you planed to show it at premier gatherings, the provenance of the shop that does the work (plus any connections they might have) could be very useful.... Just some ramblings.