And then the detailer backed into my Dino

Pete.

We aren't talking about a new front clip, just repainting it. The paint is 25 yrs old. (BTW, a new front clip is in excess of $10K US right now with the exchange rate.)

If I just spot the paint in, it's not going to match, and it's going to fade at a different rate than the old paint, maiking it even more noticeable as time goes on. Remember, I'm keeping this till my kids pry the keys out of my cold dead hand.

I know it's not a high bucks Ferrari, but, it deserves to be put back into the condition it was in before the damage occured. That's what insurance is for, to return the car to it's pre-accident condition, right? And if it needs a good repaint to get it to that condition, then so be it.

If I can toss some bucks at the project and get some rust spots taken care of, and a couple of drips in the original paint, along with some problems in the rubber for the front and rear windows, then I'm gonna do it. I've already explained to the insurance company that I don't expect them to pay more than they should.

That's what we're talking about.

Dave

 

No need to shut up.

Always appreciate your input.

No harm, no foul.

 

DING!! ROUND TWO.

Adjuster went to see the car. With the capable assistance of the folks at the paint/body shop he came to the conclusion that the car will have to be repainted, stem to stern.

Will need all new window rubber, gaskets, felts, etc. Doors off, hoods & trunk off, strip old paint, (all agreed that three layers of paint would be too many) and then respray.

Now for his staggering estimate, $20-25K. I almost fainted. The insurance will pay all but my $100 deductable.

So, no need for further body punches, the insurance folks will be doing what's right, putting the car back to the way it was before the dent. Truly unfortunate for all parties that a blended paint job isn't going to work. Just going to have to re-paint the car.

This will happen in June-July if all goes well.

DING. DING. DING. Fight over before it even started. Just shows what a good insurance company will do for you.

Dave M.

 

Start to finish will be carefully documented. The insurance guy and I will make regular trips to the shop to insure that the job is being done as specified. He is, of course a little twitchy that I will take the cash, and then patch the car and sell it. I had to explain to him, again, that the keys to this car will be pulled from my cold dead hand by it's next owner.

Great American Insurance Group from Cincinnati, Ohio (513-369-5000) is the insurance company. They have been more than great on this. At least so far.

Ryan. My daughter's phone number is 911, wait, that's not right, it's, um.. geez I can't seem to come up with it right now.

Detailer moved the car without my permission, he had the keys to unlock doors, move seats, not move the car. Had strict instructions to fetch my oldest son if a car needed moving. Obviously, didn't follow my instructions.

Yes, the Land Rover is with Allstate, the insurer of the masses.

Sunny. I wouldn't lett these guys date their own hand, much less my daughter. They are friends of my oldest son, who were trying to raise some money before they head off to college.

Erik - Yup, Rick and the adjuster went a couple of rounds today. All seems well so far. Estimate was given to me by the adjuster over the phone.

FD. Yup, not all insurers are ball busters, at least to this point.

I just priced all of the window rubber and felt etc and came up at over $2k, do I guess the $20-25K number isn't so far off, is it.

Stay tuned.

Dave

 

Insurance guy is now backpeddling.

Tossing new figures around, and trying his best to work it back to a number that is significantly lower than the original one.

Stay tuned.

Dave M.

 

Ken,

Unfortunately, it's not "a 30+ year old daily driver". It's a show quality car (not show winner) that gets regular use. Doesn't mean it's all stone chipped to hell. The paint on the car is in excellent shape, I would not have repainted it on my own for some time.

But, any blending will show. Impossible to avoid that. He's not trying to propose a patch, he's simply suggesting that $20-25K is excessive for what he is proposing, that a simple re-spray should be sufficient, at a significantly lower dolalr cost to the insurance company.

The car and it's paint are damaged, it is the responsibility of the insurance company to return it to the condition it was in prior to the damage. That would mean paint that will still match, on the entire car, now and in the future, not a hack job for a couple of thousand.

But I certainly appreciate your input.

Dave

 

I'm sure I could threaten to sue, but, that gets ugly in a hurry, and would surely make it difficult to get new insurance.

So, I guess the answer is negotiate fairly, which I have from the start, use my agent for leverage if I have to, and make a lot of noise if they back off. I had already indicated to them that I was willing to pay some of the cost, as I would have had to eventually paint the car. They will, no doubt, attempt to depreciate the value of the paint job to reflect the nature of the existing paint, and then I will argue diminished value. We'll tap dance on it and come to some agreement.

Dave