insurance settlement

[p24-1953]

well I got the preliminary letter back from the insurance agent on the repairs to the fire damage to the 53. They say there is about 30 hours of repairs equaling 1,300 dollars damage to the paint and hood and both fenders. They are allowing 7 hours to rewire the car. The wire harness is toast up to the dash. They are only planning on paying for new spark plug wires and a wire harness. So here are my questions.

Is that enough time for auto body repair? What is the going hourly rate?

Is that enough time for a shop to rewire a car from the dash forward?

What additional items should be replaced in the engine. Just for safety sake after a fire, belts, carb rebuild? ( I know that both radiator hoses are busted, fuel filter and line, coil, the battery is somewhat melted and the fan relay is melted, I don’t know if the A/C lines are damaged)

[dezeldoc]

First off take it to your shop that you want to have fix it, have them write an estimate and have the insurance come to them and hash it out with them. The insurance co will always low ball it if you do not have any estimates to provide them. the hours seem low to me and they should cover any thing that was damaged in the fire, might have to take a cut for mileage on some of it though. don't forget all that mess from the extinguisher needs to be cleaned off and someone has to pay for it, and i am sure you don't want to.

[BobT-47P15]

Did an adjuster come to look at the damage, or how did they do it?

Doesn't sound like they addressed all the problems.

It may be desirable to get a second opinion and detailed estimate.

[chopt50wgn]

Most body shops are in the 75-85$ an hour range. If thats true for your area then the bill for body & painting should be in the $3000+ range.

7 hours to rewire is also somewhat shy of how much time it really takes to do something as tedious as wiring and do it correctly. You need to take this car to a reputable shop that deals with hot rods and have them look and give you and estimate.

Don't know who's insurance you have on the car but I suggest not taking what they are offering as you will be diggin into your own pockets to finish paying for everything.

[JerseyHarold]

Many good ideas already posted. I'll add one thought: Don't fall for the line of "if the shop finds additional damage after they begin repairs they can file for a supplement".

Negotiate a settlement you can live with before any repairs are started.

[p24-1953]

Well i talked to them again and it seems that they are hesitant to increasing the damages with out having a shop do the work. the battery is clearly damaged as are the hoses and all engine rubber, but they are unwilling to increase the payout and cover these items unless a shop completes the work. They then informed me that if i get close to the 70% agreed value they would total the car. I informed them I was trying to keep the price low by completing some of the work myself but I would need to at least be reinbursed for parts, but it fell on deaf ears. i have now asked for a manager to contact me. i really dont understand why they wont allow "us" the car owner to work on the cars.

[54Illinois]

i really dont understand why they wont allow "us" the car owner to work on the cars.

You simply cannot put a price on your time...

[dezeldoc]

This is kind of a cheap shot on a shop, but get one to write a good estimate and then tell the insurance to cough up the check to you and only you as you do not have a lien holder. then do the work yourself. no law says you have to have a shop do the repairs, but if you try and convince them you are going to do the repairs you will be low balled, just the way it is. another way would be to get some very high estimates and let them total it out, get the pay out and buy it back, you should come out ahead that way. 35+ years doing this and dealing with the ins co and let me tell you they are a pain in the butt!

[Plymouthy Adams]

we had one of our guys while back that tried to buy his car back and the cost was astromonical..never did know how the dust settled on that one...

a few certified estimates may well go a long way in getting a proper settlement to cover the cost of the repair..the car if valued properly with the insurer should not come close to totaling but should be well enough to make repairs effectively and proper..one quick question would be to ask them the supply source of the wiring harness and local Macon area shop that will replace the harness within the time and money allotted..as if this is reasonable and customary for the Macon area, you should also be afforded the name of the shop they are quoting or have had experience with working at their estimated costs. In t his case inquiring minds NEED to know..

[dezeldoc]

Buy back is in most cases 5-10% of the value.

[Plymouthy Adams]

don't think this is applicable to collector insurance..our one guy here got totaled..his buy back as at 50% or greater..

[dezeldoc]

Again a thieving ins co!! someone somewhere playing games, it should have not been that much.

[Don Coatney]

Did you actually go to a shop and get a quote? If not do so. Then the insurance company should pay the quoted price for repairs. Once they pay that price they dont care if the repairs are done. So go to several shops for quotes and submit the higest quote to the insuramce company. They should then cut you a check and you can do the repairs as you see fit.

[greg g]

A reputable shop will always have a 15% or so contingency for undescovered damages, they will also call the ins company back with supplementals if the damage cost exceed the contingency.

If your ins company is steering you to a certain shop, then thye are likely getting a percentage back of the work being done and the parts being purchased. Her in NY that is illegal, ad you as the owner have the right to have the work done at the shop of your choice.

Unless it has changed recently the cap on body work here was 65.00/hour, while the rate for mechanical work was in the 90 dollar range, Can't under stand why parts swappers get more money that a skilled craftsman messaging bent metal and refinishing it to match the rest of the car gets less.

But by all means if you can you should get an independent appraisal of the damage independent of your companies adjuster. Even if is money out of pocket, it will likely benefit you in the long run.

Also if they total the car you should be able to buy it back for scrap value by weight. What they want to do is get you to say yes to a lowball total, then they will consign the car to an auction where it will be sold as a bebuildable or for parts.

Edited October 14, 2011 by greg g

[BobT-47P15]

If you have an agreed value policy, then you would know how much the

car is insured for......and what the 70% figure is that would cause it to

be declared a total....and try to work within that range to avoid a total.

You need to get an estimate or two, as advised above, to see what the

cost of the shop work would be. Unless the policy specifically states

that the work must be done by a shop, they should send you the money

equal to the lowest estimate.......provided there is no lien on the car.

Once you get the check made out to you (which is the usual

proceedure in a comprehensive claim) then you can do as you

want.

They may simply want a shop estimate to get a fairly firm

and "normal" cost figure. The insurance folks are used to

working with body shop figures, and you, as an individual are

not presenting them with what they're used to.

If the car is not driveable, many body shops will send out a rep

to do a courtesy estimate at your residence.

Make sure the body shop knows about and lists all those things you

mentioned like fan belt, etc.

[Don Coatney]

I would trust what Bob Toft said above all others including myself as Bob works in the insurance field.

[P15Mike]

Why dont you try pricing your parts out simply by using the internet for pricing . For the belts/hoses/battery etc , just go to Napa . Maybe for your harness why re-wire ? Try using someone like Rhode Island Wiring for pricing , you would probably end up happier in the long run anyway as would be more period correct , just grab some screen shots im sure that would suffice . As far as your quote for the labor ( 1300.00 ) that would seem fine if that was for mechanical labor only as most mech labor rates are in the 75 - 100 area . Most shops i've dealt with as far as labor goes your probably in the 8 - 10 hrs just for the harness not incl the other under hood items belts etc . Keep in mind very few ins co's have specialized antique appraisers so the guy may not have ever looked at a car 60's let alone the 50's.If these suggestions dont strike your fancy try using a independent appraisal co as they would give you a fair 3rd party accessment , as the shops estimate ....we'll im sure if they could would be on the opposite scale of the ins co . Good luck with your situation !

[p24-1953]

I tried to talk to them and provide them with a list of parts and prices that need to be replaced. no luck. So i asked to speaak to a manager, questioned why they were acting one way when they have a printed policy that states another. Wanted to know if they would pay for 6 seperate tow trips to 6 differnet shops ( 3 mechanics / 3 body shops) since they were unwilling to work with me. After i got calmed down.... the manager agreed that the apraiser did not do a suffeciant job because there were items he could see from the photographs the apraiser took that were damaged that were not being funded to replace. they agreeed to send another appraiser back out, and if that number did not meet my approval they would pay for the extra towing trips.

[dezeldoc]

That brings up another point, you do not have to provide them with 3 estimates, just the one from the repair shop of YOUR choice. they will try and get 3 but tell them here is the shop i want to repair my car, end of story.

Here is another angle, since the fuel filter was the cause why not contact them and tell them their product failed and see what they say, and be sure to remind them that the NTSB does not like to here these kind of things.

Edited October 15, 2011 by dezeldoc