Has this every happened to anyone?

[fawcett]

Just got back from using my boat all day. My car was vandalized badly, I'm talking my paint is carved up and my new Kumho MX tires were slashed. I have a $500 deductable on my insurance, since it costs me $2000 a year to insure it, it should only cost me that much to get it repainted right??? I think I have full coverage.

Has anyone out there had that happen to you? What can I do to reduce costs comming out of my pocket? If I change the color would insurance pay for it? What if I add a Saleen S281 Body Kit? My origional body components are going to be removed for paint anyways right? Could I get insurance to cover getting the kit painted/installed?

Oh also, I have a few dents from my college parking lot, seeing that some extensive body work has to be done anyways, is there a way that I could get insurance to cover them also?

If anyone out there has been in this situation please advise me on repairing my pride and joy. I am real low on money right now so this is a huge problem. Is my insurance going to go up? Will I have more points? Most importantly though, Will I be covered by insurance? My car is like 9 years old and although I have kept the paint real nice, it is starting to show its age.

Damn guys, you dont know how I feel about this crap. My other big concern is if my insurance company will total my car.....

any advice/help and or condolences are welcome,

Fawcett
1995 Mustang Gts
FRPP 340bhp 302
e-cam GT-40X's
Trick Flow Track Heat Intake w/ spacer
FRPP 24lbs, FRPP 65mm TB, Pro-M 80
FRPP D/S FRPP 3:73's
Cobra R's Brembos all around
[email protected] (without some of those mods)

 

[Michael Yount]

Sorry about the problems - nobody wants to go throught that.

Check your policy - it will describe your coverage. Given your premiums, it sounds like you have full coverage; it's comprehensive coverage that will cover your type of damage. The insurance company is responsible for repairing the damage done to your car by this incident. If other damage has been done in the past, and you didn't report it or file a claim, they may deny a claim for that now (other scratches, dents, scrapes, etc.). So if there are things like fenders that need replacing, bumper covers that are torn up, etc., if they didn't happen as a result of this, then they probably aren't going to cover that as a part of this claim. If the cost of paint and tires exceeds the market value of the car - that's when a total loss may come in. I don't think that's a problem - if it's in decent shape, it should be worth more than the cost of a paint job and new tires. And, as a practical matter, once you've come to terms with them and a body shop on the damage, you'll have a lot of leeway to negotiate things on the side with the body shop - i.e. - repairing other things, changing paint color, etc. But some of that may cost you extra. Good luck with it.

 

[MadMatt5oh]

Draw out a mental blackboard of suspects as well

 

[TheUser]

kinda what Michael said, but you'll probably have to get it estimated by your insurance company. They'll give you a check for X amount of dollars and you can take it wherever you want to get it fixed. If your body work, parts, etc cost more than the the check, then the rest is on you. You could get a few body shops to estimate it and ask them about the add-ons as well so you'll have an idea and then see what your insurance co. will give you.

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

Damnit i hate society. Sorry for your "loss".

 

[cjman15]

That's rough bro, get as much as you can from tha insurance and go from there

 

[super302]

sorry to hear that, i'm always afraid that shtt's gonna happen to my car.

 

[blk92stangg]

What you could do, although you may get less of a payout, is cash out the settlement, then you can spend the money in anyway that you want. Although I would think any body shop would be willing to work in extras that you would want done. IE 10% more for color change.

In my opinion, I would stick with a body shop recommended by the insurance company. The extra's you want may cost more, but most of the vendors used by insurance companies are "certified" non-officially by the adjusters, so they know the job will be done right. If you cash it out and take the car to the local Maaco-Sheib you won't be happy.

 

[stangbear427]

Hey now, you get what you paid for at Maaco. I've seen some really good paint jobs come out of there- just never on a ricer. None of those little punks want to pay more for the good job... cause then they can't afford the huge wing and fart can to top it off.

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

There's a guy around where i live who has a sweet GT that has a Maaco paint job. I've never reeeally looked the car over, but from a few feet away, it look way better than any factory paint i've ever seen. I think he paid something like 1800 for it though.

 

[fawcett]

Guys, thanks for the help. Im going to turn this negative into a positive and make my stang nicer. its still sunday so i cant do anything with my insurance company until tomorrow, but since my paint is old (i.e.depreciated) are they going to deduct that from what they will pay me for a new paint job? what should i look for in a solid body shop? there is a shop that does really great work but they charge premiums for their work, i would be very happy to give my ride to them to fix but i dont know if my insurance co. would be "down with it"
Anyone have any tips to pursuade them to pay the expensive shop to fix my car?

Also, is my insurance going to go up from this? Clearly i did not have any part in what happened so it shouldnt right?

Fawcett

 

[Michael Yount]

Most of the questions you're asking you'll end up having to ask your insurance company. The main thing is to remember that the more rapport you have with your agent and claims adjuster, the better this will go for you. If you approach them and you're attitude is that you're looking for a fight, well you can almost guarantee that you'll get one. You seem like you've got your head screwed on right about all this - so just keep that positive attitude going when you talk to the insurance company. Remember, within reason, they want to help you with your loss - that's what they're in business for. Be respectful of them, and they usually will help all they can. Ask them for recommendations on the paint shop. Believe me, they know better than most where the good shops are and where the bad shops are. Mine got hit a couple years ago - I wasn't planning the paint job until later. But as long as it was in to have the rear quarter replaced, I figured I'd be foolish not to go ahead and have the car painted. It was the insurance company that recommended the place that I ended up taking it. They not only did insurance repairs, but had a side line of doing street rod and high performance cars. Not only was the work good, they really took care of my car (masking/protecting the interior, etc.).

I'd look for nice, quality cars in the shop being worked on. I'd look for a relatively clean shop. I'd look for engaged, interested employees. I'd look for a shop that's interested/willing/proud to give you a tour of their facilities. I'd look for state of the art paint booths, color mixing capability, etc. I'd look for separate buildings where - heavy repair/frame work is done; paint prep (sanding, filling, etc.) is done; washing/masking/painting is done. Nothing quite like having your paint booth 20 ft. away from the place where the sanding is being done.

 

[89MustangGX]

A couple other things to note -- the coverage may also be listed as "Other than Collision" on the policy -- it is the same as Comprehensive; A claim like that is not surchargable, but can lead to higher premiums through other things like tiering, etc...so be sure and ask your agent about any other factors it may affect -- not just a surcharge.

One more thing -- I wouldn't bring the insurance company in on any additional work you want done to the car, leave that to between you and the body shop.

 

[Michael Yount]

"I wouldn't bring the insurance company in on any additional work you want done to the car, leave that to between you and the body shop."

Great counsel 89Mustang - the body shops have requests for other/extra stuff all the time; they are quite used to working with both you and the insurance company separately.