Need an educated opinion.

[Big Sugar]

Private repair  VS Insurance


Alright here's the jiist of what went down.
Attended a Great Show at Cars in the Country with the Mississauga Car Club in Hillsburgh Ontario.

   After They finished up handing out the Trophy's and completing the raffles I proceeded back to my car to pack things up. As I arrived at my site I said bye to a couple of friends, And proceeded to put my Chairs in the trunk when a chap asked me if I had seen my Door yet ?? Puzzled i peeked around the side of Big Sugar to see the door hanging open and a Apprehensive guy who desperately needed to tell me something.
I quickly realize what had taken place and began to boil over .....I did manage to bite my tounge and contain numerous creative explicatives until I grew weary and blurted out a few sharp "F"'s, I really thought I was going to pass out, I was so upset, I needed a few moments to collect myself and sort my feelings out. it was eerily quiet. He explained he was trying to beat the rush out and had trouble betting his 454 Chevy up a slight incline and was backing up to take a better run at it when he rolled back into my PARKED Charger......The space he was trying to get out thru in my opinion would clearly not accept the Girth of a Fat 70 Chebby.......??...! He's had a few I realize at this point. I regained my whits and began to look at the damage and he started to apologize to me and everyone around him , I do feel he was being sincere so I accepted his apology and gathered his info. By that time a few of the Club members had come down to talk to me and ensure I was looked after. Blaine Shaw quickly got things in order and i was off.
   It's taken all evening and a bit to sort my stomach out , i'm just now starting to feel a bit better. All I can say was I was Stunned Shocked and Heartbroken all within a minute.


OK here's the million doller Question. He wants to make this right and is willing to deal on a private level as opposed to insurance.
Should I ?
I certainly need the Charger returned to it's prior look but do I take a chance on setteling for a Cash deal or do I let the Insurance companies work it out.
Pro's and cons needed here/


Damage looks pretty contained to the Door only. The lower door sill is unscathed as is the Hinge pillar and Rear latch side. Although they may have pulled a bit.
Door,Trim, Glass, Hinges,Paint,Decal and inner door skin need replacing with a Absolute Rust free door.
Fender is a touch out of line along the hood. I'll have to get a pro's eye to look at the Charger.

Ron
I'm thinking this is a $3-4,000 job here, Unless I can find cheap parts

[71ChallengeHer]

Go with insurance, you are guaranteed that they will pay. What if this guy doesn't have the money ? 

[Bandit72]

 

[Drache]

The only problem I've heard about insurance companies is them under paying people for damage done to classic cars unless you are insured with a company that really knows classics and what they are worth. Last you want is some inspector looking at your "old car" and saying that the door can be replaced with a $200 one from a salvage yard and leaving it at that. I'm speaking from personal experience here....

[68charger383]

At least in the US you have 30 days to report an accident. The longer it takes for you to call and file a claim, the more suspicious it looks. If you can get an estimate within a day, call the guy and tell him what your estimate is going to be. He will probably respond by saying yeah right, go to my guy who owns a shop or say he'll give you the money next week which will never come.

Call your insurance, you have nothing to lose since you were the parked car, if you have collector insurance, you were at a show! Your solid!


Good luck

[no318]

The only problem I've heard about insurance companies is them under paying people for damage done to classic cars unless you are insured with a company that really knows classics and what they are worth. Last you want is some inspector looking at your "old car" and saying that the door can be replaced with a $200 one from a salvage yard and leaving it at that. I'm speaking from personal experience here....

Atleast you are the "victim" in this case and they are typically more likely to do whatever to make you happy as quickly as possilbe.  You may have to fight for it a little bit, but it isn't your fault and I think they will do whatever it takes.  Assuming that it is a reputable insurance company, anyway.

[pettyfan43]

Here's the deal. Tell him straight up you want your car fixed RIGHT NOW, if he doesn't have the cash, YOU call HIS insurance company. I had to do this when an idiot in an 18 wheeler scraped the side of my 86 Ram truck while it was parked.

The guy that owned the company wanted to settle between he and I, I got 3  estimates and actually gave him the LOWEST one, because the shop was local and they do good work. He offered to settle with me for about half as much since the damage "didn't look as bad as that". I just told him he better be calling his damn insurance company cause I wanted my truck fixed! A week later I called his carrier and he had not even reported it, so I did!

All I had to do was fax copies of the estimate, and within a week they had paid the highest one!

If the guy gives you any crap, don't take it, and make sure his insurance company knows this clown didn't back into a ten year old stratus!

BTW the good news is that a door from any 66-67 b-body will work, as long as it's a hardtop or convertible, the bad news is that if it ain't a charger, you will have to add the trim.

I really hate this for you Ron, your car is one of my favorite first generation cars ever!

Good luck!

[kab69440]

Where are you, Big Sugar? I have a beautiful pair of first gen doorskins in my basement. They came off rolled car, so the vent wing frames are broken, but the skins themselves are nigh of perfect.

[dukeboy_318]

i'd get an estimate from your local body shop, give a copy to the guy and if he won't pay that amount or isn't able to, call the insurance company, if they only wanna give you 300 bucks for it, get a laywer.  I had to do that with my truck and It was a 98 Dodge Ram cummins that only had right fender damage from where the guy side swiped me.  His insurance company tried to say that my truck was totaled cause it was going to cost 3500 buck to get it fixed when truck is worth 21000, don't think so.

Good luck and keep us posted

chris

[Badbob]

Pick YOUR repair expert and call YOUR insurance company. File an accident report at the local police dept.

Bob

[Big Sugar]

Where are you, Big Sugar? I have a beautiful pair of first gen doorskins in my basement. They came off rolled car, so the vent wing frames are broken, but the skins themselves are nigh of perfect.

Thanks for the Offer Kab69440, Unfortunatly the Door Shell is pretty much toast as well. Mt Charger had Zero rust on it so I'm looking for a complete Rust free door.

Here's the deal. Tell him straight up you want your car fixed RIGHT NOW, if he doesn't have the cash, YOU call HIS insurance company. I had to do this when an idiot in an 18 wheeler scraped the side of my 86 Ram truck while it was parked.

The guy that owned the company wanted to settle between he and I, I got 3  estimates and actually gave him the LOWEST one, because the shop was local and they do good work. He offered to settle with me for about half as much since the damage "didn't look as bad as that". I just told him he better be calling his damn insurance company cause I wanted my truck fixed! A week later I called his carrier and he had not even reported it, so I did!

All I had to do was fax copies of the estimate, and within a week they had paid the highest one!

If the guy gives you any crap, don't take it, and make sure his insurance company knows this clown didn't back into a ten year old stratus!

BTW the good news is that a door from any 66-67 b-body will work, as long as it's a hardtop or convertible, the bad news is that if it ain't a charger, you will have to add the trim.

I really hate this for you Ron, your car is one of my favorite first generation cars ever!

Good luck!

Thats the option I was considering, Simply because I have enough connections to get the parts and work done for a reasonable price. I figured it may be best to simply get the ESTIMATE.  cash out of him and have the work done at a savings.


Ron

The only problem I've heard about insurance companies is them under paying people for damage done to classic cars unless you are insured with a company that really knows classics and what they are worth. Last you want is some inspector looking at your "old car" and saying that the door can be replaced with a $200 one from a salvage yard and leaving it at that. I'm speaking from personal experience here....

Thats what I was worried about Drache, We both have the same Insurance Company (Lant, Silver Wheels)
And it did happen at a show, And I have plenty of witnesses , But I worry that the Isuranse Adjuster won't have the same passion for the Charger that I do not to mention the loss of the rest of the season.
THIS FRIKKEN SUCKS !!
Either way I'm off for an estimate this morning Hopefully the damage is not beyond the Door.


Thanks for the Advice Guys and Gal
Ron

[68charger383]

Get the three estimates. Call them up and you shouldn't have a problem. Remember, do everything in writing. Document evrything you do and every communication between you and the ins co. After a phone call, As per our converastion by phone where we talked about ....

If you have a problem, remind the insurance compnay that this is a collector car. There is sufficient documentation to support the value of the car (Nada), the cost of a collector car paint job (if you have a receipt of painting your car).

If ins co. gives you a hard time: threaten them that its a collector car, you can not spot paint the car and it may require that the whole car is painted to look correct. Technically, your entitled to a rental "or" the value of the loss of use of the car while it is being repaired. You'll bypass them and sue the owner in small claims...he will probably sue the ins co. for bad faith. The biggest argument you have is the fact that your car lost resale value by being hit and requiring a new door/paint etc. ( the value of the car without ever being in an accident vs. a car involved in an accident)

Everything is coulda/shoulda/woulda right now. Get the ins info and give them a call.

[THE COLONEL]

I hope you got all his info anyway, such as proof insurance, address...etc. Then I would waste no time in getting a few estimates, and taking them to him.  Then like the others said, he has a couple days to pay you in CASH, or you will call the insurance companies.

[pettyfan43]

Something else occurred to me Ron, Is the interior panel OK?The door is pretty badly bent. Also just so you know, I have been told that if you have to replace the window regulator, it has to be from a  Charger, because of the door panel , the post on the regulator for the handle itself is longer.

Make sure you check all that stuff.

Again, good luck!

Chris

[Big Sugar]

Thanks Chris: I'm going to start the hunt for Parts as soon as this paperwork is done, I'm going to hunt down a complete Door Hopefully with it's Glass all intact....

Thanks again for the heads up !

Ron

By the way, The interior Door panel survived well, A little crack in the vinyl has appeared but they are 41 years old. The Door skin soaked up much of the impact. Just a little pulling on the hinges and latch, no real visible
stress points .

[Ghoste]

Insurance all the way.  I tried the private thing once because I knew the person and I'll never do it again.

[1ofnone]

Hi Ron. sorry to hear about what happened at hillsburgh. That is your hood in the back of my profile picture. I heard you talking at moparfest that you panic when the kids are in the garage,so that had to hurt like hell.I was working in and out of dryden all summer/fall and missed the classics in the country show even though i live 5 mins away. That was not a tubbed yellow with black stripes chevelle was it? hoping repairs are going well!!

[472 R/T SE]

If you by any chance decide to let the guy pay you I would wait NO longer than a day or two for him to come up with the money after seeing a quote.  Any longer than that he's BSing you and the first time you let him slide he'll continue to put you off until you call his bluff.  There should be no lee way whatsoever.  If he doesn't have the money and needs to take out a loan, all it should take is an afternoon at the bank.

Real sorry to hear.  I'll agree with one of the previous poster's, your car is one my favorite 1st gen.'s on the site. 

Educated opinion?...I did finish high school and turned down a free ride for architectural.   Also been on the receiving end like you.

[bull]

Years ago I was hit while driving my '85 Dodge Ram by a lady in a Jeep Cherokee and the insurance company started screwing with me because we had the same company. Before they made me run all over creation during work hours to get estimates for them I told them I wanted compensation for lost time at work and reimbursement for all the cell phone calls I had to make on my boss's cell phone (I worked on a ranch). They agreed to that but somehow their memory got fuzzy when it was time to pay the bill. I called and called and they ignored me so I finally had enough and called the state insurance commissioner. Three days later the check was in the mail. In short, don't be afraid to hold their feet to the fire if they start screwing with you.

If it happens again, and I hope it doesn't, I will NOT get three estimates. I will go to the body shop of MY choice and get ONE estimate and they will pay that cost and I will get it repaired to my liking. It should not be my job to do the legwork for these people. They only do that because they are cheap crooks and want to pay the least amount of money possible. Same goes for the guy who wrecked your door. I would go to the high-end muscle car specialty body shop of your choice and get one estimate. Call him with that estimate and tell him you want cash, cashier's check or money order for that amount. Might as well have your bodyman pad the estimate by $1,000 or so while you're at it. Good luck.

[pettyfan43]

I had an 86 Ram 150, Royal SE. I had a guy in an 18 wheeler bump the side of the bed where the taillight is, My truck was PARKED at the time!

Well this guy starts taking pictures and claiming my truck was parked "In that no parking zone". Well the front bumper WAS over the line by about 6-8 inches, which should have made things BETTER for him, since he hit it in the BACK!!!!! (IDIOT there were small dings all over the front bumper of the truck, apparently he parked the thing by FEEL!

I took all his info, and called the trucking company the next day, they wanted to fix the truck, OK Fine, I got the 3 estimates, and the bodyshop I wanted to use was actually the cheapest. So I sent them that estimate, I just wanted the truck fixed.

That so and so called me back and said "It don't look like that much damage to me" (obviously managing a truck line makes him the ULTIMATE expert on bodywork) "I'll give you 250 bucks. Either that or we will just have to call the insurance company."

I said "Well you better call em today, I need my damn truck FIXED."

I called them back a couple days later and asked if they had called them and the clown says "We haven't heard from them yet." What the @#$ does THAT mean?!?!?!

SO I called the Insurance company, this was a Wednesday, I spoke to the lady who was VERY surprised to hear about this, apparently they had not been called.

She takes my number, and says, "I'm going to call so & so and the trucking company." She sounded ... aggravated to say the least.

By that weekend, I had the check for the highest estimate I sent, plus some extra.

The truck was hit at the college I was attending, and am now a part time instructor at, and was delivering to a place in the same lot and every time he saw the truck, or me,  he would give me the biggest "Go to hell" look I have EVER seen.

[1969chargerrtse]

I hope you got all his info anyway, such as proof insurance, address...etc. Then I would waste no time in getting a few estimates, and taking them to him.  Then like the others said, he has a couple days to pay you in CASH, or you will call the insurance companies.

[Big Sugar]

Hey Thanks Guys:


Yeah i went the insurance route, Initial estimates were around the $5000 range, But when we gathered up all the required parts and allowed for any structural damage (post and pillar) we ended up just over $10,000 and that was for a right side full spray and a roof blend.
The paint on the Charger was 6 years old had and seen maybe 5000 miles so it was really nice . it was a single stage enamel, and the body shop was going to respray in Base Clear. I didn't likethe fact I would have a mismatched paint job and was concerned how it would age over time so after beating around the bush for a week or so I informed the body shop that we'd be safer off spraying the whole car. So now it's fully striped and we are a few day's off painting over good paint ??

Moral of the story......Stay clear of Chevys and their anxious owners.
A lot of work for the same end result.   Kinda bites a little.


Ron

[Steve P.]

Glad to hear you're getting it ALL taken care of.. Don't forget to post up the pics..

[bmoparmofo]

Make sure you at least file a report until you figure it out, if you go the insurance route and didnt file, it will be a pain.Sorry to hear about it.

[Big Sugar]

Make sure you at least file a report until you figure it out, if you go the insurance route and didnt file, it will be a pain.Sorry to hear about it.

It's already in the Shop, We both use the same insurance company ..that made it really easy.



Ron