NEED ADVICE - Got in bad accident 1970 RT/SE - How to deal with Insurance Co.

[SanDiego70RTSE]

Here are the pictures:

https://cid-c742b7311345df14.skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?page=play&resid=C742B7311345DF14!157&authkey=rjBO*l43lAg%24

I have AAA collector car insurance. My car is was appraised at $65,000 and this is the value on the collector car policy. I need to provide the adjuster with an estimate of the damage. My policy says I can choose the shop I want to have the repairs made at.

I don't want to get short changed and there is more damage than these photos show. Could you guys please give me some advice on how to deal with the insurance company so I get the car restored to "like new" condition, as it was before the accident.

Thank you!

[Khyron]

First off im glad your O.k. and im sorry about your car :-(

what you will do is bring it to someone you trust. As they do work, and if they find more damage they can/will sumbit some paperwork for an adjustment and will get compensated for it... I hope the uni stayed straight man, good luck.

[Rayzor]

First off I would steer clear of just body shops and would be looking at full blown restoration shops for the work. There was a company called Hilltop Classics over in Escondido. They did top notch work on a Mach 1 I used to have. The guys wife drove a super fly Road runner convert with a Hemi. He speaks Mopar. He may still be around.

[SanDiego70RTSE]

How can one tell if tell if the uni-body stayed straight?  Thanks, I'm ok, just a little back pain.

[Rayzor]

unless damages are visable a trip to a frame shop will tell the tale. The can straiten alot of bends out though and after 40 years I bet the car has sagged anyway

[skip68]

Glad you're ok.   Car looks pretty bad but can be fixed.  If the insurance company claims it a total loss you can buy it back just so you know.   They may want to do that.  Good luck.

[SanDiego70RTSE]

How much will I get if it is a total loss?

[Old Greg]

Glad your ok! What happend?

[SanDiego70RTSE]

I was driving in the rain, the rear tires didn't have much tread, and I hydro-planed. The rear end slid around clickwise and I hit a post on the side of the highway.

[Old Greg]

That's a fear of mine when driving in the rain. Mine was in an accident a few months ago when a former friend of 20 years gets in it and drives it into a tree. I have alfa and they had the car repaired. Keep us updated on it.

[Vainglory, Esq.]

How much will I get if it is a total loss?

First off, sorry to hear about all this.

Secondly, and to answer your question, that depends on what type of insurance policy you have.  You mentioned that you had it appraised.  By whom?  Do you happen to know whether your insurance policy is of the "agreed value" type?  From what I understand (not from personal experience), collector car insurance tends to be better than your run of the mill daily driver insurance when it comes to these things.

[SanDiego70RTSE]

It's collector car insurance. I had to have the car appraised before AAA would insure my car and the appraised value is on the policy.

[tan top]

   glad your ok !!!! crikey  charger took a bit of a bash , definatly fix able !!  needs a good inspection , too see whats what !!  & like was mentioned ! going on a frame rack to be sure !!

[b5blue]

  Firstly get yourself checked out very thoroughly if you have any back pain! My cousin is a Chiropractor and has seen many who ended up with lingering problems from this type of thing who sadly waived their proper medical coverage.
  I would get as many estimates as possible, not just one or two. I pissed off my insurance company years ago buy getting 15-20 but it was amazing how much variance resulted. The detail that some missed others caught and by comparing a true "value" was found in only a few.
  The effect of the value of the car as damaged and repaired needs to be weighed. Will it ever be worth the same after this is repaired? Documentation of every detail is important from here on for that purpose. Good Luck to you and your Charger!   

[charger500440]

Here are the pictures:

https://cid-c742b7311345df14.skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?page=play&resid=C742B7311345DF14!157&authkey=rjBO*l43lAg%24

I have AAA collector car insurance. My car is was appraised at $65,000 and this is the value on the collector car policy. I need to provide the adjuster with an estimate of the damage. My policy says I can choose the shop I want to have the repairs made at.

I don't want to get short changed and there is more damage than these photos show. Could you guys please give me some advice on how to deal with the insurance company so I get the car restored to "like new" condition, as it was before the accident.

Thank you!

I'm an auto property damage supervisor for a large insurance company and have been involved in the collision repair business for about 14 years now. In looking at the photos briefly, I don't see this being a major problem for you. The damage is significant but appears to be mostly cosmetic (meaning the guts the of the vehicle, uni-body and structure, appear repairable). Due to this fact and the value (I'm assuming this is a real R/T SE car) of your car, there shouldn't be a problem with your insurance company in getting this done. Here's a few things I can tell you that may or may not help you:

- The state of California maintains that you have the right to repair your vehicle wherever you wish
- Even if they totaled the vehicle, you could still maintain possession of it (but that doesn't appear to be an issue here)
- I would not be in a rush to get it repaired. Secure the vehicle and take the photos to prospective shops in your area
- I live in CT, so I don't know anyone out by you. Here in the northeast, finding a shop willing and able to fix a 40 year old car is not easy. I'd assume you'll have some options in SoCal however
- Once you have a shop picked out, they can negotiate the particulars (labor rate, material rate etc. direct with AAA)
- One issue that may crop up is if your shop is not willing to fix this car for what AAA is willing to pay, then you may end up paying the difference. AAA will pay "fair and reasonable" labor and material rates, not whatever your shop wants. Again, to fix a 40 year old collector car is not the same as a 2010 Camry, so this "may" become an issue.
- It appears your car was in very nice shape and was restored at one point. So, getting the repairs done seamlessly is less of a problem. The key in all of this is your relationship with the shop you choose. The shop needs to negotiate the repair estimate with AAA so that they can do the repairs correctly and make money on the job. Ultimately the shop is working on your car, not AAA's, so you need to be clear with your shop on what your expectations are. Assume nothing.

Lastly, the insurance market is so competitive now that companies are reluctant to irritate their customers. Very reluctant in some cases. So they will do what they can to negotiate a fair price with your shop 99 out of 100 times. Your decision on which shop is the most important. I would try and find a shop that has the following:

- Up to date equipment
- Is at least moderately busy. If they are really slow, there is a reason for it (just like restaurants)
- Familiar with heavy collision repairs
- Not adverse to working on an older car
- Have or do work on older cars regularly
- Willing and able to work with AAA to get this done

Lastly, if the shop owner is an old car guy, even better. Then he'll know exactly what you are going through. I hope this helps...

Mike

[Old Moparz]

Assume nothing.

Mike

Mike's advice is really good, & the "assume nothing" part is very, very important. In general, it's your car & nobody elses. At the end of the day the person at the insurance office or the body shop has their own problems & won't really care about your car being wrecked. You need to stay on top of what needs to be done to it to get it back to the condition you want it. The only thing I'd add to it is that you will have to keep track of who you speak to, even if it's only a first name.

Take notes of when you spoke, who you spoke to, & from what company. In other words, document as much as you can in case there is any discrepancies or disagreements later on. If everything goes smoothly you'll be happy & won't need the notes, but if things start going bad & you end up arguing with someone's supervisor, then having all your notes will be a big help. I had a dragged out claim issue with the dumbass lizard with the accent once & ended up writing letters.

Some regional vice president finally called me at work asking what he can do to straighten things out. I had pointed out all the people I spoke with & when, & that it now had taken 6 months to get where I am resolving it, but it was finally done.

[Khyron]

Im willing to bet that those sub frame connectors saved that cars butt :-)

Charger500440 seems to have it all covered. When all is done and said, make sure you put some good tires on the back of the ol girl

[bull]

Definitely set aside $500 or so through all this for some decent tires that do well in the rain.

My advice is similar to the others; find a shop that knows these cars, such as a classic car restoration shop, that hopefully specializes in Mopar. You've got one shot to get this done right so avoid the places where the techs just scratch their heads and shrug when you show them your car. You really need a guy who knows what he's doing on this deal so don't stop searching until you've found him.

[TruckDriver]

Sorry about your car. It great your okay. Please keep this thread going with updates on your progress, as it would make a nice referance thread if anyone ever needs it in the future.

[Brass]

What a bucket of suck!  Glad you're alright and good luck with the repairs.  I think the insurance company would cover any repairs up to the agreed value of the car.  As mentioned several times already - find a good shop.  They can be a good advocate when dealing with the insurance company.

[Cooter]

This is why I do NOT drive in the rain,sleet,snow,etc...Even with good tires...It's bad enough with the idiots on the road going 90 Plus MPH and texting each other....Sorry your Charger was hurt....

[Charger_Fan]

Ouch!     I don't have any collector car insurance experience yet (knock-on-wood), but I'm hoping yours treats you well & you're able to get it repaired soon.

[TruckDriver]

Ouch!     I don't have any collector car insurance experience yet (knock-on-wood), but I'm hoping yours treats you well & you're able to get it repaired soon.

Didnt you say you wanted to sell, or were thinking about selling your '70 roller?

[SFRT]

I had a guy rear end my Charger about a year and a half ago. Luckily, he had great  insurance and when the claims adjuster showed up he spent about an hour bullshitting with me about the car and he simply said 'you tell me' when I asked him if they had any shops they wanted to use so I proceeded to work up my own estimate , and had my friends shop sign off on it and ended basically getting everything I ever dreamed of done to the rear of my car plus a new paintjob and window glass all around with no questions asked.

to be brutally honest I managed to spin a 4000 dollar repair into about 18 grand worth of work and parts on their dime in trade for an hour of friendly car talk and a cup of coffee for the adjuster.

[b5blue]

  She is sweet now!