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Re: Body Shop Resto shop owners need some advice [Re: not_a_charger] #2962545
09/09/21 05:24 PM
09/09/21 05:24 PM
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New York
R/T1968R/T Offline
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Have a lawyer contact them. I had a similar situation years ago and when my lawyer wrote them a letter it was straightened out fast!!

Re: Body Shop Resto shop owners need some advice [Re: R/T1968R/T] #2962549
09/09/21 05:50 PM
09/09/21 05:50 PM
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 19,771
Puttin' on the foil in Charles...
not_a_charger Offline
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Originally Posted by R/T1968R/T
Have a lawyer contact them. I had a similar situation years ago and when my lawyer wrote them a letter it was straightened out fast!!


The car's not even in a shop yet. Hell, he hasn't even chosen a shop. There's not even an estimate from a shop to compare to the insurance company estimate. What will a letter from a lawyer do right now? And why would you waste money on a lawyer to write such a letter right now? It's not an injury claim. They aren't taking a property damage or comp/collision loss case on contingency. You have to pay the man to get the man to write the letter shruggy

This will never get to the point of needing a letter from a lawyer. That happens so rarely it's not worth discussing until it actually happens. In 20+ years of handling auto claims, I talked to/received a letter from an attorney maybe 10 times, probably less. That's out of anywhere from 18k-20k claims I was involved in.


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Re: Body Shop Resto shop owners need some advice [Re: not_a_charger] #2963309
09/12/21 05:30 PM
09/12/21 05:30 PM
Joined: Oct 2007
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New York
R/T1968R/T Offline
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Have the lawyer contact the insurance company! I never said the shop. Have him explain they are out of touch with classic car values. Let a professional handle this.

Last edited by R/T1968R/T; 09/12/21 05:32 PM.
Re: Body Shop Resto shop owners need some advice [Re: R/T1968R/T] #2963396
09/12/21 08:42 PM
09/12/21 08:42 PM
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 19,771
Puttin' on the foil in Charles...
not_a_charger Offline
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I didn't say you said to have the attorney contact the shop. shruggy And the value of the car is not in question. There's nothing to discuss until the car is at the shop of the vehicle owner's choosing. The appraiser wrote an estimate. It's just that, an estimate. At no point did the appraiser or insurance company say "this is all we are paying."


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Re: Body Shop Resto shop owners need some advice [Re: not_a_charger] #2963894
09/14/21 05:54 AM
09/14/21 05:54 AM
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Wirenut Offline OP
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Got the estimate from the one man resto shop . It’s more than 3 times what “appraiser / adjuster “ was and about 40 detailed line items. Will be submitting it today .
Stay tuned

Re: Body Shop Resto shop owners need some advice [Re: Wirenut] #2963895
09/14/21 06:34 AM
09/14/21 06:34 AM
Joined: Dec 2007
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Puttin' on the foil in Charles...
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Perfect. thumbs

What they'll likely tell you is to schedule the repairs, and then once the car is there and some initial disassembly is done, they'll send the appraiser back out to document the additional damages and write a supplement to his original estimate. Happens all of the time, shouldn't be any issues at all.


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Re: Body Shop Resto shop owners need some advice [Re: not_a_charger] #2964046
09/14/21 02:51 PM
09/14/21 02:51 PM
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Wirenut Offline OP
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Originally Posted by not_a_charger
Perfect. thumbs

What they'll likely tell you is to schedule the repairs, and then once the car is there and some initial disassembly is done, they'll send the appraiser back out to document the additional damages and write a supplement to his original estimate. Happens all of the time, shouldn't be any issues at all.


Thanks . Appreciate the input

Re: Body Shop Resto shop owners need some advice [Re: Wirenut] #2964361
09/15/21 12:20 PM
09/15/21 12:20 PM
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Posts: 1,922
Medina, Ohio
HEMICUDA Offline
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I went thru a scenario very similar to this when a friend of mine was hit going thru an intersection when a young kid ran a red light and hit him just behind the driver side door. He was having a bad time dealing with kids insurance company with the claim so he asked if my shop (as the repair shop) would handle the situation with the other drivers insurance company which I did. The insurance company searched high and low for a convertible quarter panel for his car and only could find the converted hard top quarters that are available from Ken Hopperdietzel which are really nice, problem is, the kid hit a real 440-6bbl four speed shaker convertible Cuda that deserves original parts . After a little negotiation, the insurance company realized how high the claim could have gone if he would have sued for "diminished value", the claimed was settled at more than 5 times the original estimate.

Last edited by HEMICUDA; 09/16/21 01:34 AM.
Re: Body Shop Resto shop owners need some advice [Re: Wirenut] #2964436
09/15/21 03:44 PM
09/15/21 03:44 PM
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Atlanta, GA
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mgoblue9798 Offline
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Originally Posted by Wirenut
Hi All,
I need some advice on how to proceed , or navigate through a situation I have found myself in. We own a 65 Bel 2 convertible . We have had it for 25 years or so . Bought as a fixer upper and did just that. Its a great looking , great driving , driver . A month or so ago a tree fell on the car across the 1/4s and deck lid, and all needs to be replaced. Fairly heavy damage . Heavy enough where I'm sure it needs some time on a frame machine.

The car is well insured for stated value . This is not a hagerty policy but a reputable well known Insurer none the less. They sent an "adjuster" over to look at and estimate it. He walked in took 3 pics and put together an unrealistically low estimate . Such as 1/4 panels @ $750 each , labor @ $52 per hour , no time on a frame machine ect. . Granted he stated the cost are subject to change . It just didnt make sense to me why they wasted the money to pay this guy ? Since he came up with this estimate they are calling me daily wanting to settle ($5800.00 ) . At this point I have stopped taking their calls. But thats not a solution

The dilemma's are :

No regular body shops are interested , as I would have expected . I have called 4 restoration shops within reasonable distance. All of these shops are large and well staffed , well equipped . What scares me about them is the attitude I'm sensing . I guess I would describe it as arrogant and I feel like they really aren't interested . The comments have been things like "of course we can help but we are booked out 6-8 months and not sure when we can look at it . Or one guy offered to estimate it but he needed the car for 3 days and estimates the estimate might cost $500.00. Is it because it involves collision work and they are afraid of it?

I had one guy that was nice enough to come look at it . He is a one man band , older gent that has been around for a long time . He spent about an hour looking it over and talking ideas with me . When I showed him the estimate he became kind of irritated and maybe discouraged at the thought of having to deal with an insurance co and adjusters. I think he may have had enough of that when he owned a collision shop . I'm waiting for his estimate .

Maybe I should pay someone to estimate it ?

I guess to boil it down maybe I'm feeling like the big shops may be overkill for this car ? But in the same respect I didnt want to just get one estimate and opinion on how to fix it. I'm rambling now , sorry.

Thought I was looking for advice but maybe just needing to vent and see what comes back.

Thanks for reading









I am an independent auto appraiser that has worked both on behalf of insurance companies and consumers. Couple things.

Initial estimate means nothing. Labor rates written are also meaningless at this point as this is restorartion work and not regular collision work.

You need to pick the shop you want to do the repairs. If they have a 6 month back log, then so be it. Once they get the car into the shop if they need additional time/money/parts they will supplement the ins co's original appraisal.

If you have any other questions feel free to PM me and we can chat.

[/quote]

Last edited by mgoblue9798; 09/15/21 03:45 PM.
Re: Body Shop Resto shop owners need some advice [Re: mgoblue9798] #2965907
09/21/21 04:18 AM
09/21/21 04:18 AM
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 629
Ct
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Wirenut Offline OP
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Ct
Originally Posted by mgoblue9798
Originally Posted by Wirenut
Hi All,
I need some advice on how to proceed , or navigate through a situation I have found myself in. We own a 65 Bel 2 convertible . We have had it for 25 years or so . Bought as a fixer upper and did just that. Its a great looking , great driving , driver . A month or so ago a tree fell on the car across the 1/4s and deck lid, and all needs to be replaced. Fairly heavy damage . Heavy enough where I'm sure it needs some time on a frame machine.

The car is well insured for stated value . This is not a hagerty policy but a reputable well known Insurer none the less. They sent an "adjuster" over to look at and estimate it. He walked in took 3 pics and put together an unrealistically low estimate . Such as 1/4 panels @ $750 each , labor @ $52 per hour , no time on a frame machine ect. . Granted he stated the cost are subject to change . It just didnt make sense to me why they wasted the money to pay this guy ? Since he came up with this estimate they are calling me daily wanting to settle ($5800.00 ) . At this point I have stopped taking their calls. But thats not a solution

The dilemma's are :

No regular body shops are interested , as I would have expected . I have called 4 restoration shops within reasonable distance. All of these shops are large and well staffed , well equipped . What scares me about them is the attitude I'm sensing . I guess I would describe it as arrogant and I feel like they really aren't interested . The comments have been things like "of course we can help but we are booked out 6-8 months and not sure when we can look at it . Or one guy offered to estimate it but he needed the car for 3 days and estimates the estimate might cost $500.00. Is it because it involves collision work and they are afraid of it?

I had one guy that was nice enough to come look at it . He is a one man band , older gent that has been around for a long time . He spent about an hour looking it over and talking ideas with me . When I showed him the estimate he became kind of irritated and maybe discouraged at the thought of having to deal with an insurance co and adjusters. I think he may have had enough of that when he owned a collision shop . I'm waiting for his estimate .

Maybe I should pay someone to estimate it ?

I guess to boil it down maybe I'm feeling like the big shops may be overkill for this car ? But in the same respect I didnt want to just get one estimate and opinion on how to fix it. I'm rambling now , sorry.

Thought I was looking for advice but maybe just needing to vent and see what comes back.

Thanks for reading









I am an independent auto appraiser that has worked both on behalf of insurance companies and consumers. Couple things.

Initial estimate means nothing. Labor rates written are also meaningless at this point as this is restorartion work and not regular collision work.

You need to pick the shop you want to do the repairs. If they have a 6 month back log, then so be it. Once they get the car into the shop if they need additional time/money/parts they will supplement the ins co's original appraisal.

If you have any other questions feel free to PM me and we can chat.

[/quote]

Hey thanks for this . And I will if need be.
Waiting on response from insurance co now.

Re: Body Shop Resto shop owners need some advice [Re: Wirenut] #2971083
10/05/21 06:40 PM
10/05/21 06:40 PM
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Posts: 1,177
People's Republic of Kali
70runner Offline
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Hope this works out for you. Some good opinion here. I would only offer that a "dirty shop" should not necessarily be a no-go item. The 30yr mopar body guy that did my 70 vert worked out of a home shop and, on a scale of 1-10, 10 being spotless, was a 2-3. My vert needed both quarters, left wheelhouse, dutchman, fairly major surgery. During our discussion about the work, I mentioned his shop "condition". He giggled a bit, said he spends more time on the work than cleaning the shop. I'm like many, prefer a clean working space, but not everyone does. I got good vibs (impt) from him and was able to see another similar project almost finished. The day the RR was picked up, it was spectacular, but his shop was still a 2-3.

Re: Body Shop Resto shop owners need some advice [Re: 70runner] #2972666
10/10/21 12:42 PM
10/10/21 12:42 PM
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Ct
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Wirenut Offline OP
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Originally Posted by 70runner
Hope this works out for you. Some good opinion here. I would only offer that a "dirty shop" should not necessarily be a no-go item. The 30yr mopar body guy that did my 70 vert worked out of a home shop and, on a scale of 1-10, 10 being spotless, was a 2-3. My vert needed both quarters, left wheelhouse, dutchman, fairly major surgery. During our discussion about the work, I mentioned his shop "condition". He giggled a bit, said he spends more time on the work than cleaning the shop. I'm like many, prefer a clean working space, but not everyone does. I got good vibs (impt) from him and was able to see another similar project almost finished. The day the RR was picked up, it was spectacular, but his shop was still a 2-3.


Funny but thats where I am . I think I have found the right guy for this , and insurance co has sent me the money and agreed they will accept supplements up to the full agreed value . So went to check out his shop and was a little disappointed . Not as organized as I had hoped . Talked to some customers that were really positive about him so going to go with my gut and take a chance.
Thanks All

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