insurance

[jvanforx@cs.com]

i posted this question on syty@syty.org and received some interesting comments so what do you think? my ty was damaged in an accident and
requires repainting the frt bumper and left frt fender. it cannot be painted with the original acrylic lacquer as this procedure is not allowed in califor-
nia. the car is low mileage, stock and i believe will be worth less because
of the repairs. i believe this drop in value should be included in any final settlement. has anyone had experience with this type of situation? i will certainly appreciate any comments, advice etc. john.

 

[Tooky]

It happened to me and I was pissed too. I had the exact same parts damaged. They repainted all the cladding for me and it came out better than ever, because I had them do it flat black like the trucks came in 91 but they used the legal enamel paint (not lacquer) and it will be much more fade-resistant.

For the loss of value, I made some noise about it but it got me nowhere. If you have better luck please let me know how you did it. I think my problem was no one took a 91 pickup truck seriously enough as a collector to warrant investigating this further for me.

 

[jvanforx@cs.com]

insurance attn tooky cat

insurance attn tooky cat

i was told that the only way i might be successful is to take the driver of the other car to small claims court with proof showing the loss in value.
this may not be that easy to do as how can one come up with a dollar amt? find someone who would pay x dollars less because of the damage? will keep you posted. john.

 

[turboj91]

#1, did you collect thru your insurance (was it your fault) or #2 thru "the other guys" insurance (it was his fault). If you collected first party (thru your own carrier) you may have NO recourse depending on your policy language. If you collected third party (thru the other guys carrier) you can file a "deminition of value claim" because your truck is no longer a "virgin". Technology has come along way in the body shop refinishing process. A quality tech. can restore your finish to match the rest of the truck (even though the paint materials differ). It depends on the quality of the guy actually working on your vehicle. If you have body work flaws, your gripe is with the body shop. If the work is perfect, your gripe is with the ins. company for as mentioned earlier, the truck not being a virgin. You would need to get dealer quotes as to their opinion on how much LESS they would have to sell the truck for due to it being in a prior accident. It is that deminished value that you try to claim from the ins. company. E-mail me if you think I can be of any further help.
P.S. If you tried to go straight to small claims court against the driver of the other vehicle, his ins. company will show up to represent him. Try to deal with them directly first to avoid court costs.

 

[jvanforx@cs.com]

insurance

turboj, thanks for your comments. the other driver was at fault running a red light. i did not want to waste any time having my ty repaired so i turned it over to my insurance (auto club). when i get the car back i'll go over it thoroughly and have a talk with the other party's insurance abt the
loss in value. i don't think i'll get anywhere but will strongly consider going
to small claims court. should be an interesting experience. john.