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Well it finally happened, my first accident. I was stopped at a stop sign waiting for some traffic to move and I got hit from behind by a young lady on her phone. No one was hurt and I was able to limp home but despite only a bent front plate on her car my baby didn't fare so well.
I was up in LA this weekend and stopped by J&D Corvettes. Anyone here have experience with them? They had a 69 in there that was also rear ended. The repair looked awesome but the guy chose to have the whole car resprayed and I'm not sure that's in my budget right now. Not to mention it's just under two hours away from where I live. I do like that they know Vettes and I got to see their work firsthand. I brought pics to J&D and the guy basically told me it'd be a close color match and they would blend it but no way it's gonna be a 100% since it's not a true factory color. It was resprayed Ontario Orange with a pearl coat sometime before I bought it.
I'm bummed, pissed this happened. It wasn't a desirable car, just a base model. But now it's a base model that's been hit. One that's going to be two colors. It's gonna be in a shop for a couple months. I hate the idea of having to pay to have the whole car done again later when the back part is gonna be paid for by the insurance now anyway. I love the Ontario Orange but I've always wanted a blue car. Sigh...... Can anyone here suggest a body shop in SOCAL? USAA's shops won't touch my car and I get to pick where the car gets sent. I need some options.
Whilst not SoSal, In West San Carlos (Bay area), I'm very familiar with a shop there called Automotive Enterprise that does this kind of work all the time. Not exactly cheap, but VERY thorough. They're corvette specialists. They did the work on my dads 68 when his front end was plowed by another car after truck running a red hit it. Real nice job. Course, in that case they just replaced the whole clip, but I'm pretty certain they can just do regular repairs too.
Insist that the insurance company paint the whole car because it's a classic and mis-matched paint will degrade its value. Tell them that would make your back feel much better.
I'm sorry to hear this and wish you the best in getting it repaired and back on the road again soon. I envy that you have the weather to do this in December, nice the year there includes 12 months of driving your good looking car.
Best of success and wishing you and your car a speedy recovery.
Insist that the insurance company paint the whole car because it's a classic and mis-matched paint will degrade its value. Tell them that would make your back feel much better.
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
Glad you're okay. I agree with having her insurance paint the whole car. Its a classic and having the paint match is important to the value of the vehicle. Take her to small claims court if the insurance wont pay. Take them too. They have an obligation to you to restore your vehicles value. Stupid people on cell phones need to go to jail for a while, maybe that will teach them.
Insist that the insurance company paint the whole car because it's a classic and mis-matched paint will degrade its value. Tell them that would make your back feel much better.
Brian
THIS↑↑↑
Also explain to the insurance company that if you don't need a rental car that needs to be factored in as part of the claim...And ask them about the diminished value-and how are they going to handle that?
Don't call it a 'base model" - Call it a very desirable "CHROME BUMPER" Corvette STINGRAY!!!
Damn, really sorry to hear and see this, hope it gets properly taken care of.
Isn't it just a matter of the quote being sent from the body shop to the insurance company. Its just a figure that the insurance deals with. I don't think they care of the car gets painted or not. They just look a t the bottom line. Include all the repairs in the quote to make the car perfect. The only thing to worry about is the value of the actual car/repair quote ration does not wright the car off. Good luck.
^^This^^
Paint canot be matched due to age..or that is the story anyway. Body shop wont warenty color match due to respray..need complete job..or that is the story..
Sorry to hear. I saw the same thing a few years back at Bloomington Gold. Guy was on his way to the show when a girl on her phone pulled out in front of him. Smashed the whole front fender, bumper and lower valance. Was a nice original 69 BB 427. I tell you though the sight of cracked fiberglass makes me dizzy. Hope it works out for you.
Whose insurance is being used? Hopefully it's the girl's. If so, insist on the entire car being resprayed. Go to a chiropractor and start documenting your whiplash symptoms. Tell the adjuster you will need to get your lawyer involved if they don't work with you on the repairs. All you want is your baby returned to her pre-accident condition. Be prepared to fight to get it that way.
On the other hand, if your insurance company is handling it there are more things to consider. When I had my 98 coupe, somebody kicked up a tire tread on the freeway and it hit me hard enough to crack and chip the paint on my bumper and hood. I had to foot some of the bill to get the whole front end re-sprayed, rather than just blending the area affected.
Well that just sucks. I'm truly sorry that happened to you.
Be sure there is a clause in the estimate for hidden damage, you are going to have some.
Rearmost crossmember bent.
Left rear splash shield
Front of spare tire tub hitting differential
LR fender to rear deck bounding seam
Rear deck to tub bonding seam
LR quarter to lock pillar panel bond
Tail light wiring harness
Exhaust panel to LR fender bonding strip (small but expensive)
Tail light to deck bonding strip
I was up in LA this weekend and stopped by J&D Corvettes. Anyone here have experience with them?
JD is exactly the place that i would take to have that problem fixed.
Noe and his staff are very experienced with fiberglass work. Years ago they replaced the poly bumper with a fiberglass version and it fits perfect. And even then, before computerized color matching, they nailed a darker-than-stock tan paint. This year they repainted my self-damaged hood. Noe struggled to convince me to have micro-cracks repaired. The cracks were repaired and the paint is excellent.
Over the years i have done about $12k worth of business with JD and i am satisfied with their performance.
If anything mechanical got screwed up JD can handle that too.
Carl
PS - i have periodically had to use a flatbed service as arranged by Noe.
Last edited by Carl in LA; 12-21-2015 at 09:28 PM.
Reason: ps message
Insurance companies will avoid a law suit at all costs...but take you to the courthouse steps just to test you. Took me until age 66 to figure this out. My home insurer would have rejected a sewer backup claim last year. I happen to hold an all-lines insurance adjusting license and know what I am talking about. Therefore, I decided to hire a loss consultant specializing in sewer claims, who works with a knowledgeable attorney. The claim and filing suit took 9 months...but we got all that we demanded...out of court. What a country!
If you value the car...you may need to lawyer up in order to get what is coming to you. Do not refer to your beautiful 43 year old classic Corvette as only being a "base model" or being not of much value. She hit your car from the rear...it was not your fault! You need to be talking about more than just the repair and how much will be repainted...things such as diminished value, rental car, possible doctor bills, tests, MRIs, etc. My back would be seriously hurting if I were you.
Or you can take the bone that they throw you. Insurance companies are not your friends and you are not in good hands with them.
Last edited by Faster Rat; 12-21-2015 at 09:26 PM.
12-20-2015, 11:54 PM
Rear ended this weekend
