We had a really bad windstorm up here yesterday (50-60 mph winds) and I had one of those screen house/gazebos set up in my back yard. Well the wind ripped it out of the ground and tossed it on top of my Chevelle, smashing the front windshield, denting the windshield molding, putting a 2'x 2" gouge in the roof, denting and scratching the cowl hood and various other scratches on the doors and front fenders. Now my car is not show quality by any means but it's not a rust bucket either and the red paint is about 15 years old and faded. I have full comprehensive insurance with a $100 deductable on it. My Insurance company told me to have an estimate done and fax them over the quote. My question is...with all the scratches and dings this incident caused, will the insurance cover fixing and repainting the areas that got damaged, even though the new repairs/paint won't match the rest of the car because the paint is old and faded? Most of these scratches and gouges can't be buffed out...the go down deep to the metal. I guess I'm hoping to get a paint job out of the deal, but I'm not sure how damage like this will work out on an old vehicle with old paint.
Thanks in advance.

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Bob C.
70 Malibu
N.E. Chevelle & El Camino Assoc. #085
rcroatti@adelphia.net
Bob's 1970 Chevelle Malibu (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/Bob701.jpg)

Ugh! That sucks. We had that wind storm last night too. Fortunately my biggest problem was keeping the car cover on. I suppose you could have your body man give you an estimate that would cover as much of the job as possible and maybe you'll end up getting the whole thing for cheap dough out of pocket. Hey, you going to Loudon this weekend?

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Mark
1970 SS454 LS6 (nom)
TH400/4.10 posi
Formerly Cranberry Red now War Bonnet Yellow
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"Fight Apathy - the disease no one cares about."

Hey Mark, Thanks for the reply - Yeah that would be sweet if I can get at least some kind of new paint job out of it http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif. That would ease the pain a bit. It was not a pretty sight coming home from work and finding out the Velle and the screen house had a fight and the Velle lost.

Yeah I'll be at Loudon this weekend, I'll be in the Grandstands, halfway between the finish line and turn one, I think it's section I row 35. You going?

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Bob C.
70 Malibu
N.E. Chevelle & El Camino Assoc. #085
rcroatti@adelphia.net
Bob's 1970 Chevelle Malibu (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/Bob701.jpg)

Sounds like we'll be in pretty close proximity again. I'll be in South section P, row 22, around seat 15 or so. More or less across from the 3rd or 4th pit stall if memory serves me. Stop by for a cold one! You gonna be in Tony trim again?

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Mark
1970 SS454 LS6 (nom)
TH400/4.10 posi
Formerly Cranberry Red now War Bonnet Yellow
-------------------------
"Fight Apathy - the disease no one cares about."

Ah cool, I'm always up for a cold one!...but from the sounds of it I/we may be in rain gear http://www.chevelles.com/forum/frown.gif. But yes, I will be donning the #20 in some fashion. Should I look for the SS454 hat/shirt? http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif

[This message has been edited by Bob70 (edited 09-13-2002).]

This is complicated, but I will try. Please note I am NOT an insurance person, I own a Collision shop. 1. Most insurance policies require that vehicle be returned to pre-loss condition. This can be interpreted differently, by different persons. Historically Insurance companies do not take responsibility for prior condition of car. By that I mean rust, dents, faded paint. While they will often pay for blending and tinting to achieve a better match, it would be rare that they would refinish entire car to solve faded, oxidized paint. If it was a show car, with some high tech finish, that can only be duplicated by a complete refinish, they often will bend and deal with cost. They do have tools in their arsenal to inflict this policy. Example: "Yes, Mr. Bob70 your paint cannot be matched, therefore we will pay for the refinish of your car. However Mr. Bob70 your finish is 15 years old, we consider the life of a paint finish to be 20 years, (being generous) therefore we will depreciate the settlement by XX%, here is your adjusted amount" (Please go away) If your car has too much paint on it already, prior damage or poor repairs, the word track would be: "These condition's are a pre-existing condition, NOT covered by your policy. We will NOT pay for stripping or correction of any prior damage, rust, or repairs. Under normal conditions your homeowners insurance will NOT cover damage to your vehicle. Be sure you establish value, with documentation, of your velle. If repair cost is too high and comes close to or exceeds value, Insurance company may want to total out velle. They will own salvage on vehicle unless you negotiate to retain, as part of settlement. If you feel the insurance company is being unreasonable, most States have an insurance Commisioner's office to assist the public. Most Insurance policies also have an arbitration clause when there is a dispute on claim. Memorize your policy and understand all your rights and responsibilities. Learn and understand how your state interprets depreciation, and betterment. They ARE two different things. Find a local shop that is interested in working with you, and works well with Insurance companies. Knowledge is power. Good Luck, Karl

Thanks for that reply Karl, that's the sort of info I was looking for. So far, the insurance has come back with an agreement to cover the cost to replace/install the windshield, fix and refinish the hood and roof where is was scratched at a cost of about $1,200. Which I thought was reasonable. I asked them about the refinished areas not matching the rest of the car and the fact that the whole car matched before the incident. They are now looking at their options for "blending" the areas for the best match up or getting it as close as they can. I am fine with this, like I said it wasn't perfect before and I'm not looking for perfection, I just want it returned to "pre-loss condition". Fortunately my insurance company has been very accomidating and has made this fairly easy to deal with. I could see this becoming a nightmare with some other insurance companies.

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Bob C.
70 Malibu
N.E. Chevelle & El Camino Assoc. #085
rcroatti@adelphia.net
Bob's 1970 Chevelle Malibu (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/Bob701.jpg)

Sounds like things are going well. Choose a good shop. Karl

That's good. It's nice to hear when a company actually does what it's paid to do. BTW, how'd you make out Sunday? Nice weather wasn't it!

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Mark
1970 SS454 LS6 (nom)
TH400/4.10 posi
Formerly Cranberry Red now War Bonnet Yellow
-------------------------
"Fight Apathy - the disease no one cares about."

Mark -
We decided to take our chances and not go to the race. We all thought for sure it would have been cancelled. Oh well, we got to watch it on TV plus watch the Pats embarrass the Jets! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif
Did ya get a little wet?

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Bob C.
70 Malibu
N.E. Chevelle & El Camino Assoc. #085
rcroatti@adelphia.net
Bob's 1970 Chevelle Malibu (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/Bob701.jpg)

Naw, it wasn't bad at all. We had raingear, mucho ice cold beverage (including my world famous bloody marys), plenty of bbq pork sandwiches and sausage subs, and the Pats on the radio. What else could we possibly need? http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif Actually, some exotic dancers spoon-feeding us would've been nice, come to think of it.

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Mark
1970 SS454 LS6 (nom)
TH400/4.10 posi
Formerly Cranberry Red now War Bonnet Yellow
-------------------------
"Fight Apathy - the disease no one cares about."