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While I was in my work place someone ran over my '92 Camaro RS with their big truck. They hit it in the front driver side. The body shop quoted me $2900 with new OEM parts but I managed to get him to throw the words refurb and aftermarket in there and I already got the guy down to $2400 with just a few minutes of budging. Then I asked him to figure out what might be salvageable and get it down further and he asked for my written authorization to have someone start tearing it down. I think I can get it down further. I do not want to be bought out on this car. I love this car. The body was in perfect condition before this guy hit it. The car had never so much as been dinged before this. Last month I put $1k in the transmission and a few weeks ago I put brand new tires on it at $500. So I have put $1500 in it just in the last month and a half.
The guy at the shop said the insurance company would use NADA for its value estimate and from NADA I got $2,750 as the value. He said they would likely pay out 75% of that value. So I believe I have to get the cost down to that. I think the guy will also work with me because I told him I would like to get the whole car painted and I think they are interested in landing that.
Pictures follow. Note that the paint damage on the top of the hood is where my paint is chipping away. That is why I want the paint job.
looks like you need a fender and a bumper cover, even with paint on those parts, no where near 3k. I doubt you will get the insurance to cover a complete paint job for a accident like this
looks like you need a fender and a bumper cover, even with paint on those parts, no where near 3k. I doubt you will get the insurance to cover a complete paint job for a accident like this
That wasn't my intention at all. I just want them to pay for paint on replaced parts. I am paying for the complete paint job myself. What I said earlier was that I think they will try to get the collision repair down to where the insurance will pay for it so that they get the job to repair the collision and they would also get the job I am shopping for in a complete paint job. They quote a second estimate of $1500 for the complete paint job.
Changing a fender and a front nose yourself isn't that difficult at all, and getting used parts off here or in a yard would cost alot less than 3k. Honestly that estimate, to me, is crazy.
Don't tell the insurance company, they'll just use it as a reason to jack your rates or not renew you.
Grab a new fender & nose from a junkyard, swap them out, then look at the whole paint job thing.
Even $300 sounds is high, for parts. Fender shouldn't cost you over $50, nor the nose over $100.
If I can do it (swapped my GTAs nose out a few months back) with only 1 good arm, anybody can. All it takes are wrenches & ramps or a jack & jack stands.
Don't tell the insurance company, they'll just use it as a reason to jack your rates or not renew you.
It isn't my insurance. The guy took responsibility for what he did and he left a note on my car. We work in the same building and have for years so I don't think he would have been able to drive away. Actually, I think if this guy hit a stranger's car in a place he has never been and never will be again he would still leave a note. Anyway, his insurance company already said they will increase his rate. I feel bad for him but that is the consequence of hitting my car.
I am considering what you guys are saying here. I also want to see the itemized estimate. It didn't get to my e-mail for whatever reason so I will be going to the shop and getting it tomorrow. I know there are some things on there that don't need to be. He quoted $49.99 for bowtie emblem. Well the emblem isn't even close to where the car was hit (being in the middle of the hood) and the emblem looks fine in the pictures. I also don't see any way that emblem costs $49.99. But they said that the fender went into the hood and caused hood damage that they will have to repair and that is on there as well. Looking at the pictures I can see that one side of the hood is slightly higher than the other but I can't really be sure that it is actually damaged. When I have the itemized estimate I will be putting it in this thread.
In the meantime I will have to decide if I want to stick with the white with red stripes or go for the red with black stripes which I have always thought looked great. Choices, choices. No matter what this car will be fixed.
So the guy already reported it to his insurance company? Its too bad you didnt just talk together first...since you work in the same building and all. He could have gotten out of it much easier if he just paid out of pocket to you what you would need for the parts.
Basically he pays for the parts, and kicks in a little extra for you to have to put them on. You are re-painting anyway. He saves on the increased rates, and you dont have to worry about screwing with insurance companies at all.
But...if insurance is involved...not much more you can do. Hopefully you can get the insurance money and fix it and be able to put some of that money towards the full repaint. When I wrecked my 87, the guy told me it would be totalled. But since I wanted to fix the car, he gave me the maximum he could before it was considered a total. I got a check, got to keep my clean title, and bought another straight car with the money haha.
J.
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I work for an auto insurance company, here is my two cents. Most insurance companies will consider your car a total loss if the damages/cost of repair exceed 65% of the value of the car. That number varies depending on the state you live in. From what I see your car will likely be deemed a total loss and the insurance company will not want to repair it. Reason why is if the insurance company agrees to repair it, they are on the hook for repairs that could cost in excess of the total value of your car. So they will total it out and if you retain the car you will have a salvage title which cuts the value of your car by 50%. See if you can find your own shop that will give you a "closed bid" estimate to repair your car, try to get it below the car insurance companies total loss threshold. The closed bid is an agreement by the shop to repair your car for a maximum amout say $2,000 for example. The car insurance company will need to approve it, they may give you a hard time, but just be persistent. Worst case go through your carrier and they may work with you better....Good luck..
So the guy already reported it to his insurance company? Its too bad you didnt just talk together first...since you work in the same building and all. He could have gotten out of it much easier if he just paid out of pocket to you what you would need for the parts.
I did talk with him first. I told him we would deal with it however he wanted. So he wanted to see what the estimate was going to be before making a decision. When I got the estimate at $2900 he had to call his insurance. I am considering letting the insurance company see the quote as is, get as much as they will give me without totaling the car, pay my tow at the shop (which my insurance company reimburses), buying parts online, get a friend who knows what they are doing to help me get them on, then take it back to the shop and get the paint job with whats left of the insurance and the difference out of my own pocket.
Just looking around for a couple minutes online I found a couple places where I can get a fender for about $55. The shop originally quote $450 for the fender alone and then after I asked for an aftermarket fender he changed it to $250. Obviously I can cut this down by a lot. I don't feel like this shop is giving me a deal at all.
Alright I have a copy of the estimate now. This is the original $2900 one. I have the $2400 but it is printed and I don't really feel like typing it in. So here is the estimate they wrote up. This does not include the paint job.
Code:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NO. OP. DESCRIPTION QTY EXT. PRICE LABOR PAINT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 FRONT BUMPER
2 O/H front bumper standard, RS 4.5
3 Repl Cover 1 345.46 Incl. 2.5
4 Add for Clear Coat 1.0
5 Add for Two Tone 1.0
6 Repl LT Side brace 1 9.52 Incl.
7 Repl Emblem bowtie 1 45.97 0.2
8* R&I Valance panel 1.0
9* Rpr Valance panel 3.0 1.0
10 Add for Clear Coat 0.4
11 HOOD
12* Rpr Hood standard 3.0 3.4
13 Overlap Major Non-Adj. Panel -0.2
14 Add for Clear Coat 0.6
15 FENDER
16 Repl LT Fender 1 461.10 2.6 2.8
17 Overlap Major Adj. Panel -0.4
18 Add for Clear Coat 0.5
1
10/15/2009 at 03:49 PM Job Number:
32961
PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE
1992 CHEV CAMARO RS 8-5.0L-FI 2D CPE WHITE Int:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NO. OP. DESCRIPTION QTY EXT. PRICE LABOR PAINT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19 Add for grnd effects 0.3
20 Add for Edging 0.5
21 Deduct for Overlap -0.4
22 R&I Body side mldg 0.3
23 R&I LT Stone deflector 0.3
24 DOOR
25 Blnd LT Outer panel 1.3
26 R&I LT Ground effects 0.3
27 R&I Body side mldg 0.3
28* R&I LT Mirror outside sport manual 0.6
29* R&I LT Handle, outside 0.6
30# haz waste 1 3.50
31* R&I LT Belt molding 0.3
32# mask for overspray 1 0.2
33# R&I Trim panel 0.4
34 STRIPE TAPE & DECALS
35 Repl Stripe tape hood 1 71.00 0.5
36# Subl Towing 1 80.00 X
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotals ==> 1016.55 17.8 14.6
Parts 936.55
Body Labor 17.8 hrs @ $ 42.00/hr 747.60
Paint Labor 14.6 hrs @ $ 42.00/hr 613.20
Paint Supplies 14.6 hrs @ $ 28.00/hr 408.80
Body Supplies 9.3 hrs @ $ 8.00/hr 74.40
Sublet/Misc. 80.00
----------------------------------------------------
SUBTOTAL $ 2860.55
Sales Tax $ 936.55 @ 8.0000% 74.92
----------------------------------------------------
GRAND TOTAL $ 2935.47
ADJUSTMENTS:
Deductible 0.00
----------------------------------------------------
CUSTOMER PAY $ 0.00
INSURANCE PAY $ 2935.47
Yea, that looks like a standard body shop estimate using new GM parts from a dealer or other authorized GM supplier...hence the ridiculous prices on some of those parts. It looks like they have a lot of labor too there...including hood work, etc. Has the insurance tried to say anything yet...total your car or anything? I think if you still have the option, I would just take whatever check they give you for repairs and get it done elsewhere or do it yourself as many have suggested. If they try and total it, I don't know how that works anymore from there...someone else might. I'm not sure if you can back out of the insurance claim/fix it yourself or what should they decide to total the car. All I know is that is maybe a $500 repair to me and most TGO members...
Yup that looks familiar. The only thing is...a lot of the prices that they get, are for parts they cant even get ahold of. For instance...they quoted me for a new bumper cover and a new hood. Show me where you can buy a NEW hood and bumer cover at GM retail prices. Not going to happen.
Thats why I opted to just take the money and run. So talk to your adjuster. Tell them how much the car means to you and how much work you have in it etc etc. Even if its not that much. Tell them you dont want it totalled, and that you plan to fix the car. IF they are going to total it, ask if you can have a little less money...just enough to make it not totalled. My adjuster was really cool about it.
Also...my adjuster was kinda vauge about what I needed to do when it came to totalling it and buying it back. They had to take the car, which wasnt going to happen, and then send me paper work. And he couldnt tell me how much Ide actually get... etc etc. So while I might have taken a small hit money wise, the car never left my driveway and my title is squeaky clean.
Good luck with however you proceed man! The insurance company is there for you...dont let them push you around. You pay them. If the person you are talking to wont do what you want, ask to talk to their boss. You'll be able to work something out to your advantage most likely.
never let an insurance company take you car and "send you paper work" it's YOUR car, YOU own it, NOT the insurance company, you tell them to send you a check, never let an insurance company bully you.
I would let the insurance pay for the estimate, cut you the check then take the car back home,take it apart,replace the nose and fender and take it back for paint. They are double charging for a few different things on that list with different wording. 7 hours to R&I the nose and fenderonce the nose is off,another 5 minutes for the fender...Go to the junkyard and get the parts. try to stay away from aftermarket if possible..Good luck
wow man that's terrible. I had a small accident a while ago, I got backed into in my University's parking lot and she smashed in my driver's side fender and jacked up the edge of my driver's side door. Both the fender and door had to be repainted in the affected areas, and had to do an entirely new clear coat because obviously you can't blend that like you can paint. Total, for banging out the fender, fixing the door, prime, paint, clear, and new door/fender trim as well as a new IROC-Z decal, plus labor costs totalled about $1900. It wasn't quite as severe as yours, as you're going to have to replace the entire nose as well as possibly replace the fender (if it can't be repaired) and bottom spoiler. I have no clue about the hood, but I would say that the $3000 quote isn't that far off for having a shop do the work. If you're confident, do the work yourself, but if insurance is footing the bill just have it worked on there.
The estimate has come back from the insurance company and they are sending me a check: $1,635.26
I am going to the body shop to discuss it with them on Wednesday. I think they are going to agree to repair it for that amount.
Hopefully I can convince them to give me a good deal on a paint job and change the color. I love the look of this:
I have had this car for over 6 years and that has always been the color I wanted it. I like the more maroonish than red color as opposed to the 4th gen next to it. The guy at the shop seems a little reluctant to go in the direction of changing the color but if I planned on painting it soon anyway I don't see how there could be a better time. It seems pointless to me to get these replacement parts on and not get it all painted the color I'm planning on changing it to.
If the guy won't do the repairs for the amount insurance is giving and paint it that color out of my pocket then I will have to find a shop that will.
Most of the time the insurance company will pay the full cost (minus your deductible obviously) of the repair. I would say that if you have already decided on the shop that you want to go through, you should call your insurance and ask them if that is the absolute full amount that they will pay or if they will match the full cost of the repair. That's what happened with me, the cost of the repair ended up being around $1950, and initially insurance sent me a check for $1000. I paid $150 and they paid the rest directly to the shop so I didn't have to be reimbursed. I use Farmers Insurance, hopefully your company does the same thing.
thats gonna turn into a pretty hefty bill if you decide to change the color... if you want it done right (door jams, engine bay, any other body work) you're looking at a minimum of 6 grand EASY
88 Firebird Formula 350- 85,XXX miles *G92* *Ws6*
once the nose is off,another 5 minutes for the fender...Go to the junkyard and get the parts. try to stay away from aftermarket if possible..Good luck 
