my z got hurt need insurance advice

[mtdripo]

Hey Guys,

Well, my baby got damaged the other day and I am seeking advice on how to deal with the insurance situation. The z was hit from behind and pushed into a truck (icy driveway). Rear valance and bumper destroyed, front: hood destroyed, fenders all out of whack and buckled, right headlight cowl destroyed. Has anyone dealt with ins. companies in this type of situation before? The car was a a great daily driver, 2500 spent on new suspension less than 3000 miles ago, interior restoration half way done, rebuilt l28 w/ dual Webbers. The ins. co .is progressive and they said they use their own appraisers as far as damage goes; this scares me. Any feedback ASAP would be great.

Thanks,

Dan

[gnosez]

I have been there and I'm sorry to hear about your accident. The first thing you need to do is get organized.

1)Start by making copies of all the paper you have on the car (repairs, mods, invoices, etc.).

2)Then take lots of pics (after the accident) which you will add to the ones you have of the Z before it was damaged.

3)Next, go to NADA, zcar, collector auto, etc. and get a listing of the avg price for your car (print out any ads of people selling similar Zs and write down any mods you have they don't, etc.).

4) Call at least 2 local junkyards and ask for the salvage price on your Z (just say I have a 19XX 2X0Z and I need to know what it's worth). Write down yards' name, phone number and price. This is how much you will pay to buy your Z back if the insurance company decides it's a total.

5) Don't sign anything yet and hold off signing anything until you get what you want. Time is your friend.

6) Don't give the insurance company your car or let them take it to their holding yard. If possible have it stored at home or somewhere where you have control and can limit access. Don't let them ( the insurance) be concerned about daily storage charges.

7) Remove all personal items immediately. Take the key with you.

8) Read your insurance policy several times.

9) Research local/State laws and regulations regarding your rights.

10) The claims people are paid to give you the lowest amount they can, so remember that at all times so avoid the temptation of a settlement check 25% less than what you wanted just because they have it ready for you. Ask to speak to an internal company adjustment person (usually quality control or customer service rep) if things aren't moving in your direction.

11) Stay on good terms with your usual insurance agent.

12) Investigate the costs of hiring a lawyer even to just send a nasty letter (in the $300-400. range) that might get them to settle.

13) Try and stay calm and perhaps get someone else to help you with the interface stuff unless you can in fact stay calm during a possible heated discussion with a jerk of an insurance idiot.

14) Take notes, keep a log and be better prepared than them at all times (which means you may have to call them back - you set the agenda and the time).

Good Luck..........

[240ZX]

I would think if you were hit from behind, as you stated, file a claim as usual! Isn't that what insurance is for? Now if there are details you are not providing us that may suggest something fishy was going on....well, that's another matter!

[matria]

I don't have all of the answers but you should get alot of input on this. To start, find EVERY reciept you can find for things you bought for the car. They ( insert any ins. co) will try to low ball you. Get your own appraisls. If you have a good ins. agent, let them handle the mess. Other questions - can you demand that they fix the Z rather then totaling it, get the latest value(Nada?).

[MikeW]

They ( insert any ins. co) will try to low ball you. Get your own appraisls.

My wife recently had a minor accident and I first took the car to a local shop to get an estimate. I then went to the insurance estimator knowing what I should expect. His computer was broken that day and he simply took some photos and made a few notes. When he noticed I already had an estimate from somewhere else he asked for a copy of it and when he finally got his estimate a few days later it was actually slightly higher than the first (although virtually identical). This worked out to my advantage because he was able to make sure he didn't miss anything that the other guy found. The estimate is actually a bunch of small things from replacement panels to frame work to emblems to paint to an alignment, etc. They really just go by the book on that stuff. It may be different for an older car that may not be covered in the book but you should at least be informed before you let the insurance guy look at it.

[hls30.com]

Gnoze is right on the money!

Late one October I was rearended in the blue '76 2+2 in my gallery. The accident was properly documented and reported. The adjuster came by work a couple of weeks later(the car was still driveable) and offered me a check for $400 on the spot. I laughed in his face! He came back with the we'll just "total it" then song and dance. I opened the car door and took out $435.00 worth of reciepts that were dated 10 days before the accident that paid for the rubber surrounding the bumper, and a $300 bill for a new exhaust system put on less than a month before, and told him I had about $1,800 in reciepts for work done in the last 6 months. I reminded him that I was hit by his customer. I had proper coverage on my car, and that I would be more than happy to invite his customer and his company to court. He calmed down, and told me he would be back in touch.

It was now the end of November, and the adjuster showed up and told me that $550 was the best he could do, and that I could get used parts to replace the damaged pieces. I politely said, "No, You can find the parts, or have them found and installed, but I reserve the right to inspect and approve them. He grumbled and went about his day.

Jump to the week before Christamas. The adjuster calls me and says. "We need to close our books, you need to settle this claim." I replied: "The only one holding it open is you. When you are ready for this to be done, you will have your company pay to replace all of the parts, paint the car(DN305 is notorious for fading), and put it back in the condition it was in before your customer hit it. Waiting only means there will be more for you to pay for as the damage starts to rust, and your books will stay open."

The next day he brought me a check for $1,934. I deposited the check and the ordeall was over.

I chose not to call often to reinforce the fact that I was not going to accept less than what it would take. With the proximity to the end of the year, I knew that te company would press him to close "old business".

If it had happened earlier in the year, I would have ridden him like the seat of a hot Z, and kept my foot in it-them.

Get your ducks in a row, find our what the insurance company does not want you to know(your rights), push them for what you want, and hold out until it happens.

Do not sign anything until the check is big enough to take care of the entire problem.

Will

[mtdripo]

Hey yall,

Thanks for all the useful info. Unfortunately I bought most of my parts on ebay (maybe pal-pal receipts are obtainable). Keep in mind that it is not my insurance that will be paying for the damage since my neighbor hit the car. Does this change my position? All I know is I have over 5k in the car and at least 100 hrs of enjoyable work, although it’s still “work”. Installed all the Polly bushings, springs, shocks, and did major carb and top end overhaul all in my ”free” time. Keep the info coming folks; I feel I’ll need it.

Thanks,

Dan

[hls30.com]

Because it was your neighbor, he can apply pressure to the insurance company too-If they are unresponsive. He is their customer-he has some pull because he paid them.

Will

[gnosez]

My accident took place in early October but we didn't settle the case until the 29th of December knowing of their urge to do before the 1st of January. I didn't bring this up in my earlier post as your accident happened in the early part of the year. Companies close out their books year end and like to move things along to do so. Quarterly reports of unsettled cases get noticed, so let this one simmer a bit.

Make copies of the parts you put in your car and show what MSA, VB, the Zbarn and others sell them for whether new or used.

And don't take them up on the offer to have the car repaired in "their" shop.

As to showing them all the money you've spent on your Z, that can come back to bite you. I put together a list and my wife saw it. It was a bit frosty around the house for awhile. Good thing I hadn't put the bill from Rebello's in the pile yet. Forget global warming.......

[mtdripo]

funny g-nose, I too am scared at what the tally on purchased parts may be. yall have been a great and speedy help, no wonder why I love this club so much. WISH ME LUCK, adjuster comes today and he better be ready, I'll fight this one for the whole year if I need to. Thanks again for all your wisdom.

Thanks,

Dan

ps yall are a true group of good people, thanks again!

[EScanlon]

One important note, if you have insurance on your vehicle, which you mention you do, then check with your company about what coverage you have.

If all you have is liability, then you are at the mercy of the other insurance company. If on the other hand you have complete coverage (comprehensive, collision, uninsured/underinsured driver coverage, etc.) then you may have a situation where you can receive payment from the other insurance company and then complete the claim with YOUR insurance company to restore it to the condition before the accident.

Enrique

[mtdripo]

Bad news, my car was parked for the winter and uninsured, the insurance I mrentioned was the other driver's ins. It looks good though, adjuster came by today and took a bunch of pics, he says with the rare situation of the car it will take him a few days to get the prices on parts, etc to come up with an estamate. Does this sound good or bad to yall?

Thanks,

Dan