Wrecked!
#123
Tom-glad to hear you got a fair deal from the insurance and good luck in the truck hunt. Hope Karri gets feeling better soon
#124
Insurance is state regulated, not federally regulated, so yes, it varies by state. There are a lot of variables involved in claims and in totaling a vehicle (A LOT OF VARIABLES). Bottom line though, what happens in your state may be completely (180-degrees) different than what happens to your neighbor across state lines. My state is between two states where there are a lot of travelers so I've had to deal with three different "systems" on a regular basis (as an insurance adjuster).
#125
Here are the pics of the truck when we went to clean it out on Thursday. Hard to believe it's gone...
I've been so busy the last few days I haven't even had much time to think about it. Closed on the new house yesterday and now we're moving! My big white trailer hasn't been touched yet, we have a LOT of stuff to move. My 2010 F150 rental truck is parked in front:
I have a copy of the final estimate in hand, will post it when I get my scanner hooked up.
I've been so busy the last few days I haven't even had much time to think about it. Closed on the new house yesterday and now we're moving! My big white trailer hasn't been touched yet, we have a LOT of stuff to move. My 2010 F150 rental truck is parked in front:
I have a copy of the final estimate in hand, will post it when I get my scanner hooked up.
#126
#129
Wow, I never considered the cost of diesel parts (stuck in the gasser mindset) however that Excursion repair bill seems pretty steep as well... just to put it into perspective:
1 new bed side
1 new rear cab door
1 new tailgate
1 new fender
1 new hood
Fix cab with cab about 2 feet above cab corner (bullet hole)
entire new front clip
Entire truck re-paint (excluding roof), removing all signs of keying and dents- including a dent in driver side bed almost identical to excursion damage
All of that totalled $5500 when it was all said and done. For the bed side damage was approximated at $1250 by both a shop and adjuster. Does MI have cheap auto body work or something?
Here's a few pics of the beast during the repair...
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...4/SSPX0055.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...4/SSPX0053.jpg
1 new bed side
1 new rear cab door
1 new tailgate
1 new fender
1 new hood
Fix cab with cab about 2 feet above cab corner (bullet hole)
entire new front clip
Entire truck re-paint (excluding roof), removing all signs of keying and dents- including a dent in driver side bed almost identical to excursion damage
All of that totalled $5500 when it was all said and done. For the bed side damage was approximated at $1250 by both a shop and adjuster. Does MI have cheap auto body work or something?
Here's a few pics of the beast during the repair...
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...4/SSPX0055.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...4/SSPX0053.jpg
#130
#132
If insurance companies knew more about bodywork, the estimates overall would be lower. The problem is lots of bodyshops these days use a pre-programmed estimating system that breaks it down part-by-part and job-by-job and from my experience, it's insanely high. I remember several years ago I had a truck repaired that I could've fixed myself in about 4 hours. It was minor damage and part of the job included having the lower part of the door repainted. The computer esimating system tacked on and additional hour's labor for "re-aligning". Huh? The door NEVER came off, so why would it need to be re-aligned? The total for the bill was 12 hours labor, it took the shop three weeks to do it and State Farm coughed up the money without balking one bit.
#133
Insurance and body shops typically use the same estimating software, although there are a couple different programs they are very similar. The reason for the software is because it is constantly updated with the retail part prices and many now include used part prices and where they can be found. There is no calling around on part prices, for the most part (except many of the used part prices and locations need to be confirmed). The programs also automatically figure out paint times, overlap of adjacent panels, tell you what items are included in the labor times (i.e., removing and re-installing door handles, mouldings, etc.). It also figures not just the labor and part prices, but the materials (i.e., how much paint the painter will use, whether the painter gets paid to respray corrosion protection material, etc.).
So, the move to computerized estimates shaves time for the body shop and the estimator (whether it's a body shop estimator or an insurance estimator). It makes them more accurate, not less, because there are a number of automatic functions and calculations. It also helps with relationships between shop managers and insurance adjusters because they can both see exactly what's on the estimate up front, can agree on the repair before it gets started and there are no arbitrary issues. They are all spelled out on the estimate.
I wish all estimators had as much training as insurance estimators, or had to keep up their training and certification as state regulated insurance estimators.
#134
If insurance companies knew more about bodywork, the estimates overall would be lower. The problem is lots of bodyshops these days use a pre-programmed estimating system that breaks it down part-by-part and job-by-job and from my experience, it's insanely high. I remember several years ago I had a truck repaired that I could've fixed myself in about 4 hours. It was minor damage and part of the job included having the lower part of the door repainted. The computer esimating system tacked on and additional hour's labor for "re-aligning". Huh? The door NEVER came off, so why would it need to be re-aligned? The total for the bill was 12 hours labor, it took the shop three weeks to do it and State Farm coughed up the money without balking one bit.
#135
I would have bet any amount of money that I could have done the repair in 4 hours actual working time. The damge was minor, the truck was white bc/cc and the finished quality was horrid. GM truck doors of that era had the hinges welded in place so any adjustments would not be even possible, let alone needed for a minor scrape. Not only that but lots of the stick-on trim was re-used even though the shop billed the insurance to replace it with new parts. Also having done paint work on my own for a while, I'm very familiar with what goes into it. I recently repaired the front wrap on my brother's Dodge Dakota. I charge him $30/hr and did the job for $1,200 where the local shop estimated $4,800. The quality of my work far exceeded anything coming out of our local ASE shops as well.