Collision Insurance Claim

[wpw2511]

Hello everyone,

Something terrible happened to me last weekend. My car was parked at Malibu Country Mart and some big shot actor smashed into my car while turning in.

I have contacted my insurance (State Farm) as well as the other party’s insurance (Progressive). The other party’s insurance has accepted liability for the incident, but I am going through my own insurance and they will then claim reimbursement from Progressive. State Farm is sending an adjuster to inspect the damage at the shop, and it seems like the whole back of the car needs to be repainted and blended.

I was wondering if anyone has had experience dealing with insurance collision with classic cars? I am a little worried as the repair cost is going to be way beyond any regular cars.

Thanks!

[mgmoore]

Hi,

I've worked in classic car restoration for many years. Wouldn't worry that's a straight forward repair you've got there, shouldn't cost a great deal to rectify.  A dent is a dent whether on a classic car or a modern car. It would be a very different situation if the car required panel work replacement.  In the uk you can insist on a specific bodyshop for the insurance work, unsure about the states though. Matt

[Shvegel]

Not worth breaking the seams and replacing the panel.  If you have no favorite shop take it to your local Mercedes dealer.  They fix new expensive cars so they probably don’t suck.  State Farm may want to steer you to their, “Preferred” shop or write you a check on the spot but get a quote from the shop first.

[mdsalemi]

This is going to be one expensive repair even though it looks simple. You can’t fix that bumper and needs to be replaced and that’s very costly. Ditto for the tail lamp. And yes you are correct you can’t just do a patch job on the paint that needs to be blended in. While I have not had collision damage I have had some rust repair and a door replacement and in both cases it required considerably more painting than you would imagine in order to make it look like nothing happened.

While the suggestion of taking it to a Mercedes dealer sounds like a good idea what’s more appropriate is asking them where they send the bodywork because many Mercedes dealers do not have body shops anymore; it’s kind of rare.

[66andBlue]

You might want to read this and perhaps contact Jonny B directly about his experiences.
https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=20645

[David Robinson]

Agree with Mike. Genuine bumper and rear light $$. Bodywork and paint $$. Not a job for an insurance companies preferred garage.   

[thelews]

Not sure what the issue is.  Whatever it costs, it will be covered.

[mdsalemi]

Not sure what the issue is.  Whatever it costs, it will be covered.

The "issue" is quite simple. State Farm isn't known as a collector car insurance specialist, such as Hagerty, J.C. Taylor, Grundy and a few others. Therefore the concern--rightfully so--is they may overlay their template of collision repair in terms of parts sourcing as well as approved shops on to this situation. Maybe it's all moot, but the concern is legitimate. In addition to that, the adjusters they use may be completely clueless as to the true cost of doing the repair correctly resulting in a serious mismatch between insurance estimate and true cost.

One does NOT have these concerns with specialized insurance carriers.

[MikeSimon]

I have State Farm and have quite a few "classic" vehicles insured with them. In Ohio the procedure with them is simple: You determine an agreed upon value for the vehicle. This can be done through a vehicle appraiser or dealer. This, together with several pictures, front, rear, side and 3/4 view, will be the base for your policy and your premium. Depending on your policy selection and deductible, you will be covered. I found the "usual" classic/collector insurances way too expensive.

[mdsalemi]

...this can be done through a vehicle appraiser or dealer.

I'll certainly take a look at that State Farm, but every state is different. I know my daily driver carrier in NC (Erie Insurance) was more than 2x the Grundy rate.

...but a legitimate appraisal of a collector car by a certified appraiser may cost a year's insurance, making any savings irrelevant...and your local dealer isn't going to know anything about a Pagoda.

[wpw2511]

Hi all,

Thanks for the reply! I needed to clarify that I did not use State Farm’s recommended body shop; I chose my own body shop that does a lot of restorations of the W113.

Regarding insurance premiums, I have my car insured for an agreed upon value of $100,000. I’m probably paying only $70 per month for the premium. I did not go through a dealer or appraiser, all I did was take a bunch of pictures and they approved me for the $100,000. I remember a quote from Hagerty was over double in premium from State Farm and Grundy.

[Vander]

Something does not seem right with that.

$100,000 agreed upon value with State Farm
should cost less than $300 year or $25/month. I know someone who has their 280SL insured with State Farm for $125,000 for $326/year.

You can send me a private message if you want.

[wpw2511]

I think it depends on the third party liability coverage amount you choose and location as well. Beverly Hills has a relatively high property theft rate; cars(including Pagodas) gets stolen here all the time. I’ve gotten quotes from around 5 different classic car insurers, and State Farm was the cheapest because I have my other cars insured with them as well.

[MikeSimon]

The location is a key factor. You cannot compare insurance rates from State to State. They vary significantly.

[Cees Klumper]

Please do report back if possible, the outcome (in terms of cost to repair, how the insurance companies were to deal with, quality of the repair, time it took and so on).

[Shvegel]

One of the things that most people are not aware of about State Farm is that they insist on original parts only.  They were involved in a class action lawsuit a few years back where owners claimed their cars were devalued or made less safe through the use of aftermarket parts.  After that 1.2 billion dollar loss State Farm decided it was better off changing the policy.

[cabrioletturbo]

One of the things that most people are not aware of about State Farm is that they insist on original parts only.  They were involved in a class action lawsuit a few years back where owners claimed their cars were devalued or made less safe through the use of aftermarket parts.  After that 1.2 billion dollar loss State Farm decided it was better off changing the policy.

Ouch, niiiiice... Good to see insurance company paying for once, for their bloodsucking services.

[Jonny B]

I had not heard about that. My repair was done 6+ years ago, and I had to fight for a few of the repair items.

[Alex D]

My Hagerty policy was up for renewal a few weeks ago, and I checked with State Farm about insuring the Pagoda, because they insure all our daily drivers.  I said I wanted insured for $100k, State Farm agent told me to go Hagerty.

[66andBlue]

One of the things that most people are not aware of about State Farm is that they insist on original parts only.  They were involved in a class action lawsuit a few years back where owners claimed their cars were devalued or made less safe through the use of aftermarket parts.  After that 1.2 billion dollar loss State Farm decided it was better off changing the policy.

It may depend on the State and what State Farm means with "original part". On our Audi Q5 the right rear view mirror that folds back when parked was sheared off and the repair was done by the local Audi dealer during the 4 year warranty period. State Farm would pay only for a salvaged original part plus painting to match car color with the warranty time matching the car's warranty time.

[Bob G MN]

I really can'' add anything useful to this but just a question.  You live near the classic center in Irvine so why not take it there and ask for an estimate.  State Farm may not like it but it would be a starting point and any repairs would be top notch

[wpw2511]

I really can'' add anything useful to this but just a question.  You live near the classic center in Irvine so why not take it there and ask for an estimate.  State Farm may not like it but it would be a starting point and any repairs would be top notch

Good question. First of all, it’s an hour drive which is fine, but there are plenty of amazing body shops closer to me in Los Angeles. Also, I didn’t know if the Classic Center deals with collision and insurance and all that.  I might give them a call tomorrow.

[Iconic]

My Hagerty policy was up for renewal a few weeks ago, and I checked with State Farm about insuring the Pagoda, because they insure all our daily drivers.  I said I wanted insured for $100k, State Farm agent told me to go Hagerty.

Alex,
I have $150k Agreed Value with State Farm. I just needed to send pictures to them. No appraisal needed. My rate is $430 per year (it is a high deductible policy) and I live 20 miles North of Chicago. You might want to explore it with another State Farm agent. Maybe the options with State Farm change from state to state. Please note: My miles/year is capped at 2000 miles. That might not work for some, but it is fine for me.
Take care,
Mark

[wpw2511]

Please do report back if possible, the outcome (in terms of cost to repair, how the insurance companies were to deal with, quality of the repair, time it took and so on).

Just wanted to update on the whole process with insurance. It’s honestly much more straightforward than I expected. First, the adjuster came to inspect the car, and within a week he came up with an estimate of $5300. However, that estimate was low as he looked for parts on ebay. The shop then filed a supplement for an additional $2k for parts from the Classic Center, and State Farm approved it in less than 48 hours. The body shop’s labor rate is $120 per hour.

I ended up using Classic Vision Restoration in Burbank, CA. Let me tell you, if I judge the shop from the outside, I wouldn’t bring a Toyota Corolla there. But they turned out to be amazing in terms of customer service and craftsmanship. In fact, the shop owner has worked on 8 cars that won in Pebble Beach, including 2 Best of Show.

Check them out: 

https://classicvisionusa.com/home.html

https://www.streetmusclemag.com/features/from-rags-to-restoration/

[Cees Klumper]

Very nicely done judging from the photos. And good that the process was relatively smooth.

I had a similar experience when our home in the Florida Keys was severly damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017. We managed everything remotely and the insurance company came through fast and without challenge; that was a $35K bill for them at the time and I was surprised at how smooth it went.