Orig owner 78' Sliver ann,with 33,000 miles,orig paint. Some older lady decided to share lanes with me and hit me on the drivers door and left qtr.Damaged the alum rim too,tire is good. I have American collectors car ins. So that being said,in Mich do I settle for what the adjuster writes up or do I battle for a better matching paint? The sil/grey is orig,a tad faded in some areas but overall the paint is a 8.5. The lt upr/rear qtr seam popped and the door handle now sticks. Can I push for the whole back end on over to the rt side be painted? The stripes can only be bought as a 18pc package,so I'm tempted to repaint the whole car. Where do I stop? 2 otta the 3 shops looking at the car will not guarantee matching the paint to the old. The other is not an old car specialty shop. Any bump/paint guys out there? Thanx guys. Hdal

 

i will share what happened to me,
around 1989-90 I am in my 81 radical custom wide body sitting to turn and a dork in a mini van rear ended me hard, pushed me up, busted all kinds of stuff in the rear, the wide panel cracked etc,

"his' insurance of course low balled it for a few 100 no kidding,
I fought i wanted the car as it was, and his insurance fellow said get 3 estimates, so back then there were still lots of shops, tim Burke who was doing rogers stuff at the time and the top vette fellow in fl took it in, and of course fought for me that panels had to be replaced not mended and paint had to be re shot not matched, last I heard they had like 9K in the repairs, again that was 89,

so today if my 69 was driving and got hit I would demand it fixed to the condition it was, not our fault some careless driver hits a specially car.

you deserve to have the car as it was

 

Typically if the paint can't be matched they do the whole car.

What does American collectors have to say?

 

Dawson,American coll is sending an adjuster out to my house. I'm asking this ques so I'm armed with better information/insite from other Corv owners. I'm absolutely sick over this! Do I do this or should do that,has got me all worried,lol...............Dang silv is hard to match! I had the Moon roofs painted back 5yrs ago and it took 8 spray outs and hand rubbing to match the rest of the old silv paint/texture,came out tit's! Hdal

 

I can tell you will never be happy with a match up, the entire car will have to be repainted to the factory colors and if they will pay for that is another thing all togther

 

See what your insurance says..I'm not familiar with them..Paint color can be matched nicely for you SA..IT'LL be a more modern urethane paint with appropriate base prep & primer work.
You may need all or part of the Phx graphics SA decal kit..kit complete is over 400 bucks..Original paint was production run assembly line lacquer..with IMHO poor body prep work.

My 78SA had 58k miles on it and had been kept reasonably well..Still the paint was in poor condition.I've since had it painted and prepped properly inc.new weatherstripping..I was happy to pay close to 9k and wait 2 months..and it wasn't Maaco..It's better than showroom quality now and even in another 40 yrs..the work & paint will still be good..Jim

 

AS a note..Properly done..the 4 wheel alignment should be checked as well as the power antennae, windows..alarm if yours has one, lights..door..and the list goes on.
MY car has been appraised at 23k and if my insurance can't handle the battle properly.NCM..)then they can do the court battle and or pay me for the agreed upon value of our 78 Silver Anniversary corvette.Jim

 

First off, really sorry this happened to you. Way too many people on the road just not paying attention. Good news was no one was hurt.

I used to restore muscle cars and show them in various ISCA events. Lots of paint experience, like several others on CF. If you have 100% original paint, that also means the car has never been hit? So now you have two issues..........

One, no shop will really be able to match the paint properly on a car this age with original paint - in part due to different materials being used today. And even if it 'matches' pretty well today, I doubt you will be pleased in a year. So, at least IMO, you should insist on a full paint job and see what happens. You should not be penalized due to their insured's fault.

Second, if the car has never been hit, there is some diminished value as a result. I've never had to go for a diminished value claim, but I know some are successful.

Hope you have some really good recent pictures and documentation on the car. I would suggest you put together some documentation and pictures, and hold firm for them to do the right thing. Unless they're a really good insurance company (for example, I've had very good luck with State Farm when my -since sold - Maserati was in an accident, as well as a Hurst/Olds I had), they will try to deny as much $ as they can unless you are well documented and hold firm. Firm, but polite and fair.

Hope all turns out well!

 

In 89 that wide body I was talking about the black lacquer paint was still new, and even so Tim Burke pushed did I desire the entire car stripped and reshot, no, I had him just lay another coat it was already rather thick,

I just seen what my 69 a silver repaint from the 70's did in 6 months in florida, if they can match the paint to make the owner happy now and years from now okay, but "silver" is hard to match anyway,

I am not like the old gal who was clumsy burnt her self with hot coffee and thinks mickydees owns here 100 million but I do believe that with in reason we should be returned to where we were and in this case that requires a full repaint IMHO

No offense hdal but if you are all **** over the car like many vette owners are would you be happy with a paint match up?

 

I'm sorry for your loss. Keep in mind that an adjuster's JOB is to minimize expenses. That means you and your car. Push as hard as you can, and then some. The main tactic they use is stalling, this helps them squeeze every last dollar out of the investments that they use to pay your loss, more importantly, if it's a daily driver, you gotta get your car back on the road. This is where most people compromise and settle. If you want your car done right it will take time to get your money AND get repairs done properly.

 

If she hit you, her insurance has to pay the claim and YOUR insurance agent should be your advocate. Also, you have the right to have your car repaired to the "same condition" as it was before the accident.

I don't know about Michigan, but in Tennessee, we are not 'required' to get bids...we can go to whatever shop we want. Call the Insurance Commission (State of Michigan department) and ask them if you are required to get bids and/or go to a shop of the paying Insurance carrier's choosing. I would bet that NEITHER is a requirement.

If so, tell the "adjuster" that YOU will select the shop and you will look for one that can match 'original' 40 year-old paint. And if you are not able to find a shop that indicates that can be done, you want the complete car to be painted at their expense. There is no doubt that you could summon experts who would verify that sustaining damage to an "original" paint job is a significant loss to you and that a complete, quality paint job is a fair replacement for your loss.

 

Many good points here! Thanx,guys. I just had an est for $4,800 to fix left side and repaint entire rear,shelf,sail and rt qtr and restripe,also new alum rim. Add an additional $3,500 to paint the rest of car.So I get $4,800 from ins co and pay the $3,500 otta my pocket? Deal or no deal? Hdal

 

I would go for the full repaint for $3500. But I would ask to split that cost down to $1750 with the insurance company. If you don't ask you don't get.

 

Before the ins adjuster looks at it, go back to the shops that say they won't guarantee a paint match. Ask them for a written estimate that includes painting the whole car along with the statement that they can't guarantee a paint match if painting parts of it.

Start by letting the adjuster look at it. Once the adjuster shows what they have and if you're not happy with the number, show the shop estimate.

At that point it's a negotiation. If they paint the whole car they will argue the car will end up better than before. You can argue it won't have original paint anymore. Back and forth...

 

71 vert and Zwede,good logic. My biggest argument is the dang seam shrinkage at all 4 fenders. The lt side accident side popped the seam,so fill it,then do the passenger side and re-paint the whole rr of car,but what about the frt seams now,sheesh..............oh yeah and a 4 wheel alighn too!

 

This is the only outcome that is fair to you. You get your car back with matching paint that won't be an issue down the road (reminding the adjuster that it was a no-hit 100% original car), and if he/she argues that your car will be better than it was, tell them 'no it won't - I'll never have my 100% original paint no-hit Corvette back. And then I won't have to pursue a diminished value claim'. This is the only fair outcome IMO.

Good luck!

 

What is YOUR insurance agent doing in all of this? He/she is supposed to be your advocate when your car is damaged by someone else. Your agent should be going to bat for you and working to get an equitable solution...which SHOULD include the complete repaint of your car.

 

Keep this in mind. YOU are the VICTIM....and in North Carolina...When I deal with repairs JUST LIKE THIS.....first off...YOU should not have to come out of pocket.

You policy and how it is set up will determine how it gets repaired. SO...as I have told many of my customers....'They'...(the other insurance company) may offer you what 'they' feel you will accept. BUT...as mentioned..CALL the INSURANCE COMMISSION in your state and TALK with them on YOUR RIGHTS!!!!

The reason is this...I have had a few adjusters tell owners that the costs of the rental car will cause their car to thus be TOTALED....and IN REALITY....THAT WAS A.... MISDIRECTION! Becasue in North Carolina...the costs of a rental car are on a separate fund and CAN NOT be combined with the repair costs. And I have had a few adjusters try to total out a car due to they do not want to write it up...or they are NOT AWARE of what the owner has insured their car for.

SO...do NOT be ignorant....CALL The insurance commission and arm yourself with the KNOWLEDGE you need to have to you can put your foot down and KNOW that you should not have to deal with a repair that is NOT correct.

I am excellent in color matching paint.....but that is not the issue....FOR ME...the issue is that IN TIME.....what I shot would look better than the detailed/polished facotry paint that I did not touch....that was not clear coated. A trained eye will pick it up right away if you know what to look for.

The level of SHINE...the texture of the paint also are considerations that I have to factor in. It is a balancing act.

DUB

 

We're in complete agreement on this one, DUB.

 

Do you mean they think it's worth $10K but you have it insured for $40K?

I never thought about that. I always assumed NCM would be handling my accident. Complete forgot about the other parties involvement.