I agree with My1st, if USAA has not contacted you call them (pm me if you need some phone numbers) if he has not stated the process with USAA you can. If you have his member number or policy number they can get things started easily.

 

Glad you are Ok and not injured. But as far as insurance, this kind of s@@t is why I carry full coverage on every car I have even if they are paid off and lien free. You never know when an uninsured motorist is going to hit you or in you case, a no fault state. Good luck and hope you get the Vette back up and running soon.

 

This sucks Gregg. File a claim with USAA, regardless if has already or not. I would also take it to a Chevy dealer with a body shop, in this case, I think Hendrick might be your best bet as they deal with more Corvettes than anyone else around here. They would be more apt to check the undercarriage than joe schmoe body shop. I hope you don't have to litigate this.

If you do, I know a local attourney that may be able to point you in the right direction. I don't think this kind of thing is his area, but he probably knows a good one.

I also think there's a medical supply store in Olathe that sells the 'real deal' neckbraces...you know...just in case. J/K

 

I also agree with 'My1st' on contacting USAA to ensure he has filed, they are usually pretty persistant and don't drag it out if possible (my experience but I am also a member so it is skewed). I do know that if USAA sees the car as primarily exterior damage they generaly not total it but if the undercarriage is damaged they will take another view of it. I hope all goes well and this idiot has his day, I have always admired your car.

 

I agree with 86pace...

the problem is, something that I ran into before, is the declining book value of C4s...the upgrades are not counted in an insurance claims estimate on repair vs total loss. I think my 87 is listed around 8K now...but I've got 4 times that in it.

In todays world, 7k in damage is a front bumper, hood and some suspension parts at flat rate manual. Its easy to get to the "total loss" figure. ANY kind of bumper damage is now worth $2500...
its become a numbers game to the ins carriers.
I know you don't want to hear that, but that's why I'm letting you know that IF that happens, you CAN work deals sometimes to buy it back and still have money to fix it...

 

Ok...In the order of contact:

Right Rear hit first...


Which bent the toe rod...


For reference, the driver's side....


Then the front right corner...


Busted right gill, hood scuffs (as shown above), and lower door scuffing...


Finally, squeezed into the center concrete divider...


Can't believe how little fiberglass damage on either side. None of driver's side. Only side vent cracked on passenger side. That toe rod is really what absorbed the initial hit.

C-Beam is in-tact...as are all other suspension components AND mounting points all look fine. I have to provide new wheels before they can put it on a frame and alignment machine -- but it looks fairly unscathed.

Reshooting the hood...for one stinking scratch isn't the best...unless their's enough coverage. Besides one scratch, I'd bet all other damage would buff out. I'm also shocked the mirror only has a scuff and isn't loose. How did THAT not get clipped off?

When I saw the chit going down, I was traveling about 60. My skid mark looks 30-40 feet long. (Should that happen with anti-locks? Or...maybe that's because of being knocked laterally?)

And, how did I manage to contact the inner wall and ONLY tap the LR wheel? Now that you see pics of probably a 25-35mph contact, it's way better than you'd expect, right?

 

I called USAA yesterday. An appraiser has already looked at my car -- on behalf of USAA. That's all I know for certain.

I also know the mechanic recommends toe bar, ball joint, and wheel bearings (plus wheels) to fix the suspension damage. Follow-up alignment will prove if anything else is wrong...as will driving it.

Relatively speaking, this could be a "smelling-like-a-rose" situation.

We all know a broken hood would have been a major undertaking. Hopefully paint will match well -- considering they've swapped from Sikkens to PPG since it was painted. But, I chose code "00" pure black for my paint. Not a drop of any other color added.

Maybe it would have been good if I was FORCED to upgrade to a 4:11 gear set! LOL (I wish.)

 

You need to revisit the c-beam mounts I'd say. Is there damage? Maybe not but your damage to the toe-link indicates that it needs more than just a glance! Measure the location of the beam in the tunnel at the transmission. If the impact was "top center" of the wheel it's likely that you could have toe-link only damage but it justifies a more serious inspection.

 

Sir,
The pictures definitely hurt in many ways and it looks like you had a copilot along. I hope USAA does you right on this one. My adjuster four months ago specialized in specialty cars and was pretty thorough, I felt he did a good job. He informed me that they give more consideration to a specialty cars such as corvettes, I hope it is the same with yours. Wish you all the luck with it.

 

Military or not....WHAT A PIECE OF ****. No respect here for that loser.


So sorry to hear about that! Stories like this are no good. I hope you get things sorted out and come out O.K.

 

Greg FWIW.
My cousin put his C5 into a slide catching the rear wheel on the front of an SUV.
We discussed the long term problems which came to pass when the diff started leaking thru the cracks.

I know the ins co will not be to excited to engage you in this issue now.
But your knowledge and debate skills will make them wish their client hadn't encountered you.

 

I just took a look at the rear suspension shot and I'm having trouble convincing myself that the "spring bolt" is straight and undamaged. Might it just be the snapshot? Don't know. I can tell you that of the two I told you I had seen that displayed the catastrophic failure later, one had no visible damage what so ever. I can tell you that the c-beam could easily hide fractures in the mounting areas. I would think the c-beam would need to be removed to actually check the mounts. That's why I suggested the check of dimensions at the trans mount area and even that doesn't answer the question.

 

The only problem with that keen observation is.... debating an insurance company with their mind made up is like trying to communicate with your ex-wife!



OTOH, debating with the guy who hit me...if I don't end up happy will be more stimulating!

 

Where are there measurements for comparison? I'm guessing that McCarthy (Chevrolet) will have those. Are they in the FSM?

For reference, I just went back and included a picture of the left rear suspension. It makes the amount of the toe-rod bend more obvious.

You mentioned a direct hit TDC as being the best scenario? I don't get that. It would seem the hit was more at 9'Oclock (rear middle). That's where the toe-rod connects. The wheel itself still feels tight...like there's zero play in the wheel bearing.

 

How is the rear sway bar? Right side bent or maybe just the picture?

 

The shop should have a frame dimension book that's more comprehensive than the FSM but tell the shop you're very interested in having all of the suspension points confirmed with a "tram-gauge" - measured left to right and crossed it assures that things are where they need to be. You would be measuring from a right fixed point front of wheel at frame to left suspension components and then left to right and front ball-joints X'd to a common suspension component in the rear. Frame books will have several options. Lower left ball joint to maybe right shock mount and then right to left. Those are examples only. Your concern isn't frame damage but just making sure components are where they belong and "equal" on your car left to right and front to rear.

They'll do the hub-bearing with no questions asked I'd think but I doubt there's actually any damage. Really hard to confirm unless it's a tremendous impact. They take a pretty good blow and the wheel broke so even less likely.

 

Sorry to see

best of luck getting it fixed

 

Gregg,
I can only imagine how you feel. It's so sad to see that damage on your beautiful Vette. I sincerely hope USAA makes it all go away. Stay after them until it's as good as it was. The squeaky wheel WILL get the attention it deserves. We learned our lesson when my wife was hit in her then 5,000mile BMW Z3. It was not as bad as yours but today that car is as god as new at 174K miles. Travelers Ins was our at-fault driver. It was still a battle to get it done right.

Mick

 

I ordered an EM toe-rod kit, two rear wheel bearings, 4 ZR-1 chrome wheels, and Sumis. Oddly, after looking at all the tire options, I still like the Sumi best...and partly because of the sidewall shape and tread.

I'm hoping new wheels and road-force will insure lack of vibration. Actually, I'd discovered the LF wheel bearing had play a couple weeks before the accident. Maybe that's what was causing my intermittent shudder?

I chose the ZR-1/Sumi combo because of price too. Here's why...

I've been told the insured had $10k coverage from USAA. He hit two of us. The other "victim's" damage is about $2k. Mine was written up as $8k. But, that didn't include any potential supplement if issues are found once wheels are mounted and everything is carefully checked. The other car has slight potential for supplementation (once they see crash bumper underneath). It LOOKS like a mild bump on their car though.

USAA say they will be offering $8k once they get the other party to agree on $2k. If they refuse both of us will be eligible to wait until all repairs are done AND rental fees are added in while work is performed. Both totals would be compared to see if/what deviation from the 80/20 split of the $10k might be. They'd adjust according to that percentage. That means things could go up/down a couple hundred for either party. IMO not worth haggling over...but the "other" damaged car is owned by youngsters. They may want every dime.

The bad part is I've been told I'll be forced to sign an agreement NOT to seek additional damage from the USAA client -- to accept my $8k payment. And, if I don't, I will get nothing unless/until I sue. Even then, it sounds like insurance would recuse themselves from responsibility and force me to obtain any/all funds directly from the jerks' personal assets.

Is this fair/right? Can USAA pull this SH$T? I am royally pissed -- even if it turns out that repairs can be completed with the $8k. For example, I've already decided to take less expensive routes for repair -- planning on the unseen/unforeseen.

As long as I can get the SOB vibration-free, that'll be the main thing. With a 24-yr-old car, anything could fail underneath anyway. I had to be prepared for that -- but hope nothing is severe/expensive IF it does need drivetrain attention.

Except for a scratch in the hood and the broken right fender "gill", I MIGHT be able to buff out all the crash marring. I've got some experience doing this (from my "ex"). LOL

I wish the hood scratch was a hair further up because I could cover it with GS stripes. Maybe I should consider something like that anyway. It seems a shame to risk any paint mismatch after already painting the entire car in 2007 -- especially when so little was really damaged.

I like the option of repainting anything low, below the beltline. Color difference won't show down there. With the hood reshot, I'd wonder if everything above the beltline should be considered. Of course, that means the option of getting rid of my batwing! LOL

Short of filling the spoiler holes, the rear spoiler off the ToledoPro car might look better..as it's low. Kinda reminds me of TA wings though.

Maybe I'll shoot some "Foose"-like real flames down the side and turn it into an in-your-face custom job. It's half-way there anyway...and it's getting close to that 25-yr-age where people do all kinds of you-know-what to their cars. A pristine C4 will never be worth anything...but the right custom job might be fun for someone.

Hmmm......

Oh yeah...Now I think USAA insurance are butt-wipes -- like the guy who hit me.

 

Gregg,

I hope all goes well and you get your car back on the road without going through a lot of bull, I don't know about the Kansas laws for insurance companies but I will agree that is a load of _____ , Hope all ends up well.