Rob 02

Will you be doing your own work? Check out eBay to get an idea of what your parts list will cost. Suspension parts don't cost that much. Headlights are available. The PCM is under the battery. I'm not sure what computer you are referring to.

The shop you deal with and your claims adjuster may want your input on what direction you want to go with it in a borderline total loss situation. I would be good to know the dollar figures.

Andarwa

Rob 02, this is fully covered by insurance. I believe I am referring to the ABS pump and computer behind that wheel.

Yep, I am at the border, my decision. Estimate has been provided. Should know tomorrow if the frame passed and that will settle what happens next. Hope it lives since that works out best for me in time, money and final result.

Kelly.s

I'd do both. The insurance company is going to total that car so keep it as a project and go find a clean straight car. If all you do is park it and put a cover over it you kids will sell it as a barn find in twenty years. Some guy will love finding that car after your dead.

Andarwa

Keely.s, don't have a place to park it nor do I see a barn in my future.

The insurance company is not totaling the car. And since you bring it up, my understanding is if I choose to total it and take the payout the insurance company owns the car.

Rob 02

Usually, when a car is declared a total loss by insurance, it is titled as salvage and sold at a salvage auction. In most states a total loss is when the damage is 70-85% of the cars resale value. It goes to auction to compensate for the difference. Some insurance companies will let you buy it back if you ask. You really don't want to have a salvage title because it looks bad on a history report and the paperwork for upgrading the title can get complicated. In some states it is not possible to upgrade the title.

If you are keeping it you want the damage to be just below the threshold for considering it a total loss in your state.

Andarwa

I was told,
"The estimate on your car is at 77% of payout. If you want to total it you can and you will go to another claims adjuster for that. At this price we can also repair it and that's what I handle. It's your choice."

The car is worth repairing and five years ago I would not have a choice in the matter. It's pretty easy to total out a C5 these days.

Rob 02

"It's your choice" is a good answer!

I know your not happy about all this but what's done is done.

Crosis

This is exactly why our insurance rates are so high. Frivolous law suits.

DDaaryl

Remember after you are "fully compensated" for repair work and the car is fixed it has what is known in the industry as "diminished value". It's worth less because it was wrecked and repaired. Some states allow owners to recover diminished value, others won't consider it.

In the past I have purchase vehicles back from the insurance company for 18% of the actual cash value before the incident. Other times I have negotiated settlements that allowed me to keep the wreck. Good luck!

redzg

So is the payout offer sufficient? I have to admit, if it covers the actual replacement cost -- or perhaps more importantly, gets me close enough to an upgrade -- I'd walk away.

sportmedtech

Actually uninsured motorists who are involved in collisions are the main reason why rates are high.

Rob 02

Mine is like $50 per month.

If I was uninsured it would be a lot cheaper.

friou

Aw Crap!! Well, first and best thing is that you got to walk away uninjured. Sad as it is to say, most cars can be replaced no matter the attachment you have to the damaged car. Lots of very nice C5's out there to be had with some searching and patience. If it were me I'd have to let it go. Just my opinion. Good luck to you with what ever you decide. Take care!

Andarwa

On Black Friday the guy at the dealer told me a story about another C5 that was hit the same way. Fixed it all up, sent her home. The car comes back a year later with an alignment problem. Turns out one or more of the bolts on the upper A-arm was spinning freely requiring replacement of half the frame. Insurance company balked, he argued it could not have left aligned if the bolt wasn't holding, along with the showing up one year later. The work was done.

They never made it to the frame spec. As they were removing the upper A-arm one bolt was already spinning. They can do the job for another $4000, the car is now a total loss.

Thanks to everybody for their input.

Rob 02

The dealer doesn't like using a back-nut riveter.

redvetteman81

I had 16000 in damage, insurance picked up 15000 no salvage title, new what I already had which was a solid car. Repair came go great. Only prolem is it is very hard to find parts for c5's. No major frame damage or I would have got another vette.

strand rider

You guys are correct, the frame is the Key. American cars have frame tolerances plus or minus of one quarter inch, Euro cars spec tighter tolerances for frame damage. kind of a burn.

If you have ever seen a frame machine, it is a brute force device that requires some skill. One hooks a chain to the bent part and starts yanking. You tug it one way and another as best you can with the places you can hook onto and pull mangled steel, until you are within a quarter inch of spec. hydraulic rams stretch the metal past where you want, because it will move back once force is released. A high skill task , many guys avoid the work because they can't measure the frame well, another high skill task, for many body work guys. One also has to consider the car as assembled might have made spec but very possibly was off perfect by a quarter of an inch in a random direction. .

when I worked for auto club insurance, a salvaged title was the kiss of death. No good driver house will want the business, how do you make money repairing a known wrecked car safely?

Merlin02

Similar thing happen to me. I hired an attorney and filed a lawsuit against the other driver's insurance company. The other driver's insurance would not even consider paying for "mental anguish" or attorny's fees". My case dragged on for three years. Two weeks before we were scheduled for court, the insurance company made us a flat cash offer. Take it or leave it type of thing. We accepted their offer and they sent the settlement check to my attorney. My attorney cashed the check, and took his 33% in fees right off the top. He then he paid the outstanding bills. The few thousand dollars left over for me didn't even cover the cost of buying a "beater car". My advise is to think twice about hiring an attorney and filing a lawsuit. It's not worth the trouble.