I had my first accident in my in vett today. I was driving eastbound on I-20 exiting on to 285 southbound when a tractor trailer forced me over into the emergency lane where I ran over some tire thread. My front bumber cover damaged and fog light damaged and also going to need new front air dam. My insurance has given a estimate of about $1600 plus about $500 for demished value, I have a $500 ductible. My question does anyone know a good body shop that specializes in vetts in the Atlanta area.

Thanks for any help or sugestions beforehand.

 

So whose insurance is paying for the damage? I'm just wondering if this is one of those repairs you should pay for yourself to maintain a "clean" CarFax. People are getting so crazy with any CarFax reporting that it may be worth considering.

Whatever you do, take a lot of pictures of the damage, and keep receipts for all of the work. This way you can prove to the next buyer that your car didn't hit a telephone pole head-on at 60mph...which is what every mark on a CarFax report seems to indicate to most buyers.

 

Jim Ellis chev and porsche audi bodyshop in chamblee. The fixed a zr1 that had a few problems. Not mine
z51vett
Doug

 

I would only have the shop repair the bumper if it needs it. I would buy the fog light and air dam myself and replace them myself. You are probably only looking at $500 for the bumper repair. The light is like $450 and the air dam about $90. I would not claim this on insurance due to CARFAX issues. Just my .02. Good luck with the repair.

 

hendricks chevy and jim ellis chevy are the best

 

I would recommend Collision Pro. It's a bit north from you but the owner is a member of a local corvette club and he has done several restorations. I got my halo painted black up there. They know what they're doing and have given me fair price quotes (on the spot) for other body work I would like done.

Collision Pro
Scott Blalock
850 Worley Drive
Marietta, GA 30066
770-795-9884

 

They are on Facebook too:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Collis...08798739178318

 

If this relatively simple repair ends up on a CarFax report, it may end up costing you a lot more than $500. I would just pay a shop to fix it out of my own pocket to keep a clean history. You may have problems selling or trading this car down the road thanks to people over-reacting to CarFax incidents. But if you are going to drive the wheels off of the car and you don't ever plan to sell it, take the insurance money.

 

Your first! Are you planning more?

 

I feel for you! I think the recommendations are strong.

But I have a question: if the repairs are done at a shop, aren't they reported to CarFax/Autocheck by Experian regardless of insurance claim or not?

It's a question; I don't know the answer. OP, good luck with the repairs---sounds like you'll be in good hands.

 

That's an interesting question. Who actually reports the work in the first place...the insurance company or the body shop? I always assumed it was the insurance company.

I don't know why a body shop would be under any obligation to report a collision repair. I've had to pay for a couple "out of pocket" with no insurance involvement...and they never showed up on a Carfax report. Of course that doesn't prove anything...but I thought I'd mention it.

 

I'm surprised no one mentioned his insurance rates going up. This will most likely be a collision accident since he is the one that ran into an object not moving. Even if you have accident forgiveness I wouldn't want to use it on a $1600 repair.

 

I'm amazed how many people here are willing to pay for insurance for years and then not use it because of some fear of it showing up on a Carfax report or rates going up. Why pay for insurance if you're not going to use it when you need it?

 

 

That's a misconception. Most insurance companies don't report crap to Carfax/Autocheck/etc. And neither body shops. OP, just ask your insurance company, but chances are they don't. That's what insurance is for. However, since you didn't hit an animal, it'd count as 'collision', and that could be a problem with increased premiums for 3 years. THAT is what you need to be concerned about.

By the way, the overwhelming source of accident data for Carfax and such is police reports (if there's one, it's guaranteed to be on Carfax). Without one, your Carfax will be clean. I had a $10K claim (cosmetic damage) due to a freak storm accident, and never showed up on Carfax, etc. I DID disclose it, but it was my decision. Finally, take plenty of pics in case the accident is found when selling car, or if you choose to disclose it as well. Good luck.

 

American Auto Body has fixed two of mine with no problems.

 

^This.

 

 

Thanks to everyone who responded ....I will consider everything that was mentioned and at least make an informative decision.

 

I don't think there is any obligation to report anything.

Not likely. Depends on his claims history.



CarFax reporting is strange at best. Had the front fascia replaced on my C5 two different times in two years. Covered by insurance each time. No CarFax report either time. Rates didn't go up although each repair was ~ $1500. Agent told me SF doesn't adjust rates because of a couple of small claims. There is a threshold level that has to be passed before that happens. Did not lose Safe Driver Discount either.

However, insurance companies do know when things happen. I looked at changing companies and when I gave my info to the company I was considering the agent said "I see you had a couple of incidents".

As for potential sale issue due to a report on a CarFax I look at the car to determine if there is an issue. That sheet of paper only tells you something happened but it could it be wrong either way so should be only used as a reference. If somebody had an accident with a new car and then was selling it 6 years later the CarFax really has lost a lot of its meaning.

As using the CarFax as a negotiation tool I would definitely use it to gain any advantage I could. It is obvious from reading this thread that some people could be buffaloed that way. If it is the car I am selling that has the report and somebody tries to use a CarFax report of an old fender bender they won't get very far. There are plenty of buyers in the world and I will find somebody who will buy the car at what I consider a reasonable price.

Bill