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I'm tracking with everything you're saying, DUB. I have seen the 'ring-out' you described.
Cost is definitely going to be a factor with how I fix this and may have to hold off on it depending on the numbers.
If I have $1,000 to spend, what would be my best course of action to fix this?
Here's what I see as my options:
1. Attempt the fix myself. Method to be determined. Very doable if you want to get into it and spend the time.
2. Take it to a professional and have them do the work. ALSO..this is do-able...but it depends if the shop cares more about quality than pushing a car through the system quickly. Many shops (NOT ALL of them) figure that the car is not going to stay around a long time so the prep work is rather poor and thus problems can arise like what you have going on. 'They' will do substandard work and KNOW that if it fails. YOU won't bring it back and complain..but rather take it to someone else...thus....the 'disease' spreads.
I have been in other paint shops in my town and see that parts are going on cars and being sent to the paint booth with NO regards to proper prep...and that shop KNOWS IT.
So if you go this route..I HOPE that shop cares.
3. Find some pewter body panels from Vette recyclers. Replace and try to sell the removed panels to recoup some cost. Possible...may take sometime to find them.
Some background on the car:
It's my daily driver and has over 155K on the clock. I'm the third owner and previous owner had it since 2001. A lot of important maintenance was done to it, so the car is very mechanically sound. No accidents listed on the Carfax. Plan on keeping this Vette til it dies.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
I fell a shop should be able to do this within your budget....but do not hold me to it...but it seems that 1K would easily do it.
Well, the clear coat on the hatch started bubbling on different areas and I was going to post pics of it. But then this happened today:
Long story short, I hit a pick up. I swerved to the right so the whole front end didn't end up under his bumper. I was able to flatten out the hood to drive it home. I talked with my insurance adjuster and he says the Vette is repairable without seeing the car or any pictures. What do you all think?
Is there anything I should be highly concerned about with front end damage like this? With the Vette being a specialty car (in my opinion) I want to be somewhat prepared when I take it to get looked at. Any pro tips at all would be greatly appreciated.
Also, if anyone is local to Tucson and has a highly recommended or trusted shop, please PM me.
I talked with my insurance adjuster and he says the Vette is repairable without seeing the car or any pictures. What do you all think?
*****PROFESSIONAL OPINION*****
YES...this definitely looks repairable. I seriously doubt that any frame damage occurred...so it is basically cosmetic. More than likely a front end alignment
The windshield does not look like it cracked...which is also A GOOD SIGN!
Is there anything I should be highly concerned about with front end damage like this? With the Vette being a specialty car (in my opinion) I want to be somewhat prepared when I take it to get looked at. Any pro tips at all would be greatly appreciated.
The shop you take it to may want to talk with the insurance adjuster and see if the insurance company will allow for frame time....basically a 'set-up and measure'. That will DEFINITELY let everyone know if the frame got tweaked a bit.
YOU also can mention this 'set-up and measure' to the adjuster and get a 'feel' for their thoughts on this..... and you may be surprised that the adjuster may already figure it in.
I do not know if the percentage is nationwide rule when it comes to a car being 'totaled'. I know in my state it is the 75% rule. SO...you knowing what the cars is valued at BY YOUR INSURANCE company would be wise. NOT 'saying' that it will total out....because I can not see it...but it is still good to know.
NOW...when it comes to your policy and IF your get a rental car for a situation like this....I KNOW in my state...that the costs of the rental CAN NOT be attached to the costs of the repair and THUS causing it to exceed the 75% and total out your car. BUT...it also would be wise to find out if you are getting a rental car while this is being repaired and possibly call the INSURANCE COMMISSION in your state and find out what YOUR RIGHTS are.
This hopefully goes smooth..and just make sure the shop YOU CHOOSE.... because in my state also...the OWNER has the RIGHT to pick the shop and the insurance company CAN NOT tell you where to take it....so check into that.
But back to the shop...depending on what is going on with the car...hopefully the technician that works on your car REALLY KNOWS what they are doing and does it as if it were THEIR CAR...much like I do when I repair them.
Well, the clear coat on the hatch started bubbling on different areas and I was going to post pics of it. But then this happened today: Long story short, I hit a pick up. I swerved to the right so the whole front end didn't end up under his bumper. I was able to flatten out the hood to drive it home. I talked with my insurance adjuster and he says the Vette is repairable without seeing the car or any pictures. What do you all think? Is there anything I should be highly concerned about with front end damage like this? With the Vette being a specialty car (in my opinion) I want to be somewhat prepared when I take it to get looked at. Any pro tips at all would be greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone is local to Tucson and has a highly recommended or trusted shop, please PM me.
If you're going to make it your fault you should have at least damaged your parts with the faded paint! All kidding aside sorry that happened and I hope it gets fixed without any problems.
This hopefully goes smooth..and just make sure the shop YOU CHOOSE.... because in my state also...the OWNER has the RIGHT to pick the shop and the insurance company CAN NOT tell you where to take it....so check into that.
But back to the shop...depending on what is going on with the car...hopefully the technician that works on your car REALLY KNOWS what they are doing and does it as if it were THEIR CAR...much like I do when I repair them.
DUB
I hope the frame isn't damaged. I was going probably about 15-20 mph when I hit; the airbags didn't deploy. When he pulled his truck forward the Vette popped up as he rolled off
Someone pointed out the wheel well looks damaged. I checked the area he was talking about and it definitely looks bent down towards the wheel along with cracks/scrapes.
It looks like AZ uses the total loss formula, which I'm guessing my insurance company has to follow. They gave me their preferred list of shops and out of them only one seemed promising. I found another shop in Tucson which also seemed to be a good choice, but of course they were not on the preferred list. I declined rental car coverage since I have a second vehicle, so no worries there.
I'll bring it up to my adjuster when I call him tomorrow regarding the frame time and see what he says. I haven't scheduled an estimate yet since I wanted to hear from you experts first.
If you're going to make it your fault you should have at least damaged your parts with the faded paint! All kidding aside sorry that happened and I hope it gets fixed without any problems.
DUB, do you have any good questions I should ask the shop I'm looking at for repairs? I plan on giving them a call today.
Just so you know..unless you had check...teh insurance companies will give a list of shop that they work with and fit the criteria that they set. So..like I mentioned..in North Carolina...a person can choose who they want and DO NOT have to use the shops off a list.
I would ask them if they had done any repairs on a Corvette like yours.
I BET that the apron on that side will need to be replaced. The apron may also be considered the inner skirt..which is bonded to you frame and needs to be set correctly. I have done many and they are no fun due to this is what sets the gap for the fender and hood. And there is a procedure to doing these...so hopefully they know how to do them.
You might also want to get a hold of some Corvette clubs in your area and ask around to who is the person or shop that does really good repairs.
The driver's door should be used as a blend panel along with the right fender. So even though these two panels were not damaged in the accident from the photo...they should be used to blend the paint.
TAKE PHOTOS and look at your car well when you pick it up. There are rubber seals that are applied to the inner edge of the fenders that seal off the gap to the hood...look at them and MAKE SURE that the left fender gets one applied and it is applied correctly. The front bumper should also have one. It is small things like that and making sure that ALL fasteners are installed.
DO NOT ASSUME ANYTHING. And hopefully who ever you get to do it actually prep the new panels CORRECTLY so the primers/sealers and paint will stick. SO many shops just give parts a quick 'once-over' when prepping them to save time and shoot them.
Just so you know..unless you had check...teh insurance companies will give a list of shop that they work with and fit the criteria that they set. So..like I mentioned..in North Carolina...a person can choose who they want and DO NOT have to use the shops off a list.
I would ask them if they had done any repairs on a Corvette like yours.
I BET that the apron on that side will need to be replaced. The apron may also be considered the inner skirt..which is bonded to you frame and needs to be set correctly. I have done many and they are no fun due to this is what sets the gap for the fender and hood. And there is a procedure to doing these...so hopefully they know how to do them.
You might also want to get a hold of some Corvette clubs in your area and ask around to who is the person or shop that does really good repairs.
The driver's door should be used as a blend panel along with the right fender. So even though these two panels were not damaged in the accident from the photo...they should be used to blend the paint.
TAKE PHOTOS and look at your car well when you pick it up. There are rubber seals that are applied to the inner edge of the fenders that seal off the gap to the hood...look at them and MAKE SURE that the left fender gets one applied and it is applied correctly. The front bumper should also have one. It is small things like that and making sure that ALL fasteners are installed.
DO NOT ASSUME ANYTHING. And hopefully who ever you get to do it actually prep the new panels CORRECTLY so the primers/sealers and paint will stick. SO many shops just give parts a quick 'once-over' when prepping them to save time and shoot them.
DUB
Thank you for the advice. I do have the choice on which shop I can use. The one I was thinking of using was not on my insurance company's preferred list.
I didn't think about calling the local Corvette Club and that's a really good idea.
I took the Vette by the body shop I'm planning on using and got a tour of their facility. In my opinion, the shop looked good. They've worked on Corvettes and are familiar with how finicky they can be with aligning the panels. They guy giving me the tour said they don't like using aftermarket parts since they can cause issues with fitment.
For paint prep, he said they take it down to the base coat and go from there. He also said the static from the fiberglass can cause issues with metallic paints so they take great care in painting. Blending wise, he mentioned both doors and the rear quarter panels would more than likely have to be sprayed. They use BASF onyx waterborne paints.
Right now the estimate is $5,531.44 without pulling any panels off. The estimator pointed out other areas of concern I didn't notice when I did a walk around this morning. They're able to do frame time and should be able to straighten out if there was any frame damage.
I'm waiting to hear back from the insurance adjuster. Updates to follow..
I took the Vette by the body shop I'm planning on using and got a tour of their facility. In my opinion, the shop looked good. They've worked on Corvettes and are familiar with how finicky they can be with aligning the panels. They guy giving me the tour said they don't like using aftermarket parts since they can cause issues with fitment. For paint prep, he said they take it down to the base coat and go from there. He also said the static from the fiberglass can cause issues with metallic paints so they take great care in painting. Blending wise, he mentioned both doors and the rear quarter panels would more than likely have to be sprayed. They use BASF onyx waterborne paints. Right now the estimate is $5,531.44 without pulling any panels off. The estimator pointed out other areas of concern I didn't notice when I did a walk around this morning. They're able to do frame time and should be able to straighten out if there was any frame damage. I'm waiting to hear back from the insurance adjuster. Updates to follow..
Sounds like a decent shop. Do they have any experience dealing with your ins company?
The verdict is in...total loss. Repair cost rose to $8K-$9K with the potential of another $1.5K-$2.5K. The estimator valued the car at $10,600 but with the high cost of repairs, the threshold was surpassed.
I should be hearing from the insurance company on Monday to find out more about what happens now. The estimator did mention since I have title in hand, the option to buy back the car is available. I'm still weighing on whether I should buy it and part it out. How hard is it to do something like that?
I'll admit, I was disappointed when I got the call. Being my first Vette, there was a little bit of sentimental value attached and I was hoping the damage wasn't major. But overall, I am glad no one was hurt in this accident. Especially me!
The verdict is in...total loss. Repair cost rose to $8K-$9K with the potential of another $1.5K-$2.5K. The estimator valued the car at $10,600 but with the high cost of repairs, the threshold was surpassed. I should be hearing from the insurance company on Monday to find out more about what happens now. The estimator did mention since I have title in hand, the option to buy back the car is available. I'm still weighing on whether I should buy it and part it out. How hard is it to do something like that? I'll admit, I was disappointed when I got the call. Being my first Vette, there was a little bit of sentimental value attached and I was hoping the damage wasn't major. But overall, I am glad no one was hurt in this accident. Especially me!
Not sure. I'd love to get another one, but looking at prices here on the forum and in the local area, the payout won't be enough to outright buy one and I don't want to finance the rest.
I'd really like to get into a Z06 and my wife suggested maybe saving up to purchase one in the near future.
Dub, My 2000 Nassau blue paint did the same thing as the posters car. I bought my car with some damage but the first time it rained this year the clear coat
lifted , peeled ,bubbled on the top of the back fenders, the top , deck lid. Two different body shops told me the car would have to be repainted not repaired
because they said the metallic paint would be impossible to match. One shop wanted 8000 to repaint the other wanted 9.
I ended up having yje clear coat sanded off and had the car wrapped. I am the second owner of the car and it has never been repainted but like the posters car
it was parked in a driveway , uncovered and not driven for some time
It is very odd to me that GM still is having clear coat delamination problem. They fixed that problem from a long time ago so I am still suspect if the car had ever been painted on and it being determined by someone who know how to look at it to tell if it had been shot on. And also what it looks like when the clear is coming off.
I can say that so many people who bring their car up to my shop tell me it had never been painted on but I can easily point out that it had due to knowing what to look for.
I can also say I have repaired and replaced panels and blended out the paint on C5's and so on and when the car was being traded in for another Corvette. when it was being inspected at the dealership...the guy inspecting it told them it had not been painted on and the owner tells them it has and the guy looking at it again kept guessing where it was painted and could never guess where it was done . SO...it just goes to shop you what a person may think.... may not be really what it is.
And with both of these cars in this thread were not purchased NEW and the owner knowing its history....it is suspect but still does change the fact of the clear coming off. The original thread starters car may be bit different due to the exposure to the Arizona sun and the amount of polishing and buffing the paint may have gone through...or exposure to the grit of the sand and it wearing the clear coat down thinner and the sun just dries it out like sun burnt skin and it begins to powder away and turn white on the edges like you can see in the first photo. . But the clear popping off in sheets is not a normal thing that these new Corvette's have happen to the clear...which kind of leads me to my opinion being what it is.
05-24-2016, 06:23 PM
