How do I deal with someone else's insurance?

[V]

got a second estimate, around $2,740.
he said to replace the hood right away.
I brought up the whole fixing aluminum thing and cross-contamination stuff and he agreed and said it is important. And he said how bmw won't even sell aluminum parts to non-approved Al repair shops.
I feel much more comfortable with this shop and they've also dealt with usaa in the past and said they are one of the best to deal with. on top of all that, the lady at the body shop told me if they take their time with my claim, call her and the shop will contact them and so forth.

[V]

third estimate: $3,672

I'm gonna get 2 more, and then see what insurance says.

[Frosty]

Keep in mind dude, it might not matter what your estimates say. They till may send out their own appraiser and the shop of your choice will have to work off of that initial estimate and then call in a supplement(s).

I may have missed a post or two in this thread but have you actually talked to USAA yet?

[V]

yes I did. they started the ball rolling. I didn't turn in any estimates yet. and yea ill probably have to wait for the adjuster. the last shop wanted to paint the front bumper too due to a few scuffs.

[r0nin89]

Dude this thread ****ing jinxed me. I got hit last night in the beater....

[Knipps]

all part of the master plan...

[r0nin89]

Originally Posted by Knipps

all part of the master plan...

You mean the master plan for me to get a junkyard fender and pocket the other $900?

[maroman88]

Originally Posted by r0nin89

Dude this thread ****ing jinxed me. I got hit last night in the beater....

got hit in a company vehicle last night!

[Frosty]

I feel left out so I hit my car with a sledge hammer last night.

[BonzoHansen]

Originally Posted by Frosty

I feel left out so I hit my car with a sledge hammer last night.

I'd have done that for you, because I am a swell guy.

[Frosty]

[V]

ok Update...

Insurance compoany didnt like the 2700 estimate so they sent out their own appraiser, that was fine with me.

She confirmed all the repairing aluminum stuff but did say its repairable. i wasnt too happy about it and she also said all blending would be on the hood itself. i was hesitant but since itll be getting done at a "USAA certified" shop, if its not 100% when done, they have to re-do it, like if i see any telltale sign or color is off under any type of lighting etc. She did try to find a used grille and only one in their parts system was a black one, and she said obviously its the wrong model sine mine is chrome, so she wrote it for a brand new GM grille, GM emblem and GM chrome hood trim. That made me happy.

So i went to the shop 2 days ago so they could verify the estimate and make me an appointment to bring it in. They said aluminum sometimes doesnt like to come back to shape and cracks instead which may happen in my case, if it does, It would call for a new hood right away and the insurance company would have to cover it along with all the paint work to blend it.

Now today i actually noticed the driver side of the hood sits higher than the fender and seems to have been bowed up on that side where it was hit, so in reality, the whole hood is warped. Ill point that out to the shop when i drop it off monday and that may mean a new hood right away. we shall see. Either way, it should be fixed before the new year.

oh and if i do get a new hood, ill stick with new GM afterall since turns out the stock hood is lighter than a fiberglass one and i wanna keep it as stock looking as possible.

[Blacdout96]

Yeah, don't let the insurance company make you settle for less, you knwo what you want, how it came stock.

[Frosty]

Don't get all worried yet man, the job of the appraiser is to come out and write a fair compromise unless the damage is that obvious. I would have been shocked if he/she wrote hood replacement right off the bat. That's why we have supplements and then the shop can call him/her back out and show them that the hood needs to be replaced once they start the repair to it.

...and yes if it's bowed they're going to want to replace, you almost bet on that.

[V]

I gotta see how it looks in the sunlight, so far im undecided.

before:



after:

[Firebird92]

mmm that's crazy USAA was giving you this much trouble in the first place when my firebird got hit in the driver door i called the person that hit me insurance(allstate), they wanted to total out my car and give me 500 so i call USAA and they sent some guy that went in for blood and got me 2300 yay for me. But i mean come on that a CTS-V i would think it would be new everything its only 5 years old and in perfect shape.

[Anti_Rice_Guy]

Is it me or does the hood still have creases in it?

[V]

the shadow over the right side of the chrome trim is caused by light reflection being bent, meaning its not straight and even...

anything higher up on the hoods is just shadows and clouds. it was getting dark so you cant tell too much, now its at the dealer for a clutch issue, but once i get it back, ill have a better look at it and probably have the insurance company come see it. im calling them today.

[Firebird92]

man idk i would just fight for a new hood .... its a CTS-V
the vette with class lol.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by Firebird92

man idk i would just fight for a new hood .... its a CTS-V
the vette with class lol.

What's that matter? You have this giant misconception that because it's a nice car he's entitled some special treatment or that his car is somehow deserving of a different repair than a Honda Accord. The fact is it's 5yr old car, PERIOD. If they wanted to use an aftermarket hood or a used hood he'd have ZERO say in the matter unless the hood somehow did not fit correctly(speaking of the aftermarket). Just like with the other thread here, the type of car generally doesn't matter. We're talking about a CTS, a run of the mill, mass produced car(no offense Paul lol). It's not like we're talking about a Maserati or something where your only option is an OEM part or repair. Hell I had a claim back in the day where the shop actually cut the 1/4 panel off of a Bentley, repaired the panel for about 27hrs then welded it back on the because the panel was so hard to get and was on a 1yr back order. Now THAT deserves special treatment.

Anyway, Paul, in this case....if you're not happy with the repair you fight with them to make it right. It's the job of the insurance company to make you whole, returning the vehicle to pre-loss condition. It's a bit hard to tell in the pic but I think I see what you're talking about. I'm not surprised the appraiser wrote for repair right off the bat, especially with an expensive hood. But I'm really surprised the shop didn't supplement for replacement based on the fact it's a aluminum(giant pain in the ass to repair) and where the damage is. If you're not happy with this don't back down too, especially since this is one of "their" shops.

[Firebird92]

how is it a giant misconception if you take pride in you car and put the time and care to keep it and pay the money for full coverage then you should get your moneys worth. it don't matter it's no Bentley, Zonda or lambo. The fact is which was vaild that the stock hood is aluminum and it don't like to be reshaped "V" as a owner he has the right to get his money worth or service . it is no matter of special treatment is a matter of he pays and has a right to get the kind of service he pays for. and to compare this the a Honda Accord really ??? its not even in the same price range for one ...

[Frosty]

Forget it man. The point I was trying to make is that it doesn't matter what kind of car it is.

He's not happy with the repair, he has a valid complaint. The car being a CTS-V is completely irrelevant and means absolutely nothing. Now if you want to keep playing damage appraiser and insurance guy go for it.....

[V]

yet another update....

Car was done at the dealer getting the clutch bled so i went to get a better look at the hood. and yes, i was even more dissatisfied than on friday. Chrome trim was sitting at least 3-4mm from being flush at the edge like on the passenger side and the repaired section was concave which you could see in the reflection.

I called USAA and explained to them i was not happy with the repairs. They said since the shop has a contract with them, id need to contact the shop and they would deal with supplemental costs and getting it redone. So back to the body shop i went.

I showed the guy the area i was concerned with and explained how i could tell, from the reflection looking like a funhouse mirror and the passenger side edge reflection looking like normal. I then opened the hood when he went inside to check some paperwork and i saw the "new" hood trim was already cracking. When he came back out he said "yea, you're getting a new hood" and i also pointed out the trim. So that'll be getting replaced again as well (right now i'm not 100% sure it was replaced the first time). So yea, now the V goes back to the shop next week to get a whole new hood done. He said he can even see other areas that i probably would never tell and that the hood isnt holding the repair and its reverting back. My biggest concern now is use of genuine GM parts. I KNOW that USAA will not authorize aftermarket parts for my car, their adjuster told me that, so i wanna make sure the shop doesnt try to make a few extra bucks by throwing on a CAPA hood, when only a GM one is allowed, now the whole new vs used GM hood... eh im hoping that doesnt come into play. I just wish the shop would have done a new hood right away like the 3 other shops i got estimates at said needed to be done.


here's the underside the the repaired area and the damaged "new" trim...

[Frosty]

As far as I know the aftermarket CAPA hoods aren't aluminum(though I could be wrong, it's been a while since I've run into that) so if that's the case you'll know right away. If they're a USAA shop I doubt they'll risk their business playing funny games with OEM vs. A/M parts.

Glad to hear they're taking care of it.

[V]

well i've seen capa aluminum hoods on ebay for 520-830 bucks thats why im concerned.
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-HOOD-CAPA-CE...item3a61851cb0
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-HOOD-CAPA-CERTIFIED-ALUMINUM-CADILLAC-CTS-CAR-PART-/140491713017?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories &fits=Model%3ACTS&hash=item20b5f569f9

(however, the 830 hood with 150 shipping puts it to GM cost, lol)

Can i ask the shop to see the receipts for the parts? do they have to show me or not?