HAIL/ROCK DAMAGE
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Ok here it is my problem 2 weeks a go we had small tornado and hail event. I have a customer with an or civic coupe that we just redid the frnt on because the customer didn’t like the paint. It was a private pay job.Now the same car has incurred damage from hail and gravels dents chips in glass and paint.His insurance company Erie is only paying 2200.00 to pdr panels and they have said all the glass damage and paint chips are not part of the claim.I can assure you this car was mint when it left.my question is has anyone run into this before.And did you come to a solution.
do you have photos of the work you did and invoice showing the date the cust picked up the car. also does the customer have photos of the area his car was after the storm that would show debris was scattered around that would cause the stone chips. Obviously hail damage and stone chips are 2 seperate types of damage. the insurance company is assuming the stone damages were a result of normal driving. if the customer can show the vehicle was just refinished and the area his car was in had flying debris during the storm he has a shot at convincing the insurance company all the damage occured during one incident. if they still won’t agree with proof then you can assist in filing a complaint with the insurance dept or he can hire an atty but thats an expensive option. also if he is having you do the repairs the insurance co. cannot force you to do pdr.
good luckoh yeah detailed pics but they totally disregarded them I gave him a doi form to fill out and copies of all the receipts and othe pertinet info/
make sure he has a letter from them stating why they are denying that part of the damage so he has something to submit to the doi along with the proof he already provided the ins co.
I haven’t run into that exactly, but i can maybe give some info to help the cause. An article i was reading in one of the bodyshop mags the other day said that toyota has just basically disapproved the use of PDR for any warrantable repair. Their findings where that asside from scratching the inside coating, under magnification it was apparent that the paint was actually broken. The only way it can be warrantable is if the tech can verify using a 30x magnifier that the paint isn’t broken. Let me know if you want I can probably dig it up for you.
What you are running into MG, is the same thing hundreds of shops run into everyday. Basically the insurer is driving a rock between yourself, and the consumer. On one hand, you have this customer, and on the other hand, your ability to do the right thing is being hampered by the policy of which the shop is not actually part of. It’s tough to walk that fine line.
I really enjoy this sight, but it seems more of a technichal, or “friend” type of forum, so I am reluctant to provide too much input. I enjoy seeing others work,(Stone is an airbrush magician) and hearing about the types of materials people use,(bondomerchant has me lookin’) and their favorite brand of beer. (Bud bottles, free ones even better) The last thing I want to be known as, is “the crazy bastard from Ohio”, but hey, I’m a tell it like it is type of person.
That being said, here goes nothing.
You know, it just doesn’t seem good enough to be the best bodyshop anymore. You have alot of hats to wear, as a collision repairer. You have to be good at your craft, an expert salesman, completely understand and know the consumers contract of insurance, as well as learn alot of law that most lawyers aren’t even aware of. But if you do that, life will get alot easier.
I’m going to speak in generalities, for things may differ a little from state to state, and if you are in Canada, we’re both screwed, for I don’t know jack about their regulations, LOL!
When the consumer files the claim, the insurer has the option to repair or replace. Once they decide to repair, or write a repair estimate, that’s it. At that point, the cost of the claim is the final bill of the repair cost.
The insurer can write an estimate for whatever they want. They can decide to cover the car with “Cheez-wiz”, but unless you are gullable enough to do it, it matters little. It goes back to the cost of repair, not what they think the cost will be.
I honestly can’t imagine what a car that has $2200 in PDR damage looks like, but I would venture to say it would probably cost about $5000, or better, to fix it right.
I would break out my SF proof sources, in which they state they don’t do PDR on previously repaired panels, and the other one that states they do not condone drilling of access holes or the disruption of factory corrosion protection. As far as glass chips, the burden of proof is on the insurer, and since you have recently seen the car…well.
I know the consumer is dealing with Erie, but remember SF generally sets the rules for those that obey. If I was an Erie customer, I’d be pissed that I wouldn’t have such a problem with SF. (hint, hint)
And finally, I am glad this is not a censored sight, for you have to on occasion say fuck it, you as a customer are so retarded, that there is nothing I can do to help you. Unfortunatly, that is alot of the consuming public, LOL!
Remember, “Authorization to Repair”. It will always make you money.
Sincerely,
Crazy bastard from Ohio, AKA Jim
By the way, unless otherwise asked, this is my last serious post.
hey Jim,
Nothing wrong with being serious. ABOL doen’t have to be the only place people can get serious info. Thats why ther are diff catagories in the forum section. Areas for serious questions and answers, and areas for fun. We are all friends here and if friends can’t tell it like it is sometimes then their not really friends. I for one enjoy your posts and appreiciate the knowledge that you bring regaurding matters such as these. so don’t be afraid to share your knowledge on this forum as well. We still may think your the crazy bastard from ohio but what can you expect when you live in the home state of Progressive:lol:Ya Jim, I’m going for the relaxed theme here, but I’m still trying to attract more users from all walks of the business. Having good input like that can help. I realize at this point posts like this would catch more attention on the other sites, hopefully that will change.
Thanks guys.
The thing I like here is you don’t have people calling each other idiots, or just generally disrupting for the sake of being an ass. I know I get carried away sometimes myself, so I’ll try to keep it in an educational format.
I may go ahead and change my name to Crazy bastard from Ohio, though. It’s kind of “catchy”, LOL!
Hey you “Crazy bastard from Ohio” your input and participation on this site is greatly appreciated as are those from all the crazy bastards that hang here.
I personally have learned , advanced , and have come to rely strongly on the time I spend here , and the wise words of a number of crazy bastards.
These sites only work , with well rounded knowledge and opinions , from all types , from all walks.
Takes all kinds to make the world go round.
On that , I say , loved your post , just a couple back , you “Crazy bastard from Ohio” , about the customers intelligence , knowledge , their ignorance to their rights , and their obligations with concerns to dealing with the cartel and repairs to “THEIR” vehicle.
So please don’t anyone think , that what they have to say isn’t important B) let the reader decide 😉
“one mans garbage , is another mans gold”
&
“beauty , is in the eye of the beholder”B)Stone :woohoo: “Crazy bastard from Alberta” :woohoo:
sorry Jim, that no censorship post reminded me I needed to turn censorship on. I made a post about it a while ago but never got around to doing so. You’ll have to find creative ways to type in curse words other than ass. Unfortunately having swear words on the site really hurts it for search engine placement. If we want to attract some more people I need to censor…sorry, I’d like be able to call an adjuster a fucking idiot sometimes too. You can still swear in the shoutbox though.
jeez stone i thought it was “beauty is in the eye of the beerholder all these years:dry: :dry:
Every time I see the title of this thread, I think there must be a church somewhere where they worship rock damage.
sry took so long to get back. the doi is involved now so its out of my hands.I don’t really have apersonal opinion on pdr repairs if thats what the customer wants then thats what they get. I do have a opinion on an ins adjuster telling me how to properly repair a vehicle.and it pretty much goes like go f yourself.It wouldn’t be the first time i walked them out and pointed to the sign and asked them where its says their co. name.
lol jim that is exactly how it works. I finally got the owner to understand that the other day. he hasn’t dealt with any ins co for 5 years and decided that he would jump on in on a car with 2 overlapping claims. It was funny as hell he started cussing 2 minutes into this retards estimate and i mean that as a compliment because the apprasial service estimator had that look in his eyes like a deer in the headlights when he came in.Now he knows why i do my own estimates aned now he will just get the claim info and do our own it took along time but he finally came around.we are a drp for erie and sf and have never had a problem with either.I would very much like to drop all drps period.We have a well know rep and customer base we could and not see any drop in repairs.Hell the first thing i ask any assignment claim is if they want us or if they have a shop they prefer to do the work.And explain to them the laws regarding their choice. I figure that 75% of them are sheep and don’t care but the rest do and it is very rare that we need to move the vehicle.I have made alot of good customers that way.As for 2200 in pdr thats nothing 2005 cadi with 4800.00 in pdr.
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