Yesterday I was at work and there was a huge hail storm. It was loud. I felt so helpless looking out the window watching my baby get pelted with hail the size of golf balls. The whole driver's side and roof are trashed. I went to a paintless dent removal place last night just after I got off work. They estimated $2,500 to pop all the dents. But this morning I notices a few chips in the paint. I called my Insurance company and they said to take it to the drive thru claim center Monday. Since I'm off today, I decided to get more estimates on it and took it to a real body shop. The guy came out and looked at it and says that to repair it all is gonna cost at least $6,000 and will most likely get totaled. So for the rest of my day off, I will be looking for a 2002 CAV ECO. Sorry no pics.
How can people consider a car getting beat with hail as "totalled" . . . its just a lot of dent popping, body work, paint. Nothing wrong mechanically or serious. I think insurance and body shop places are just getting lazier and lazier . . .
It's not that they are lazy. An insurance company will total a car once the price to repair the damage as reached a certain point based on the retail price of the car.You are right that there is nothing mechaniclly wrong, it's just that there are probably 200 dents that have to be popped and it is very labor intensive.
Contact one of the paintless dent removal companies they work magic with this stuff.
Semper Fi SAINT. May you rest in peace.
totalling a car has nothing to do if it doesnt run or not. sure that plays a part but if they car isnt worth the amount to get it fixed, then the insurance company will write it off as being totalled. thats how you find some good deals at salvaged yards w/ cars like that
I wish I had pics just to show you how bad it really is. I now drive a Chevy Golfball until insurance gives me a better check.
They only gave me $700. I fill that there are too many dents to get it back to the way it was. I even have buddyies that went to school for collision and they are saying I'm gonna see ripples in the paint just because of the # of dents.
I took the car to a Chevy dealer and had an estimate done for replacing the panels.
They estimated $5800.
So I took that to my insurance agent and she is going above the adjusters (she has friends in high places) and she said she is gonna do her best to get the amount that I am due. Once I get the better check, I will be buying Eazy's car he has for sell.
If its not too late, you can let them write it off BUT make part of the deal you get 1st rights at salvage. (if you still want to keep the car that is)
When they "write off" a car what they are doing in essence is buying it from you for book value. They then sell the wreck to a junkyard for 100 or 200 or whatever.
By retaining 1st right to salvage, you have 1st crack to buy back the wreck from them for the average that year/make/model goes for at junkers auctions.
I wrote off a BMW 320is about 15 years ago. Got a cheque for 7 grand, bought the wreck back for 800 and had it fixed and running 18 months later for about 2500 and one hell of a lot of my labor.
Rice.....Part of a balanced Pontiac diet.
My buddy is down in Missouri, prolly the same hail storm, $7,xxx damage to his Grand Am, and they're fixing it amazingly.
