Crash update

jcaspar1

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I got the initial estimate on my accident:

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Needs:
New Hood
New radiator support
New front fascia
Two new light assemblies
3 new wheels
Paint hood, R door, R rear quarter, fascia, blend L door.

Total: 25,300$!

State Farm agreed to it all except would like to try and repair/re-clear coat the wheels (minor scuffs). They offered to redo all 4 so they would match. Parts should take a week, 3-4 weeks for labor. I may have them repaint the L door as the doors came with mild orange peel from the factory. So far I am very happy with the shop Utopia Auto Body in Sacramento. The owner Rick is a Viper owner. Thanks to SmokinV10 for the suggestion...
 

Vic

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Maybe you can get a hood from Hennessy!

Just kiddin.

Glad you are alright, that's first and foremost.

I'm surprised the insurance agreed to pay for anything. They usually stonewall, don't they?
 

Ulysses

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State Farm has been very good to me also. Mine was in the $23K range. They did the same thing to me with the wheels as they have proposed to you. Fair enough. Though you do have the right to have the car back in it's original condition.

One suggestion, check and see if the shop is a State Farm "approved" shop. If they are not on State Farm's list, State Farm will wash their hands of any problems that may arise. Take it from experience from someone who got burnt repairing his Viper. It was a very costly mistake. Imagine having to do the body work all over again because of cracks appearing a few weeks down the road and finding stuff missing (still to this day!!!!). (Yes, the shop owner was a VERY NICE GUY, yes he is a Viper owner too and yes he was suggested on this board).

I'm sure you are pretty familiar with your car, but for the sake of others who are not, I suggest you take a VERY good look at your car before you send it in. Not just under the hood and under the car, but every nook and cranny that you normally wouldn't look and make a mental note of what's there. (For those of you who are not mechanically inclined, becoming so makes this much much easier. Over time, as you work on your car, you become very familiar with what's there.) When you get it back, don't just scrutinize the body work that was done or the under-the-hood work that was done, scrutinize every inch of the car which includes places where work was not supposed to be done.

I'm not saying you will have the same problems I did, God forbid, but it pays to be cautious and learn from MY mistakes. I became a little too trusting because he was a Viper brother, I let my guard down and I got stung. Don't let it happen to you.

EDIT: Please don't email me about who it is. Yeah, I don't like seeing others get burnt, but by relating my experience and making suggestions, hopefully, I have limited that. I would rather help in this way than burn bridges. Besides, any legal action I pursue will hopefully keep this from happening to anyone again.
 
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jcaspar1

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The shop is on State Farms list so I didn't need to get any other estimate. I am going through my insurance for this but AAA will be paying State Farm as their party was completely at fault. State Farm has been very good to me. When I hit a pole with the side of my new Chevy truck 9 years ago I went and got an estimate from a shop for 800$. Decided to go through my insurance and the insurance adjustor asked what I thought it would cost. I told him 800$ and he laughed. 2300$ he said as it was a new truck and a new bed side was more appropriate than bondo.

Thanks for the advice Ulyssess. I am going to try and stop by each week as the repairs go on.
 

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