Proper appraisal will aid in repairs

From The Province: Proper appraisal will aid in repairs
by David Grainger

In the last article, I pointed out why standard vehicle insurance is not a good fit for an antique or classic car. Now, I want to point out some of the very serious mistakes owners make after their collector car is damaged in an accident.

Insurance companies, even the ones who carry policies specifically designed for old cars, are not in the business of restoration. Despite this, after an accident, many owners try to persuade adjusters or the shops doing the repairs that the accident caused damage that in fact may have been pre-existing due to previous accidents, large or small, poor restoration work or just plain age.

This may have the effect of souring the adjuster or shop and can result in the insurance company contesting how much damage was due to the accident and how much was pre-existing. The end result is a minimal repair, which may not get all the damage properly repaired and cause a lot of aggravation for all parties. I have even seen an insurance company refuse a repair because of the car's poor prior condition.

Shoddy restoration work or a car's age can make an old car susceptible to more damage in an accident than would normally occur. This leaves the owner and the insurance company in a quandary. How much responsibility does each have? If the car needed frame and panel work before the accident, how does the shop fix the damage without having to repair the foundation on which it must rest? In a case like this, and as much as we think the insurance company should fix it all, it can certainly balk and you can't blame it. If the front fender and bumper are damaged in an accident, it really isn't from the accident that the frame and firewall are so corroded the new parts cannot be remounted. In a case like this, the owner has to pay for part of the repair. Everyone needs to know their responsibilities before the repairs start.

A really good appraisal in which a car's entire condition is listed is a godsend when there is an accident. Too many appraisals go on about the colour and condition of the carpets, how polished the stainless trim is and yet they ignore the condition of the frame, interior bracing and structure. This is a critical mistake because a reliable report on the structural integrity of your car will have a lot more to say about the damage that occurs during an accident than your shiny trim.

I generally refuse insurance work in my shop; the reasons are twofold. The first is that the insurance companies usually don't understand the complexity of repairing old cars in which parts are not easily obtainable or easily priced and where there are no flat rate times available.

Second, owners too often want us to claim damage that has little to do with the accident. Most commonly, they try for complete paint jobs instead of being content with a repaint to the afflicted area.

So, if you have an old car, make sure you know its condition and have photographs and an accurate appraisal to back up the car's pre-accident condition. If you work with the adjuster and the shop for the best repair possible and not for repairs on things that were not part of the damage, then things will usually work out the best.