Car blew up. Now what?

[Wrecked944]

Sadly, I am no longer equipped to participate in the SCWDP. Last week my 1980 911SC exploded into flames while driving on the Mass Turnpike. No kidding. Like KABOOM!! Fortunately, I escaped unharmed but the car is utterly destroyed. And so I really need some advice from anybody who has a clue about such things...I've had insurance pay for repairs in the past, but never a total loss on a porsche. And I fear they will massively low-ball me on the settlement. Plus there may be some product liability issues since the car had a rebuilt carrera 3.0 motor with PMO's and new fuel lines installed just six weeks before the explosion. So all of this is new territory for me. Does anyone know of any potential legal/financial pitfalls that may be coming soon? I checked the Kelly Blue Book value of my car and it only goes back to 1983. And it says a 1983 SC targa with my mileage is only $9000. THAT would be a catastrophic financial loss for me. I can show records with more than $14,000 in recent upgrades (including the new engine). But on the flip side, the NADA website values the car at $13,250. HUGE difference and I have no idea what it means. Either way I lose a pile of money. The product liability issue comes into play perhaps with the PMO's. My mechanic says that PMO recommends using a clamp on the fuel line to regulate fuel pressure from the old CIS fuel pump instead installing a new, low pressure fuel pump. And he is speculating this may have caused a fuel line to burst. Do part manufacturers offer warrantees against catastrophic damage when their parts malfunction?

Anyway, that is where I stand. I am utterly clueless as to how to deal with this stuff. All I know at present is that my precious 911 is now a charred shell just six weeks on the road with her new engine.



Any ideas? Advice?

[MotoSook]

WOw! That is terrible! I feel for you..glad you are OK (keep that in mind).

[IROC]

Try a CPI book (Cars of Particular Interest) for a value. Most credit unions and banks have them on hand.

As for dealing with the insurance company, I think you are in for a painful journey. As far as the insurance company is concerned, you were driving a standard, nothing special SC and they're going to attempt ot settle based on that assumption. They're not going to care if you produce a pile of receipts. I learned this the hard way with a beloved Opel GT (remember those?) I had in college.

Anyway, preapre for the worst and hope for the best. I'm pullin' for ya.

Mike

[Shawzy]

januscole!

sorry to hear about your loss - been looking for your name on the board but didn't want to find it attached to a thread of this nature...

thank god you are ok.

this was the beloved yellow rocket i assume.

did you have an appraisal done on the car when you bought it by chance? that plus your receipts would hold up with insurance i would think. if no appraisal, not sure what to do. even if you present your "receipt" for the car, they aren't entitled to reimburse you for that amount.

who did the fuel lines? engine install? anyone else liable for this other than you?

[Schuey]

Here are some references I'd use:

nadaguides.com
low 12,200 med 13,850 high 18,600

sportscarguides.com
low 15,500 high 20,000 (price in EU)

excellence has a market update on it this month, I'll check at home for prices

hemmings.com
low 9,500 high 25,000



Sorry to hear about it...best of luck...is anything salvagable? Like the PMO's?

[Rob McKibbon]

Glad you're OK!
Check out "Motions" thread from about a month or two ago, he totalled his car and settled with insurance. They low balled him at first, then he got a letter from a lawyer (pHead) and settled nicely. Sorry I don't have time right now to post a link, but I may be able to tomorrow.
The thread was full of great thoughts....
Good Luck! Sorry, very sorry for your loss!

[Doug Zielke]

A clamp on the fuel line to regulate the pressure????
What kind of screw-ball advice is that?
No wonder your car caught fire. The CIS pump puts out some serious pressure. It's likely a hose or fitting gave way, starting your fire.

[Rob McKibbon]

Let's see work or search for thread?
OK, here it is.....

This is a great thread for you to review. There's a link in Richard's first post that will take you to the original thread too.

Good Luck again,

They want to give me HOW MUCH for my baby? The Final Chapter

[Dan Owens]

First off I have to say that sucks big time.

I believe you'll find that the insurance companies will value the car through their own internal apprasial service. They don't necessarily look at or recognize NADA or Kelly Blue Book for this. Most use a service that combs the local area for "like" cars that are for sale and then take an average for those cars, add or deducting for variations in mileage, condition, etc. Any receipts that prove you have done extensive restoration to the vehicle will or should be added to the value pool. Especially if you rebuilt the engine and/or tranny. Do your own shopping around for the same info for cars in the same state of condition from your area. Do not use dealer sales as most insurance companies don't use them or discount them due to marketing and advertisement cost, readiment charges etc. Stand you're ground here as they do and can work with you on arriving at market value in your area.

Some products do offer warranties for damage but usually only to there own product replacement not to other parts of the system they are used in. Not unless you can show gross neglegence and knowledge of a known problem. I'd talk to a lawyer here though and not necessarily to the insurance appraiser. That may give them ammunition to use against you in settling your claim.

These are not hard facts but based on my own personal experiences in similar situations, so take the comments for what they're worth. Your insurance company may be different depending on who you have and what your coverage states.

[john walker's workshop]

bummer, but i would think the installing tech would have a closer link to the disaster than PMO. all PMO did was provide the parts. the installer is suspect in my opinion. as for the clamp on the return line to build up the 3 lb pressure needed by the carbs, i've used that same PMO system forever without a hitch. basically, there's a fuel loop, out of the tank, to the pump, to the engine, and back to the tank. there would be no pressure to speak of in the loop, if the return line wasn't restricted a bit. that's how CIS and DME engines do it, to build up operating pressure. the carb feed line tees off the loop, and the return line is clamped with the provided clamp to create 3lb at the carbs, measured by the provided gauge. i can't see any of this deteriorating in the short time you had it on the road.

[CHILI]

To describe this in one word: "Sucks."
Kinda off the subject, but kinda not.... I have Leland West Insurance. Anybody else use them? They always advertise in Excellence. They have "agreed upon value." You pay more if the value is higher of course, but in the event something terrible like this happens, I guess it pays off. But, they have mileage restrictions and require another car as a "daily driver" to qualify. Anybody else use them, or another "agreed upon value" insurance carrier?

[tsuter]

"Stated value" or 'agreed upon value" is the only way to insure these cars. Unless your driving a wreck. "Replacement value" will get you just that. That type of insurance is for the family minivan! Dated receipts will help but its always a brawl with RV.

[HawgRyder]

I don't know if the option is available to you...but how about a replacement car?
Let the insurance company replace the car with an equivelant one.
If you have the inspection option to look over the cars they offer....then choose the best for you.
Just a thought.
Bob

[Wrecked944]

Thanks very much for the kind words. You guys rock most mightily. Only fellow p-car owners seem to grasp the situation. I'm actively following up on all of your suggestions including reading the thread by Motion in detail. I'm fearing I may need to get a lawyer just in case. Not that lawyers are bad, but I am a non-confrontational kind of guy. I also started actively seeking sources for valuations to bolster my claim in case the insurance jackals try to hose me. I'm trying to avoid unpleasant surprises.

"i would think the installing tech would have a closer link to the disaster than PMO"

(sigh)...that is what I'm afraid of. The folks who installed it have worked on my cars for the past six years and so far they've been great. Plus, I genuinely like them personally and I'd like to see them succeed. Great guys. But hey, my freaking car blew up. So while they've been really good about it so far with loaner cars, etc...no-one has yet established a cause or taken full responsibility. I am proceeding with great trepidation.

[Adam]

That's terrible. I know you've been working on that car for a long time.

If you don't get what you want out of this by being civil, find a friendly lawyer. Insurance is just legalized fraud, so fight it with everything you've got until you're satisfied.

[Dave Ploss]

Janus,
I'm glad you're OK. I'm one town over and, if I can help, with anything, please just let me know. I'm in the phone book.

Dave

[CRH911S]

You need to STOP discussing this incident on this bb or any other forum. FYI PMO does not make the above cited recommendation. You are going to need an attorney and you are very lucky to be alive!

[pwd72s]

Originally posted by CHILI
To describe this in one word: "Sucks."
Kinda off the subject, but kinda not.... I have Leland West Insurance. Anybody else use them? They always advertise in Excellence. They have "agreed upon value." You pay more if the value is higher of course, but in the event something terrible like this happens, I guess it pays off. But, they have mileage restrictions and require another car as a "daily driver" to qualify. Anybody else use them, or another "agreed upon value" insurance carrier?

I use Leland West, but I've never filed a claim. Hope I don't have to, because the highest value they will "agree" with me on is $8K LESS than I've been seriously offered for the car. I can understand their concern that somebody may stage a theft or burn the car for insurance $, but $8K seems a bit high as a "deductable" to me. I'm thinking of shopping around.

[greglepore]

First, glad no one was hurt. Sucks about the car. As to the product liability issue, let your insurance company worry about that when/if they subrogate. Obviously, there is some lesson to be learned here, if a cause is found, but you don't stand to gain in an economic sense from that, other than your deductible, and hopefully you had a low comp deductible.

[Joe Bob]

PCA does price evalutaions as does Excellence magazine. Panorama has ads...all expensive.

Start hitting all the online classifieds and download them.

In retrospect, one should always have an PRIOR vehicle appraisal, file it with the insurance company AND have a policy with a stated value.