Rear Ended Again

Jeff Higgins · 07-20-2006, 04:28 PM

Crap. I've been rear-ended in my '70 Bug again. I have resurected this car from the dead twice already; I'm getting discouraged. I was on my way to work, westbound on 526 (the "Boeing freeway" in Everett), when traffic came to a screeching halt in front of me. The guy in the S-10 pickup behind me wasn't quick enough. He hit me so hard it knocked the generator loose, broke the fuel pump off, shattered the distributor cap, and caved in the back of the distributor. The engine lid is toast, as is the bumper and both tail light housings and the lower valance. Amazingly, the fenders are untouched. Here we go again; another adventure with insurance. He saved some money with Geico - any experiences with them? Here is what it used to look like:

Jeff Higgins · 07-20-2006, 04:31 PM

Scooter · 07-20-2006, 05:20 PM

That sucks. No experience with Geico, but something tells me that if you are saving money by switching to Geico, there might be a good reason you are saving money (good and bad). After all, insurance companies are in the business to make money. $$$$

jeffgrant · 07-21-2006, 12:44 AM

Sorry to hear it Jeff... and here I thought those Bugs couldn't brake hard enough to BE rear ended... (at least they didn't when I hit that Brama Bull in Mexico, but that's another story).

For what it's worth, I've heard good things about Geico, at least here in Canada... very fair, quick to settle, etc.

Good luck.

genrex · 07-21-2006, 12:53 AM

Geico is okay. They will do a quick estimate on the repairs, and encourage you to have the work done at one of their recommended shops (to save them money), but all you have to do is say No. They will then offer to write you a check. Take the check, and then take the written estimate to another shop, and have the other shop contact Geico with any changes due to hidden damage. No worries.

Be sure to have the frame/alignment checked.

Perhaps you can get a freshened engine out of this? It was hit hard enough that the internals should be examined, at the very least.

Thank goodness the fenders are okay.. genuine VW fenders are pretty hard to find.

Rog

Dantilla · 07-21-2006, 07:36 AM

I will never switch to Geico.

A guy that used to work for me got beat up pretty badly by the Geico adjusters.

He didn't do a very good job of standing up for himself, but he shouldn't have to. Full coverage should be just that. The stupid thing was, when it was over, I casually asked if he was going to shop for a new insurer, and he said "Well, I've been with Geico long enough that they give me a discount".

Sorry. No more sympathy for him. No Geico for me.

ronin · 07-21-2006, 02:19 PM

AAACK! well I'll be darned. seems to me I saw the car being towed on a flatbed truck on my way to work in the morning. saw the car from a distance and thought "that looks pretty nice" but then saw the damage as I passed the car behind the truck. looks like a nice car. don't give up the fight

RANDY P · RANDY P's Garage

that sucks man...

I've dealt with Geico 3x, and they always treated me well, even once where my vehicle's attacker and myself were both Geico customers. You'll be OK.

rjp

nize · nize's Garage

wow you've surpassed me in rear-end mishaps.

jhynesrockmtn · 07-22-2006, 06:07 AM

If you're concerned about geico you could have the claim managed through your insurance. You'll be out your deductible but they'll get it back for you or so I've been told by my insurance company. That reminds me to follow up on that. Good luck.

Jeff Higgins · 07-24-2006, 07:07 AM

Wow, Geico already had a message on my answering machine by the time I got home from dropping it off at the body shop. They were already taking full responsibility. The guy that hit me must have been Johnny-on-the-spot, and for Geico to respond that quickly is impressive. We will see how it goes from here.

I did elect to have my insurance handle it and just charge back to Geico. It will delay getting my deductible back, but both insurance reps said they had no problem with this approach. I'm doing this because about a year and a half ago I had quite a battle with my company over its value. They still have records of what they agreed to then, and I just don't want to fight that battle again. I should have an estimate today or tomorrow. The guys I brought it to have fixed Bugs for me and my son in the past. They do good work, and understand how to play the insurance game. I.e. if it gets totaled, they don't get paid. We'll see. I'm mildly optimistic that it can be fixed for less than its value.

makotosun · makotosun's Garage

A geico insured ran into the back of my jeep a year or so ago and I had a check in hand (they came to my house to do an estimate) in less than a week. The estimate was extremely fair to me.

I was a lot more impressed with them than what I have experienced with my own company on a comp claim.

Scooter · 07-26-2006, 07:48 AM

Wow, I'm switching to Geico!

No, I'm happy with my insurer, but that is good to know that they are actually a good company to deal with.

ronin · 07-26-2006, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Scooter03
No, I'm happy with my insurer,

wait 'til you see your new rates...

genrex · 08-12-2006, 11:10 PM

How's it going with the Beetle?

Are the repairs completed?

Jeff Higgins · 08-13-2006, 01:56 PM

Good news on the Beetle! After initially claiming it was totaled, they have now agreed to repair it. The claim wound up going through their "total loss" division, who finally decided to have it independantly appraised. The appraised value wound up well over half again their initial value. So, after three weeks of trying to convince them what it was worth, I was vindicated by an appraisor that they hired. Parts are on order and I should have it back in a couple of weeks.

What put this over the top for me was my own market research and persistance. Where their initial valuation was based on only three local examples, with no descriptions of the cars available, I was able to provide a much larger sampling of cars for sale. Like 44 of them off of The Samba, craigslist, eBay, etc. Combined with the Washington State D.O.L. valuation used to calculate excise tax on title transfers, and the NADA value, they were pretty well convinced that their initial valuation was quite low. My three average values were within a couple hundred dollars of each other, making their low-ball value really stand out as being such. I'm just glad their "independant" (hired by them...) came up with a value within the range indicated by my research.

One of the good things to come out of this is that I now have that appraisal to keep. There will be no question if there is ever another claim as to its real value. I'm thinking this might be a good idea for all of us, on our older cars. The insurance industry apparently will recognize these appraised values from reputable appraisors. This guy was incredibly thorough. He also happened to be an old Bug guy, so when I described features of my car that added value (original rust-free pans, newer 1600 dual port, etc.) he knew exactly what I was talking about and why they would add value. When he inspected the car he was able to confirm my description, look at the specific things we talked about, and come away with a darn good feel for the condition of the car. He was then able to match that with cars in similar condition on the market by actually calling on the ads and verifying with the owners. Way more thorough than the putz at the insurance company that found the three cheapest local Bugs regardless of condition. Anyway, with this experience behind me, it might be a good idea for those of us with older cars to get those appraisals done.