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Called over 15 shops and all said the same thing. One restoration shop said they do not take insurance and also that their wait list is 18 months. Had one shop say they would do the work but they only had a 3/5 star rating.
just frustrated at the original shop for having me wait 3 months for nothing.
went ahead and told them to go ahead with an “inspection” that will most likely total the car. I will update once I hear more. If the car totals will try to buy the car back and go from there.
Back to square one. The insurance company did spill some beans and mentioned the car was valued at ~$16,500. So they are not going to total the vehicle. I'm still having trouble finding someone to actually do the work though. Very frustrating experience. The 1 restoration shop that said they might take it in is over a year wait.
I'm shocked that there isn't a shop that will take this work on.
Are you just visiting major body shops, or have you also visited smaller independently owned shops? In the DC area, I had no problem finding guys that would replace that same panel a number of years ago. They even told me where to cut the panel on the replacement panel. (Yes, they agreed to use a secondhand panel that I purchased!!) Most of the body shops that I deal with are in non-descript industrial parks.
A couple days before Christmas a lady ran into my 1995 jaguar xjs with her truck. Does anyone recommend a body shop in Arizona to bring the car to?
also this is my first time filing a claim. I filed a claim with the person at faults insurance company which was Allstate. I did a “virtual assist” (FaceTime) to show the damage on the vehicle. I received an estimate of $4,500 to repair the car. Does anyone have any experience with doing a diminished value claim or anything like that? Disappointed that my mint condition 77k miles xjs got ruined.
Tire, wheel, rear bumper cracked, front door damage, rear quarter panel damage.
This could help shed a little light on anyone considering recovering diminished value:
I just sat on a jury here in Dallas for a civil suit where the plaintiff was seeking nearly $10K for diminished value resulting from about $20K in crash repairs to his Cadillac. The accident happened in 2018 when the car was new. He traded the car for a significant loss a month after repairs were finished in late 2018. He sued the defendant for negligence seeking a $10K award to recover diminished value. There was not strong enough evidence to find in his favor. Also, the jury could have changed the award amount if he had won.
I learned in Texas, insurance will not pay for diminished value. So the defendant would have payed it out of pocket if she lost. The plaintiff paid a professional damage estimator to determine the value. He added attorney fees on to his loss and it took 4-1/2 years to go to trial. I can only hope Arizona law and insurance makes a claim quicker and easier.
Otherwise, I sure hope you can find a shop to fix your damage. I wish I could recommend someone. Good luck!
The insurance company will give a low estimate and hope you take it and pocket the change. Any body shop will also write a low estimate because they want they business and not the claiment pocketing the money. Once they get the job, they'll write a supplement for the additional work needed.
If you have a collector policy, call them and have them send their adjuster.
