just got into an accident

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metalonmetal

metalonmetal

Rebuilding
10 Year 15 Year 20 Year
Joined
Aug 23, 2005
Threads
43
Messages
588
Location
East Vancouver, BC
aaah. my cruiser has got some body damage. got hit on the driver side, the tub is bent up, the front fender is bent up, the cowl and firewall are bent up, the foot step looks like a tortilla chip. the door is screwed.
this f-in sucks! i've made an appointment with icbc to get it looked at. never had to go through this process before. anybody got any pointers or advice, what can i accept from them? anything i can push for?
lastly, out of the cruiser shops here in the lower mainland, anybody do icbc claims?
 
It doesn't matter if you show them an add for another cruiser or not, they will look at the condition of your truck minus the accident damage and find one comparable in condition and see how much that one is selling for. From what I have heard and experienced icbc mostly basis's their offers on buy and sell adds...they take the highest and lowest and offer you something in between. But If you do not like their offer you can refuse it and they will make another...or a buddy of mine let them write it off then he baught it back from them (because you get first chance to buy it back, i think?). So he got it back for dirt cheap and then fixed it all himself for cheap, because we can obviously source out cruiser parts better than icbc. But just don't accept their first offer for settlement, that's my advise. Crappy to hear about the crash though man, good luck with everything....stick it to the man!
 
"i've made an appointment with icbc to get it looked at. never had to go through this process before. anybody got any pointers or advice, what can i accept from them? anything i can push for?"

Well, be nice, that always helps. 2nd, don't even consider the idea of ICBC writing off your truck, unless of course you like the number they offer. I've always maintained that no matter what, I'm keeping my vehicle and try for the best amount of dough they will offer. I doubt you will get what you think the damage is worth.

It also may make a difference if you aren't at fault.

I'm sorry to hear about your rig!

Best of luck.
 
My condolences, So what happened? who's at fault, are you injured?
I've had a couple of run-ins with ICBC, none of which were even close to that amount of truck damage, personal is another story. If the damages are (in their heads) repairable then they'll just do the standard, here is the list of parts you need, choose a shop and have fun. If they say it's a write off then the fun begins. They will low ball you, you will have to dig out every receipt for every last bolt you added or fixed on it to add to the value. At the end of which they will revisit the offer and hopefully give you some descent cash. It is true, you can, and have first shot at it, buy back your truck. The price is what the junk yard would buy it for from ICBC, usually for our trucks it's a couple of thousand tops. Then get the deal done and over with and get your truck out of there ASAP before some jack As& starts taking parts off it (it usually gets shoved into some yard of theirs).
Good luck, hope you're unharmed, if you have personal injuries, from personal experience, get a lawyer. ICBC will be nice to you at first but screw you in the end.

Also for a shop, Baja Auto Body in Port Moody, best part is that Steve (EBI) is next door. You can get everything done in one place. If you need frame alignment, Port Moody Alignment across the street and Vancouver Brake and Wheel in the same area.
 
I am not 100% sure that you get first chance at buyingit back, but that is what I have heard. I'm also pretty surethat if it is a write off they won't give you more money based on maintenance receipts, ex: brakes, aligments etc...they will only pay you for after market stuff, like tires, stereos, alarms and so on. Again i'm not 100% sure on that either but I seem to remember that from a vehicle I wrote off.
 
dr_claw said:
find every receipt you can track down. Say it was your pride and joy and you would trade both of your children to have in back the way it was. ;)

And clip out every buy and sell ad that has a $14,000 cruiser
Click to expand...

i have kept every receipt, and would agreeably protest that it is my pride and joy.
 
Fantom said:
My condolences, So what happened? who's at fault, are you injured?
Click to expand...

i was going through a green light in the monsoon we had yesterday, and a woman heading the opposite direction was waiting to turn left, she kinda hesitated, and then decided she might as well go... by this point i was just coming into the intersection, when i saw that she was going, i hit the brakes, slid sideways and we connected at 90 degrees.
had 2 witnesses pop right outta their vehicles and gimme numbers. the cops arrived and had no doubt that it was her fault.
i was lucky that i could drive the cruiser home, she couldn't drive her suv home, the hood was sandwiched, bumper on the pavement, headlights gone.
the only injury i got is a bruised knee from knocking the inside of the door.

after taking another good look at everything this morning, i'm realizing it coulda been a hell of a lot worse. the damage i got is just body damage, and i could use a wheel alignment.
 
I have been there before.
Go talk and see what they say.

1. If its going to be fixed. Don't tell them you are planning on fixing it yourself (I would if you could, you save money). Tell them you want it done right, with genuine OEM parts. Fight for a higher price in the work order. Then bring the work order to a few body shops and have them go over it (bring the truck too). Lots of time ICBC will low ball here too, but the body shop fights for more (without you knowing).
The shop might notice something they forgot, or that the time estimate is low. So make sure the figures line up. Both hours and parts cost. Remember, its their job to pay as little as possible. Then either get it fixed at a shop, or take a pay out and do it yourself.


2. If its a write off (not nessasarly a bad thing), find out buy back value. and DONT take the 1st offer unless its high. My guess is it will be 20-25% low. Gather recipts and bring lots of ads. If this happens, you need to sell your truck. Make it worth every penny. Then buy back and fix it.

And don't sign anything until you are ready to settle.
If your truck is a write off, make sure they know right away, you want to buy back.
Don't let it end up at a wrecker before you know what is happening.

Hope this helps.
Cheers,
N.
 
that sucks!

how bad is the tub? I wonder how easy it is to straighten aluminum, since it's so thick??
on the bright side, this gives you an oppurtunity to replace the fenders and such with AL too :D

pics?
 
dr_claw said:
find every receipt you can track down. Say it was your pride and joy and you would trade both of your children to have in back the way it was. ;)

And clip out every buy and sell ad that has a $14,000 cruiser
Click to expand...

I agree with this fully...

document the cost of a cruiser. on book they are worthless.. but inactual they are worth a lot more on the market.

Unless the frame is bent too much, don't let them write it off. All the parts can be had for decent prices, even new tubs.
 
gladly said:
that sucks!

how bad is the tub? I wonder how easy it is to straighten aluminum, since it's so thick??
on the bright side, this gives you an oppurtunity to replace the fenders and such with AL too :D

pics?
Click to expand...

hey stefan, don't you have an aqualu as well?
my fender, step and tub are aluminum, the kickvent cowl panel and firewall are steel. i wish i had a complete aluminum body.

s4010008.jpg
s4010013.jpg
s4010016.jpg
 
It looks like the lady hit you just hard enough to let her insurance company buy you some sliders and fix your rusty doors. if it were me I'd send her flowers :D
yup, mine is aqualu too, just the tub and step though, but mine is smooth, not the diamond plate pattern. that's probably going to make yours a bit more of a PITA to smooth out
I'd probably just whack out the tub, throw on a new step ($115) and run it, bank the insurance money until you are going to do the cowl/door replacement
 
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