zero Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Wow, man. You have the worst luck. I don't really have any helpful information on the insurance side. I just had to give you my condolences after the SECOND accident where your car was stationary in about as many days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Ive smogged this car btw. Ive smogged this car with the RB and no cat. It definitely passes the early zcar standards. Sadly, that's the truth for many swaps, and it is all that should matter. Sadder still is the fact that they are allowed to paint a "moving target" in regards to standards, on a justification of statistical norming-slowly narrowing the "acceptable range" of allowable emissions so that a perfectly clean car one year will eventually not pass in subsequent years to to the moving benchmarks. How come grading on a Bell Curve is a bad thing, and must be eliminated. But those who benefit from an eliminated Bell Curve in school then decide that a Bell Curve is a GOOD thing when dealing (legislating) with something else??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayaapp2 Posted February 14, 2012 Author Share Posted February 14, 2012 Something I forgot to mention I think. After my buddy showed up with a trailer I tried to drive the car onto the winch-less trailer. I got the car lined up and suddenly I have a really odd and kinda scary noise coming from the engine bay. I popped the hood and it seems that something has happened to the turbo. Id lay money on the guess that the turbine is either damaged or broken off and floating in its housing... My muffler was jarred good in the rear, but not really damaged. My exhaust though is pretty ridged being thick stainless. I cannot conceive that this is related to the accident, but I have a feeling it is since I just put this turbo on in like Oct or something so its been less than 6 months. I have several other stock turbos and a knockoff gt35 though so its not a huge deal. I think I paid $200+70 for the rebuild kit. I guess when I get around to pulling the engine back out for body work Ill check it out further. Lets just hope the compressor side is intact as its the nylon version. I was able to get the car up in the air and check out the rear strut. Its toast. I need to section another 240z strut, transfer my hopefully good outer stubs, get a new illumina shock, and re-install my coil overs(which I think are still good). The A-arm is warped pretty bad as well. Luckily the CV shaft, and mounts for all those parts are just fine. My inner fender well is deformed and shows just how hard I was hit. Ill have to get some pictures. Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike kZ Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Holly cow! Your car is a magnet! "Since 2002 this sort of incident has occurred to the car 8 times." now 2 more within 4 days! So sorry to hear of all your bad luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proxlamus© Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 in the future.. always have a car appraised after any work or modifications have been completed. Save invoices and photo/video document everything. This will help increase the total value of the vehicle. Otherwise its your word versus the insurance company. I learned this the hard way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 (edited) I cannot conceive that this is related to the accident, but I have a feeling it is since I just put this turbo on... Bet it is. Impact seems to travel end to end. My Mustang got rear-ended and later I found it broke the bellhousing casting and the tach mount . Edited February 14, 2012 by Trevor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayaapp2 Posted February 15, 2012 Author Share Posted February 15, 2012 in the future.. always have a car appraised after any work or modifications have been completed. Save invoices and photo/video document everything. This will help increase the total value of the vehicle. Otherwise its your word versus the insurance company. I learned this the hard way. I have kept photos of the car since day one. I have documented almost all my mods and posted a lot of them here. I keep every receipt to the point of OCD. I have oil change reciepts for the oil and filters since I bought the car. I never kept this stuff for this reason. I did it because that is how I keep track of when my last oil change was, what oil I used, what spark plugs,(I mark mileage in sharpy in the engine bay), what aftermarket parts I have used(example nissan 240sx 1991 CTS for the gauge was used to replace the RB gauge sensor so that it works with the stock Z gauge). So the only thing I have missed here is the appraisal. For which I have this to say. The moment this is all said and done here and Ive got my car back on the road to recovery I will start that process. Lets just hope this ends up down that road. I have not heard from either insurance company this week. I have not had time to call them either. But I suspect that I will have to have my hundreds... hehehe yes hundreds of pictures assessed. That has been the un-official suggestion from my insurance company as well. Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayaapp2 Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 (edited) A bit more bad news. The second insurance company has started an investigation regarding the driver which was not listed on the insurance. They are trying to claim that the guy driving the car is at fault and that the insurance doesnt have to cover it. REALLY? I havent heard from them in the allotted time given to me and now I get a hold of them and they are pursuing an investigation that is completely bogus. They insure the vehicle primary and the driver second. They are liable for compensating me irrelevant of the investigation that by their own admission will take 2+ weeks. Stall tactics? Why? They said that if they did not cover the driver they did not have to be held liable and would cover nothing and that at that point I would contact my insurance and claim uninsured motorist... So I called my insurance and let know what the other insurance is trying to pull at this point. I have pretty good insurance, Im sure Ive said that at some point in time. They are on the ball on this one. They will be contacting the other insurance tomorrow and straightening out the facts here with the who covers what BS when a car hits hits another car. They are now sending out a claims adjust to look at the car on Monday. Thats going to be fun explaining how a "Datsun" is worth more than $17,000 and would cost something like $50K(by my estimates) for a legitimate shop to duplicate. I should really call Rob Fuller in San Jose and ask him for a quote to build my car over again... I bet he charges more than my 50K estimate. Matter of fact, I might try and email him next. As for my insurance with the uninsured motorist claim(first accident) I heard from them today finally. I spoke with the claims adjuster. He called up the collision center and got a handle on the delay. Apparently the gal that assessed my first accident damage went on a week long vacation and never turned in the assessment report. I will have that tomorrow. And I will have an idea of how much money I will get for that incident. The claims adjuster in this case was hella cool. He was totally a Z lover! Ray Edited February 17, 2012 by rayaapp2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayaapp2 Posted February 23, 2012 Author Share Posted February 23, 2012 It appears that the first accident will not be covered under uninsured motorist. Im going to have them put that in writing though. If thats the case then I will be going after the kids parents home owners insurance or small claims. Sounds like fun. The total is $3,061 in damage. The rough incomplete estimate for the second accident is $6700 but will be closer to 8-10K once they get into it and have to replace things like shortened modified struts, tokico shocks, energy suspension bushings, optima red top, turbo, etc. The price was just for a stock 260z. So no I have to get a special appraiser out to see the damages and asses the cars value and get the damage threshold. I have a long fight ahead. Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayaapp2 Posted February 29, 2012 Author Share Posted February 29, 2012 Looks like the second accident is going to settle out a price of my liking for damages rather than pursue this longer and try to total out the car. That is great news! So in a few weeks I will likely be able to start to tare into the car so it can be sent off to the body shop! The home owners insurance is also working with me for the first accident so Ill be getting a check from them as well! Things are finally looking up and working out. Guess karma works itself out after all. Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Wow, hope it does turn out. Is this your daily? If not get classic car insurance. So much easier to deal with in my experience. They briefly looked at my old Z, said yep it's totalled and in a week I had my check for $5K and I was able to buy the car back for $250. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOTHALOSISM Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 ^^^ Best advice ever! Plus a good deal to boot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayaapp2 Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 Wow, hope it does turn out. Is this your daily? If not get classic car insurance. So much easier to deal with in my experience. They briefly looked at my old Z, said yep it's totalled and in a week I had my check for $5K and I was able to buy the car back for $250. ^^^ Best advice ever! Plus a good deal to boot. This was my daily driver, but I was just about to purchase a 10 year old 5 series BMW so the Datsun could be driven for more or less fun rather than commuting. I need to contact my insurance and see what I can do to have the car insured properly through them. Id have a psychotic breakdown if they totaled my car for $5K. Lets just say Im getting a lot more from that second insurance claim without totaling the car out. It would not have worked out so well if it were my own insurance under collision though. It would be a huge loss if the car was totaled for anything under $20K. That's about what I have into the car, however I could not build the car for that price a second time so the car would not be replaced at that cost. The problem with the first quote I got was that they quickly looked over the car for like 10-15min and took pictures then attempted to put a estimate together. Because no attention was paid to the rest of the car it was assigned an automatic value and was a total loss for $3000. So the current insurance dealing with that one has to send out a special adjuster to value the vehicle and asses the damages again. I guess if this was a stock 260z Id have given up and let them total it out, but I just have so much of my time and money into it that Id never get back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 (edited) Classic insurance. You pick the coverage amount. Nothing else compares. Is there a sticky about insuring these money pits? There should be. In this case...it's too late now, so I recommend that if you don't get any leeway with the ins co, fix it yourself, off the books.  Hire a body man yourself if you have to. Edited March 2, 2012 by cygnusx1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Find the kid in a dark alley with a baseball bat. Recover your damages (or "transfer them") in the Fat Tony way of insurance "adjustment"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rnye Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 This is a great thread (although I'm truly sorry for the OPs terrible luck!) I have my Z insured through USAA - full coverage, $0 deductibles. I briefly asked awhile back about what would happen in the event it were totaled, stolen - what's the payout, etc. They said they'd approach it (at the time) as any other '71 240Z. However, if I had receipts for things and documentation of it being installed on the car - I'd get a percentage back on that as well. Since it's probably fairly worth 5-7K, I was ok with that. However, the car is in the shop right now receiving a ton of stuff (8pt cage, Bride seats, Defi gauges, HKS electronics, rewiring the entire car, etc). We're talking an easy 6K+ just in PARTS - no labor. That said - I have thought about going the collecter/classic insurance route - but most all seem to have A: Mileage restrictions and B: required they be garage kept. I live in an urban area and the car is parked on the street.. so that's a no go. Do you guys have any suggestions? This is probably one of the most relevant threads on HybridZ as we're all in similar situations - throwing a lot of money at cars big insurance companies consider practically worthless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctc Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 This is a great thread (although I'm truly sorry for the OPs terrible luck!) I have my Z insured through USAA - full coverage, $0 deductibles. I briefly asked awhile back about what would happen in the event it were totaled, stolen - what's the payout, etc. They said they'd approach it (at the time) as any other '71 240Z. However, if I had receipts for things and documentation of it being installed on the car - I'd get a percentage back on that as well. Since it's probably fairly worth 5-7K, I was ok with that. However, the car is in the shop right now receiving a ton of stuff (8pt cage, Bride seats, Defi gauges, HKS electronics, rewiring the entire car, etc). We're talking an easy 6K+ just in PARTS - no labor. That said - I have thought about going the collecter/classic insurance route - but most all seem to have A: Mileage restrictions and B: required they be garage kept. I live in an urban area and the car is parked on the street.. so that's a no go. Do you guys have any suggestions? This is probably one of the most relevant threads on HybridZ as we're all in similar situations - throwing a lot of money at cars big insurance companies consider practically worthless. Most insurance companies will write a fixed value policy, especially on a car that old. It does not need to be a collector car policy. Just be willing to pay out the nose for it. I would try and talk with an independant insurance guy and find out what's availble. They will take your money! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Yes, they insure DRIVING cars, not collectable or classic cars. At the minimum get a stated value policy and you will pay accordingly as any other car of similar value (Y2K Frontier worth 7k, over 1100 per year in daily driver status.) I changed to a stated value policy through Haggerty with values of 7, 7, 10, 10 on the two Z's and two VW Busses I own and as "pleasure vehicles" which is how Haggerty Classifies them, the bill wasn't anywhere near what the Frontier was costing! My two "conventional" policies through AAA are even more than they are, for a 260 Z beater Turd Mobile, and my 1990 Chevy Dually. $350 annually. And the trick there is NEITHER of them is classified a daily commuter, either! I explained I only spent 115 days in the USA last year, and rotating driving amongst EVERY vehicle daily can only possibly result in X miles being driven. Considering many if them are WEEKEND days where I'm driving"for pleasure" they decided to underwrite the policy as all pleasure. In reality, each of the vehicles gets just under 7,000 miles a year by MY driving. Now.... If I was in the country more... I'd be screwed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 (edited) That said - I have thought about going the collecter/classic insurance route - but most all seem to have A: Mileage restrictions and B: required they be garage kept. I live in an urban area and the car is parked on the street.. so that's a no go. Do you guys have any suggestions? This is probably one of the most relevant threads on HybridZ as we're all in similar situations - throwing a lot of money at cars big insurance companies consider practically worthless. I just insured my 88 300zxt with Hagerty for $165 for the year. Agreed value price of $3500 w/ a $1K deductible. I was just looking for cheap insurance so I could drive the car. Grundy is cheaper though ($125) but they wouldn't insure the 88 for some reason. Customer service wasn't nearly as good either. There is no mileage restriction any more. There used to be but both Hagerty and Grundy stated they never had this? It used to be 5K per year. Just call and double check. I did the quote online and there is no place where they ask you for mileage, Grundy or Hagerty. You can't drive it from work or regular errands but I'm sure there is some grey area! Edited March 6, 2012 by JSM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTZ Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 (edited) I hope you can drive better than you park. lol. Let me know if you need me to post my car for sale and give me those wheels. Edited March 6, 2012 by GTZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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