insurance values/claims

["Denis, Jean" <Jean_Denis@domain.elided>]

I've gotten into the habit of having my cars independently appraised - my
insurance company tells me which appraiser's evaluations they recognize. The
appraiser comes by, takes pictures, does market price research (which, for
collectible cars, they do on the net, with Hemmings as reference, auction
prices and etc.). I have never been dissapointed with the values assigned by
such an appraiser - of course, a higher value means higher insurance costs,
but you are completely protected against the inevitable as*hole adjusters!

The real bugaboo for me is getting a quality repair job - the vast array of
scams and shortcuts is stunning!!  Windscreens, for example, I don't know
how many times I've seen a very cheap South African SafeVue unit installed
instead of the noticeably better quality OEM type (like St-Gobain or Sekurit
(Asahi for Jap cars)). There are so many traps when it comes to repair
methods and materials that it's hard to avoid writing an entire book about
it here - let's just say that i'm as fussy as they come and I know exactly
what i'm talking about, which makes me the bodyshop's customer from hell.

Just a few of points to watch out for (depending on how fussy you are, that
is):

1) Brazed-in repairs: corrosion happening from the moment it's done and lack
of adhesion of finishing materials. All repairs should be MIG, TIG, spot or
hammer welded steel on steel.

2) Primers: Lacquer-based primer surfacer is often used (outside the rust
belt - goes straight onto bare metal) along with a vinyl wash anti-corrosion
primer on the bare metal. This is really old technology whose only qualities
are easy, cheap and quick. Coming from the rust belt I tend to get a bit
extreme perhaps, but I will only allow the use of Epoxy anti-corrosion
primer followed by high-build polyurethane surfacing primer. The last coat
of primer has to be applied perfectly smoothly and is Not Sanded, and Not
Allowed to Cure more than a couple of hours before topcoating.

3) Flexible parts: Not a problem with older Alfas, but with others: Joe Blow
bodyshop never seems to want to use the correct primer or use flexible paint
additive - so inevitably the paint peels off these areas.

4) Inspection: If there is any way that you can make the time, inspect the
car several times during repair: Once it's been stripped of parts; when all
the panel straightening is done and before any filler goes on; when primed;
when topcoated, prior to reassembly.

There are lot of other issues and with my persnicketiness, I end up giving
up and not bothering to search out the right bodyshop or fighting to get the
work done right and I do the work myself - amazing what you can learn and
accomplish when you don't leave yourself any other options. Did I mention
that i'm also damn Stubborn?

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End of alfa-digest V7 #843
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