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Insurance?? Feedback, plz

WhalePirot

Well-known member
Joined
May 9, 2002
Messages
2,945
Location
SoCA
Corvette
1984 White Z-51/ZF6-40/Shinoda body
I am not at all satisfied :mad with the preferrred repair shop nor the rates charged to insure my 1984 Corvette. Prestige Collision in Mission Viejo, really screwed up the wiring. I found shoddy repairs when I was did my Euro taillight wiring, added to previous problems with the door locks, the rear hatch and others. The exhaust system was hung so as to burn the rear bumper paint! I refused the lousy flex bumper, which was not damaged, only stripped for repaint; a job that was poorly done so as to be redone twice. Then my engine, all of a sudden, had a spun bearing! I have photos of the car sitting outside with the windows wide open. I witnessed their workers doing burnouts with another customer's Mustang at closing time.

It took repeated calls, to a regional supervisor, to get the work done properly; then, USAA didn't seem to care that the work done on my car was poor. The local rep never returned my calls.

While USAA used to be very reasonable on Corvettes and other cars, of late, I am not sure the same is true. I was paying through the :booty to drive a few thousand miles a year. We have excellent driving records, yet pay over $1200/years on two older BMWs! I carry a %500 deductible. Neither is driven over 8000 miles/year, which qualifies for their lowest rate. The Vette will raise that cost by 30% or so.

My rocket ship :_rock will leave the shop soon, and I need to decide. :confused

What do y'all find is the best deal?

:w from Orange County, CA
 
I'm fairly happy with USAA- I recently adjusted my coverage and I'm paying about $500/year with two other cars on the policy. The price is about the same as it was for my slightly newer turbo Subaru.
[RICHR]
 
USAA usually has the best rates... if in fact you don't drive the car that much though (and are older) you can get that collector car insurance... check out the corvette magazines, I see ads all the time for car insurace for cars driven 5000 miles or less... you just have to find the ones that don't care about the car's age
 
Forgot to mention - I *never* use USAA's preferred shop. It may take an extra couple days to get my car done, but I use my own body shop. USAA sends an adjuster out to talk with the shop owner, they agree on a price for the work, and USAA sends me a check for the amount. They can't force you to use their shop...
[RICHR]
 
When I had to call on USAA, my car was a total loss, so there was no opportunity to explore the "pref shop" choice.

Sorry to hear you are having a bad time. Most claims are pretty bad, as a bad event causes the whole thing to take place.

USAA does not own the shop, therefore they are actually fairly powerless to control the quality of the repair. However, they do track complaints. I don't know the "exact" details on the relationship with the shop, but most of the time they do not get a discount rate from the shop. The concept is usually to establish a close working relationship with a handful of shops that work hard to get the work in and out on time (which almost never happens, since collision repair work is unpredictable to some degree).

At least, I would think they are going to "stand beside" you with a "guaranteed" repair.

Good luck with that.
 
That's part of my issue with USAA. I know they don't own or control the shop, but why send customers to a such a shop? Why not act a slight bit interested in problems that the customers experience there?

The work is guaranteed, as a 'plum' for using the shop, but I'd never return my car there for anything; even a free re-do! I seriously doubt that no financial incentive exists for the preferred shop. Live and learn, hopefully!

We all have the right to use whatever shop we choose, and I will exercise that right. My wife's BMW was expertly repaired by an expert (BMW) shop, though State Farm cried like hell, when I refused to go to the preferred (again Prestige) shop. I have no doubt that we still have the (trouble-free) car because of it, while Prestige's amateurs whould have forced us to dump it long ago, through problems and all the associated return visits, until we finally gave up.

Can you tell this STILL upsets me? HaHA! i am upset that I am still paying for repairs, resulting from the 'guaranteed work' through USAA.

:w
 
it seems like everything these days takes a whole lot of complaining.... If you don't complain, you get walked all over... USAA should do something if you complain... even let you take it to a different shop to get the work done properly
 
Try Hagerty Insurance....

We have had them for 4 years now for the 1971 Vette. They write through CNA, and the only stipulation is that you have another daily driver. You also have an "agreed value" which does not require an appraisal. Our '71 is insured for $ 17,000. with 100/300 limits and no deductible for $ 140.00 per year. We also had a claim two years ago (rear-ended a BMW - my fault!) - all I had to do was get an estimate and they cut me a check, and did not cancel me or raise my rates.

Also, the 1996 is through Allstate - I am paying right at $ 1,500. per year for it, a 1999 Ford F-150, and a 1988 Camaro Convertible, and no mileage limits. No claims experience with them though.....
 
Thanks, lady!

I'm on it!

:w
 
I have 21st Century. With 100/300 Liability, 100 Uninsured, 250 com, 300 coll, 50 towing. Its $460 for my 92 vette, $310 for the 2000 accord, and $340 for the 98 Aurora for six months. When do you get your vette back, I'd like to see it. Still haven't put the SLP's on yet.

Jim
 
Thanks for the feedback. Good to see you, jstcrsn; neighbor.

Hopefully the reborn '84 will be ready this week. The AIR pump is putting out very little air, so while the smog valves get the ECM signal and their solenoids 'click', proper operation of the valves themselves cannot be verified until some decent air is fed to them. The exhaust smells fine to my facial sniffer; the 406 will run clean at these huge HP levels. :D


I have a SMOG guy waiting, too.

:w
 

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