Question :) for you mechanics

[mxdout165]

Christmas break was looking good. Lots of time off to just relax. But the weekend before Christmas day, someone broke into the garage where my Vette is sleeping for the winter. Long story short, they ripped off my radio and my amp. The doors were unlocked, thank goodness, so they didn't need to break a window or anything, and the driveway prevented them from taking the car, but in the process of ripping out my stereo, they broke a piece of the dash just below the cut out where the stereo goes. We, my dad and I, are currently trying to figure out if we need to file a claim. 1 in a Million I got my stereo and amp back. Wahoo!

Here's the question: What would someone charge me to replace that piece of the dash? I know around $40 for the plate, but installation time, etc for a shop to do it?

I will do it of course, but if I were to have someone else do it, can anyone give me an estimate? So we can decide on a claim or not.

Thanks a bunch everyone. And it's good to be back at the CAC. :J

T Jay

 

[Ken]

T Jay, where ya been?

To replace that center section of the dash is not difficult, just use patience and care when you are removing each of the other pieces that you need to remove in order to get to that specific piece.

_ken

 

[Yoda]

T Jay,

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. You say they broke the "piece of dash" just below the radio... Is the broken piece part of the instrument bezel? or part of the Console?

Either way I would recommend removing the side covers from the console (Transmission hump) on each side. If it is the bezel for the instrument panel, and you need to replace it... then it means retrofit of the old gauges into the new bezel along with the radio. To remove this section there are bolts on the backside of the bezel that attach it to the console and screws that are used in mounting it to the dash.

I've found the best way is to remove the seats, to allow as much room as possible to work in this section. I saw a bezel a couple of years ago at a Corvette Shop in Livermore, CA.. as I recall it was $75 or so.

If it is the console then it is a different process and most aftermarket consoles DO NOT come with the pre-cut holes for the Electric Window switches or mirror control if you have that option.

First time doing something like this.. you should allow at least 4 to 6 hours.. Labor @ $75 per hour, plus parts..

Hope this gets you in the ball partk T Jay.. ???? Did you really recover your radio and amp ???? Must be a story there..

 

[Ken]

Oops! I guess I should pay attention, eh Bud? I wasn't thinking of T Jay having a Shark.

_ken

 

[mxdout165]

The Story....

Well, for some reason, my mom's VW Jetta and her Suburban get the garages at our house, so my Vette has always been forced to find another cozy place to spend the winter. This year, some friends of ours, who own a summer home in Pagosa, said I could store my Vette in their detatched garage for the winter, so we did. Well, Sunday Dec 23rd, we get a call to head over to their house as sherrif's investigator would like to have a word. Come to find out, some kids, 2 or so found a way into the garage without doing any physical damage to the windows, doors, etc. Inside, the found my car and some expensive wine. Good thing too much snow prevented them from taking the car, as my dad had left it unlocked, keys on the floor boards. Lol, anyways...Once inside, the punks ripped out my radio and my amp, they'd have gotten the subwoofers too, but the box is to hard to get out. In the process, they broke a piece of plastic that surrounds the stereo hole in the dash. I felt worse for our friends, he had 15 or so bottles of wine stolen that averaged $200 - $400 a bottle!!!

Well, it must have been shortly after they left Pagosa, they were arrested in N.M. on a DUI. The N.M. sherrifs saw the outstanding warrents, and called the investigators who rushed to N.M. and searched the car. My stereo and much of the wine was in their car. It was also good for the law enforcement guys, out of the deal the punks ratted out a coke dealer. Funny story, the investigators told the coke dealer who ratted him out, and then told the punks what they did.

Needless to say, they are in jail for quite some time. They stole stuff from Mosca, CO, Alamosa, CO, Pagosa, CO and several other places.

I just got extremely lucky cause they were selling stuff for drug money. My $475 stereo and $300 amp would have gone for $20-50. Phew!

That's pretty much it in brief. I'm so very lucky. It looks like since I only have to replace that one piece, it's not worth filing the claim because being under 21, I still have a high deductible.

Thanks for your input though, much appreciated.

T Jay

 

[Ken]

Sounds like except for the slight damage and the inconvenience it caused you and your friends T Jay, the good guys finally won one! Congratulations!

Good luck in getting the dash put back right.

_ken

 

[69MyWay]

Wow, you are a very lucky dude to get your stuff back. I am an insurance guy. Just FYI, in the future if this ever happens again, it won't hurt to let the insurance company at least eyeball the car and give you an estimate of what they would pay. Most of the time on small claims or even large ones if the car is lien free you can just settle up on the insurance check and then do the repairs yourself.

In this situation it is doubtfull that the damage would exceed the average deductible anyway, and thus you may be making a very wise move not to even bother. A single theft claim won't be held against you, but more bad stuff might happen, and claim activity and or frequency of claims can be. Plus...YOU MIGHT BE IN VIOLATION OF YOUR POLICY KEEPING/STORING THE VEHICLE AT A PLACE OTHER THAN WHERE YOU LIVE. So, I would suggest you first have a friendly conversation with your agent and make sure things are in place to cover you in the future.

As far as the parts go, you can usually get a new reproduction bezel fairly easy. You have to watch out for "Vintage" parts, which is just another way of saying scrap yard Corvette parts. Often they are priced far and above what you can just get a repo part. Then again, many repo parts require cutting, fitting, etc. to get them right. So, do your homework, call around, and choose wisely.

 

[Bob Chadwick]

I had an estimate to have an after market radio put in for $100 bucks. This did not include any parts and basically is what you are talking about.

Bob

 

[c4ever]

T Jay,
Bummer. I just had my 85 vandalized. I was sick for a month
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You may want to check out e-bay for console trim. I think I saw one for a decent price.
Best of luck.

 

[mxdout165]

Thanks again everyone. 69, I did talk to my insurance agent, luckily I'm from a small town and know him quite well. His Orange '74 was the first Vette I ever drove . And as you said, it looks like the deductible is more than the repair costs because the piece of plastic they broke was only as long as the radio and about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Not much at all.

All in all, things worked out better than I could have ever hoped.

T Jay