[400 4spd.]

I saw this scenario coming on December 10. Been through it several times and in the end I always got paid what the bill was. I've done repair claims for classic insurers ranging from $3500 to $54,000. Did I make buddies with the insurance people? Probably not. Did I do quality repairs and have satisfied customers? Yes.
Guys, do not assume that Hagerty or the other classic insurers have full time damage appraisers on staff to travel the world and will look at your car. Do not expect the representative who looks at your car to have knowledge of classic cars. Often they do not have a clue about parts sources. They are employed by independent appraisal companies, who in turn contract with the big names to take pictures and throw together an estimate. They are not "car guys". They file the estimate with a supervisor, who in turn sends it to Hagerty. During that process, the numbers will likely be trimmed before Hagerty gets it.
There really is so much about this process that most guys are not aware of. David's is the classic example of how it can go once the wheels start turning.

The burden for a correct repair lies with the shop it goes to, and Hagerty WILL pay for correct repairs, and at a higher rate than collision rate.

I could go much deeper, but I think that's enough. Again, wishing good luck to you David.

[MUSLCAH]

Originally Posted by 400 4spd.

I saw this scenario coming on December 10. Been through it several times and in the end I always got paid what the bill was. I've done repair claims for classic insurers ranging from $3500 to $54,000. Did I make buddies with the insurance people? Probably not. Did I do quality repairs and have satisfied customers? Yes.
Guys, do not assume that Hagerty or the other classic insurers have full time damage appraisers on staff to travel the world and will look at your car. Do not expect the representative who looks at your car to have knowledge of classic cars. Often they do not have a clue about parts sources. They are employed by independent appraisal companies, who in turn contract with the big names to take pictures and throw together an estimate. They are not "car guys". They file the estimate with a supervisor, who in turn sends it to Hagerty. During that process, the numbers will likely be trimmed before Hagerty gets it.
There really is so much about this process that most guys are not aware of. David's is the classic example of how it can go once the wheels start turning.

The burden for a correct repair lies with the shop it goes to, and Hagerty WILL pay for correct repairs, and at a higher rate than collision rate.

I could go much deeper, but I think that's enough. Again, wishing good luck to you David.

In your shop......do you get a higher hourly rate to work on Corvettes,BMW,Audi.......than you do a Ford Escape ,Honda Accord ...from the insurance co. ?? That don't happen around here.

[400 4spd.]

Originally Posted by MUSLCAH

In your shop......do you get a higher hourly rate to work on Corvettes,BMW,Audi.......than you do a Ford Escape ,Honda Accord ...from the insurance co. ?? That don't happen around here.

I'm not a collision shop. The only insurance work I will take is from a couple of collector insurers. They pay my shop rate, which is higher than collision shops.
Three years ago I was approached by an upper level manager with Hagerty out of the Michigan office. He wanted to know if I would be interested in being a part of a program they were one year into. It involved lining up qualifying shops in different parts of the country that would represent the company to handle claims, and do the repairs. Much like the collision industry "Direct Repair" system works, but geared for classic and exotic cars. I was told at that time they had seven shops nationwide on the system.
After going through the screening process and qualifying, I was sent a contract.
There were a few points that I was not comfortable with and in the end I declined to sign on. As it turned out, I still get an occasional call to fix one for them without all of the additional administrative headaches I would have had.

About hourly rates, they had a shop labor rate scale that varies in range from Standard rates, Classic rates and Exotic rates. Standard would apply to an average vehicle that a customer might have included with one of the other high-end cars on the policy.
For instance, I have a customer who owns 5 Ferrari's. If he damaged his SUV and wanted it fixed here, Hagerty would pay me a different hourly rate than they would on a Ferrari. So Hagerty does expect to pay more for repair services on collector cars. The problem is usually with the appraiser. An hour earlier he may have been across town appraising fire damage to a house or hail damage on a Hyundai.
I'm sure if the shop is willing to make a few calls directly to the Hagerty adjuster at the home office and supply some photos, they can iron things out.