Thumper wrote:Yeah, almost.SciFiFisher wrote:Thumper wrote:When you start a day off so monumentally badly, and set the bar that low, things are bound to get better. Service manager called. It was indeed a bad starter. He couldn't source one for our manual transmission vehicle until Tuesday. So he told me to tell Mrs. T to just hang on to the loaner. He'd call me when the car was done. They still owed us some scratch and dent repair so it looks like they'll be able to take care of that while it's waiting for parts. So far, way better than I expected. I think the salesman is tired of talking with me. He's already made all the money off me he's going to. Now I'm just eating into his profits.
The estimate on the truck came out lower than I expected, body shop guy says he can get it back to the way it was. Retail value looked better than I had hoped. So agent put in a claim. I'll still have to wrestle with the adjuster and convince him it's worth fixing but I think I've got a good shot. And luckily it still drives okay. I didn't get into the suspension or the internal organs. It's been a tough truck. That's why it's my baby.
Now to get out of work and salvage the remains of the day.
Frankly, this post *almost* belongs in good news.
As SciFi Fisher pointed out, this story was sounding less and less like a BMR and more like good news.
I just dropped off my rental ( a nice zippy 2016 Impreza) and picked up my freshly straightened and painted truck. It looks great. It's a '94 GMC originally custom ordered by me. There's a picture or two of it here somewhere. I've tried to take care of it since it's replacement value in a 2017 truck would be in the neighborhood of $55,000. The rep at the body shop was thoughtful, thorough, and then complimented me on the truck several times. He said the guys coming over to work on it would see it, stop, and go clean up or wash their hands before working on or in it. He said they appreciated a well kept vehicle. He stressed that if I got it home and had a problem, issue, or any question at all to call him and bring it back. They wanted me to be 100% satisfied.
I was able to pick up and drop off the rental right there at the shop, which was hella convenient. Dealing with my insurance agent and claims adjuster were almost comforting. I explained the situation to the adjuster, the bodyshop emailed the estimate and pictures, she mailed me a check the next day. The shop had contacted her about some additional work once they got into it. She paid that directly without even involving me. They also paid the rental car ahead of time. All I had to do was sign for it and fill it with gas before I turned it in.
The other issue, with our "new" car was resolved just as painlessly. The dealer fixed the problem, made sure all the keys were programmed correctly, and gave my wife a loaner the entire time they were working on it. All no charge. I was finally able to drive my own "new" car when we took friends out to dinner Friday night. And I like it.
I don't care which insurance company says they can save me how many bucks, I'm never leaving mine. I got a buddy that had his truck broken into back in early December and stole a bunch of contents. He's still fighting with them. The company is trying to fiercely deny every aspect of all claims. What's the point? Tonight all three of my cars will be back in the garage. Now here's to not needing the insurance company or the dealer for a long, long time.