I got about a half-mile from home. I was following a dumptruck at a reasonable distance at about 35MPH when a big lump of concrete fell off the truck. Later inspection showed the lump (with embedded gravel and re-bar) to be about a cubic foot in size.
I saw it fall and begin bouncing down the street toward me. I swerved left to avoid it and I felt it scrape by on the right side near the wheel.
After feeling the scrape, the next thing I heard (and felt) was a BANG! and the car began to fishtail. Fortunately I was alone on the road at the time (the dumptruck having continued on his way) and I was able to get the car under control without hitting anything. Whew!
I got out to inspect the right front wheel and this is what I found:
Yes, that's a BBS LM rim. I'd been so careful to NEVER scrape those wheels -- and now the right front is scraped; dammit! I know, I know; it doesn't look all that bad..the apparent scratches on the fender are largely just dirt streaks.
And then I inspected the right rear wheel:
.. wait for it ...
OHMIGOD! Why did I suddenly think of Kent Cartner? Yep, the wheel is destroyed as well as the tire.
It's hard to tell from the photo but there's a 5" slice in the sidewall just above the impact point.
The car was (sorta) drivable and I was going to be late for my meeting so I was able to drive it home (thank goodness and GM for run-flat tires), leave it in the driveway and use another car for the meeting. I took the pictures this afternoon when I returned. Looking at the rear wheel I'm guessing I not only have the obvious rim and tire problem but probably brake and rear suspension woes as well.
In looking at the rear wheel, it looks like I have one of those new four-wheel-steering features. But I'm (pretty) sure that the rear wheels are supposed to be parallel to the track of the car:
I called my insurance agent ("Hello, Jerry Siegel Insurance - You're Not Covered...")
(that's just the way he answers the phone when he's kidding with me; not so funny when you're calling with a claim ..)
.. and we're negotiating. I'll update the page with news.
It's a good thing we're taking Bob Hardt's Z06 to Sebring next week; maybe he'll let me drive....
What a day...
2) Take my stock rim to the Goodyear place on Monday (when they say the tire should be here) and have them install the new tire.
3) Locate and acquire one (maybe two) BBS LM rims. Obviously the right rear has to be replaced; I'll also replace the scraped right front if the adjuster agrees.
4) Jack up the C5, remove the crushed rim/tire and inspect. If it looks like there's minor or no (please!) damage to the suspension, mount the new tire/stock rim.
5) If the car is driveable (for a mile) drive it to Tom Jumper Chevrolet for suspension repair/alignment; if not, have it flat-bedded there for repair.
6) Wait...
7) Retrieve the car, take it and the new BBS rim(s) to Goodyear and have them remount the right rear (and possibly right front) rims with the existing right front and the new right rear.
I called the Goodyear store back and learned that the price for the Goodyear Eagle F1 P275/40R18 is $399.00 plus tax, mounting and balancing! Wait a second; before a commitment of that size (for JUST the tire) I better shop around a bit. Called him back and said to hold up.
Everyone talks about Tire Rack and how great their prices are. They're not in Georgia but I figured freight would balance out sales tax so I went to www.tirerrack.com and found the tire for $299.
Seemed like a no-brainer so I thought I'd check out their price on the BBS LM rim. The website wasn't forthcoming (for some reason) so I called them and talked to Walt. To get the tire to Atlanta was only $16 second day FedEx! And no sales tax.
Then I asked about the BBS wheels; yep, they've got 'em -- and for far less than Gael paid on a special deal for my birthday a couple of years ago. AND if you buy the tire/rim at the same time they'll mount and balance at no extra charge! And, yes, the wheel comes with the pressure sensor included.
Also a no-brainer; I hadn't tried to find the replacement wheel locally yet, but the combination of one-stop shop and price sold me. The total including freight? $1200.74 and I'll have the tire/rim on Tuesday. Thank you Tire Rack!!
Talked with my insurance agent. He thought the better strategy was to have the car towed to the dealer now (combining steps 4 and 5 above) and then have his adjuster inspect. Probably makes sense. Called my service writer, Mac, at Tom Jumper Chevrolet and he had me call Marietta Wrecker.
After a suitable delay, they arrived at the house and, while I warned the driver about picking the car up from the rear (front spoilers, y'know) ...
Looks like the estimate will include three new spoiler pieces...
Telephone call to Jerry (my agent). Said that The Travelers adjuster may not be there until tomorrow or Wednesday; they don't give 24 hour adjustments ("no one does anymore"). I told Jerry that wasn't acceptable. He told me to call him at noon tomorrow if there's been no movement and maybe he could call someone he knows to hurry things along.
Then he said that the way it works is that the adjuster comes out and does a visual inspection and damage assessment. Then, when Jumper begins the work and finds other damage, they call the adjuster back out again. I told him, also not acceptable. All that does is insert days (weeks?) of delay in getting my car fixed. Told him I wanted to be there when the adjuster comes so I can be SURE that everything is understood on one visit. Clearly (at least to me) there's likely suspension damage that can't be assessed until the car is lifted and the wheel removed.
His advice was to have Jumper call me when the adjuster arrives and whip on over there "in one of your other Corvettes". That's the plan. Probably not today, maybe not tomorrow...
Got a phone message from Benny, the Body Shop manager @ Jumper. Was out so I drove by to see him. He was gone for the day but apparently just needed a signature from me. I left the signature. He's my contact; seems that the service department (my friend Mac) doesn't get involved on accident-related repairs.
Got home and this was waiting for me:
Pretty darned good service from Tire Rack! Ordered the tire/rim combo midday on Friday and it's here, mounted and balanced Monday afternoon; I'm impressed!
Got a call from The Traveler's Customer Service Center (in Orlando). Seems Suzanne needed information to get the appraiser out to Jumper. Had a lovely phone call with her. During our chat I told her I'd already bought the tire and rim. She didn't say much but I could tell she wasn't sure if that was going to be OK. I assured her that I got the best price in the US on a mounted Goodyear F1 tire and BBS LM rim. We'll see; the appraiser will be there tomorrow or, latest, on Wednesday. She agreed to have him call me so I could be there at the same time. I have a backup; I'll ask Benny to call me, too.
Together we went over the car and then met with Benny (the body shop manager):
He said he'd try to get the car up on a lift on Thursday and I was free to come take pictures as they removed the wheel and assessed the "hidden" damage (if any). I forgot that I'd be on the way to Sebring on Thursday. I called him back; he said his Corvette tech was covered up but that if something opened tomorrow he'd call me.
I received the estimate from The Travelers; $2433.18. The things that seem odd are:
2) The repair parts listed (except for the rim/tire) come only to about $300 including alignment. Pretty amazing that you can replace all the rear suspension parts and a few other itms for that amount. And the labor estimate is only $320. We'll see....
| Panel, front valance, left | 8.80 |
| Panel, front valance, right | 8.80 |
| Shield, quarter panel, right | 81.30 |
| Knuckle, rear suspension, right | 145.02 |
| Arm, upper control, Right rear | 96.98 |
| Arm, lower control, Right rear | 188.24 |
| Four-wheel alignment | 69.95 |
| Right rear tire, OEM | 365.00 |
| Right rear wheel, OEM | 950.00 |
| Towing | 70.00 |
| Labor | 320.00 |
| Tax | 129.09 |
| TOTAL | $2433.18 |
Says I'll have it back on Tuesday; we'll see....
We're hopeful that the insurance company will replace the right front. I'll know more about that tomorrow.
I called Suzanne @ The Travelers. She was happy to hear that the wheel would be replaced (really; we've become pals) but that she'd seen no paperwork so I shouldn't order up the new rim just yet. She'll be out on Monday so I should check back with her Tuesday AM.
One more weekend looms without the C5. The '90 convertible (with only 14K miles on it) is getting a workout!
I called Suzanne. She still hasn't seen any paperwork and told me to hold off awhile while she runs down the appraiser just to make sure all is copacetic. I asked her how the funds transfer would take place in this case. I had another telcon with Suzanne and she confirmed that the front rim is covered. When she gets the amount (which will be more than $800) she'll send me a check.
Based on the examination of the original hidden damage AND the appraiser's decision to replace the right front rim as well (thank you, Andrea!) the total damage sustained to my poor C5 was
Less my $1,000 deductible, The Travelers is paying $3,766.56 of which I've already received $1,433.18 and a check for $2,333.38 is "in the mail". This means that I will take responsibility of paying Tom Jumper their share.
That $3766.56 will be paid out to someone. Here's how it's going to happen:
| The total (to be) paid by The Travelers: | $3,766.56 |
| --Less the right-rear rim and tire I bought: | -1200.74 |
| --Less the right-front rim I bought: | -809.96 |
| --Less the right & left spoilers I bought: | -10.66 |
| --Leaves (to pay Tom Jumper) (including my $1,000): | $2,745.20 |
Now I just have to be sure that Jumper's bill won't be more than $2,745.20; it should be less since I was able to purchase the tire and rims for less than the estimate (and I'm providing the right and left spoilers which I had on hand).
The new front rim should be here tomorrow morning (Thursday, exactly three weeks after I hit the %#%@$%% concrete lump) and I should have the car back on Friday. At least that's the plan. Watch this space!
I called Benny to tell him I have the rim and will be bringing it to him shortly. Incidentally, the reason I had it shipped to me and not directly to Benny is that Tom Jumper Chevy is a BiiiiG place with multiple locations and I didn't want the thing to get lost. I live only a mile from their body shop, so...
Dropped off the rim and the right/left spoiler pieces (which I had in stock). Benny told me that the car would be ready tomorrow; I know, this is the third "will be ready" date but the right front wheel/tire and the new rim have to make their way to a place where the right Hunter machine can be found and then back to Jumper for "delivery prep". They do a nice job on that with new cars so I'm confident I'll like the way they treat the car this time. I've heard horror stories of scratched paint, etc. but Jumper does a good job.
Tomorrow IS Good Friday so maybe I'll have a "good" outcome...
Got a lift to the body shop (they call it the "Collision Center") and there she was, shining in the sun. A physical inspection shows that the tires and rims are clean and shiny with no dents, scrapes or marks on the rims. They had washed the car but pollen was already collecting (I always wanted a MilYellow C5).
The final bill (to be paid by me) was $2,529.31 rather than the max of $2,745.20 that I was prepared to pay.
Here's the final summary:
| Total repairs: | $4,766.56 |
| Less my deductible: | -1,000.00 |
| Total paid to me by The Travelers: | $3,766.56 |
| Less total paid out by me for parts: | 2,021.36 |
| Leaves insurance money to pay Jumper: | $1,745.20 |
| Jumper final bill: | $2,529.31 |
| Less insurance money balance to pay Jumper: | -1,745.20 |
| Amount to be absorbed by me: | $784.11 |
I'm ahead on the deal (against my $1K deductible) $215.89 representing the better deal I made for the rims/tire/parts. Total "real" deductible ends up being $784.11 -- my total cost for the accident. I guess I'm OK with that but I wish I'd been able to identify the owner of the %#%$^%@$ truck!
Well, folks, that's it. No more posts on this subject -- well maybe three more pictures (click on any to see it larger):
