Community Forums

TEEGEE1997 · 09-02-2012, 05:12 PM

Okay folks the DW and I are looking for some good ole IRV2 sympathy and advice. Let me start by saying that we are truly blessed and that no one was hurt during this adventure. Our 41ft Dutchstar DP was hit and damaged in a traffic accident on Saturday around 5:30 PM. The DW was driving and did a great job of keeping control of our rv and making sure that no additional vehicles were hit and damaged. The other driver was completely at fault and he put a lot of lives in danger with the bonehead and ignorant driving decisions that he made yesterday. An off duty CHP officer and his wife witnessed the accident, they were nice enough to pull over and wait for the CHP to respond so that they could give him a report. The DP took a good beating, the damage starts on the front right corner near the headlight and runs down along the right side through to and including the passenger side kitchen slide. I have pics but I can't seem to get them to load up on this site today. The DW is a very good driver and there is nothing she could have done to avoid this idiot, she is down and feels horrible about the accident.

We have contacted the insurance company regarding starting the process to have the unit repaired and we have a few questions for you.

1. Paint and repair locations that you recommend in Southern California.

2. Concerns and things to look out for with RV collision repairs.

3. Slide affected was kitchen slide, any xtra things to have checked out.

4. Any info or suggestions on things to do or be aware of would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help, don't know how long repairs will take but we hope to see you on the road soon.

rvfunhunter · 09-02-2012, 05:33 PM

Well I know this will be an adventure for you. Tell your wife that it's only material and that the important thing is that no one was hurt.

I'm upgrading paint and body work at this time...offff....its a big job that needs to be done right! If you can post a few pictures so we can get a better appreciation of the damage you will have better luck getting advice. IMO the most important part after having repairs done to the body is to make sure that there are no places water can get into any part of the rv. If so you will see a quick decline in your rv's conidion.

Have a good look at everything and send some good pictures.

Best of luck.

Eric

dennis45 · 09-02-2012, 05:36 PM

The only advice I can offer is to stay calm and work through this thing with your insurance company. After a day or two it will come clearer that you are very fortunate nobody was hurt and that is the important thing.
I would contact Newmar and get their assistance in assesing the damage and what to look for.
There was another thread recently on iRV2 of an accident similar to yours but for the life of me I can't find it. The gist of it was to keep calm and pay attention. Don't be in a rush to sign off on anything until you know exactly what is offered. In the end everything worked out in their favor but it took a few weeks to resolve.

JudyH · 09-02-2012, 05:37 PM

Can't help with your questions, just want to say I'm glad that you weren't hurt. As for the wife driving, congrats to her for holding her own. Hope it all gets taken care of to your satisfaction. Keep us posted on your progress.

szy · 09-02-2012, 05:47 PM

I almost had some knuckle head hit the RV by cutting in front of me - missed him by inches how do people not see a 40 foot plus RV?

Sorry for your experience , now it will be a fight to get things done right

dennis45 · 09-02-2012, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dennis45

The only advice I can offer is to stay calm and work through this thing with your insurance company. After a day or two it will come clearer that you are very fortunate nobody was hurt and that is the important thing.
I would contact Newmar and get their assistance in assesing the damage and what to look for.
There was another thread recently on iRV2 of an accident similar to yours but for the life of me I can't find it. The gist of it was to keep calm and pay attention. Don't be in a rush to sign off on anything until you know exactly what is offered. In the end everything worked out in their favor but it took a few weeks to resolve.

I found the thread. I was dated 14/01/2012 by Old RVer.

Bigd9 · 09-02-2012, 06:15 PM

Good job of keeping the RV under control after the accident! Check with your insurance company for a list of repair shops. My agent would email a list of repair shops they deal with and he would tell me verbally which ones were good ones, and which ones he had trouble with in the past. Last thing you need is trouble with a repair shop.

Are you in a "no fault state"? That is, who is paying for the repairs to your rig? If your insurance company is paying, then they should treat you right and be helpful. If it is the other guy's insurance, beware. They have no vested interest in keeping you satisfied or happy.

Keep us posted as to the progress. We are interested and we do care.

historyljc · 09-02-2012, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JudyH

Can't help with your questions, just want to say I'm glad that you weren't hurt. As for the wife driving, congrats to her for holding her own. Hope it all gets taken care of to your satisfaction. Keep us posted on your progress.

+1 Remind her that most wives won't even drive these rigs so she special to start with. Good show keeping the damage to side on which you were sitting.

wa8yxm · 09-02-2012, 06:59 PM

Depending on the circumstances.. Just how reckless was the other driver.. You might wish to call Ben Dover & C. Howit Feels attornies at law and sick 'em on the other driver.

(Fictional law firm, from 3 stooges, you replace the fictional firm with a real one though)

EngineerMike · 09-02-2012, 07:30 PM

1) Congratulate your wife on not making things worse, not panicking, & staying in her seat till the ride came to a full & complete stop.
2) Here is the other thread referenced above. Monty panicked a bit at first, but once repairs got down to business as usual it was obvious things would work out. Read that thread in its entirety for an education, and a warm fuzzy feeling.
3) there is a shop in Temecula (don't know the name but there can't be too many) that does large coach work and has an impeccable reputation; they did a $70k flood repair on a 43' mountain aire that had flood water up to the floor and it came out perfectly per buddy of mine. Not sure if Redlands Truck & RV (a sponsor here known for great quality chassis work) does body work also.
4) Repair will take a couple months, even the adjusting to get to a path forward will take a while. Patience, and baby sitting the repair will lead to proper outcome.
5) have all movable plumbing & wiring to the kitchen slide checked out, as well as the slide mechanisms & seals. A good shop will check e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g from left of the front damage to the rear PS of coach.
6) relax, have a cocktail (or two).
7) Read your insurance policy cover to cover, not just the Declarations page. A buddy of ours layed his coach over on the way back from Alaska (similarly, he was hit by a moron who was out of control, and knocked him into the ditch). I talked to a mutual friend who assisted w/the adjusting. Insurance declared it a total. For his insurance policy (and mine which I just read when renewing), his was a total if the repair work exceeded 80% of current fair market value. Your policy will have some language like that. One of the hydraulic rams for the kitchen slide (DS on his) was broken & bent 45 degrees, basement doors ruined, stuff in basement smashed, etc. That coach is now back on the road with a beautiful new paint job.

blang · 09-02-2012, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EngineerMike

1)
3) there is a shop in Temecula (don't know the name but there can't be too many) that does large coach work and has an impeccable reputation; they did a $70k flood repair on a 43' mountain aire that had flood water up to the floor and it came out perfectly per buddy of mine.

I, too, am hoping someone can name this shop in Temecula. I have a bit of roof edge work to do on mine.

Dutch Star Don · 09-03-2012, 12:40 AM

I've never had work done here, but heard it was a good shop. You don't say where you live in Southern California....it's a big area.

Final Touch Coach
28532 Livingston Ave
Valencia, Ca.
(661) 775-8375

bbeane · 09-03-2012, 03:46 AM

I'm sure there some good shops in CA, However if you can get it to Xtreme Graphics in Nac Texas they are first class all the way in paint and fiberglass repair. www.xtremegraphics.net

Cilrah · 09-03-2012, 04:15 AM

Sorry to hear about your accident but sure glad no one was hurt.

I was hit on I-5 August 5th by a boneheaded young fella trying to do a good deed. We are going through the insurance process right now and have an awesome body shop that's going be doing our repairs. Sorry they are in WA. Tons of paint and fiberglass repair needed.

As said, congrats to your wife for holding her own, remind her it's all material stuff that can be fixed. She should be proud of keeping control