Community Forums

Rollin101 · 07-18-2018, 07:49 PM

Gary, I'm 99% sure the transition from roof to side wall is aluminum. I don't think fiberglass would dent, it would either bounce off or leave a hole.

Grower15 · 07-18-2018, 08:07 PM

Gary, So sorry about the hail damage! We were in a hail storm in San Antonio in 2017 which dented the toad but no damage to the coach. We filed a claim w USAA but didn’t have the toad fixed for about 4 months b/c we were traveling. It was amazingly expensive but only cost us the $100 deductible. Suggest reporting it to your insurance companies but wait for repairs until you get home. Find the best RV repair shop possible (there are some listed in the sticky thread). The further you are away from the damage, the easier it will be to have repairs completed. Once you drop the coach off, book a long cruise [emoji1]

dave&ginny · 07-18-2018, 09:19 PM

Gary,

Sorry you’ve had so much trouble. Unfortunately the pointless dent guys won’t touch the aluminum ridge cap on these coaches. I had hail damage last year and I asked my son (has a business for painless dent repair) and he said it can’t be done with that soft aluminum. I took mine to the body shop near the factory to be fixed.

DebbieMH · 07-18-2018, 09:29 PM

Don't know what to say .... trip from hell is correct .... I'm so very sorry .....

Ann n Gene · 07-18-2018, 09:42 PM

Gary, on the classics at least, the rails are aluminum. I had to have mine replaced as part of a $21000 hail damage claim I had several years ago and it would likely be double that today. No damage to the sides or end caps but all ACs and vents, fantastic fans and transition rails with paint. Just my experience.

Gary.Jones · 07-18-2018, 11:00 PM

Well Gene..... that is very helpful! Along with the good information I have gotten from others, I am going to assume that : 1.) the roof rails are aluminum and are either going to have to be replaced and painted or bondo-d, sanded, and painted. 2.) I have been running the roof AC units and they work but I know that the aluminum fins are crushed-in in places (where the louvers that provide air circulation are located). All the smashing of the fins appears to be on the aft edge of the AC units. I have no idea if the adjuster will say they need to be replaced or if the RV repair place will conclude that they need replaced (is the issue that everything should be in "new" state and condition before / after this hail storm, or that they should be functional?) 3.) the fantastic fans appear to have not been shattered or cracked (again, is the logic that they have been weakened and need to be replaced now to avoid problems in the future, or they are "whole" now so no need to replace?), 4.) the roof is fiberglass and probably OK ( the sat dish seems OK, not sure of the caps on the vent pipes, etc, but appear OK). 5.) took careful look at side walls and end caps (storm came from aft and the hail came in on an angle (AFT)). and have examined the paint and clear coat and I dont see dents like are obvious on the Honda. Maybe the paint is OK.

Do people agree with that logic... Real issue for me, is, do I insist on replacement of the maybe damaged but still operational AC units etc.? Is the logic for insurance to return me to before the storm, or is the logic to have a fully operational coach (but not in "as new" state)? I don't have a lot of experience with claims on the coach, so open to advice.

Gary

brobox · 07-19-2018, 04:29 AM

Gary, you brought up a very good point. I just went through the insurance shopping two days ago. Found this time around I really had to ask the questions. A Safeco quote was a bit lower than Progressive quotes. After asking why, the Progressive policy put everything back as new. The Safeco policy depreciated items that need replacing or makes them "functionable". Come to find out Safeco has three grades of policies, the policy that makes every thing "new" was much higher than Progressive.

Thanks to you sharing your horrible experience and getting into why we have insurance. I just found out why the lowest price is not always the best policy.....I paid the couple hundred higher and went with Progressive and glad I did after you sharing your experience. Another learning post, thank you.

C310 · 07-19-2018, 08:04 AM

Gary,
So sorry to hear about your hail experience. My suggestion would be to talk to the experts at NIRV who have been through this many times. I would give Eddie Braley a call and run it by him.
FYI as others said the roof corners are thin aluminum and will need to be replaced. AC fins can be combed if not too bad or insist on AC replacement if they can’t be like new. JMO but Eddie will know.
Take care
Steve

Ann n Gene · 07-19-2018, 08:41 AM

Gary, my adjuster said the ACs will fail and then I would be unhappy, so replace all three, still working but bent fins. Yes, replace it to like new as it was new, should not be a problem. I had Progressive at the time.

Gary.Jones · 07-19-2018, 08:57 AM

Just talked to the head of the body and paint shop in Lewisville and he said that replacing the roof rails could easily run to $6 to $8k and the AC units are on top of that. He also said that hail often does not do a lot of damage to side walls of painted fiberglass but can be more damaging to the aluminum basement doors (which I have not really carefully examined). He said that there could be damage to the sidewalls that I am not paying attention to.

I also asked him what the purpose of insurance was and he said that "it is to return the vehicle to as new condition or better". While I doubt that it is ever OK with an insurance company to pay someone to make it better, if the purpose is simply to make it as new, then that is important to understand.

Chuck.... my Safeco policy was written with an additional ~ $300 rider which is the full replacement and full glass and "Superior Coverage" although I read through the entire policy and saw no indication of the "as new" or equal value issue. The head shop guy also said that it sometimes has to do with the age of the vehicle. If the vehicle is new or virtually new (mine), then the standard is replace "as new", but if the vehicle is several years old, for examle, then it is not necessarily "as new" since it is now no longer new....

Thanks for all the advice.

Gary

anthem16 · 07-19-2018, 09:08 AM

Sorry about the motorhome , that was hell of storm . We where at the Elkhorn Ridge resort that night. Wind and heavy rain is all we got there. Seen pictures of the hail over at Custer , ground was all white. Next day was at Eddy's Truck shop in Rapid City SD to get recall on ball joints done. Hail is dam destructive for sure.

brobox · 07-19-2018, 09:57 AM

Gary, you have the deluxe policy with "Superior Coverage" as it was explained to me. You should be in good shape. The low quote I had was for "standard coverage" which left a lot to be desired.

ghaynes754 · 07-19-2018, 10:23 AM

Not sure if it can be done on the RV HVAC units but on large HVAC units a good technician can 'comb' the fins getting them back to near original condition at least on some types of damage from bent fins.

Fattman-Litlboy · 07-19-2018, 04:06 PM

Gary, we are so sorry to hear this bad news. Prayers for you and your family to get back on the road as soon as possible. Do you have any good photos to share with us?
Jim