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Mikethefixit · 04-19-2008, 07:21 PM

Dave
Again Sorry about the damage . WELCOME back to MOTHER SHIP ! This is my part the world. I know those people will fix you rite up and it will soon be just pic's of bad luck.
Will U be staying till the repairs are finished? They is a rally at Grand Lake St.Marys Next weekend April 25,26,27 If you would like to stop over I know U would be more that welcome. Its at the state park.
If not Have a great trip Home.
Roger

thecatsandi · 04-19-2008, 07:27 PM

Ouch.
Well if it had not been for my insurance i would have parked my trailer after the first accident and let it rot. I could not afford $15,000 in repair bills for the trailer alone.

My guess based on what I have seen $6,000 to have yours fixed. The factory is the best place to have yours fixed.
Sorry.

halimer · 04-19-2008, 09:48 PM

Have you thought about getting in touch with either Colonial Airstream in Lakewood, NJ or RV Legends in Waterbury, CT?

TBRich · 04-19-2008, 11:07 PM

Good for you, Dave...for not letting the damage get you down and just keep going, getting it fixed, and keeping life in the proper prespective... There's a lesson in there for us all...

whitsend · 04-20-2008, 06:53 AM

Dave said (in part): Anyway, although I was really bummed when first discovering the damage, as bad as smashed aluminum is, in the overall scheme of things it really does not matter. Shari is a 2 time cancer survivor and that really puts things into perspective

. Any problem in life that you can solve by simply writing a check is not really a problem at all...

Dave & Shari - Yes, it must have felt like somebody had drop kicked your heart thru the goal posts of life to see your AS in that sad condition. But I admire your perspective. We all love our AS's, but an AS can always be replaced. Congratulations to Shari, congratulations to you both. Beating an illness like that is usually a "partnership success" story. Maby only one of you is ill, but beating that illness is best done with the aid of a loving partner. And I am speaking from a fair bit of my own experiences here.

Great success story and I'm glad you shared it with us all. I always feel better when a loved one kicks my butt back into reality now & then

. I usually require such loving at least once a year

.

wasafari · 04-20-2008, 08:41 AM

Wow, another tree "kill". I can't see any interior effects from the impact, still, 5 to 6K sounds a leetle beet low from my experience. After Hurricane Ivan my Safari needed 16K worth of repairs......sure hope they can fix yours for less

Jack

Luckyducks · 04-20-2008, 08:59 AM

Dave, I just saw your posts. Sorry for your damage but you're right, writing a check does fix it. Hope you and Shari make the Can Opener Rally in January.

thecatsandi · 04-20-2008, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wasafari

Wow, another tree "kill". I can't see any interior effects from the impact, still, 5 to 6K sounds a leetle beet low from my experience. After Hurricane Ivan my Safari needed 16K worth of repairs......sure hope they can fix yours for less

Jack

It looks like just the end cap was crunched. If so I am sticking to my origial estimate. If any of the main structure was damaged then the cost will be much higher.

lynn · 04-20-2008, 10:49 AM

Are you going with the original buck rivets or Olympic rivets? Buck rivets would require removing the interior which would increase the cost of repairs.
I hope you have a good experience and enjoy the service lobby; it's pretty cool.

wagnerda · 04-20-2008, 11:38 AM

Hi,

Not sure about the rivets, whatever JC wants to do is fine with me. Since this is an SE model the entire inside is also aluminum panels and they are all fine. Surprising to me that the inside is still smooth as silk because I had thought from how the outside looked that it would also be dented on the inside but it isn't. The only thing on the inside was some pieces of tree bark laying on the bed where it had broken thru the rear vent.

Anyway, no, I am not waiting at JC for it, they can take their time and when it gets finished I'll run back and get it, I actually really like the drive along I-68 thru western MD, West VA, PA and Ohio. That is a real pretty route.

regards, Dave

wagnerda · 05-16-2008, 03:12 PM

Hi again,

Just picked up the Bambi after a couple weeks here at JC and she is PERFECT !!!!

Absolutely a beautiful repair by Chris Burch and the guys in the service shop - thank you, thank you.... I can not tell from looking which sections were replaced and which are the factory originals (wait, this is the factory...)

At any rate, the Bambi is once again looking sharp... I have attached a before and after pic of the same area so you can see what I mean.

This is very nice, quality work and I am more than 100% satisfied with the results and the price. Not cheap, but it was under $5K so I am happy, and that included a new coil for the A/C unit...

And I also have to give some credit to State Farm insurance, because I thought they would "Katrina" me, but they did not. They sent an adjuster here to JC and looked over the damage and the planned repair and then in just 5 days they sent me a check right to the penny (less my deductible of course). So hats off to State Farm for being very decent to work with.

Oh, and the campground that I was at when the tree came down was also very nice (family owned) and they paid me back my insurance deductible so net out-of-pocket for the repair was zero.... Yes, zero cents... I still can't beleive it. I guess I did have to buy gas for 2 runs out to Ohio and back (takes me 40 gals with trailer and 30 gals without each way).

All in all it worked out ok.

regards, Dave

Foiled Again · 05-16-2008, 04:06 PM

All betta now! Looks great.

Enjoy!

See you down the road. Paula

Sky · 05-16-2008, 04:10 PM

I thought you said in your 1st post, the Bambi was not insured. What kind of insurance is your State Farm? Home Owners? Looks very nice. Congrats!

Just curious
Thanks
Dale

overlander63 · 05-16-2008, 04:15 PM

Is that a new Fantastic Vent I see poking up out of the repair? Looks good!

2airishuman · 05-16-2008, 04:17 PM

hey the repair looks great dave...

did they remove the interior and buck rivet it or do the repair from outside with olympic rivets?

while both approached work fine, the price difference between the two approaches is significant.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wagnerda

... I am not a believer in insurance so this will be an out of pocket repair that I know is going to set me back a nice chunk of change, ...

yeah whats up with this, we all wanna know!

are you now a believer in insurance?

cheers
2air'

wagnerda · 05-16-2008, 06:20 PM

Hi again,

The repairs had to have all been from the outside as the inside has not been touched at all. It really looks nice on the outside though. If looking real close at the rivet heads, on the 2 sections they replaced the rivets are just a smidge smaller head so I would think the repair was all from the outside. And since this is also an aluminum skin inside it would have been about impossible to do from the inside.

And for the insurance, I am not a believer in insurance (since I think I will always just pay and never collect a dime). I would not ordinarily have had any insurance on the Bambi (there is no loan on it) but the campground I stay at year-around requires every trailer to be licensed and insured. So a couple of years ago I called State Farm and just got whatever the basic insurance package was for an RV trailer and figured it was just money down the drain. But it made the campground people happy.

But then this tree limb comes down, so I figured I would just give State Farm a call and then when they came up with whatever the reason-of-the-day was as to why it was not covered, then I was going to use that as a reason to just cancel the policy.

But, low and behold, they were actually very nice. They asked where did I want it repaired, I said the factory at JC, they said "ok" and that they would send an adjuster to JC.

So, I sent Chris Burch the service advisor at JC a note saying State Farm would be showing up, and the JC folks showed the adjuster what was needed, and 5, yes just 5, business days later there was a check in my mailbox.

So now I have 40+ years of mistrust of the insurance industry all discombobulated. I don't know what to think.... But in this instance, State Farm was more than fair and I thought I would never get a dime. So I just don't know...

And yes, that is a nice shiny new Fantastic Fan in place of the original rear vent (I paid out of pocket for the Fan upgrade and some other goodies).

Since I was so far ahead of where I thought I would be (since I had already mentally figured I was out-of-pocket 5K for repairs), but then wasn't, I thought it was only right that I should still spend the 5K and get some goodies for the trailer.

So, I got a new Fantastic Fan for the rear, the solar charging system with 2 new AGM batteries, and the rear and street side awnings. Couple pics attached of the rear awning, the solar panel, the street side awning and the "C" ring at the JC Terraport.

Anyway, heading back to MD in the morning..

best regards, Dave

Smokin Camel · 05-16-2008, 06:34 PM

looks good...does this mean there is 5K of vacation $$$$? that you did not figure on!

SilverRanger · 05-16-2008, 06:44 PM

The repairs look great, Dave. Good news about the insurance too, especially since I'm also insured by State Farm.

thecatsandi · 05-16-2008, 07:38 PM

Glad to see JC and State Farm worked out for you. They did good by me more than once. They still won't insure my property though. No structures on it.

overlander63 · 05-16-2008, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thecatsandi

Glad to see JC and State Farm worked out for you. They did good by me more than once. They still won't insure my property though. No structures on it.

Do you know if they would insure if you had an outbuilding on the property? Something like a small pre-fab shed or barn?