A sad ending with a new beginning

[AV8]

Originally Posted by jaco

.... Even if there were no water in the tank and the burner just kept burning I cannot see a fire escaping into trailer within 2 hours but I am not sure what the result would be. ....
.

It is not completely clear what exactly occurred other than it was the water heater. The ironic thing is, it almost looks like the water heater is one of the few thinks that “survived”. The reason is, it is all stainless and was not damaged in the fire. But clearly the fire started there, and the part of the water heater that is “inside” was completely exposed so the cabinet and all that was once around it, was all gone. I don’t think the flooring was all gone below it, even thought the floor over the tanks in the back was gone. My uneducated opinion was the water heater kept going, loosing the water, and then simply got so hot to start the cabinet going. There was nothing really in the cabinet, but it looked to be so completely gone that I assumed the fire started there. I did not check for loose propane lines after the fact but for the most part the under pan was still in place so I don’t think it was “external”…

The insurance settlement went fine. It was underinsured as the company only wanted to insure it at blue book. For a trailer of this age that was 3500. This one, as Sneeknup will attest, was in such nice shape, it was worth (and cost) more. The contents were covered by my homeowners. The loss was in love and attention over the winter, not so much the monetary loss…

[Stefrobrts]

Do you mind naming the insurance company? I only ask because I deal with State Farm to insure all my vehicles, and they have repeatedly assured me that for the trailers, if a loss occurs, then at that time we will figure out what it is worth based on current value. I was just in there last week putting insurance on the new Bambi, and they again confirmed that this is how it will be. So I sure hope if anything ever happens they stand by it as they have said they will.

[AV8]

The company is Amica. They were very upfront about the insured value when I got the insurance. I was considering not insuring it, but the price of the insurance seemed ok, and it was prudent because of the long trip we were going to take. Glad I did, even if they did not cover the true value…

[Penguin]

Our 66 Trade Wind is insured by AMICA. We paid $7900 for it and that's what it is valued for on our policy. I did call them and ask several questions on the order of, "If a tree falls on it in our yard and crushes it, do we get $7900?" and "If a tree falls on it in a campground...?" and the answer was "yes."

So I am wondering, AV8, what was the value claimed on your policy?

Also I want to add condolences about the fire. That is terrifying and is making me rethink my old pilot system on the fridge and water heater.

Connie

[markjoandall]

AV8

Sorry about your loss, especially to someone who lives in the same state and town I do. Vern, 53flyingcloud, has talked about you and your trailer. Sometime, the three of us should get together over coffee.

Mark

[AV8]

Originally Posted by Penguin

..... So I am wondering, AV8, what was the value claimed on your policy?

.....

Amica paid the full value that they had on the policy. When I originally insured it they did not come and inspect it, they simply said ~3500 was all I could get on it. I explained that it was low, and you could not find a decent vintage Airstream for that, but they said that was it. Perhaps I could have pursued it further, but I figured better to have some, than none. That was true.

I don’t want to cast any aspersions on Amica as they handled the claim very quickly. It was my mistake for not arguing further about the value of the trailer. But on the other hand, if there had been a $1000 deducible I would have probably opted for that, so this was not that far out of line. The big problem with underinsuring a vehicle (I know from aircraft) is when the damage is not total. Then the insurance company will total it out from under you, and you lose the property prematurely. There was no argument that this baby was totaled….

[AV8]

Originally Posted by markjoandall

AV8
.... Sometime, the three of us should get together over coffee....

Now it can be coffee, a few weeks ago it would have needed to be bourbon…

I’ll pm you and set it up…

[59toaster]

Horrible that you lost that coach.

I just went through Ebay. The guy your insurance sold it to has listed it again.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...&category=6783

[jaco]

The guy has a "buy it now" $1250.

I figure he wants to turn at least 500 profit. So he paid somewhere between one dollar and $750 dollars for it.

A good claims guy would have probably let the owner keep it for 500 to 1000 dollars. And the title would never need to be transferred or salvage marked in some states.

Not that AV8 or others would want to keep such a burn-out and piece it out or attempt repair. But just for reference I state this.

I am going to screen shot and print this thread and the ebay screens as well and keep the copies with my insurance papers just in case being that my AS is a 74 too.
Many folks do not realize that they can ask the insurance company about selling them back the "salvage". Sometimes they are very reasonable. Of course sometimes thy just become driveway clutter.
Dealing with insurance claims is like so many things in life....negotiable.

[jaco]

Originally Posted by Stefrobrts

Do you mind naming the insurance company? I only ask because I deal with State Farm to insure all my vehicles, and they have repeatedly assured me that for the trailers, if a loss occurs, then at that time we will figure out what it is worth based on current value. I was just in there last week putting insurance on the new Bambi, and they again confirmed that this is how it will be. So I sure hope if anything ever happens they stand by it as they have said they will.

Stefro,
NEVER expect good things at claims time. From ANY insurance outfit.
The smiling face who is your agent has almost or absolutely NOTHING to do with the Claims Adjustment Dept. Controlling claim payouts is how they get their bonuses I would bet.

Go and get your policy changed to a stated value. Pronto. Don't HOPE they do something, Make em put it in writing (Contract).
I also use State Farm and I do not trust them anymore than I would John Kerry. or any other insurer.Even though my agent is a nice guy, so what..?!! They are a necessary evil in my book. The cheezy birthday cards they send me only subsidize the Post Office AFAIAC (as far as I am concerned), cause I am not flattered by them. It's just business and probabilities, and like the Casinos the tables are slanted toward them. That's OK for if not they would not be there for our peace of mind and "protection".

My .84 cents worth..

[Chuck]

you know...there's more than one "book" out there that they use to calculate values, too. I know the NADA and Kelly blue books only go back about 15 years, and because of that, I didn't know how I was going to get coverage for the actual value of my trailer. I thought I might need an appraisal, or be forced to jump through some number of hoops or whatever, But when I was talking to my insurance people on the phone, they asked me what it was, and I told them.."...1973 A/S yadda yadda...". They put me on hold, and came back and said, "we have that listed as being valued at $6500", which is more than I paid for it. its also a fairly accurate assesment, imo. So I said, "ok, cool". I should have asked them how/where/what this reference was.

anyway, I don't remember who the carrier is...just that the agent is AAA.

[AV8]

A few comments,
I agree you want to know the “totaled” value up front. It has to exist somewhere, as this is the primary basis for the cost of the insurance. Again, should that be decided at the time of a claim, it could be much lower than you feel it should be. Insist on having it in writing. Good paper makes good friends ;-)

Second, when I went to insure my new trailer with AMICA they asked what I paid for it, and said that is what they would insure it for. So there was no problem the second time around. With AMICA I seldom interface with them (good, no claims) but when I do I usually get someone different each time. Perhaps the personnel have more flexibility than you would think.

Lastly on the subject of keeping the trailer (buying from the insurance Co). I think the only way I would have gotten a “good” price would have been to buy it at auction. I don’t think the insurance Co new the value of the trailer, and probably needed to find out at open auction.

I had considered keeping it, in an effort to recover a bit of my underinsurance problem. But the only salvageable parts of the trailer were 3 of the 4 awnings. They were Zip Dee, recently “recovered”, and survived the fire well. The one in the back did not. Then there were a few windows that might have been able to clean up and sell, but the rest was truly gone. The frame was fine, but as we know, an AS frame is not much good without the body.

I should mention one other bit of enlightenment I received in the process. I had purchased brand new aluminum LP tanks and had them on the trailer when it burned. I had taken them off after the fire. I had receipts for these, and as far as I was concerned were not part of the trailer. Well the adjuster initially felt differently. And offered to “sell” them back to me. This was resolved by my going to the dump, picking up the original ones (that I paid money to dispose of) and put them back on. The tanks were still legal, but the valves were not. In the “discussion” that occurred about he new tanks, it was stated that as soon as you put something new on / in the trailer, that can be considered “part” of it, it belongs to the carcass in the case of a total loss. Again, I want to state, that while I was peeved at the thought of buying my tanks all over again, AMICA allowed me to swap out the new ones for the old ones. But it was an edgeamacation for sure ;-)

[AV8]

So here is the new beginning part. The rock guard on the curbside somehow got loose of its moorings with the prior owner, so it looks like it has been guarding boulders rather than gravel, otherwise the exterior is very clean.

[AV8]

The interior was incredibly clean, and looked brand new. The rear twin bed covers were in the process of being washed. One thing I liked coming from our older one was the pocket pantry. While much smaller than my old Overlander pantry, it is tucked in when it is closed and noting moves around. The center bath is a huge improvement and the weight of the tanks is in the right place. So with this one, we are west bound…

[Ken J]

Alllllright - looks great!

[Anon]

Originally Posted by AV8

Stephanie, you have the right idea. I love the old trailers, but should I ever do one again, I would replace the old appliances. Having seen what can happen with old refrigerators, and now water heaters, I would just bite the bullet and replace them. The furnace BTW, that worked so great through -20 deg temperatures, was new…

I replaced ALL of my appliances. I figured that it was like buying an insurance policy. I am safer now that I KNOW how old the appliances ae and how they were installed.
It has taken time to do this but I have replaced:
Refrigerator
Water Heater
Uni-Volt
Water Pump
Stove/oven
Furnace
OPD valves for LP tanks
LP Regulator
Rubber hoses for the LP
Dump Valves
Tongue Jack (replaced with a power tongue jack)

I am still light-years behind the cost of a new A/S so I am doing good.
I probably have I have $5,000 invested in the Minuet, (with the cost of a brand new A/C that it never had), and that is including the purchase price.
My family's safety is paramount. I have replaced someof the stuff "just because". I now know I can trust all of the systems in my Minuet.