dent repair

[newbullet]

this happened the other day. my trailer sitting in my driveway when my neighbours brickwall came crashing in on it and leaving me with these not so nice dents. Hard to believe i know. Anyway he says to me he will fix it. When i replied that i know youll fix it i just wonder how? He is a pretty mechanical guy who thinks he will be able to bang them out and i have my doubts about that and under closer inspection it seems that one of the bricks managed to put a cut right through the skin. My question is does anyone know what the cost to replace/repair this would be and how you would go about fixing this. thanks

[davidz71]

I doubt seriously he has the ability to fix it. Even if he could pull the dents, there are creases which will never be ironed out. Hope he has homeowners because it will entail panel replacement costing in the thousands. Believe me, that is the only way I would accept the repair and it would be done by someone who knows what they are doing.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by newbullet

this happened the other day. my trailer sitting in my driveway when my neighbours brickwall came crashing in on it and leaving me with these not so nice dents. Hard to believe i know. Anyway he says to me he will fix it. When i replied that i know youll fix it i just wonder how? He is a pretty mechanical guy who thinks he will be able to bang them out and i have my doubts about that and under closer inspection it seems that one of the bricks managed to put a cut right through the skin. My question is does anyone know what the cost to replace/repair this would be and how you would go about fixing this. thanks

You will become a "Billionaire" faster than that guy can fix your trailer.

DON'T LET HIM TOUCH IT, PERIOD.

If he is liable, then get an insurance company involved, and nothing short of that.

Once aluminum is stretched, it's done.

Secondly, what, if any, interior damage happened? Has the headliner become cracked or dented?

Get the trailer to a dealer for the repairs.

Your trailer will be glad you did, and so will you.

The cost to repair your trailer, will run about $1000.00 or more, per segment.

Andy

[TomW]

There is a good chance that the cost of repair is higher than the current resale value of the Airstream.

Tom

[safari57]

Originally Posted by newbullet

this happened the other day. my trailer sitting in my driveway when my neighbors brickwall came crashing in on it and leaving me with these not so nice dents. Hard to believe i know. Anyway he says to me he will fix it. When i replied that i know youll fix it i just wonder how? He is a pretty mechanical guy who thinks he will be able to bang them out and i have my doubts about that and under closer inspection it seems that one of the bricks managed to put a cut right through the skin. My question is does anyone know what the cost to replace/repair this would be and how you would go about fixing this. thanks

Newbullet

What a crummy thing to happen to your Airstream.

Don't let your neighbour work on it. He's just killed the value of your trailer. The only way to get it back is to have it properly repaired. An amateur job will show and you'll end up eating the depreciation of value.

Take pictures of the outside and inside to your insurance agent and get their recommendation on how to tackle this.

Barry

[rmpray]

Hope he is insured and is ready to let his insurace company do the work. Hey, you gotta live next door and no one wants to go to war over this, which is why it's best to deal with the adjuster and not him. Does notsound like there is a question of responsibility, but hey you ought to have your AS back in one piece. Now, if this rig is in good interior shape the task will be getting the repair done right...and not having an insurance company tell you it is not worth fixing. Personal experiance says when dealing with an insurance company, the more documentation you have concerning the value the better off you are, There is a reason some insurance company use cold blooded reptiles as their mascott

In any case, hope you end up with the damage repaired and don't loose a neighbors friendship in the process. He ought to be fighting for you as it taint your fault (assuming it did not fall after you drove through his wall Just kidding!

THink of the positive side...we all like pictures of repairs in progress here!

Good luck
Rob

[Igor68]

Hey,

I had a dent similar to that (only 1 panel) on our 1968 trotter 20' and it was not too hard (but it wasn't a cake walk eather) to fix but the creases were not quite that sharp but close. It took me about 2 days to get it out. I have some before and after pics but not shure how to post them. I will try to get them up tonight or PM me.

Igor

[flyfshr]

Do not let anyone other than a certified Airstream repair facility touch your trailer or it will end up in worse shape than it is and you will be worse off with a trailer that hasn't held its value. I know a lady in CA who's neighbor's tree crashed down on her '59 TradeWind, smooshed both end caps and she had it repaired by a certified repair shop. The neighbor's insurance paid for the whole thing but she had to keep after them. She is very pleased with the work. Don't let them tell you it is totaled. It needs to be repaired and brought back to the shape it was in before this happened and his insurance needs to cover it. That's what it's there for.

Brad
FF

[newbullet]

Thanks to all of you for you help & contributions.
I guess this is where im at - first off im not really friends or even happy about this neighbour of mine as i have had a number of issues with him. 1 being the lengthy 4 year renovation project on his home and having people working on it at late hours of the night and just plain out not respectful of any of his neighboours. 2nd he is probably the cheapest guy i know, so the route of letting him repair it is definatly out of the question. Now he hasnt offered up his insurance to pay for it, so does this look like a small claims court matter??
On top of this the trailer is currently parked at my house because i no longer have a truck to tow it, so it would require someone coming by to tow the truck to the closest AS repair shop which im not certain but looks like London Ontario and that is a 2.5 hour drive away. Talk about the bill shooting up. I only paid 5000.00 for it to begin with and im sure im going to reach up close to that. The interior did get a crack in the plastic just above the sliding cabinet and now im unable to close that cabinet because of the damage. I dont want to be an ass h**e about it but i do love my trailer.
your thoughts and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
thanks again

[safari57]

Newbullet

Take pictures of the inside and anything that shows the wall that hit the trailer. Go to your own insurance company with the pictures, for advice on next steps, including how to proceed with the neighbour to obtain insurance details. Make sure you get someone very knowlegeable at your insurance agent, not someone who's never dealt with a situation like this.

Call the London, ON Airstream dealer and get their email address and send them the pictures and ask them for suggestions on it's repair. Indicate that the trailer will need to be picked up and dropped off. This should all be covered by the insurance.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by newbullet

Thanks to all of you for you help & contributions.
I guess this is where im at - first off im not really friends or even happy about this neighbour of mine as i have had a number of issues with him. 1 being the lengthy 4 year renovation project on his home and having people working on it at late hours of the night and just plain out not respectful of any of his neighboours. 2nd he is probably the cheapest guy i know, so the route of letting him repair it is definatly out of the question. Now he hasnt offered up his insurance to pay for it, so does this look like a small claims court matter??
On top of this the trailer is currently parked at my house because i no longer have a truck to tow it, so it would require someone coming by to tow the truck to the closest AS repair shop which im not certain but looks like London Ontario and that is a 2.5 hour drive away. Talk about the bill shooting up. I only paid 5000.00 for it to begin with and im sure im going to reach up close to that. The interior did get a crack in the plastic just above the sliding cabinet and now im unable to close that cabinet because of the damage. I dont want to be an ass h**e about it but i do love my trailer.
your thoughts and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
thanks again

Since your neighbor is liable, and won't go to his insurance company, then your next step is easy.

Go to your insurance company. They will repair it, less your deductible. They will then "subrogate" against your neighbor, for the full amount of your repairs. When they collect, they will refund your deductible.

When your insurance company handles the deal, your neighbor can pay the bill, or his insurance company. They don't care, but someone will pay.

If your neighbor has no liability insurance, then your insurance company may sue your neighbor.

The important thing for you, is to have your trailer returned to it's immediate prior condidition.

Your neighbor can't blame you for the actions your insurance company may take.

Oh well, it's his problem, not yours.

If you do not have a tow vehicle, then some insurance companies will pay for the two way transportation, depending on your coverages.

If they pay for the transportation, your neighbor or his insurance company will pay for that too, since this is a "clear cut" case of liability.

DO NOT get an estiamte based on photo's. Photo's can be misleading.

Andy

[davidz71]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

DO NOT get an estiamte based on photo's. Photo's can be misleading.

Andy

Andy is correct unless the written understanding is that there may be more underlying damage that was caused by the accident once they do the estimate when the trailer reaches the repair shop. The factory put this in writing on their estimate when I sent them numerous digital photos of my brake/bearing/tire/fenderwell damage last October. Fortunately there was no more damage they could see once they inspected the area including the spindle where all the heat was involved.

[Jim Clark]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

Since your neighbor is liable, and won't go to his insurance company, then your next step is easy.

Go to your insurance company. They will repair it, less your deductible. They will then "subrogate" against your neighbor, for the full amount of your repairs. When they collect, they will refund your deductible.

When your insurance company handles the deal, your neighbor can pay the bill, or his insurance company. They don't care, but someone will pay.

If your neighbor has no liability insurance, then your insurance company may sue your neighbor.

The important thing for you, is to have your trailer returned to it's immediate prior condidition.

Your neighbor can't blame you for the actions your insurance company may take.

Oh well, it's his problem, not yours.

If you do not have a tow vehicle, then some insurance companies will pay for the two way transportation, depending on your coverages.

If they pay for the transportation, your neighbor or his insurance company will pay for that too, since this is a "clear cut" case of liability.

DO NOT get an estiamte based on photo's. Photo's can be misleading.

Andy

Andy is correct, having been through three hurricanes in one summer Cindy, Katrina, and Rita I learned a few things about insurance. Cindy put my 50 foot radio tower across two neighbors lots, the agent told me to cut it off at the property line and the neighbors insurance had to handle what was remaining. I did not do this I cleaned up the tower myself. My neighbors let me go on their property but could of just as easily not let me on the property to clean up, had the work done then sued to collect their damages. If your neighbor dose not pay you can go to court and may win a judgment, then you would more than likely have to put a lien on his property to collect. Let your insurance company handle the problem. You could of forbid your neighbor from coming on your property and kept the portion of the wall which fell across the property line, that would have been fun. What is the setback lines of these lots, or was it a very high wall?

I also had a 34' sailboat totaled, paid out, given back to me, the reinsured by the same insurance company in one day. Insurance is a funny thing.

[Igor68]

I could only find these pics they are not great but I did not want to go through 1000's of files on the computer to find more. Trailer was hit by a baseball before we got it. Even Broke the liner inside. Repaired pic is in PV Mexico.....Brings back memories

Igor

[ALTE797]

Paul , sorry to hear about this and thank goodness no one was hurt. Especially disapointing when you just got the trailer.

I agree with what everyone is saying here. CAN-AM RV in London is the closest place you can have this repaired properly. Ask to speak to Andy at Can-Am. The corners are formed aluminum and need to be replaced correctly by someone who knows what they are doing. The dents cannot be hammered out.

Don't let the neighbour lay a hand on it - sounds like he is trying to avoid his responsibility by trying to "hose" you into thinking he can fix it.

[BigAl]

This is why we have insurance. It must be repaired by an expert not a neighbour. Can-am is the way to go.
I've had work done there and they are very professional.
Al

[BigAl]

Looks like your neighbour is in the process of putting an addition on his house.
This is definitely not the same as working on aluminum siding.
The trailer panels cannot be straightened, they have to be replaced.
Al

[Lumatic]

If it is not to late I would call law enforcement ASAP so an official report is generated. This is often required by insurance companies.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by newbullet

this happened the other day. my trailer sitting in my driveway when my neighbours brickwall came crashing in on it and leaving me with these not so nice dents. Hard to believe i know. Anyway he says to me he will fix it. When i replied that i know youll fix it i just wonder how? He is a pretty mechanical guy who thinks he will be able to bang them out and i have my doubts about that and under closer inspection it seems that one of the bricks managed to put a cut right through the skin. My question is does anyone know what the cost to replace/repair this would be and how you would go about fixing this. thanks

Hi, newbullet. Sorry to hear about your trailer being damaged. First: his statement to you, "I will fix it". If I said that, that would mean that I would contact my insurance company to get it fixed at a proper repair shop, [I would handle it for you] not that I would actually repair it myself. Or that I would have a proper repair shop fix it out of my pocket, once again, not meaning that I would do it myself. But your statement: "I know you'll fix it" to me, sounds like a slap in the face after trying to do what is right. Anyhow, I wasn't there and I don't know you or your neighbor so the best and only thing to do is to call your insurance company and let them do what you have paid them to do. It was an accident.

[DFord79]

Andy is correct. What to do is easy, contact your insurance company. They will know exactly what you should do with regards to his insurance or his liability. Thats why you have insurance...to take care of this sort of thing within the laws and converage of insurances. Get it fixed by a professional...only option. YOUR looking at probably 5,000 dollars worth of damage. I am serious when I say 5 grand at least.