[Chubby Bunny]

I guess we did too good of a job restoring my daughter's car. It was stolen on Sunday morning. We had a wheel lock on it but they obviously cut the steering wheel. But this is not a post about anti-theft devices.

I'm filing the insurance claim today, expect to be offered a $1,400 settlement, and plan to fight it. I was wondering if anyone had experience working with USAA on insurance claims. Any advice on how to maximize the settlement amount? I know we'll never get back what we put into it, but we all know that the blue book value is not indicative of the replacement cost.

 

[mossin_90]

Sorry to hear about your loss, that sucks.
Big time.
Sorry I cant be of help with the insurance, but are correct about getting replacement $ rather than book value.
Fight it hard.
Theyll try to pay the least amount possible.
Bring all documents pertaining to the restoration, fotos, receipts...
I hope you get a fair teatment.

 

[RamaCrx]

Try to get pics/prices of sales of similar cars with same level of restoration as well as what was said above. Good luck.

 

[jwharnish]

Sorry to hear about your loss, that sucks.
Big time.
Sorry I cant be of help with the insurance, but are correct about getting replacement $ rather than book value.
Fight it hard.
Theyll try to pay the least amount possible.
Bring all documents pertaining to the restoration, fotos, receipts...
I hope you get a fair teatment.

Second this. Really sorry to hear about the car. You and your daughter put a lot of time, effort and money into making this car something special. Now some ass hole steals it. Great world we live in these days.
Present documentation on the car and hopefully be able to recover some of the investment.
Hope it turns up somewhere, can't be too many clean white 88 HF's around.

 

[jwharnish]

Try to get pics/prices of sales of similar cars with same level of restoration as well as what was said above. Good luck.

Show what these cars are bringing on BAT. 10-12k these days easy in this kind of condition.

 

[JustJesus]

i work in the industry. All these guys gave good tips.

You want to provide "comps" or comparison vehicles. Best to get as much in your area.

USAA should be providing an evaluation report, not based on Blue Book. Their ACV report will have it's own comps on it. These are real for sale cars. Likely, none will be as clean as yours and you will need to bring that up.

Like others have said, expand your search to get cleaner, more relevant examples, and even some from BAT.

Good luck. Keep us posted

 

[crxer541]

Hopefully, you will get your car back. If not, make sure to argue that its a collector's car. Show them ads from Craigslist, EBay, Bring a Trailer, etc. You should be able to do this via email to your claims person or upload it to their website. Also, if you have pictures of your car and any special features, send those in too. And send receipts for the stereo or other stuff you have bought. Good luck!!!

 

[Chubby Bunny]

Like others have said, expand your search to get cleaner, more relevant examples, and even some from BAT.

We're still waiting on the police report so that we can file the claim.

I had never heard of BAT but wow, they have lots of comps! Do you think it would help to argue that its closer to an SI than an HF, since it has an SI motor and brakes, etc? Or does it make much difference to them. Most of the comps are for SI's with low miles.

 

[Baker]

We're still waiting on the police report so that we can file the claim.

I had never heard of BAT but wow, they have lots of comps! Do you think it would help to argue that its closer to an SI than an HF, since it has an SI motor and brakes, etc? Or does it make much difference to them. Most of the comps are for SI's with low miles.

That may be an issue as when they run the VIN, it will come back as a HF. Rarely will they cover modifications.
Unless of course you had special coverage on it, such as insurance targeted and meant for "classic" or custom vehicles.

 

[jwharnish]

We're still waiting on the police report so that we can file the claim.

I had never heard of BAT but wow, they have lots of comps! Do you think it would help to argue that its closer to an SI than an HF, since it has an SI motor and brakes, etc? Or does it make much difference to them. Most of the comps are for SI's with low miles.

Don't complicate things, keep claim as original HF. Claim new motor but I would not try to show modifications done. Pics, paperwork, and comps hopefully will be enough.
Police know of any chop shops in area? Your area have a big Honda base? Local Honda guys may know something, especially the sketchy ones. They would be the ones who knew what this was.

 

[JustJesus]

We're still waiting on the police report so that we can file the claim.

I had never heard of BAT but wow, they have lots of comps! Do you think it would help to argue that its closer to an SI than an HF, since it has an SI motor and brakes, etc? Or does it make much difference to them. Most of the comps are for SI's with low miles.

Don't wait for the police report. You should have a report number and that is enough to start the process. It may be a long process, so might as well start.

Someone mentioned the VIN. They are correct. They will run the VIN to get the car info. They'll also supply you (they should) with a question sheet, or maybe ask you over the phone, to discuss options on the car. Not like you had many from the factory. - If you have paperwork that shows you have an engine replaced, it "may" help. Not to say you have an Si engine, or Si brakes, just something to show it was replaced. Not like you would get much money for that anyway.

 

[Chubby Bunny]

The car was recovered yesterday by the police. It was abandoned in a state park. The stereo and speakers were removed and various trim pieces destroyed. They almost ran it out of gas, but I started right up and seems to run fine.

What's interesting is that there were no broken windows, the steering wheel was not cut, and no noticeable damage to the ignition cylinder. The club was still in the extended, locked position and no damage to the lock mechanism. ... it's actually a MasterLock. It looks like the lock can be easily picked but it doesn't sound like they can be pried off.

Every time I've been broken into typically involved a broken window. And so it's surprising that somebody would go to all of this trouble to not damage the car, and only steal the stereo, speakers, and other contents in the car.

Debating in my head whether to file a claim at this point. Towing and impound was $600 and the stereo is maybe worth $400. Then there are some damaged trim panels that would be hard to replace.

Thanks for your comments and words of encouragement.

 

[jwharnish]

The car was recovered yesterday by the police. It was abandoned in a state park. The stereo and speakers were removed and various trim pieces destroyed. They almost ran it out of gas, but I started right up and seems to run fine.

What's interesting is that there were no broken windows, the steering wheel was not cut, and no noticeable damage to the ignition cylinder. The club was still in the extended, locked position and no damage to the lock mechanism. ... it's actually a MasterLock. It looks like the lock can be easily picked but it doesn't sound like they can be pried off.

Every time I've been broken into typically involved a broken window. And so it's surprising that somebody would go to all of this trouble to not damage the car, and only steal the stereo, speakers, and other contents in the car.

Debating in my head whether to file a claim at this point. Towing and impound was $600 and the stereo is maybe worth $400. Then there are some damaged trim panels that would be hard to replace.

Thanks for your comments and words of encouragement.

Dang, you're lucky guy. file a claim with loses and police report. You can get OEM stereo and some decent speakers and be good to go. Which trim pieces were destroyed? My advice is to get a better security system, fuel pump shut off, that kind of stuff.
Who ever stole it, will be on the look out for it again.
Again, lucky guy.

 

[Baker]

I'd file a claim for the trim and stereo, if anything to help reimburse for the missing trim.

 

[mossin_90]

Now that you have a 2nd chance consider having the car appraised by a shop or insurance agent.
And above all, stronly consider getting a Lojack system installed.
If it gets stolen again as soon as you call 911 to get the poplice, the system activates giving you a better chance to get it back before its gone for good.

 

[Baker]

We had a wheel lock on it but they obviously cut the steering wheel.

The car was recovered yesterday by the police. It was abandoned in a state park. The stereo and speakers were removed and various trim pieces destroyed. They almost ran it out of gas, but I started right up and seems to run fine.

What's interesting is that there were no broken windows, the steering wheel was not cut, and no noticeable damage to the ignition cylinder. The club was still in the extended, locked position and no damage to the lock mechanism. ... it's actually a MasterLock. It looks like the lock can be easily picked but it doesn't sound like they can be pried off.

So you're original thought was not correct, so what did they do to get it?

 

[ScottMog]

The car was recovered yesterday by the police. It was abandoned in a state park. The stereo and speakers were removed and various trim pieces destroyed. They almost ran it out of gas, but I started right up and seems to run fine.

What's interesting is that there were no broken windows, the steering wheel was not cut, and no noticeable damage to the ignition cylinder. The club was still in the extended, locked position and no damage to the lock mechanism. ... it's actually a MasterLock. It looks like the lock can be easily picked but it doesn't sound like they can be pried off.

Every time I've been broken into typically involved a broken window. And so it's surprising that somebody would go to all of this trouble to not damage the car, and only steal the stereo, speakers, and other contents in the car.

Debating in my head whether to file a claim at this point. Towing and impound was $600 and the stereo is maybe worth $400. Then there are some damaged trim panels that would be hard to replace.

Thanks for your comments and words of encouragement.

I can open my friends hatch door and start his car with my crx key. Thats how worn out his cylinders are.

I installed and alarm and installed keyless door handles years ago, thats definitely an option for you.

 

[Chubby Bunny]

Update. I filed the claim with USAA in early January and still have not heard back from an adjuster. Every time I call, they just say that they're backed up on claims and tell me that they'll call me back when they're ready. Frustrating. I've had good experiences with past USAA claims so I don't know what's going on behind the curtain.

 

[Chubby Bunny]

Still no call-back from USAA despite multiple emails to their claims center. I filed a complaint with the Advocacy group in the office of the CEO. That was two weeks ago. Still no resolution. I might have to take a closer look at the policy to see if they are in violation of the contract. This is ridiculous. Seriously thinking about emailing their CEO directly.

 

[Chubby Bunny]

Forgot to mention, another option is to file a complaint with the state insurance commission, who follows-up with insurers.