ZL1 owner fights dealership over wrecked/totaled car.

[71RS/SS396]

Originally Posted by Al Moreno

Hey guys not for nothing but I've been following the thread on Camaro5.com since his first post. There's now 193,000 views and 933 comments. Hes has only posted 19 times..... He has been getting the ROYAL screw by the dealership!!! I wouldn't expect you to read the 933 comments, but if you want a gist of the situation, just read his 19 post. We all would be livid if what he's experiencing had happen to any of our guys here.

BTW, he is the author of the first gen Camaro restoration book along with 5 others. No drama, no mob theory, just a major "F" job by the dealer.

There a reason it's blown up on the internet.

Al, the ZL1 owner is not being truthful. I know someone that lives in the same town and he knows the whole story. This is a very small town, the entire dealership sits on about 2 acres to give you an idea. The car wasn't even smashed into a pole, it hit something else, my friend happened upon the car shortly after the wreck. The reason the car was at the dealer in the first place was from an ongoing paint problem from previous damage not because of a factory flaw like he's claiming. This car was not as pristine as he's making out to be. Allegedly he was offered a new Z/28 and he turned it down. Imho this guy is posturing for what he believes will be a big payout in a lawsuit.

[ArisESQ]

Originally Posted by Sparks67

They offer you a car that is worth less, as stated in this article.
http://jalopnik.com/dealership-total...eal-1498804012 This is typical of insurance companies, so if you have an item that is worth 4k, then they try to replace it with an item worth 400. He is just starting the Insurance/dealership game at 1 month, but it typically takes several months to get items replaced.

He never be happy, but his best bet is to get a new 2014 ZL1 and just pay the difference.

I think you're probably right, in that the insurance company will generally have a lot of difficulty in replacing a car worth exactly the same, but it isn't really fair to say they'd pay out the equivalent of $400 for a car worth $4,000.

I dealt with insurance when I totaled a Ford Explorer several years ago. They offered to replace it with another Ford Explorer of the same trim level and option which was actually lower in mileage than mine, since there just weren't a ton of Ford Explorers with my options.
I assume that a similar thing is happening here - there likely aren't a ton of ZL1 Camaros to replace this guy's, so insurance is just trying to find the best/closest thing they can - which would likely be satisfactory to 95% of car owners. I think the issue is that since this guy clearly knows cars, he isn't happy taking a replacement which he knows probably wasn't cared for the same way he cared for his. It's unfortunate that he feels that way, but I don't think he'll have too much luck with them beyond that, unless he had some kind of custom car insurance.

Hope it gets resolved reasonably, but I'll be somewhat surprised if he ends up with much more than they've offered him.

[zz430droptop67rs]

Everybody was saying he hit a telephone pole, but last night I saw some "new" pics from the scene and it was a tree. Not that it really matters, but who knows how many other things are wrong with this story.

I do hope that the victim gets satisfaction.

There is another Chevy dealer offering help, but it hasn't been disclosed yet just what kind of help. Also an aftermarket suspension company is donating front and rear sway bars for his replacement car.

People are trying to help.

[ArisESQ]

I can sort of understand why he would be frustrated with the replacement they found. As a car-guy, I'm sure he worked pretty hard to find the perfect ZL1 with the exact options and trim that he wanted, so anything shy of exactly what he had would likely feel like a downgrade.

Ideally another ZL1 will turn up soon, which is closer to what he had to begin with.

[Vegas69]

I'm with Bill, some people spend way to much time on minor things. We aren't talking about some irreplaceable item here. It's a new Camaro...

[ArisESQ]

Originally Posted by Vegas69

I'm with Bill, some people spend way to much time on minor things. We aren't talking about some irreplaceable item here. It's a new Camaro...

Yea - I agree with you, and I definitely think this is being blown WAY the f out of proportion, likely in the hopes of ending up ahead of where he started.

But whatever, at the end of the day I hope the guy gets a decent replacement.

[zz430droptop67rs]

It sounds like it's down to the short strokes now:

(From Camaro5)

RIP 2012 ZL1 #1635 UPDATE 1/13/2014
Just a quick update for everyone...

1. I never demanded a new car. I merely stated that I should not HAVE to be forced to buy a new [read "different"] car when mine was totaled through no fault of my own. If I had been driving the car, I would accept the loss.

2. The difference in price between a good, used 2012 ZL1 and a new 2013 ZL1 is only about $5-6K considering rebates, etc.

3. Yes, the OP really was to just let everyone know what happened to #1635 that appeared on the ZL1 registry many months ago.

4. We actually made 3 payments on the car while the car was in the dealer's possession while they tried to figure out what to do about the paint issues [read "left the car there for weeks on end without actually doing anything."] I believe the last time I drove the car was the weekend of October 25, 2013.

5. GM and Berger Chevrolet (Grand Rapids, Michigan) have stepped in and are paving [not paying] the way for a new 2013 ZL1 to be sent to First State Chevrolet for me to purchase.

6. We have apologized to many of the employees at First State for the actions taken by many of the people who have been infuriated by this whole story and have called First State to voice their opinions. Anyone who thinks the dealership has not been affected by all of this must have his head in the sand.

7. We want to thank everyone for their support. We never expected this to take on a whole life of its own. A special thanks goes out to the suppliers who have so graciously stepped up to provide parts at their own expense to help ease the heartache we have experienced in this ordeal.

8. I am not the biggest tech guy out there, and I have never made it a practice to post on forums, don't have a Facebook page, etc. But I do plan to stick around on this forum, and I hope to meet many of you in person at various events.

9. When the situation is resolved, I will post photos of the new car. I understand that it will be about two weeks before the insurance check is cut, the old car is paid off, the new car arrives, and a new purchase contract will be signed by my wife and I for the PURCHASE of our new ZL1.

Thanks,
JRH (jhoop302)

[Bill Howell]

Well line 4 explains a lot of the drama. PAYMENTS as in it wasn't paid for. I bet gap insurance was needed and not obtained, leading to a very different bottom line from payoff and ACV. Just guessing but I bet that is close to the real reason this has taken so long.

[tones2SS]

Kudos to the sponsors that stepped up and offered many parts and items for the car if needed. Very classy and well played.
(As mentioned in line 7.)

[Moose]

Originally Posted by Bill Howell

Well line 4 explains a lot of the drama. PAYMENTS as in it wasn't paid for. I bet gap insurance was needed and not obtained, leading to a very different bottom line from payoff and ACV. Just guessing but I bet that is close to the real reason this has taken so long.

I understand what you're saying, but if a dealer wrecks my car on a joy ride, I dont really think I should need GAP insurance