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Topic ClosedIs my R-Pod totaled?? Looking for advice
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lostagain View Drop Down
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Posts: 2587 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Is my R-Pod totaled?? Looking for advice
    Posted: 03 Jul 2020 at 9:15am
tsherv, I don't get it.  You paid for an insurance policy that included collision repair damage that is supposed to put the trailer back into the condition it was in before the accident, including the structure.  Why would you accept anything less than a full and complete repair?  You would essentially be contributing to the financial well being of GEICO at your own expense.  They are contractually obligated to fix all the damage, as you would be ethically obligated to disclose the cosmetic only repair when you eventually sell the trailer.

If a full and complete repair means that it's more costly to fix the trailer than its fair market value, then take the money and buy a new one.  OG is right.  You can buy the salvage, once GEICO has paid you, and you can fix the trailer any way you want, cosmetic or otherwise.  But, you will get a salvage title and that will adversely affect the resale value.  If you plan on keeping the trailer for a very long time, that won't make much difference, but if you find that you want a new one in a few years, you may find that you'll have a difficult time getting rid of the salvage titled trailer.  When I first started looking for an r-Pod in our area (basically NV and CA) I found several salvage title units.  All had asking prices at about 50% of a clean titled trailer and were languishing in the want-ads for a very long time.  Some end up going to travel trailer heaven.
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Jul 2020 at 6:36am
Originally posted by StephenH

If the factory won't touch it, then this is probably the best solution if the insurance does not consider it totaled. Mine was a significant chunk out of the rear quarter both on the side and roof. That is why the roof on mine needed to be replaced. Yours is not as serious and the repairs the dealer specified sound reasonable. It is unlikely that the roof above the damage was affected. As I said, the damage on the driver's side was repaired and the fiberglass was patched and painted. It has held up well. There was some visible repairs to the inside front as well. On the back, an additional panel was installed that covers the area that was repaired, so I can't see what was done on the inside at the back. I do know that the whole door side was replaced because of the severity of the damage.

+1 Looking at the damage in this case I don't see much if any risk of roof leaking, Of course, the damaged corner will need to be resealed after repair, but that shouldn't be difficult.

I think your dealer has a reasonable handle on approaching this as a "cosmetic" repair, meaning that the internal construction of the trailer won't be "good as new" but the appearance ought to be fine. The reason I asked about the visible internal damage is because that will probably be more noticeable than any exterior repairs, or at least more bothersome if its not perfect. 

As to how you proceed, you seem to really value your trailer's pristine condition. If it was me, I'd refuse to accept a proposal for cosmetic repair from the insurance company and base the decision on getting a quote for complete structural repair if you can find someone to provide that. If that results in totaling it  I'd get a buyback figure from them and decide if its worth doing that and then having the trailer "cosmetically" repaired. As part of that I'd check the rules on branded titles on trailers in your state, but personally I wouldn't worry much about that if I got a low buyback number from the insurance company. 
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lostagain View Drop Down
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Posts: 2587 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Jul 2020 at 8:52pm
[QUOTE=tsherv]Ok...here's the latest:  .... The response was "if someone's roof was leaking due to front damage, it was probably a matter of the roof not being maintained.  

If there was preexisting leakage from the roof, then the insurance company would not be obliged to fix that damage.  If roof lost its waterproof integrity due to the impact, then the insurance company is responsible for putting it back into its pre-accident condition.  If the dealer is making statements like the one you quoted without even seeing the damage, I'd start looking for another repair shop.  They can improperly influence the judgment of the adjuster who may or may not be well versed in travel trailer collision damage.  You don't need a dealer trying to undercut you and giving your insurer an excuse to deny coverage.  
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Posts: 6289 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Jul 2020 at 8:43pm
If the factory won't touch it, then this is probably the best solution if the insurance does not consider it totaled. Mine was a significant chunk out of the rear quarter both on the side and roof. That is why the roof on mine needed to be replaced. Yours is not as serious and the repairs the dealer specified sound reasonable. It is unlikely that the roof above the damage was affected. As I said, the damage on the driver's side was repaired and the fiberglass was patched and painted. It has held up well. There was some visible repairs to the inside front as well. On the back, an additional panel was installed that covers the area that was repaired, so I can't see what was done on the inside at the back. I do know that the whole door side was replaced because of the severity of the damage.
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Posts: 35 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Jul 2020 at 7:25pm
Ok...here's the latest:  I contacted my nearest Forest River dealer, sent them pictures, and had a phone conversation with them.  They were very confident that they can repair it, but it left me a little concerned.  The comments that were made were: "our part of the repair is pretty minor.  We will pull back the fiberglass, repair the wood damage, and then have a truck collision body shop come in and fix the fiberglass and repaint it...Once you get it back, it will be good as new."  The shop also said that they would be able to check the frame and axle and make sure it's not bent.  I raised my concern about the roof being one piece.  The response was "if someone's roof was leaking due to front damage, it was probably a matter of the roof not being maintained.  

Is fiberglass repair standard practice vs. replacing the fiberglass panel?  Does this sound like they are on the right track?
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Posts: 3419 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Jul 2020 at 7:04pm
+1 - Good advice. Ignore the sarcastic humor. What you want is integrity in the trailer not cosmetic repair. The roof is one piece, I would imagine that IS why SHs was replaced. End of the day, you don't want a "Blue Titled" trailer, you want a reliable camper.
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lostagain View Drop Down
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Posts: 2587 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Jul 2020 at 4:38pm
tsherv, get your insurance adjuster fully involved in the scope of repair.  Be sure to tell her/him that you are very worried about potential roof leaks and want to make sure that issue is properly addressed by the repair shop.  Some insurance companies have preferred shops and offer a "lifetime" guarantee on the repair if you use one, even if you have to have it fixed far away from the original shop.  If GEICO has such a program, you may want to take advantage of it.  The real question for both you and your insurer is whether the repair cost will exceed the fair market value of the trailer.  If it does, start looking for a comparable trailer to establish the real market value.  NADA is not necessarily an accurate indicator of trailer value.
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Posts: 35 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Jul 2020 at 4:27pm
I was basing the roof concern on StephenH comments above.  He had similar damage and had to have the roof replaced.

Here's the latest:  I talked to a Forest River dealership about the repair.  basically they told me that they would repair the wood damage, check to make sure the frame / axle isn't bent, etc.  They would then hire out the fiberglass and painting repair to a body shop.  They said this is a common approach to repairing this type of damage.  

You can see some of the damage from the interior in the corner by the bed, and from the storage area.

This would be a different approach than replacing the front and side panels.  Does this approach sound reasonable?  
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Jul 2020 at 4:09pm
If by frame being bent you mean the square aluminum tubing in the sidewalls, quite obviously the front right side tube in pushed in at the bottom. Take a look at around 23 seconds into this video and you can see that that  tube is right up front at the curved corners of the trailers. 

That being said, I think it is repairable. I would be inclined to cut back the damaged fiberglas, build out the tube to the original curved shape with some wood, and patch in the damaged panel. Is there visible damage in the interior that needs to be dealt with or is it just in the storage area? 

Ideally the rpod would be totaled and you could buy it back cheaply enough that it would be worthwhile taking the time to fix it. 

Why are we concerned about roof leaks?
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tsherv View Drop Down
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Posts: 35 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Jul 2020 at 3:16pm
I called Forest River's warranty repair department.  They told me that they would not do the repair and that I would need to go through a Forest River dealer.  
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