Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site osiris.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!osiris!phil
From: phil@osiris.UUCP (Philip Kos)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: what to do after auto accident?
Message-ID: <290@osiris.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 2-May-85 17:43:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: osiris.290
Posted: Thu May  2 17:43:52 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 4-May-85 07:27:56 EDT
References: <1137@phoenix.UUCP> <986@vax1.fluke.UUCP> <1173@amdcad.UUCP> <565@spp2.UUCP>
Organization: Johns Hopkins Hospital
Lines: 27

I wish my parents had heard that great 914 story a few years ago.

They had a '77 VW Rabbit Diesel which was totalled by a twit in a
Celica who drove straight into the back of the Rabbit instead of
following the road (which turned left at that point).  Apparently,
the body shop who towed the wrecks away made a deal with my parents'
insurance company to fix the Rabbit for some quantity of money
slightly less than what the company would spend if they called it
totalled.

"Fixing" the car involved cutting the tail end off at the B pil-
lar and welding on the back end from an '80 Rabbit (NOT even a
Diesel!)  When the shop finally "finished" the car, approximately
four months later, my father promptly took it back with a list
of about 40 serious defects for them to correct.  After six more
months and maybe a dozen trips back to the shop, the list had
shrunk to about 5 serious defects and a dozen or so "minor prob-
lems" (like a leaking fuel tank).  He never even noticed the
pronounced corkscrew twist between the two halves.

Moral:  stay away from the Liberty Mutual insurance company,
and NEVER fix a car when it can be totalled.


Phil Kos
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
(A friend of Rob's who drives a little faster than he does)