rolled my westy yesterday, pics inside

subway

i went camping with some friends and i was the first to leave sunday afternoon, i was going down a gravel road in a national forest, 3 deer ran in front of me, i swerved to miss them, lost control and hit the ditch and rolled the westy, it actually landed back on its tires and we ended up driving it away. but i have not called the insurance yet cause i want to see what all is involved with my buying it back from the insurance company. it faired really well for what all happened to it. i walked away fine from the accident.

obviously it would need a pillar work and a new top to make it driveable. is this worth fixing?

i am really bummed about this, i wanted a westy for 11 yrs before buying this one in january.

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kiomon · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 4:10 pm Post subject:

Wow... Glad you are ok... You should file with your insurance soon. If you want to buy back the vehicle, you just ask them for the salvage cost. But I would first negotiate hard for your total loss pay-off and then talk to them about salvage title. But from the looks of it, not sure you will want to repair this one. There is a lot of damage to the structure of the vehicle.

subway · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 4:18 pm Post subject:

i was hoping that if i repaired the apilled and maybe found a used top off another westy i could give the van to my sister and get myself another one.

the good thing is i have receipts going back to 04 on this vehical, for everything. i did a ton of work on it, and only put 800 miles on it

MidwestDrifter · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 4:23 pm Post subject:

Ouch.... My deepest condolences, it was a beautiful van. Any accident you can walk away from is a success in my book.

My initial thought is that the van is probably a total loss. With the front pillar damaged there really isn't a safe way to get it back into shape. But some body shops are magicians these days... Maybe a specialist would be able to graft a new pillar in?

I am from the deer belt originally. Had my share of run-ins with them.... Mad

I was instructed to hit them head on if there was a chance I could run off the road. Of course in that instant when your about to collide you really don't have time to think.

I would read some of the insurance threads on here. It will give you some ammo if you insurance company decides to under value your westy.
_________________
2004 Dodge/Mercedes Sprinter (Custom Camper)
2000 Jetta TDI
1982 Diesel Westy W/ ABA I4 hybrid (Sold)
Epic Road Tripping since 08/05/12 | http://VagariesAbound.blogspot.com/
My Current Build | http://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41215

madspaniard · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 4:25 pm Post subject:

So sorry this happened to you and your van.

How is the cabinetry inside? Agree it looks like there is some structural damage, repair cost might be high compared to buying another one. If you have a place and time you could get a lot of money back parting out this one.
_________________
1991 Westy auto w/ Peloquin TBD

"The only difference between me and a madman is that I'm not mad” - Salvador Dali

subway · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 4:44 pm Post subject:

the cabs were all intact, i did not look over them too much, i was so pissed. i threw my phone at the van and it broke. so another 100 bucks on a insurance claim for the phone. i have already kind of started looking for another, i have thought about parting this out. if i could just leave it at my friends house where it is currently sitting, yeah i could part it out then.

noganav · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 4:47 pm Post subject:

Glad that you are ok. If you do part it please let us know, I'd definitely be interested in the pop-top latch and lifting gear.

PacificSticker · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 4:50 pm Post subject:

Glad you and yours' are OK. Sorry 'bout "Plan B"
_________________
1989 Wolfsburg T3 Whitestar 2.1 WBX
Libelle

Damon in Ventura

Bman · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 4:54 pm Post subject:

I would leave those wheels alone for now. When that insurance adjuster comes you want to go over the whole rig with him, pointing out the new wheels and tires, so he can come up with a fair market value for the van. You will also need to start drafting a list of up-grades and additions you (and previous owners) have made to the rig that make it cost $$$$ and present it to the adjuster.

Don't you want to convince them that it is worth alot so when you get paid out in a claim you have enough to re-purchase a comparable van? Or are you trying NOT to drive the value up so you can buy back your van? Would that not limit your claim amount?

When the adjuster is gone you can then pull off your valuable parts...
_________________
~Bryan
1990 Burgandy Tintop (Wife's Daily Driver)
1989 Tiico Westfalia "Taj"

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randywebb · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 5:18 pm Post subject:

crawl under & look at the bottom

some body shops have Celette jigs - and those shops can usually pull a heavily damaged, but high value vehicle into shape

I say high value b/c I have only seen them used on sports cars worth about 3x or more than a Vanagon
_________________
1986 2.1L Westy 2wd Auto Trans.

WestyBob

In as much as I hate to see this happen because they don't grow on trees, I'd have to agree with those who say this one is pretty much a parter with respect to needed repairs and cost. But fixing it is possible if you have deep pockets and/or a close affinity with the rig.

Derek Drew has an old write-up about how to deal with insurance companies and there should be Samba links addressing this too. I think Derek's site is 'Syncro Madness' or something like that.

A lot of it begins with what kind of coverage you have. Another key is showing the Ins. Co. lots of forsale pics of what your year/model are selling for on the Samba and Craigslist, plus as already mentioned what you had into it regarding upgrades and repairs.

If you decide to go the parting route then strip it down completely if you have the time and storage, then get busy on Craigslist. Even some of the body panels, doors, etc. may have value. Or you could just store and use for your own parts for your next one.

Sorry to see it happen and glad you're ok. In SW Montana five years ago ... a horned deer came out of the woods and hit my westy weekender in the side. Deer was fine and ran off. Upper side rail on the vanagon was a little 'ripplely' but fortunately - no broken paint.

Last year ... a regional acquaintance's wife rolled his prized and tricked out westy syncro end over end. She was ok ... the rig totally totaled !!!

GrindGarage · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 5:34 pm Post subject:

Do you even need to file a claim? Anyone get hurt?
_________________
-cliff

91 Vanagon AUTO
97 Single Port EJ22 all smallcar.com

Bubusse · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 5:58 pm Post subject:

Well first, I feel really sorry about your loss and I'm glad the van kept you safe. It's amazing how they can cope actually, many a car wouldn't have coped so well !
As others have said, the repair seems like a lot of money to me. On top of the structural damage, there are a lot of spots that got bent so a lot of body parts would need work or replacement. It's sad to see one go but you could indeed part it or keep it as a parts van for yourself.
One thing I would consider if you get to keep it from the insurance and if the engine is sound would be to try and find another van with a good body but a dead engine and put your own engine in there. Non-running vans obviously sell for a lot less than running ones, so you might end up saving a lot of bucks that way.
Anyway, good luck with the insurance and I hope you get back on the road in a vanagon very soon !
_________________
89 manual Vanagon GL Wesfalia

WestyBob · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 6:18 pm Post subject:

subway · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 6:21 pm Post subject:

subway · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 6:26 pm Post subject:

the van has 163k on it, full rebuild done at 99k with paper work. aleric.h has worked on the van since purchased and the motor runs tip top. so that is deffinatly a viable option. first we need to contact insurance and go from there. i will look for the write up on dealing with insurance on vans

Larry Davick · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 6:35 pm Post subject:

Subway,

Ouch. I'd have thrown my phone too, at least. Somebody mentioned an article from Derek Drew - when I Googled it I came up with an old article, but it's applicable - Insurance Madness.
http://gerry.vanagon.com/files/auto-insurance-madness.html

You walked away from it.

Hell - you DROVE away from it!

The best of luck to you - I hope it all turns out well.
_________________
1981 Westy Automatic
Sleeping Beauty

WestiCoast · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 6:54 pm Post subject:

I have been in the car business for about a decade and in my time I have negotiated more than my fair share of total loss insurance claims. I have a fairly simple way of dealing with these. After your insurance company decides that the van will be salvaged they will give you an appraisal of the van. They do this by either purchasing and appraisal from one of several appraisal companies that cater directly to insurance companies or they will call some local(to you) car dealers and get phone appraisals. As you can imagine both of these options are bad for you. They are looking to find the lowest appraisal numbers they can find. Its your job to find some of the most expensive Vans that you can find that are similar to the van you are replacing. These vans should be within a few hours of you and be within on year up or down of your van. I will send at least three examples of vehicles for sale in my area. And almost like clockwork the insurance company will pick the lowest valued example that I sent and pay that. AFTER you agree on a price ask them to retain the salvaged vehicle if you wish. They will deduct the value of the scrap metal weight of the van from the check that they will give you. It is usually at or close to $200 per ton.

Glad you made it through your roll without injury. If you want any help with this feel free to send me an e-mail. This is my first post on the Samba. I am three weeks away from picking up my next Westie. I registered here just to share my insight on your thread. I'm sure Ill stick around.

Sherrinonie · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 7:10 pm Post subject:

Will all auto insurance companies pay the lowest value of a westy with all documents, appraisal and receipts? I have AAA. thanks!

ThorAlex · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 7:43 pm Post subject:

Damn, that damage looks so similar to a parts syncro i had it's scary! The only difference really is the syncro had a big dent over the windshield. The driver (owners daughter) lost control in a turn and rolled it on to a field, she wanked away too.
_________________
1990 syncro 1.6TD "Smily"

Ex-vans:
1990 Caravelle coach 1.6TD
1986 Transporter Double cab syncro 2.1 112hp

"I'm wrong so often... It's great!" - Adam Savage


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