Guest Flacko9091 Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Found out that State Farm (my regular carrier) also has collector car insurance for a guaranteed value (as long as the car is put together and not in pieces). My Hagerty quote for full coverage with $20,000 guaranteed value for my '91 vert was $600/year assuming 3000 miles/yr. State Farm quoted me $300/yr for the same coverage. Guess I'll stick with State Farm! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2seater Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 I have never been happy with the door handle/switch illumination on my '90 coupe. I did a bit of research on replacement bulb availability for the #73 standard bulb and there are a few. The unfortunate tradeoff for a brighter bulb is drastically shorter life. The #73 rivals an led with a 20,000-30,000 hour rating. The #37 is about 30% brighter but life is down to 2500 hours and the #74, about three times the brightness is rated at only 500 hours. I opted to try the #74 bulb. To broaden the illumination I widened the slot in the top of the door handle trim and made a sort of redneck fiber optic insert from a transparent yellow plastic fuel line as used on small weed wackers or other similar devices. It appears to work pretty well and is unobtrusive. Hard to tell from the photo as it was taken in daylight but the yellow insert is glowing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3buicks Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Found out that State Farm (my regular carrier) also has collector car insurance for a guaranteed value (as long as the car is put together and not in pieces). My Hagerty quote for full coverage with $20,000 guaranteed value for my '91 vert was $600/year assuming 3000 miles/yr. State Farm quoted me $300/yr for the same coverage. Guess I'll stick with State Farm!Interesting, I have 20 K insurance on my 90 and it is not $600 a year. in fact $600 a year isn't much less than I pay for both my cars. Although I've been a Hagerty customer for years and years so maybe that makes a difference. You couldn't pay me to leave Hagerty, their service and claim process in the loss of the two Reatta's and Centurion was stellar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Found out that State Farm (my regular carrier) also has collector car insurance for a guaranteed value (as long as the car is put together and not in pieces). I don't know who you talked to but I'll bet State Farm's requirements for the vehicles condition are going to be a little more strict than that. I don't have any experience with State Farm but I do know that Hagerty had my local insurance agent take photos of my Reatta, inside and out, to prove it was in good condition before they would approve my application for classic car insurance. I was worried that Hagerty would not insure my car because it has a spoiler on it and different wheels than stock. My agent said he thought they would consider that bolt on accessories and not modifications to the car. Apparently he was right. My application for Hagerty insurance was approved without problems. Below is an except from State Farms webpage on classic and antique car insurance. The last sentence leads me to believe they are pretty strict on the condition of the vehicles they insure. Is Your Car Eligible for Antique Auto Insurance Coverage?If you're not sure, these definitions may help:Classic Automobile: A motor vehicle ten or more years old, which is rare or of special historical interest because of exceptionally fine workmanship or limited production. A classic motor vehicle 25 years old or older is covered as an antique.Antique Automobile: A motor vehicle 25 or more years old.And here are some important conditions for classic car insurance eligibility:Your antique or classic car must be used on a very limited basis, such as exhibitions, club activities, and parades or similar events.You need to have restored, maintained, or preserved your antique or classic car.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Flacko9091 Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 (edited) I had to send photos to both Hagerty and State Farm. Hagerty initially questioned the $20k valuation. State Farm did not question it. I've used State Farm for 25 years and currently have my homeowners and six vehicles with them, so I'm sure all of those multi-line, multi-car accident free discounts helped a lot. Edited September 11, 2015 by Flacko9091 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3buicks Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 I insure my daily driver and home and businesses with State Farm (probably for over 30 years now) and have never even considered getting a quote from then for the collector cars. And, after seeing first hand the difference in how the two companies handled claims after the fire, I never would. When I added the red Reatta Hagerty never questioned the $20K figure. of course I was requesting it on a 5,800 mile car - could be why they questioned yours when they had one on file for the same amount with substantially less miles, I also updated the info with them when it got it's AACA Jr. so they would have that on file as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Flacko9091 Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Your red one is also a '90 where mine is a '91 which is 10 times more scarce. I can't expect Hagerty to know every detail about every "collector" car but obviously they didn't know Reatta history very well. They probably don't insure many Reattas for that matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Flacko9091 Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 So far I've had good luck with State Farm with respect to a couple of homeowner claims, some minor auto stuff and a camper claim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3buicks Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 (edited) Your red one is also a '90 where mine is a '91 which is 10 times more scarce. I can't expect Hagerty to know every detail about every "collector" car but obviously they didn't know Reatta history very well. They probably don't insure many Reattas for that matter.True, but values have not shown to be vastly different We had rain all weekend thus far, the Reatta has been garage bound Edited September 13, 2015 by my3buicks (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 (edited) Your red one is also a '90 where mine is a '91 which is 10 times more scarce. I can't expect Hagerty to know every detail about every "collector" car but obviously they didn't know Reatta history very well. They probably don't insure many Reattas for that matter. In Keith's last post it seems he might see your point but quite frankly I don't. Both of you asked Hagerty for quotes on an agreed value of $20k. If your car or Keith's car were totaled and Hagerty had an agreed value policy on either car for $20k, $20k is all they are going to be out no matter how scarce the car is. I see no reason why Hagerty should consider which car is more scarce when determining an annual premium if the insured agreed value is the same. P.S. To keep this post on topic: I drove my Reatta today for about 50 miles and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a beautiful, fall-like day here in Tennessee! Edited September 13, 2015 by Ronnie (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ol' yeller Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 (edited) I pulled mine out of the garage so I could wash my wife's 2005 Escape prior to putting it up for sale. I then polished and waxed hers while my Reatta looked on. Don't worry, Marilyn's (my Reatta) turn is coming next week as I am taking her to the Troutdale All Buick Show in Oregon on Saturday. I am looking forward to a long BS session with my good buddy who will drive us both home from the show. It is a 200 mile round trip. I hope it isn't raining but even so the journey is the adventure. Oh and I pulled her back into the garage when I finished too! Edited September 13, 2015 by ol' yeller (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Flacko9091 Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 (edited) The insurance cost should be based on the agreed value, it's just a question of how the agreed value is arrived at when setting up the policy which with very low production cars is hard to derive.I had about 10 years of experience dealing with Cadillac Allantes. The '93's always commanded the highest prices because they were the last year of production and because the problematic Bosch electric pump assisted antilock brake system (similar to the Teves system from '88-'90) was scrapped and replaced with a more conventional antilock brake system like in the '91 Reatta. Edited September 13, 2015 by Flacko9091 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3buicks Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 Oh, i thought we were talking Reatta's, didn't realize we moved to Allantes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Flacko9091 Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 Just used that as an example. Wasn't trying to pick a fight. Simply posted about the difference in my Hagerty quote from State Farm and my personal experience.I bought my car to simply enjoy and drive. Don't really care if it wins awards or goes up in value. Just don't want to get ripped off by the insurance company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 Went out to Gibson's on Friday and clipped off from a non compass equiped Roadmaster mirror's harness. The reason? I had just found in a Olds Intrigue a mirror that had the compass, map lights, and auto darkening. After I got it home I did a test wire [using Ronnie's website for directions] and everything worked but the compass. Before I threw it away I looked at the calibration directions and pressed both map lights and whattayaknow the compass lit up. I then soldered all the leads up and it is now ready for installation in the Red. If I like it I will look for another and install it in the Black for winter driving. I have found that as I am getting older I am bothered more with the glare from other drivers in my rear view mirror. I have a Garmin but still want a compass in the mirror, and I need map lights so a pretty good deal for less the $10.00. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3buicks Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 (edited) Once the red Reatta is done with it's show life I could foresee making that change - I hate having to flip the day night flipper lol Edited September 14, 2015 by my3buicks (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machiner 55 Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 I've fixed my issues with rearview mirrors by not reinstalling them once the mount pops off the glass.No more cleaning the thumb smudges in the center from flpping from day to night driving positions.No more obstruction to cleaning inside glass.No more glare from the vehicle behind me.No more "What's that guy's problem ridin my a** like that?".No more obstruction to my forward view, etc...By paying attention to my side-views and a minimum amount of situational awareness I've found I spend more time seeing where i'm going rather than where I've been and what that jerk behind me is doing. John F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 That may be John, but I still like the idea of having all the mirrors. I wouldn't want to be out having a "frothy ale" or two and having an officer pull me over for missing a mirror. That could lead to all kinds of trouble I am not interested in. To that end I just finished what I will call "compass" day. I installed the "new" mirror then went to calibrate it and all is good. Then I thought I would move the compass module from under the steering wheel to where Buick had installed it on the Rivieras [the trunk]. I used trailer wire as all 4 wires are bonded together and made running the wires a snap. [i did peel off the green wire as I need to do some patching on my neighbors boat trailer]. After I got done I once again went to calibrate it. John you are once again going to laugh but I had the Garmin, the rear view mirror compass and the CRT compass all "on". I went in a couple of cicles to see them all change at the same time.I thought it was cool seven years ago when I first installed it and I thought it was cool to do it again today. Heck I think I will go back out to the garage and run the emergency flashers just to see the sequential lights run... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 For the first time last might I noticed that when you turn the headlights on a tiny readout displays under the speedometer readout that says "HALOGEN LIGHTS ON". I'm sure it has always been there and I didn't notice it. Just goes to show how much I drive at night.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raleets Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 The wife and I took the '91 vert on a very enjoyable 250 mile round-trip over to Grand Rapids to visit one of our daughters, then stopped on the way home near Lansing to see our son. Our four kids are skattered all over the place, so it was pretty cool to actually see two of them in the same day.During the jaunt the odometer turned over 23,000. Now it's headed for the barn to spend the winter in climate controlled comfort under a nice car cover.Life is good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3buicks Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 For the first time last might I noticed that when you turn the headlights on a tiny readout displays under the speedometer readout that says "HALOGEN LIGHTS ON". I'm sure it has always been there and I didn't notice it. Just goes to show how much I drive at night.... The first time I saw that on the black car I got a good chuckle that they made sure you knew they were Halogen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raleets Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 Maybe the dashboard message design engineer was on the take from the folks who make Halogen bulbs?Yeah, first time I saw it produced a good laugh too. Another gem that has always made me shake my head is how they post "unleaded fuel only" on the dash, then put the little filler hole in the gas tank neck so you couldn't possibly insert a "regular fuel" nozzle anyway. Too big, wouldn't fit. Oh, well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HuevosRanchero Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Used one of my deceased guitar strings (11ga) to remove the antique bag phone antenna remains on the rear window...worked like a champ!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PontiacDude210 Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Used one of my deceased guitar strings (11ga) to remove the antique bag phone antenna remains on the rear window...worked like a champ!!I ain't the only one who had a car phone! Mine came with the phone though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HuevosRanchero Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 soldered the high beam wire back onto the connector on the passenger headlight, fitted a better condition woodgrain bezel to the instrument cluster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 soldered the high beam wire back onto the connector on the passenger headlight,... I had to do that about a month ago too. It appeared to be a bad solder joint that had came loose. Was your the same way or was the wire broken? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HuevosRanchero Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I had to do that about a month ago too. It appeared to be a bad solder joint that had came loose. Was your the same way or was the wire broken?it appeared to have fatigued at the crimp joint for probably the same reason the crank arm is warped. ( will be rebuilding soon but managed to get it functioning dependably) Solder would not work at the crimp end but with a little concentration ( My hands can get pretty shaky) I was able to solder the wire to the back of the blade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 it appeared to have fatigued at the crimp joint for probably the same reason the crank arm is warped. ( will be rebuilding soon but managed to get it functioning dependably) Solder would not work at the crimp end but with a little concentration ( My hands can get pretty shaky) I was able to solder the wire to the back of the blade. Now that you have refreshed my memory... that is the same problem I had and the same way I fixed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thriller Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Started fighting with flasher issues. Car already isn't driven at night due to winking...now it is pretty much parked without signals. The last thing I did was to install the better hood ornament I got from Marck so it's now a slightly prettier garage ornament. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HuevosRanchero Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 Replaced fog light bulbs...was going to go LED but the polarity was wrong and I didnt want to hack up the wiring. Used standard Sylvania bulbs. Cleaned up and painted best as possible but being plastic the lenses are now just really shiny AND pockmarked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HuevosRanchero Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 decided to check out that vapor solenoid another owner was having trouble with...found the the the rubber lines linking the hard plastic vacuum lines to the unit were horribly rotted and probably leaking. Replaced the rubber sections and and seems like another nice little tweak to the running condition of the motor. Decided to order the last one of that batch of solenoids on ebay so I can replace it and keep the original for trouble shooting purpose since these valves are apparently becoming hard to procure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Changed the oil in the 'vert yesterday as I wanted to put it in storage today. It is now at the widow Schneider's waiting for spring. I snowblow her driveway for free inside winter storage for the vert and free summer storage of the Black. Drove the 'vert there, fired up the Black and drove it home to get her ready for winter driving. Every fall I get it out I am amazed at what I nice car I got for $1500.00 Thanks Snowdrift! [PO] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dship Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 (edited) Replaced crank and cam sensors, new timing cover gasket, oil pan gasket, oil and filter, rotated tires, flushed radiator, and new thermostat, gasket and "O" ring. One more cruise-in at A&W Drive In restaurant in RI this Saturday, and then Reatta is off to Winter storage until April 2016 (Riviera is already in storage). Edited October 13, 2015 by DShip (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhclark Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Had the transmission flushed last week. It was starting to slip and a transmission service didn't help much last year. Added some Trans-x last season and another snake oil this summer. It apparently scrubbed the transmission clean, as the fluid was black, but not burnt smelling. Looks like the cleaner did it's job and suspended the dirt in the fluid.Fluid is now pink and slipping seems to be gone...for now.It's a Jasper replacement transmission with supposedly about 65,000 miles on it. (Car has about 225,000) Then it stalled on my son over the weekend. I checked all the computer codes and found nothing to explain it. Checked plugs and wires, nothing. Checked battery terminals and grounds for tightness. I didn't find any issue and it hasn't done it again yet, so.......hopefully it was just a fluke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDirk Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Replaced the harmonic balancer on tbe scrub 88 last night. Started thumping like a disco [my apologies to the band Diesel and their Rambler with the wormhole in the tank] on Wednesday so benched it until I could get it fixed. Just in a nick of time too, outer metal ring was almost completely seperated from the rubber. Luckily the crankshaft position sensor was undamaged. The one removed was original (had date stamp visible in rubber of "88") and didn't quite make 70,000 miles (car is at 69,xxx presently). This car appears to have operated in harsh climates most of it's life, as the interior and the paint job were badly sun-beat when I bought it. Replaced most of the interior panels and buffed the paint but mechanically it also shows signs of prolonged service in the heat. I still have much to do to bring it up to my usual standards but it is a good reliable car generally, for it's age.I was surprised that changing the harmonic balancer took me about 45 minutes start to finish including removal/replacement of passenger front wheel and splash guard. I expected it to be much worse than that so no complaints there. Having a big compressor and 1/2 drive impact wrench at my disposal was absolutely critical to the job.KDirk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lovethegeneral Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 I have spent the past 4 days driving the 3 Reatta's that I have here in Texas. an 89 black/burgandy- 42K miles, 90 Red/Tan Vert 27K miles & a 91 Red/Tan 108,300 miles. It was a blast as usual. 98% of the people who see them driving around have no clue what the hell they are and I like it that way. One guy said "is that a new Ferrari?" No dummy it's a Reatta!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted October 25, 2015 Share Posted October 25, 2015 Put the Red away on Thursday and have been driving the Black since. Today I cleaned up the interior, washed the outside and swapped out the mirror/window switches with Kdirks upgrae. They are really nice and make the car look tons better on the inside. It is a great upgrade, one everyone should consider if they have that vintage Reata. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 As I have been driving the Black I noticed the exhaust was getting loud. Went to Ronnie's website and read up on the Camaro muffler swap and bought a muffler from Amazon through Ronnie's store. Took about 90 minutes to do with one trip to AutoZone for the adapters on the tailpipe. The exhaust pipe fits right into the muffler [with a little encouragement]. What I did was cut one of the tail pipes off [the one w/o the mount] and took it and the new muffler to AutoZone. Picked out the adapters and clamps went home and put it together. The tail pipe end of the muffler are not quite the same as the Reatta's so I had to slice a 2" strip off the end of the tailpipe w/o the clamp that sticks out behind the car. The Camaro muffler w/adapters are a very close size match to the original muffler. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 How does it sound Dave? Here is a link to the muffler Dave used: .Walker 18375 SoundFX Muffler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted October 29, 2015 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Hard to use a reference Ronnie. The other cars were put away over a week ago and the Black was getting louder daily. I am sure it is a bit louder then stock but is still pretty quiet. I use this car [as well as the Red] for business so my cars must look good sound quiet. The picture in the link is not the one you get. It is the second pic in the link. The one with 3 inlets/outlets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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