Interesting observation on modern car wrecks in Florida….

[edinmass]

Living in Southern Florida, and specifically Palm Beach County, and the “Palm Beaches “ area, there is an interesting phenomenon occurring in the modern car repair market. Since late 2021 there is a new term in the car repair and rebuilding world……..the 9 month project. Parts are in such short supply the local dealerships have all pitched in and rented a large enclosed parking lot for the cars waiting for parts………and it holds hundreds and hundreds of cars…….and it’s full. The cars sitting on the dealer lots were piling up and bad for business as it seems people won’t buy new cars if they see handfuls  of cars waiting around for months at the dealership. Recently a friend in the neighborhood was hit in his new car….hadn’t even made his first payment yet. After 8 months and a court case field, they bought the car back from non available parts issues. He lost a few grand in the process, and was driving an old boned out rental while making his new car payments. Paying insurance on a car he drove only a few days, and couldn’t drop it till he sold the car. So just a heads up that even now there is still a fairly significant parts availability issue…… it seems to be improving, but it’s far from over. Shortages are across the board…….modules, bumpers, glass, you name it it’s not consistent but it is sure an issue. 

[bryankazmer]

An insurance agent told me that there are some cars they won't write new policies on because of how long they will be paying for rental cars while awaiting repair parts

[Guest]

Not just cars, boat parts as well.  Many people are switching from Yamaha outboards to other manufactures as the past couple years for those who want to buy a new outboard were being told a year to 2 year wait that changed to "no idea".  Parts as simple as an impeller that should be replaced every year have been back ordered.  Older motors often the parts just aren't going to be available till ????

 

[TAKerry]

I had no idea this kind of thing was happening as far as repairs are concerned. I hate to say but I kinda feel bad for the repair shops (say that because they are likely collecting from the ins. for storage fees) having a back log of work and not being able to do it. I had similar problems with building materials but that has kind of leveled off.

 

To keep it old car relevant, I tried to order exhaust manifolds last August from the one company that makes what I wanted. Was told they were coming out of the foundry in Sept and be available in Oct. Long story short, they are still unavailable with no projected date.

[BobinVirginia]

That’s really unfair for people buying new cars and paying insurance!! We’re facing repair supply shortages here in the Diesel engine world too. Something as small as head bolt repair sleeves aren’t available globally for 3400 and 3500 Cat engines. Considering a 3516 has 128 head bolt holes by itself, fabricating these repair items can really cause huge delays and added expense. I’m hoping for a change soon. 

[60FlatTop]

Well,

 

[coachJC]

My wife has a recall on her 2017 Ford Escape. She called the dealer to set up an appointment to get the recall done and they told her they have no parts to do the repair. They said they would call when they get the parts in.....that was 8 months ago. Luckily it is not a serious safety issue and we can keep using the car.

[Peter J.Heizmann]

Does any of this affect antique vehicles?  If so will someone please explain to what degree?

 

 

[JACK M]

1 hour ago, coachJC said:

My wife has a recall on her 2017 Ford Escape. She called the dealer to set up an appointment to get the recall done and they told her they have no parts to do the repair. They said they would call when they get the parts in.....that was 8 months ago. Luckily it is not a serious safety issue and we can keep using the car.

I have three recalls against my 2021 Ram.

No parts, one of the flyers tells me to not park it in my garage as it might catch on fire.

I keep pretty much everything I have in garages and the dealer is well aware of that. Doesn't seem to hurry them up at all.

So, if the thing burns up is it the insurance that eats it or the manufacturer?

[Robert G. Smits]

MY wife's 2022 Palisade had an active recall when she purchased it in January of 22. They didn't notify her at the time of purchase.   Still no parts available.  They did modify it to remove the fire hazard they say but still advised not to park it inside.

[Bhigdog]

I got a letter maybe a month ago advising about a brake problem recall for my 2019 Grand Cherokee. Letter had my name And VIN #. Dealer's computer says doesn't apply to my car??????????????......Bob

[joe_padavano]

7 hours ago, Peter J.Heizmann said:

Does any of this affect antique vehicles?  If so will someone please explain to what degree?

 

 

Yeah, it explains why the newest car I own is nearly 40 years old.  😉

[Twisted Shifter]

The local junk yard has plenty of repair parts for the three cars my family drives daily.  Napa can usually supply the "consumables" with no delay.

If one were to fatal-out and was "beyond repair", Facebook or Craigslist will provide a replacement before the scrapper can come after the "dead body".

Happiness is an old car...

 

 

[60FlatTop]

The denial of manufactured goods has some amazing parallels with a book I have read a couple of times. There was an underlying plan.

 

The book is a $5 item online.

[Rusty_OToole]

There is a follow up to the Reagan joke. On a Packard forum there is a place for Zis or Zil cars the Soviet Packard. One Eastern European correspondent tells us there were NO parts available for cars or trucks in the Soviet era. The central planning committee did not tell them to make spare parts or replacement parts and the factories did not make any. That is why motorists would take off the windshield wipers and lock them in the trunk when leaving a car unattended, if you lost one there was no way to get a new one except swipe it, then that guy had to swipe someone else's.

[Frank DuVal]

There was a story by a former Austin Healy 100-4 owner in the Richmond, VA area back in the 60s. It seems another Austin Healy 100-4 owner needed a windshield frame bolt or two. Yep, took them from another one parked on the street, and that owner did the same, etc. etc. etc!

[TAKerry]

A few years ago when scrap metal was at its peak, there was a rash of thefts of construction equipment buckets. Anything loose laying around and it was gone. Even took 2 buckets off of our skid loaders that were attached. The salesman told us that for every one that was stolen and scrapped there was one stolen to be used. They couldnt keep them in stock and guys needed to keep digging!

[8E45E]

21 hours ago, Peter J.Heizmann said:

Does any of this affect antique vehicles?  If so will someone please explain to what degree?

 

 

Reproduction interiors and wiring harnesses, from my personal experience.

 

Craig

[8E45E]

12 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said:

There is a follow up to the Reagan joke. On a Packard forum there is a place for Zis or Zil cars the Soviet Packard. One Eastern European correspondent tells us there were NO parts available for cars or trucks in the Soviet era. The central planning committee did not tell them to make spare parts or replacement parts and the factories did not make any. That is why motorists would take off the windshield wipers and lock them in the trunk when leaving a car unattended, if you lost one there was no way to get a new one except swipe it, then that guy had to swipe someone else's.

This applied to all the Soviet and former Comecon cars.  Repair parts for their own people were always difficult to obtain, and export markets for the same cars were better stocked.  In the early 1990's after the Iron Curtain fell, and people were allowed to travel, the local Skoda dealer was amazed at the amount of tourists from Czech Republic and Slovakia stopping in and purchasing distributor caps and other tune-up parts for their cars back home.

 

Craig

[58L-Y8]

Brings to mind the 'joy' of owning an import car in the late 1950's through the mid-1970's.  Other than VW and M-B, every area had a "foreign car garage".   Typically, a single bay garage surrounded by a sea of imported makes all waiting repairs as parts availability was dismal.  The other issue was domestic make garages either weren't equipped or simply prejudiced against repairing those 'furrin' junkers.

[8E45E]

13 minutes ago, 58L-Y8 said:

Brings to mind the 'joy' of owning an import car in the late 1950's through the mid-1970's.  Other than VW and M-B, every area had a "foreign car garage".   Typically, a single bay garage surrounded by a sea of imported makes all waiting repairs as parts availability was dismal.  The other issue was domestic make garages either weren't equipped or simply prejudiced against repairing those 'furrin' junkers.

Today, they are called "Tuner Car" garages.

 

Craig

[EmTee]

21 hours ago, Peter J.Heizmann said:

Does any of this affect antique vehicles?  If so will someone please explain to what degree?

Yeah, try buying reproduction bias ply tires for your pre-war car.  I settled on my 3rd choice...

[EmTee]

34 minutes ago, 58L-Y8 said:

The other issue was domestic make garages either weren't equipped or simply prejudiced against repairing those 'furrin' junkers.

Reminds me of a funny story.  As a kid, my best friend's father owned a small auto-electric garage/gas station.  Someone once came in asking about having something done on his American Motors car.  His reply was "We don't work on foreign cars".  Must have been more to the story, because there were regular customers with Ramblers and other AMC cars that we did service...

[1937hd45]

1 hour ago, EmTee said:

Reminds me of a funny story.  As a kid, my best friend's father owned a small auto-electric garage/gas station.  Someone once came in asking about having something done on his American Motors car.  His reply was "We don't work on foreign cars".  Must have been more to the story, because there were regular customers with Ramblers and other AMC cars that we did service...

Must have been around 1979 and the Renault deal. 

[Peter J.Heizmann]

1 hour ago, EmTee said:

Yeah, try buying reproduction bias ply tires for your pre-war car.  I settled on my 3rd choice...

Apparently you are referencing availability of offshore replacement parts and repro tires.  That is a different problem most of us have been aware of for a long time.  I was questioning the OP’s topic of wrecked “modern” cars in Florida.  Basically is it isolated to “modern” cars in Florida only    and trending to “Antique Vehicles” wrecked.

[chistech]

My neighbor works in Boston (about a one hour drive each way) so he leaves at 4:00 am to avoid the traffic. Where he works the offer free charging of electric cars so he purchased a KIA electric about 4 months ago. Because he leaves so early,he sees deer every morning and has hit many. As you might have guessed, he’s already hit one with the new KIA but it is still drivable which is a good thing as KIA told him there is absolutely no body repair parts available.

 

on another note, my buddies brother bought a new F250 about 5-6 months ago. It went back to the dealer many times for electrical issues and the last time the dealer told him that Ford has deemed his new truck un repairable! He is now suing Ford as it’s his only recourse to get his money back. 

[Twisted Shifter]

Tesla EVs, Even Mildly Damaged, Are Being Written Off by Insurance Companies

 

• There were 120 Tesla Model Y electric vehicles listed in two large salvage auction houses recently, and the "vast majority" had under 10,000 miles on them, according to a report from the Reuters news service.
• The insurance companies that covered these vehicles decided that even with so few miles on them, these Teslas aren't worth the $50,000 or so they sometimes cost to repair.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/tesla-evs-even-mildly-damaged-are-being-written-off-by-insurance-companies/ar-AA16UHfX?ocid=mailsignout

[brasscarguy]

Seattle just had an $8 million fire in a dry marina. Over 100 very hi end boats stored on racks burned to the ground. Fire was arson, they caught the arsonist. Even have him on video pouring the gas from a can and lighting the fire. The insurance companies got together and are just paying the owners off. The boat dealer that was storing the boats notified the owners it would take up to 5 years to get replacement boats due to factories being sold out for production slots for 3 years. These were very high end boats average cost was $150,000.00 each some upwards of $250.000.00. Because some Ins policies had loss of use riders which met the insurance co would have to pay until the boat was replaced. Quicker to pay them off and take the loss.

 

Now that so many parts are on back order for damage cars the body shops are over run with wrecks. They are now charging the Ins Companys huge storage bills. So the insurance companies are quickly totaling the cars to cut their losses.

The tail gate on the new GM trucks has a parts cost of nearly $6000.00 all aluminum, not welded all melted together with special glues. Oh yes no parts available for the forceable future. 

 

just sayin,

 

brasscarguy

[Crusty Trucker]

 

 

Rivian R1T EV fender bender lands owner $42,000 repair bill

 

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/other/rivian-r1t-fender-bender-lands-owner-dollar42000-repair-bill/ar-AA1aJLke?ocid=mailsignout&li=BBnb7Kz

 

 

[edinmass]

With all the delays and expensive buy outs, new car insurance by definition has to skyrocket. Insurance companies never lose. 

[30DodgePanel]

On 5/3/2023 at 7:56 AM, Peter J.Heizmann said:

Does any of this affect antique vehicles?  If so will someone please explain to what degree?

 

 

 

By the time the parts come in, these new cars will all be antiques.  

This thread is way ahead of it's time...

 

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by 30DodgePanel (see edit history)

[TAKerry]

I take those msn things with a grain of salt. May be a bit of truth but I think facts are twisted and exaggerated. I understand and have been a victim of supply shortages but I do not understand why it should cost the value of the entire car to repair a part. If other industries charged that way they would be out of business. Think about the next time your house needs a new roof (an essential repair) that the job is going to cost $500,000. !!   I feel bad for the people that had their boats destroyed through no fault of their own and Im glad they caught the guy (for whatever that was worth) that did it, but in my case I have been waiting longer than 3 years for my luxury yacht and still am, LOL.

[John348]

4 hours ago, Crusty Trucker said:

 

 

Rivian R1T EV fender bender lands owner $42,000 repair bill

 

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/other/rivian-r1t-fender-bender-lands-owner-dollar42000-repair-bill/ar-AA1aJLke?ocid=mailsignout&li=BBnb7Kz

 

 

Why would the owner of the Rivian get hit with the repair bill? Obviously he was hit in the back. I feel that story seems to be missing some information. Having encountered a similar situation a few years back with one of my vehicles it was cut and dry and resolved in a matter of 72 hours, and payment was made to the shop for additional repairs. 

The collision shop making the repair should have contacted the liable insurance company upon finding additional and filled a supplemental. In this case, the claim if valid would have been adjusted.

By the way I don't know of this phenomenon is regional to Florida or not, having been down here for the past month, it seems like the majority of drivers like to tailgate, while distracted on their cell phones.  The same intersection I pass everyday is littered with different color plastic bumper parts every day. I also see some real pieces of "junk" on the road held together with duct tape on bald tires that are just plain unsafe vehicles. I was never a fan of Inspections in NYS because it was more of a pain, but when anything goes, it can become rather dangerous.

I just purchased a new Cadillac in March this year, traded in my 8 year old Cadillac and my insurance went down,  $750 for the year. The replacement value for the new one is way more then the one I got rid of. So if an unfortunate situation were to occur to my vehicle my first concern is that nobody was hurt, second my insurance supplies me with a rental at their cost, so they are looking to expedite the repair to minimalize their expenses.

In the case of the Rivian owner, I do feel sorry for that person. My oldest sons neighbor just got one he waited over a year to get it, he paid a lot for it, he is a guy in his late 30's. No different then any of us were at that age as car guys, except it is different type of new car then we might have wanted at that age, but regardless he researched it put money down special ordered it and waited year for it. So there is  passion. Just to have someone who was not paying attention slam into the back of it. That will haunt that vehicles value forever now on a carfax    

[brasscarguy]

Here is a whole new insurance company loop hole. "Gap Insurance" If you have a new car and have an accident because your car has already lost value and depreciated if the car is now worth say $30.000.00, and it is totaled and the insurance co determines the value is $25,000.00, and your car loan is $30,000.00 you will owe the bank the difference of $5000.00. Unless you buy gap insurance, another premium and profit for the insurance company.

 

Because the values of cars today are a lot higher and the sur charges the dealers get because the market was hot, Most car loans are more than the actual retail value of the car. The insurance companies only pay off of blue book not the inflated loan amounts, so unless you buy gap insurance, you will pay out of pocket the difference. Most consumers have no idea about this new wrinkle. In some cases very few however the insurance co will pay off your car loan but that is very rare.

 

just sayin'

brasscarguy

[edinmass]

 

Interesting.......that's new to me, but with the over inflated values, it makes sense as they only need to pay you the replacement cost, not your underwater cost. Since all three of my everyday cars cost less than 3 grand to purchase, I just run high liability numbers and nothing else. Nothing better than a paid for used car...........

Edited May 5, 2023 by edinmass (see edit history)

[Guest]

Perhaps someone can confirm this but I seem to recall that Tesla was not offering parts at all.  You have to go to their service.  In regards to "high end boats" 150k these days doesn't get you much for a boat having just been at a boat show.

[BobinVirginia]

44 minutes ago, edinmass said:

 

Interesting.......that's new to me, but with the over inflated values, it makes sense as they only need to pay you the replacement cost, not your underwater cost. Since all three of my everyday cars cost less than 3 grand to purchase, I just run high liability numbers and nothing else. Nothing better than a paid for used car...........

Truth! A daily/work vehicle that can take a door ding at the grocery or hardware store without worry is a big relief! 

[zepher]

8 hours ago, edinmass said:

With all the delays and expensive buy outs, new car insurance by definition has to skyrocket. Insurance companies never lose. 

 

I have a 2017 PHEV as a daily driver/commute vehicle.

The insurance for that one vehicle is more than the other two, normal modern ICE cars, combined.

[zepher]

11 hours ago, John348 said:

Why would the owner of the Rivian get hit with the repair bill? Obviously he was hit in the back.

 

If this happened in Calif the Rivian may very likely have been hit by someone with no insurance.

Uninsured Motorist coverage is pretty much mandatory in Calif these days.

Even with car insurance being mandated by law, there is an incredible number of drivers that do not carry insurance.

 

A coworker got rear ended by someone with no insurance and no driver license.

The cops didn't bother to even cite the offending driver for either offense.

They said it wouldn't make any difference since the person would either just change their name or go back over the border and never appear in court, anyway.

Edited May 6, 2023 by zepher (see edit history)

[John348]

There are many possibilities as to why or if the owner of the Rivian had to pay out of pocket for the repair, but one thing for certain is that we don't everything, and there is more to the story then is being told in that article. I never felt comfortable after reading an article and have questions unanswered.  What was the author trying to accomplish? I was not informed of anything, other then someone had the misfortunes of a bad day combined with a bad insurance agent.