Heavy Damage From Fallen Tree 2015 Forest Class A

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Timster

Timster

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 17, 2015
Posts
142
Location
Savannah, GA
Hello all, My Uncle owns a 2015 Forest River Georgetown Model 270 Class A RV. We live in Savannah GA and as most of you know we recently got hammered by Hurricane Mathew. Lots of devastation occurred leaving many people with damaged homes and property. My Uncles RV was unfortunately in the wrong place at the wrong time. A large tree on his property took a perfect aim at his barely 1 year old Class A motor home. The tree fell perfectly right down the middle from front to back. (SEE PICS BELOW) This was the only tree that fell on the property. No one was in the rv at the time and everyone is ok.

That is the bad news. The good news is (besides the fact that everyone is ok) after having a tree company carefully removing the tree, the chassis looks to be in perfect condition. The rv cranks right up as usual and all functionality from the cockpit works. Cameras, lights, hydraulic stabilizers, steering wheel, plumbing, generator, slide out  The dashboard is untouched. No water damage has occurred. The RV does go into gear just fine also.

He is battling with his insurance adjuster and he said that they are not going to classify his RV as "totaled" which would be the worst thing to hear considering the depreciation you eat after the first year of buying a brand new rv. He has had a few different companies out including the company he purchased the rv from. All but one refused to even consider repairing the rv. The one that said they could fix it is local and gave him a ball park of $30,000 - $35,000 for repairs. He is still battling and negotiating with his insurance company but he feels the rv is fixable. There was another company that claims they could fix it but that company is in another state. Not sure how pricey it would be to tow the ClassA long distances.

Does anyone here have any experience with damage of this magnitude on their Class A motor home? Any advice on what to watch out for when agreeing to have a shop take on such a large repair project?

Please look at the attached pics. This is his first RV by the way. I told him that I would help him be armed with as much information as possible and that is why I brought his story here. We would appreciate any words of wisdom on this subject.
 

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Rene T said:
I can't believe it's not totaled.
Click to expand...

That was my first reaction when I saw the pics. However with the frame and chasis just fine and all other components work on the rv would it not be just a matter of replacing the modular sections? I do not have a clue just "thinking out loud".  ;D
 
Rene T said:
I can't believe it's not totaled.
Click to expand...
Me either.  All of the roof structure has to be replaced, both sides are at least partially bent inward.  The big slide must be significantly damaged.  Plus the carnage of the cabinetry, windshield/upper front end.  I'd worry about the structural integrity of the whole shell after repairs.  I'm not sure what you mean by "modular sections", unless you were referring to cabinetry.

Check references, BBB rating, etc carefully before committing to the repair outfit.

What a shame - I can understand your uncle's desire to restore it to it's former self.
 
Timster said:
Hello all, My Uncle owns a 2015 Forest River Georgetown Model 270 Class A RV. We live in Savannah GA and as most of you know we recently got hammered by Hurricane Mathew. Lots of devastation occurred leaving many people with damaged homes and property. My Uncles RV was unfortunately in the wrong place at the wrong time. A large tree on his property took a perfect aim at his barely 1 year old Class A motor home. The tree fell perfectly right down the middle from front to back. (SEE PICS BELOW) This was the only tree that fell on the property. No one was in the rv at the time and everyone is ok.

That is the bad news. The good news is (besides the fact that everyone is ok) after having a tree company carefully removing the tree, the chassis looks to be in perfect condition. The rv cranks right up as usual and all functionality from the cockpit works. Cameras, lights, hydraulic stabilizers, steering wheel, plumbing, generator, slide out  The dashboard is untouched. No water damage has occurred. The RV does go into gear just fine also.

He is battling with his insurance adjuster and he said that they are not going to classify his RV as "totaled" which would be the worst thing to hear considering the depreciation you eat after the first year of buying a brand new rv. He has had a few different companies out including the company he purchased the rv from. All but one refused to even consider repairing the rv. The one that said they could fix it is local and gave him a ball park of $30,000 - $35,000 for repairs. He is still battling and negotiating with his insurance company but he feels the rv is fixable. There was another company that claims they could fix it but that company is in another state. Not sure how pricey it would be to tow the ClassA long distances.

Does anyone here have any experience with damage of this magnitude on their Class A motor home? Any advice on what to watch out for when agreeing to have a shop take on such a large repair project?

Please look at the attached pics. This is his first RV by the way. I told him that I would help him be armed with as much information as possible and that is why I brought his story here. We would appreciate any words of wisdom on this subject.
Click to expand...
I just hope that your insurances covers it...GET A NEW REPLACEMENT RV !
Godd luck my friend !
 
If the insurance company is going to pick up the full cost of repairs you have the right to pick whoever you want to do the work.
The only place I would recommend is Texas Custom Coach.
https://www.texascustomcoach.com/
10498 TX-16, Pipe Creek, TX 78063, Phone:(830) 510-4224
I would call and talk to them.
Bill
 
I would like to know who his carrier is, as well. Definitely an outfit to avoid.

It's been decades since I was in the insurance industry (claims) and was never very involved with auto claims, but if that adjuster refuses to total it, then s/he should be able to come up with a REPUTABLE repair facility that will actually agree to do the work, and that work better come with a guarantee.

Just saying, "It's not a total loss", but not being able to find a competent shop who can repair it to its exact former condition, is not an option.
:mad:
 
Please tell us who that insurer is.  They obviously know little about RV's.  I would not want that coach and don't believe it could be properly repaired without spending more on it than its value. 

If they absolutely refuse to total it, the only place I would want to have repair it would be the factory.  Tell your insurance company they need to get it transported to the factory for repairs. 

I would send those photos to someone at the factory service center for their opinion on the question of repair vs. total loss.
 
I think it is repairable, and since the RV is new, the amount involved would probably not lead to a "total". A shop that specializes in RV collision repairs, e.g. Mike RV Collision in Wilmington, NC, can handle that type of work (and not all that far from Savannah, about a $1000 tow).  However, expect the repairs to take 6-9 months, mostly because the Forest River Factory will have to provide several major replacement parts and they probably won't be quick about it.

Whether you are comfortable with the idea of repair vs replace is irrelevant . Unless the insurer can be convinced that repairs are not feasible, it is strictly a financial decision by the insurer.
 
Yeah, I was wondering about going direct to the manufacturer....  at this point that would be my 1st call.
my 2nd call to Mike's (Gary's suggestion)
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
I think it is repairable,  However, expect the repairs to take 6-9 months, mostly because the Forest River Factory will have to provide several major replacement parts and they probably won't be quick about it. Whether you are comfortable with the idea of repair vs replace is irrelevant . Unless the insurer can be convinced that repairs are not feasible, it is strictly a financial decision by the insurer.     
Click to expand...

If the RV can't be repaired for 6 to 9 months or perhaps longer (I'd get a written estimate on time) I think the owner should be allowed an RV rental until it is returned and gets it back. Combined the tow to the repair shop, the actual cost of repair, along with a 6 to 9 month rental your talking some serious dollars. If they won't pay for a rental, then they should offer compensation for the time the RV is not able to be used as there would be depreciation on the RV that could add up to a lot.
 
If he pushes for the rv being totaled scenario he would get a check written for the current value of the rv. I would imagine that the value depreciated significantly after the first year as rv's do. This could possibly mean that he would owe more on the rv than what the check is written for. I do not know the exact finacial means he used to purchase the rv but he did say it was financed. The insurance company is Country Financial Insurance Company.
 
I think he would learn a lot by contacting Forest River.  They should be able to tell him if it's repairable.  I know one person who damaged his front end.  He had it "fixed" and it was so bad even the insurance company told him it was not acceptable.  They recommended going to Monaco which he did.  They fixed it but it took quite a while (yes, months is normal).  His insurance paid for the second repair.  The advantage of having the factory fix it is that they know how things are constructed and have the correct molds etc.  If not Forest River, then the people who fixed Gary's coach.  Gary has first-hand experience!

By the way, good photos!  Glad no one was injured.

ArdraF
 
How can the insurance company determine if it's totaled without knowing how much the repairs will be. Sounds to me the cart is in front of the horse on this one.

I would be more inclined to contact Forest River first for their estimate, and input for the repairs.

Corky
 
Corky said:
How can the insurance company determine if it's totaled without knowing how much the repairs will be. Sounds to me the cart is in front of the horse on this one.

I would be more inclined to contact Forest River first for their estimate, and input for the repairs.

Corky
Click to expand...

This..

I'm not sure what the "battle" is with the insurer - nobody knows what the repair costs are yet.
First, never get in the middle of a pricing / valuation dispute. Adjusters don't dictate repair costs - repair shops do. The adjuster has the option to nix repair and total the vehicle.
Take it to a QUALIFIED repair specialist; either Forest River or the recommendation from Gary. A thousand buck tow is small potatoes in this situation.
The shop needs to provide the adjuster with a detailed repair order. Not a ballpark.
The adjuster will approve the repair or total it out at that point. If totaled, you will need to make up the difference.
If approved for repair, you still need to know the adjusters totaled valuation bailout. If the totaled valuation is close to the repair estimate, you need to make the shop aware of this and negotiate charges for unforeseen overages.
 
I want to thank everyone who is giving information and opinions.

To clarify, I am really not clear on the exact conversation my Uncle is having with his insurance adjuster. I have no idea if there is any "battle" or discrepancies So using the word battle in my op was maybe the wrong word. He did say that there was some things they did not see eye to eye on but for all I know that has been worked out. @BinaryBob Thanks for clearing up the process of adjusters and quotes.

Thanks for the ideas on contacting the manufacturer. It would be worth a shot to check.

@ Gary thanks for the reference to a nearby Collision specialist. I will pass that info on.

@ WILDEBILL308 thanks for your recommendation on the repair shop in Texas. I will pass the info along.

He has gotten a final inspection today from http://www.dickgoresrvworld.com/rv-service who is local and he confirmed that the rv is repairable. Still waiting on a final estimate.

I will try and get my uncle in this chat as it would be best if he could provide answers personally. I am just trying to help him with the repair side of things really. I feel quite confident that he is making smart decisions on the finacial side of things but the more informed you are the better. I don't think he is a forums kind of guy but we will see.

Thanks again for the feedback. I will keep you all updated as things continue. Anymore input is welcome.

 
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