Thank you very much shovelhead. Final bill is same as estimate. Front bumper is "remanufactured" door shell is "qual reconditioned", despite me being told verbally new parts will be used. Front and rear headliner together totals about $3,500 and is listed as a new one. The dealership's proposal, if not refunded back to insurance, is insurance fraud on their part. At one point in time, early into this adventure, the proposal was "if the headliner was going to be a month or something, we might just need to put the old headliner back in there while we wait." The discussion tomorrow will be what options are available regarding securing that headliner. I imagine we will be driving the vehicle until that happens. I assume the old headliner won't get in the way of the side curtain airbags should they have to deploy again. They've already been paid by the insurance evidently, without me even seeing the Suburban, I guess that's the benefit of being a "preferred" shop.

You seem to have a good handle on the situation.

For $3,500, if you run into friction from the shop, I would loop the insurance company in to be sure you get the parts, because the matter may be closed with the insurance company unless they hear otherwise.

When they replace the headliner, ask them to save the old one. They may be OK with that, or they may find it annoying, but ask for it anyway.
Headliners are obvious parts, and you want to be sure everything looks and functions right if you sell the vehicle or trade it in down the road.

Being a preferred shop means the insurance has leverage should things go south, regardless of whether they they paid the claim before you saw it.

Scuba,

Just my .02 but I'd be having a little sit down with my insurance agent. The adjuster will most likely be no help, his job is to settle claims for the least amount of money the quickest. Diminshed value, corrosion coverage, who's responsible if the aftermarket parts fail, who is responsible if the body shop (or dealership) closes or changes hands, etc. That is no thousand dollar hooptie you are driving, get it in writing. Or go up the chain in the insurance company. Five years down the road when something goes wrong and everybody gets amnesia is the wrong time to deal with it.

I've seen some of those "reconditioned" parts, the insurers were wild about using recon headlamps, turn signals,etc. Some of the garbage they passed off as acceptable. Plastic "welded" brackets, cracked housings sealed. Total garbage.Yet the insurance company said "insurance quality", if it was hidden under shields and panels and could not be seen by the customer it was acceptable.

Not to bore you or story you to death but the last collision claim we had was for my wife's car. No-fault state, other driver was WAAAY at fault. Fifteen month old car and the adjuster charged us for a battery betterment. Despite the fact that the O.E. battery was warrantied for 36 months.

Adjuster avoided my calls, he and I went around previously on this claim over the floor shifter being full of pop which was due to both air bags deploying and the front end being shortened by two feet just after they got carryout food. He tried to blame it on our "carelessness".

Well he would not return my calls and I got dinged for about thirty bucks for the battery. When I finally got ahold of him he was a little wiseass.
To sum it up I told him I was cancelling three cars and one house within an hour. He said "You would cancel over this?" I told him the thirty bucks was nothing, it was principle and he was an ass.

I hung up with him and called my agent. I said "One hour I am out of that carrier and into another one or I change agents." He did it immediately. The adjuster probably thought I was bluffing. I wasn't.

Sorry to be a "little" harsh on insurance companies but they deserve it for the junk parts they want to use at times.

That two years I exclusively did parts for our body shop opened my eyes to how these insurance companies really work. Well, some of them anyways. There are some good ones, they are not cheap either.

quote:

Originally posted by shovelhead:
I've seen some of those "reconditioned" parts, the insurers were wild about using recon headlamps, turn signals,etc. Some of the garbage they passed off as acceptable. Plastic "welded" brackets, cracked housings sealed. Total garbage.Yet the insurance company said "insurance quality", if it was hidden under shields and panels and could not be seen by the customer it was acceptable.

Great advice (again). If you run into difficulty with your insurance company, remember everyone has a supervisor. Be nice, but don't back down.

I thought you said you had State Farm. If you have an agent, involve them, too.

The quality of insurance companies and whether or not they care to pay for a good job varies greatly. I have a good idea from experience with our family business who to avoid, and I prefer not to be insured by them.

Spoke to insurance, they noted I am picking up without new headliner and search is still on for new headliner, shop guy said the paperwork I get will have the actual parts (all new) used on it. I noticed for the first time the cute Chevy bowtie inlaid in the headlight so GM can charge $1K for them. Headliner looks good (for now). Going back later to pick up because some trim was loose and they reinstalled the original air valence instead of the police Tahoe one. Door might need a slight alignment adjustment too. Smells like a paint booth inside as I expected it will and the orange peel is not a perfect match, but good enough. Confirmed all those GM acronyms are activated to find a headliner and if one comes in, they will put it in.

Scuba,

I'm glad that the information you have gotten here has helped you out.

I'm kind of smiling to myself here though. I bet the body shop and parts people are scratching their heads and wondering "How the hell does he know so much about SPAC and SWAT?

quote:

Originally posted by shovelhead:
Scuba,

I'm glad that the information you have gotten here has helped you out.

I'm kind of smiling to myself here though. I bet the body shop and parts people are scratching their heads and wondering "How the hell does he know so much about SPAC and SWAT?

I specifically dropped those words just to see what he would say (nothing really) or at least cue him in that I am not as stupid as I look. As of tomorrow, except for long trips, it'll be the wife's problem and I will get my car back from her. Somehow she added an odd smell to it in her 6 weeks of driving it. I'm sure she spilled something and just isn't fessing up to it.

Scuba,

At least maybe with you dropping those terms they will be less likely to B.S. you. My email is in my profile. I'm not sure I could be any help but I'll try, I still have friends in the business.

quote:

Originally posted by shovelhead:
I'm kind of smiling to myself here though. I bet the body shop and parts people are scratching their heads and wondering

He didn't say anything, but maybe he was thinking "there goes $3,500 in profit, now I have to actually buy the parts"