Here at American Auto Body and Collision, when you schedule an estimate to assess the motorcycle collision repairs that your bike needs, our primary goal is to determine if your motorcycle is “fixable”. We want to take a detailed look at your bike and help you weigh the cost-benefit equation.
American Auto Body and Collision isn’t your average motorcycle collision repair shop. We work to get you in and out as fast as possible so that your bike can get back on the open road where it belongs. That’s why our turnaround time averages 1-2 weeks. Our goal is to never keep you from what you love to do. We get it! Life’s too short to have your bike stuck in some garage somewhere collecting dust.
What Problems Can You Help With?
Whether your bike has a small dent or some other problem, we are here to work with you to find the best solution for you. Sometimes you just need someone to answer the difficult questions you have. That’s what we are here for. Call us today at 918-323-4909 or email us at info@americanabac.com. We can help answer any questions you may have about the motorcycle collision repair process and what it takes to get you back on the road.
Is my motorcycle worth fixing?
Is my motorcycle “fixable”? That’s the question we are answering today but it requires us to ask a few other questions. Like, “Is my motorcycle worth fixing?” Of course, if you talk to an insurance company they’re going to look at the “actual cash value” of the vehicle by comparison to estimated repair cost. They’ll give you THEIR an answer to that question based upon that math formula. If the price tag on the repairs is 75% more of the actual cash value they’re going to total your motorcycle. They will claim it’s a total loss and that you should get a new one.
Insurance Factors to Consider
Sometimes totalling your bike isn’t the right answer for you. That’s where we come in. We are willing to work with you to go outside of your insurance claim to get your bike fixed. But why would you want to do that?
Modification
Modifications like chrome don’t necessarily add value to your bike. When the insurance company is going to determine how much your bike is work, they do so by checking the actual cash value (ACV) of your vehicle based upon the fair market value for your bike.
What that means in plain English is that when you put $1,500 in chrome on your bike, that doesn’t mean your bike is worth $1,500 more. The insurance company is going to say, “In the Tulsa area (or wherever you’re from) how much would it cost me to buy a bike like this one to replace it?” The answer usually isn’t as much as you think.
With the invention of Craigslist and eBay, the price of bikes and other vehicles with these modifications doesn’t always add up. 2+2 sometimes equals 3 because people are willing to get rid of their bikes for less than they put into them or any other number of factors.
Gap Insurance
Depending on your financing situation and whether or not you have gap insurance, you may or may not want to pay for your bike repairs out of pocket. Let me give you an example.
Let’s say you have a bike worth $15,000. After a while you pay the payment down to $13,000 but you get in a car accident. Now the fair market value for your bike right now is $11,000. That means you have a $2,000 gap that you need to pay. This is where gap insurance comes in.
Scheduled Insurance Policy
When you “schedule” your insurance you basically state how much you want the insurance to pay out if you get in an accident. For instance, you have a bike worth $15,000. You purchase insurance and schedule it at $15,000. Then in a few years when the bike is worth $11,000 on fair market value and you wreck the bike, you get a $15,000 pay out despite the value of the bike on the open market today.
Totalling your Bike
The insurance company isn’t required to pay you what you would list your bike on eBay to sell it for. If your bike is totaled, the only thing they’re required to do is make sure they pay you what others might pay for your specific bike. So they’re only required to pay the fair market value.
Can you help me with paint problems?
Maybe you haven’t had any specific car accidents and just have some cosmetic issues. You or your kids scratched the paint on your bike or did something else to the look of the bike. We can help you with that too!
Our technicians here at American Auto Body and Collision are skilled in paint matching and cosmetic repairs.
What about dents?
Depending on the damage to things like the gas tank, we may have to replace them, but many times we can fix the minor dents and dings without having to fully replace the part.
Check out this tank that we were able to remove the dent from.
Call Us Today!
For more information about our Motorcycle collision repair services call us at 918-323-4909 or email us at info@americanabac.com. We look forward to working with you and helping you find the best solution for your specific problem.
References: https://www.caranddriver.com/car-insurance/a32728873/what-happens-when-insurance-totals-your-car/
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