The GOOD News and the BAD News

[Travels with Yoly]

Hey Guys and gals .... classic good news / bad news kinda day .....

Our new Polk Soundbar arrived this morning to turn the 42 inch LG into a home theatre experience in our 214 WSD.

Unfortunately, the Fed-Ex truck was backing out of our driveway and crunched the front corner of The Heart of Gold

[getzold]

Oh Crap!!!!

[WSKinVA]

Aw, man... bum mer...

[Eagle]

Isn't that a fiberglass cap on the front?

If so, any reputable body shop should be able to repair/paint the damaged area like 'you never knew it happened' event.

[Travels with Yoly]

Yes it is fiberglass I believe and best of all, it's cosmetic damage and not structural. I'm still waiting for Fed-Ex to get back to me. The driver was on the phone to his company and took my details saying that they would give me a call in the afternoon with a case number. No one has called as yet. I've contacted our FF dealer via email and also left a phone message (can't get through to a body) but they haven't called back either so I guess I'm playing a waiting game at the moment. Our dealer does collision repair so I'm sure they can deal with it also. If they can't get it repaired by the time we leave at the end of the month, I may have to try a local body shop.

[LJAZ]

Did Fedex own up to it? If so, it doesn't look that bad. I'm assuming no damage on inside, so like Eagle said any reputable body shop or RV repair shop should be able to make it like new.

Kind of a bummer though.

[michellep]

Oh, how sad! I would be sick.
Lucky, you guys think it will be an easy fix!

[harryshoe]

I'm sorry to hear that. I agree that a body shop should be able to provide a quick repair. I'm sure FED EX has plenty of claims and a quick process to deal with them.

Good luck.

Harry

[Travels with Yoly]

Fed-Ex still hasn't responded back so I've called my insurance (Progressive) to get involved. They've created a "Not at Fault" claim on my behalf and will be contacting Fed-Ex.

Our dealer sent me a reply saying their body shop has a 2 month long back-log so I guess I'm going to have to find an alternative repair facility.

[profdant139]

Ouch! When do you leave for Tahoe? Here is a possible quick fix -- good old Bondo. The exterior of the trailer is fiberglass, and Bondo works well with glass.

Cover the ding with a decal, and you are good to go!

[Travels with Yoly]

We're leaving for a rally up at Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the 28th, returning on the 3rd because I have a dental appointment on the 4th, and then heading for Tahoe on the 5th (of May). I've scheduled a stop over at Furnace Creek in Death Valley on the 12th

Lots of fiberglass repair kits available also if need be. Might be hard to find a decal that fits in that odd location (esthetically I mean)

[WSKinVA]

No problem on the decal...

Just get one of these - https://www.carstickers.com/Band_Aid...and_Decals.php

[Travels with Yoly]

Those are funny but I'm afraid they would draw more attention to the boo boo than the boo boo by itself. I remember a Nascar race where Kyle Bush's car got banged up in the back right where the sponsor decals (M&Ms Candies) was. They made the proper repair but the little M&M characters at race time had bandages all over them ... it was soooo cute

Still going to hold out for Fed-EX to step up and pay for a proper repair

[Kiwi5]

oh no! thats an awful bummer..one thing - being so new - your paint job/colour wouldn't had time to fade yet, so makes for 100% perfect repair match..best of luck with Fed-ex

[Travels with Yoly]

Originally Posted by Kiwi5

oh no! thats an awful bummer..one thing - being so new - your paint job/colour wouldn't had time to fade yet, so makes for 100% perfect repair match..best of luck with Fed-ex

Hadn't thought of that so that's one more thing to feel good about Thanks for the support from the other side of the planet

[LJAZ]

You could also try a marine repair company if you have one local. They are well versed in fiberglass repair. Although its not THAT bad if you have to live with it for a bit.

[Travels with Yoly]

Originally Posted by LJAZ

You could also try a marine repair company if you have one local. They are well versed in fiberglass repair. Although its not THAT bad if you have to live with it for a bit.

The marine repair is certainly a possibility but may not be the best solution when trying to get it painted to match perfectly. I agree with you about it not being a big deal in the mean time but it is a brand new 2015 (used on one trip only) so it would be a shame to leave it. I'm also thinking of the hit it would take if I ever wanted to sell it, so getting it fixed properly as soon as possible is a high priority for me. I think I'll take some good photos of it and show them to a couple local body shops and get an idea of the actual scale of the project both timewise and moneywise.

[Eagle]

I sure wouldn't be very excited about someone damaging my unit and it's isn't new yet like yours.

Getting estimates (and keep copies) is the proper approach as the ins. company for Fed Ex will require estimates for their damage payment.

[LJAZ]

Paint matching is no big deal for an experienced shop. Good ones have a 'gun' of a sort that they use to actually read the paint color and it will give a readout of the actual components and amounts to mix to give the correct color. The paint on cars that are even a few years old will fade a bit so most body shops do this to get an exact match.

If the shop knows what they are doing you won't be able to see any difference in color. If they don't, well you probably don't want them doing the work anyway.

Also - didn't mean to imply leaving it forever - only long enough til you can get to repair shop you're comfortable with. Since you've got a trip planned you may need to wait til you get back if your shop of choice is backed up too far.

[Travels with Yoly]

My main concern is that we literally won't be back until October