Tree fell on the Cat... Opinions needed on proposed repair

Hey all... I need some opinions and/or guidance on a recent mishap that happened to my 2004 29BHBP.

About a week ago, a tree limb(s) fell onto my Cat. It hit on the right rear corner, that is where the worst damage is, and also on the right side just above the awning, entire rubber roof, roof a/c, fridge vent, kitchen vent, rain gutter, antenna, and awning... All damaged.

The rear wall needs to be completely replaced due to excesive breakage of the fiberglas.

Everything on the roof, including the roof itself, needs to be replaced.

Here is where I need some opinions. The insurance company already said they will not pay to replace the entire right side. The wall is torn from the back corner to approx. 3 feet forward, about 2 feet down. There are 6 or 8 punctures through the fiberglas forward of that, and another 6-8 inch piece missing just above the awning.

The dealer wants to scribe a vertical line from the top of the trailer down to the bottom just forward of the bunkhouse windows, cut out that back piece, and replace it with a new piece. They said they can repair the punctures and other missing piece with fiberglas. This panel repair will leave me with 1) a new seam where there isn't one now, 2) patched holes scattered along the right side, and 3) mismatched fiberglas and decals that are sure not to match the old ones.

The new seam is a huge problem for me. Another place to possibly fail in the future not to mention the unsightly moulding that they propose to use between old and new.

Has anyone ever heard of a repair of this kind? And if so, what kind of result can I expect?

The estimate with the "repair" is just under $10,000... Obviously it would be way more if the whole side is to be replaced... Probably at that point would be a total.

Thoughts? Advice? Guidance?

Thanks!

Will they give you the option of totaling it? I think I would go that route. Who wants a big seam running down one side of the camper. Do you have any idea what the value is? Can't be a whole lot more than what you state the repair is going to cost.
I have a friend who sent a camper back to the factory for repairs. They replaced a section in the front, unfortunately they didn't do a very good job and the seam split a couple years later. Now he has a huge break in the sidewall.
Jim

The value can be found here: http://www.nadaguides.com/RVs/2004/Wildcat/M-29BHBP-32/Standard-Equipment
Seems like it is very close to being totaled. I think the trailer should go back to the factory if possible, that way the decals can be changed and all matched as well.

With that much damage, it should be totaled.

TC

I agree.......

I vote with the others .... sounds like a total to me. I'm surprised the insurance company didn't suggest that.

Man, I, too, vote for a total. Just a few weeks back (Dec. 1) we had 100 mph winds here and my TT was damaged, but not near what the damage you had. The damage on mine came to $8500. I would think your damage would cost much more to repair (rebuild).

Total loss, that's what insurance is paid for.

My vote goes to " Man I feel for ya ".....

Although I've seen some repairs that looked great if you take it to the right person/ business. I'd check with a boat yard that does Gel Coat repairs. I've seen some of those guys do patch work on boats that you couldn't tell it had ever been a big gapping hole there.

also ,,,, if they won't total it out,,,, Could be time to do a Total Body Wrap, I've been waiting for ever for someone to do that to see what it looks like,,,, The body wrap stuff has come a long way these days and I've seen some cars / trucks , race vans done up right. Thats another option that would hide any scares easily and look like a brand new custom rig.
I'd beat the bushes for sure to see what other options there are. You'll be surprised at what you find.

UPDATE-

The Insurance Company called me today and asked me to fax a copy of the title to them... When I asked if they needed it because they were totalling it, she said she didn't know. Final repair estimate I saw was $9,986.77... We'll see.

Thanks for the advice and ideas you guys posted here. I really like the "full body wrap" one. It got me thinking of a cool one I could go with. I too have seen some busses, etc. with those wraps on them and they do look awesome!

So, we might be on the market for a new trailer... I'll keep you posted.

Thanks again!

Hope everything goes well.
Which ins co do you use ?

Hey if they don't total it. You may be able to get one of the big racing company like monster energy or some one like that to pay for the body wrap.

Got the word today... Totaled...

Final estimate was $10,253.80, insurance company valued it at $14,550.00. They gave me a salvage buy back option of $4000.00 but I'm going to pass. Too much damage for me to tackle.

My insurance company is Foremost Insurance, they were great throughout the whole process. Salvage company will be here on Tuesday to pick it up.

Does anyone know anything about Sabre Sillouette fifth wheels? It says they're made by Forest River? They have a nice floorplan front bunkhouse model that my wife saw on line and really liked. And it has a really nice "U" shaped Super Dinette, much roomier and practical than the separate booth dinette and sleeper sofa. It is a 320FQDS. The price seems too good to be true, so there's probably a catch.

The sabre silhouette is made by palomino

palomino is a Division of Forest River.
Here is their web site http://palominorv.com/

Are the trailers any good? The one we looked at on line looked really nice with an awesome floor plan. Front bunkhouse, rear master.

How does the quality compare to other Forest River lines?

You may want to check other forum and ask they will be more than happy to talk about them. http://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/