Do any of you out there have experience with HD shops in regards to getting repair estimates to fix a bike after its been in an accident?

A buddy of mine had a cager pull out in front of him, and; well, you know the rest of the story. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt.

His handle bars and fender are a bit messed up and the forks seem to be "twisted" now. The insurance company is requiring two estimates before signing off on repairs...which is fine.

When calling around to various HD shops, they say to bring the bike in and they will give an estimate, but it is HD policy that if they give an estimate they MUST do the work. Is this true? Or, is the dealership giving my buddy a hard time? Let me know your experiences.

 

they usually charge for the estimate but if they do the work they don't charge

 

I T-Boned a deer last Oct. So of course it my insurance that had to pay. They did not request two estimates. The orginal estimate was for $10,560.00 and then my dealership submitted another bill for the items they found after they gotten into fixing the damage for $1,950.00. I do know of the HD dealership in Terre Haute, In. that does charge for an estimate, don't remember how much.

 

I don't think it's HD policy that they must do the work if they do the estimate. The Dealership controls what happens in their own shops. But as stated above...they will charge! But normally if they do the repairs...they will usually drop the cost of the estimate!

Ride Safe, Mike

 

Sounds like BS to me. Ask if you can pay for the estimate. Everyone is scrambling to get by nowadays.

 

Mine was.. pay for the estimate...

 

A couple of years ago, I hit a cager that pulled off the shoulder of the road and did a U-turn in my path. The local dealer charged me for an estimate, then dropped the estimate fee when they actually did the repair. Over $8,000 to repair and my insurance had to foot the bill because the fool in the cager fled the scene.

04Ultra

 

Dealer here wanted me to pay for the estimate and I specifically asked if they would deduct the estimate charge from the final repair bill and they said NO!

 

Last summer I had an accident and the bike was towed to a yard. Geico sent an adjuster to the tow yard, made a list of obvious damages, looked up the HD prices, checked the standard labor costs and issued me a check for ~ $2,500 after a $500 deductible. Had the Bike trucked to a HD collision repair center and they wrote-up the damages for $7,500. This fee included the appraisal of damages, every nut-bolt-washer required for the repairs AND every part that it would take to have my '99 roll out of the shop in "New" condition. They even charged time for the test ride. Geico did not even flinch!!! The shop and I worked up plan that gave me a much better than "new" '99 EGS with a list of add-ons and maintenance that is too long to list in this thread. IMHO - HD collision repair will get more money from your insurance company than other shops and will probably do a good job returning your bike to original or better condition. You should look for a HD collision repair center that specializes in working with insurance companies and fixing wrecked bikes.

 

I used to work at HD shop and can tell you that until you get into a wrecked bike it is really hard to see and tell what might need replacing. I would have it taken to a HD shop and call the adjuster and have him go there and work with the service manager to get an estimate. Make sure you have an understanding that if they do find more damage the estimate and pay out can be adjusted. If the frame is ever bent, settle for nothing less than a new one. Never go for a straightened frame. Way too risky.