Trying to keep my beloved classic on the road

Hi all,

Im looking for help with Hagerty (represented by Aviva in this case) in Alberta. I drive a beloved classic car (85 LTD) which got hit while parked and damaged the rear taillight, bumper and quarter panel.

The short version is, my insurance company is fighting to write off the car as salvage as it’s not insured for much. I’ve stated multiple times to them that I have all the replacement parts and body panels and can easily fix it myself.

They’re basically refusing and keep trying to find new ways to make sure it’s written off. First they told me it had frame damage (it didn’t and my appraiser emailed them to confirm it didn’t), now they’re saying the structural integrity is compromised from the rear quarter damage.

When I fought back against the write off, my appraiser claimed that by law, they had to brand my VIN. From what I understand, mandatory branding is only for Ontario (where the insurance headquarters are based) but from what I understand, Alberta doesn’t have the same law.

My appraiser has also informed me that if I cancel the claim and refuse the write off, they are still obliged to report and brand the VIN, but that directly contradicts what I can find in the Alberta Legislation rules for Declaration of Damage by Insurance.

A salvage inspection will be hell and I’ll have to spend thousands more for it to pass. Is there ANYTHING else I can do to make sure my car is not deemed “salvage” with a branded VIN? I love this car more than anything.

My other question is, my insured value is $3500 and that is what they’re offering me to write it off, but on the inspection report, they’ve declared the cash value as $5400. Can I use this report to demand more money?

Thanks!