Defacing a tercel, any help for compensation advise??

[kingtercel]

Can you file financial compensation claims not only for materials used in repair of damage, but also
quote your personal labour/time costs? if there are no real professional licences etc

I ask this because a battery split in my 87 terk end of last year and paint damage spreadfrom top to bottom
left to right, skid plates, grill etc.
The battery was found to be faulty (blocked breather valves), so I was 'luckily' awarded a new replacment
*brand battery, and filed for a general compensation claim of 200 dollars.
This was to cover painting costs, petrol, and possibly a little for effort as I was going to do all the work myself
(I don't let unappreciative hands touch my al-25 beauty/ugly).
But the company want reciepts on costs of materials, which included tthe primer, acrylic, wetndry, lacquer, thinners
and buff/polish.
where du i charge for elbow grease??
The only problem I have is that I wasted a weekend(spent some quality time) moving pieces of paper back and forward over
the panels (sanding), sealing off a paint booth(shed) and respraying 4 panels (bonnet, 2 wings and top grill)-
at a minimum cost to the guilty partys.
I dont mind doing the work, in fact its as close to meditation as i will come; working on the tercel and breathing thinners
into a higher state of enlitenment- but its the fact that due to official policies I will expend more of my own resources
( extra materials I already have) than if i took it into a paint shop and charge the batterymen close to a thousand dollars
for respray/cleaning.

I am filing out the damage report now and i have 180 dollars of new materials to charge , should/ could i write up my own "official" invoice ??........

Weekend of labour - couldve been surfing ,
minus the satisfaction of working on the tercel
minus the extra shinny finish of original 'tercel blue'
equals $ 150

any input or personal experiance may help

[MootsMan]

I would definitely give them an invoice, and I'd do it for close to what it would have cost to have a body shop doing it. Why ?? Because your time is just as valuable to you as the body shop's is to them, and it's the fault of the battery company that you were inconvenienced and your car was damaged, not your fault. . If they balk, then I'd threaten to get the insurance company or a lawyer involved. Nothing should come out of your pocket to repair the damages....so if you used your time and effort to complete the repair, you should be compensated for that time and effort. If it was me, that is what I would do.

IMHO !

Good luck !!