Posts Tagged ‘Body Shop’
If you are involved in an auto accident the initial matter of concern would be to get speedy help for everyone who had been seriously injured. The next order of business is to get hold of your insurance agent.
So let’s say you make contact with your agent to inform him you’ve been involved in a car accident, and he appears extremely helpful. He even advocates a body repair shop you could take your car to, and may refer to it as being a “preferred” repair shop.
You may think “Well, that is definitely a good thing.” You don’t have to endure the trouble of selecting a repair shop, nor must you do any “groundwork” looking for body shops to find one that’s reputable and that you can rely on to do good work. After all, you simply want to get your vehicle fixed, right? But let’s imagine you currently know of a quality body shop that performs body repair and would wish to take your vehicle there.
So you tell your agent “I would rather take my car to a different body shop that I’m already familiar with”. But he reacts with something such as “We won’t guarantee the repair when you go there” or “You’ll need to spend extra if you go to the shop of your liking” or some other statement designed to discourage you from going to your shop and motivate (or possibly try to coerce) you to go to the insurance company’s “preferred” shop.
So what to make of all this? Why is he so eager to dissuade you from visiting the body shop of your liking?
To solve this particular question, you need to realize what the final aim of an insurance company is: and that is NOT to “share risk” or “furnish ideal service” … but to make money, and as high a profit as they can! And that can be achieved by lessening how much they have to spend in insurance claims.
So the “preferred” repair shop your representative is directing you to is certainly “preferred” … by the insurance carrier since it will save them money, but it may not work to your best interest. And why is that? Because the shop has signed a contract to pre-negotiate your auto repairs by giving the insurer discounts by using “aftermarket” auto parts. But sadly, some of these parts are substandard in quality and may even result in a dangerous repair job! This might even mean that your car will be unsafe to drive after the fixes are concluded.
But you’ll find additional, and more ominous factors why the fixes may possibly not be carried out in a very safe manner. There’s a method termed “Clipping”, which means cutting off an entire half of your car (either the front or rear half) and affixing the other (undamaged) half of a vehicle that has been wrecked.
This procedure actually involves cutting through the auto’s unibody or frame, and it affects its structural stability. Do you consider that this sounds dangerous? Well it is. But sadly, it isn’t illegal! It’s done on a regular basis.
Obviously the very best remedy is to avoid a car accident altogether, but if you are involved in an auto accident – BEWARE! If your insurance agent tries to steer you towards a suggested auto body repair shop, find out if the body shop makes use of OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts, or lesser quality “aftermarket” parts. And if you even suspect the shop will be using “clipping” … then RUN the other way!
Someone else hit my car while it was parked. It was very cut-and-dry. I got a police report, the officer talked to the driver. It states that my car was legally parked and the other driver is at fault. The damage is minor rear bumper damage, nothing too terrible. I filed with his insurance company, and after a lot of frustrating phone tag, an insurance adjuster came out and wrote me an estimate for $450. I had an adjustment for $734 from the local body shop for my make of car, and I showed it to him. I expressed my dissatisfaction with this estimate, and he said the body shop would settle with the insurance company directly for costs in excess of the estimate. $300 is a little much. Since it’s minor damage, I think the body shop will probably take the money and do a shoddy job on the car. It’s my understanding they are supposed to repair my car to pre-accident conditions. I got another estimate for $745 this weekend. I can’t get it fixed for $450. What are my options? (cont’d)
There is one issue–previous damage on the bumper that I was not responsible for. I’m not asking them to repair that damage, but the adjuster took lots of pictures of it and probably used it as leverage in his adjustment. The paint is flaking at the new spot of damage, there is a clear difference between the two.
Also, I signed nothing when he came out and I haven’t done anything with the check. The letter with the check states, "You will be responsible for any charges that exceed our estimate," so it looks like I’m going to have to pay $300 to get my car fixed and I’m not happy about it. The guy lied to me, probably thinking I’m stupid enough to just go cash the check.
Obviously, this is extremely minor as far as car insurance claims go. I talked to the driver and he said he would make sure my car got fixed.. etc etc. Talking to him might be a last resort. I have nothing in writing from him.
These are the worse type of claims to settle to everyone’s satisfaction, ever! I work in the industry and look at this type of damage numerous times a week. Everyone has old damage on their bumpers, that’s what bumpers are for for heavens sake.
So here it is, you are entitled to be put back to the position you were in prior to this accident happening. If you had old damage on your bumper that is not this person’s responsibility and all you will get is a paint allowance. You didn’t mention how old your car is, that factors into things as well. Paint depreciates just like your car does, it oxidizes and loses luster. Would you be happier with the insurance company repairing that one spot on the bumper and you ending up with mismatched paint? I don’t think so.
Finally, if you are getting quotes in excess of $700 for minor bumper damage only then you are getting hosed unless you are driving a luxury vehicle. You could get a used bumper, have it painted and replaced on your vehicle for less than these quotes. Don’t tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about because I do. The offer is fair, take it and get your bumper repaired.
I have a gas hog and I am trying to lower my bills since
the economy slump and I am trying to find if my car insurance
is high and if I should switch and to who I pay every six months
681.00.Thanks in advance.
Hi! I used to run a Body shop in Northern California (Alameda & Contra Costa County) and I always found the same insurance companies easy to work with from a reapair point of view, were State Farm, Progressive, Liberty Mutual, Geico and Farmers. Insurance holds true to the "You get what you pay for" I always found the hardest Insurance company to deal with was Allstate (never wanting to replace your car parts with new ones, only used and aftermarket – that never fit). Hope this helps!