So you THOUGHT your insurance Co would take care of you..

[BUTCH1]

Last Tuesday I was on my way to work when some maniac traveling around 70 on a 2-lane road (US#1) hit me from behind and kept going. He was moving so fast I did not attempt to catch him as it's a busy road at 6:45 AM and I didn't want to risk hurting someone else chasing down this asshole. So I called Progressive and they told me that someone would come to the house the next day 9-12, no one showed or called so I went to work. Today an adjuster came to my job and did the estimate, the tail light is shattered, the bumper has a huge chunk missing, the wheel is missing a "7 piece of metal right where it meets the tire and the quarter-panel is badly accordion'd and pushed in for 10" or so. First he started taking pictures I thought he would then he was taking pics of the interior and the mileage, WTF I thought, he told me it's "standard policy". I went back inside as he told me he would be there awhile finishing it so I told him to just leave it on the front seat. When I got out around 6 I opened it and was shocked to see he was busy looking up parts from local junkyards as replacements!. The used bumper he had listed was the wrong color and the wrong model, (Chevy kept the "classic" Malibu as a rental car, mine is the newer version). Then the topper, a note saying "I can't issue a payment at this time, your rep will be in touch"...huh?, I had asked for ME to be paid so I could take it to a shop I was comfortable doing the work, he kept trying to steer me to Daytona Toyota when Jon Hall Chevy is right next door and they do great body work and are the largest Chevy dealer in the Southeast. Then I saw this video and I now know why, I had no idea this kind of crap was going on in the industry, color me shocked!. I will be working the phone on Monday and I will not be playing nice either..

 

[Ns1]

had great experiences with AAA and Liberty Mutual, no bullshit and I took it to whatever repair shop I wanted.

 

[RockinZ28]

Insurance isn't there to take care of you or help you in any way.

They are there to make money. Be damn sure they will do anything possible to give you the least amount back, or nothing at all if they can.

 

[waffleironhead]

They always take a pic of odometer. Not sure why you are surprised.

 

[Howard]

too difficult to read in one paragraph, but good luck anyway

 

[Ns1]

Wall of text crit me for full health, sorry OP

:biggrin:

 

[BUTCH1]

Insurance isn't there to take care of you or help you in any way.

They are there to make money. Be damn sure they will do anything possible to give you the least amount back, or nothing at all if they can.

I didn't understand the need for interior shots, nothing in the interior is damaged, it should make zero difference if it's an '05 model, it has been meticulously maintained. In addition to oil changes (always with 25% life showing on the OLM) I replace coolant and brake fluid every 3 years. I've also drained and refilled the tranny twice with a filter change, car has 97K the manual suggests 100K service intervals but since I live in FL and heat is always an issue I would never wait that long.

 

[BUTCH1]

too difficult to read in one paragraph, but good luck anyway

Yea, it's a bit much, but for anyone (and that's all of us, right?) buying car insurance you might want to check out your companies track record.

 

[brianmanahan]

Wall of text crit me for full health, sorry OP

:biggrin:

you didn't happen to play asheron's call, did you? lol

 

[Charmonium]

I had a similar problem with Allstate years ago. They insisted that I use one of their shops. The idiots there tried to braze in a part on a unibody frame. They failed twice and this was after the car had been in the shop for months. Finally I had to threaten to sue them unless I took the car to my own shop. The part had to MIG welded not brazed. So essentially they paid 3 times for the same job. That's why I'd never go with a major insurer that advertises constantly. The only way to pay for that sort of exposure is to fuck you over if you ever actually need them for anything.

 

[DaTT]

I have State Farm. Many claims, no issues or rate increases.

 

[Nograts]

Wow dude kept on going huh? Police catch him? Seems like that'd be hard to miss, someone with a smashed car speeding.

 

[BUTCH1]

Wow dude kept on going huh? Police catch him? Seems like that'd be hard to miss, someone with a smashed car speeding.

It was still dark, he/she was traveling at an extreme speed, car might have been stolen or he/she high as a kite on something, IDK. I do know it was a Hyundai as his passenger-side mirror was torn clean off and on the roadway. Police did notify the town where he was heading but I bet he/she probably parked in a crowded lot somewhere to avoid getting pulled over. Kind of easy to spot a car missing it's mirror and with front-end damage.

 

[BUTCH1]

I have State Farm. Many claims, no issues or rate increases.

Watch the video, they were part of the story. Thing is if your going to sell that car the person buying it will know it was involved in an accident and will wonder what kind of parts where used to repair it, thus lowering it's value.

 

[DaTT]

Watch the video, they were part of the story. Thing is if your going to sell that car the person buying it will know it was involved in an accident and will wonder what kind of parts where used to repair it, thus lowering it's value.

Never been involved in an "accident". Plus, when there were things replaced on the car, I demanded factory parts (ie glass had to be replaced, I would not accept aftermarket, it had to be Carlite)

If I make a claim, I am very "hands-on" with the repair shop. I do use a State Farm preferred shop, but I will also make sure factory parts are installed.

 

[Paladin]

had great experiences with AAA and Liberty Mutual, no bullshit and I took it to whatever repair shop I wanted.

This! AAA has taken care of me big time every time I've been in an accident. Was just rear ended Monday, called it in, and took it to the AAA approved shop close to my house. The shop deals with the pictures and estimates and tells AAA how much. They also setup the rental car. No hassles, no deductible. Got my car back Tuesday eve, didn't even need the rental. I HIGHLY recommend AAA.

 

[brianmanahan]

i had a pretty good experience with geico, using one of their approved repair shops

 

[crashtech]

Find a good insurance company instead of a cheap insurance company. There is a reason Progressive, Allstate, Geico, and many others need slick ad campaigns. It's because they lose lots of customers due to their dubious practices.

Ask some collision shops in your area who is fair with claims. You might be surprised at the answers.

BTW, it's standard practice to put junkyard parts or knockoff Taiwanese parts on vehicles that are over one year old. It's just part of the insurance companies cost-containment strategy. It's written into most policies.

It's become so commonplace that many shops (who become beholden to insurance companies that supply their work flow) will repair your vehicle with substandard parts without any clear, understandable disclosure. The estimate will contain terms like "LKQ" denoting "Like Kind and Quality," which means a junkyard part of unknown provenance. The list goes on.

 

[BoomerD]

I've been in a few accidents over my 45 years of driving. ALL were someone else's fault...

Check your state insurance laws. Your insurance company might get you to use cheap aftermarket parts...but in MOST states, they can't require it. Used parts is different on an older vehicle. As long as it's the RIGHT part and in good condition...it doesn't really matter too much if it's used. (and you might not be able to force them to source a new factory part)
I got rear-ended about 3 years ago while driving our Jetta. Good experience with the insurance company...decent body shop work. They sourced a used trunk lid. the ONLY way you could tell it from the original is that it didn't have the small dent in it that I put in it myself a couple of years before when I dropped something on it. oh...and the paint didn't QUITE match...but it was damned close. (kind of hard to perfectly match new paint to paint that has 10 years of California sun oxidation)

 

[crashtech]

@BoomerD, I could deconstruct your post, but suffice it to say that the most important aspect of a claim is whether or not you are the claimant or the insured. The saddest part of the whole process is that you are better off claiming against someone else's insurance rather than using your own, for when you use your own you have signed a lot away by entering into a contract. Being a claimant, the job of the other driver's insurance company is to protect their insured from your righteous wrath, hence a more complete settlement can be demanded.

 

[sportage]

I dropped progressive long ago.
They spend all their profits on cute TV ad's and a lot of fluff nonsense.
Progressive will hook you in cheap, then your rates go up up up every renew for no reason at all.
Esurance is """A LOT""" cheaper if you never have accidents or claims and need full coverage.
I have no idea how Esurance would measure up if you should ever need them, but they are 50% lower than Progressive. And rate increases are usually only $5 every 6 month renew.
Progressive raised $25 - $45 every 6 months and that was with NO claims or NO tickets or NO accidents.
Geico is a total ripoff as well. Avoid them!

To sum up, if you are a great driver with never a claim or ticket, then go with Esurance.
On the other hand, if you tend to be unlucky with accidents and tickets, pay the price and go with something like State Farm. Costs more, but they come thru when you need them.

 

[BUTCH1]

Never been involved in an "accident". Plus, when there were things replaced on the car, I demanded factory parts (ie glass had to be replaced, I would not accept aftermarket, it had to be Carlite)

If I make a claim, I am very "hands-on" with the repair shop. I do use a State Farm preferred shop, but I will also make sure factory parts are installed.

Then you paid the premium for "factory parts", there is no way they are going to install parts that cost 50-100% more without YOU ponying up the extra cost. If I recall glass is one of the items they have to install OEM since it's so important to safety.

 

[BUTCH1]

I dropped progressive long ago.
They spend all their profits on cute TV ad's and a lot of fluff nonsense.
Progressive will hook you in cheap, then your rates go up up up every renew for no reason at all.
Esurance is """A LOT""" cheaper if you never have accidents or claims and need full coverage.
I have no idea how Esurance would measure up if you should ever need them, but they are 50% lower than Progressive. And rate increases are usually only $5 every 6 month renew.
Progressive raised $25 - $45 every 6 months and that was with NO claims or NO tickets or NO accidents.
Geico is a total ripoff as well. Avoid them!

To sum up, if you are a great driver with never a claim or ticket, then go with Esurance.
On the other hand, if you tend to be unlucky with accidents and tickets, pay the price and go with something like State Farm. Costs more, but they come thru when you need them.

Watch the video I linked to, state farm is one of the insurers that want you to use their "preferred" shop, the reason it's "preferred" is they get it done cheap.

 

[crashtech]

Never been involved in an "accident". Plus, when there were things replaced on the car, I demanded factory parts (ie glass had to be replaced, I would not accept aftermarket, it had to be Carlite)

If I make a claim, I am very "hands-on" with the repair shop. I do use a State Farm preferred shop, but I will also make sure factory parts are installed.

State Farm lost a landmark lawsuit involving the use of knockoff parts, so while I find some of their practices less than savory, their position on parts is now more accommodating to a correct repair than some others.

 

[MongGrel]

Take it straight to the place you bought it from or the dealer your car was made by.

Tell them it needs fixed right, don't cheap out with your insurance company trying to tell you otherwise.

Best results I've ever had.

Insurance companies a lot of the time will try to screw you over getting it fixed badly on the cheap.