So long story short, got into accident not my fault...Contacted other parties insurance and they admit fault and will pay for damages....That was two weeks ago and the initial adjustment has already been initiated and car has already been worked on.

Fast forward to today, additional damages were found and another adjuster comes out for any supplemental inspection. The bodyshop told them there is additional damage and also the car has to be sent to alignment shop to see if there are any suspension damages which the current body shop does not handle.

At this point, the adjuster says "since you don't know the full cost of the damages, we'll drop the claim and you can go through your own insurance"...WTF? They have already gave the go ahead for the initial damages so the bodyshop already started working on it and now they say this? Basically he explained that since they don't know the total amount of the damages they can't write a check.

So my question now is if I turn to my own insurance, what will happen? Will they help me fight them? Will my premium go up because of this? I am trying to NOT involve my own insurance if possible.

Thanks!

 

they are obligated to pay as a claimant the full extent of repairs or replacement buy out. if they want to give you grief, you can use your own insurance and they will go after the responsible parties insurance. different insurance companies provide different levels of quality in their repairs in regards to oem/aftermarket part use, blending panels, and overall control of quality. what are the two insurance companies(theirs and yours)? i work for an auto body repair shop and work with all insurance companies for collision repairs in northern cali

 

Thanks for the reply. So my main question is if I go through my own insurance will they bump my premium up because of this? What about the deductible, whose gonna pay that?

They have 21st century (farmers) and I have allstate...

 

Since it wasnt your fault you have no premium to pay. Your insurance will definitely not pay for it and will fight the other company. However, your premium may go up since you were in an accident, period.

 

Thanks, that is why I am hesitant to call my insurance...Well this just sucks...Not only has my 4000 mile car gets damaged, the back and forth phone calls with bodyshop and their insurance is costing me loads of time and stress...

Just venting here but to add on top of all this they cracked my volks le28's and since they don't make this wheel anymore, they are only paying to fix it and it will not look the same after....thats complete bs....I know that's how they work....just venting...

 

they may or may not effect your rates, they may or may not waive the deductible. that would be a question best left for your agent. it wont cost or effect you in any way to at least ask. both Farmers and Allstate can be, well, difficult to deal with.

 

if they fix, and it isnt right(color/repair), then they should provide financial compensation with a check for the purchase price(providing receipt) plus tax plus mount and balance of the single tire. i had a Gram Light get damaged in an accident, it too was discontinued... they gave me a check for nearly $700 to cover the rim, and mount and balance.

 

Get your insurance agent involved. This is what you pay them for.

Also a repaired wheel is not acceptable. Show them what the wheel costs new and that is how much you will need. It wasnt a damaged and then repaired wheel when their customer hit you... I would want brand new only, or the $ it would have cost for the wheel if it were available.

Good luck!

 

Yeah in regards to the wheel, I have to repair it because they need prove that I purchased it for them to pay me that cost. That is what the bodyshop said that they need to provide the insurance company prove of receipt. And we already tried sourcing this wheel and can't be found and even used wheels no one wants to sell just one.

 

u need to get your agent involved thats what they are there for. i had this happen once and they used a ton of "aftermarket" parts that didnt fit right and so on. i got my insurance involved and they paid for the repairs and went after the others insurance company and i didnt have to pay a cent. its THERE drivers fault. not yours. dont take any **** from them.

 

dont be hesitant to call your insurance-- they likely already know or will find out. You need them to go after these guys and make this rt.

 

Ok thanks guys for the feedback...I will call my insurance to handle this.

 

If you call your insurance company just let them know you are trying to subrogate for a loss you had and the other parties insurance company is refusing to pay due to the fact that they don't know the total amount. (Which I find to be bogus) Then your company will assign you one of their adjusters which will get involved and try and get you taken care of.

You insurance agent can't do anything unless he's a licensed adjuster. All their responsible for is selling you the policy, making changes and helping you pick the best coverage for you. They will always refer you to the claims team of your insurance carrier.

This is where true colors will show in any insurance company, this is when people realize that going with the cheapest carrier is not always the best option. I work for a large insurance company and I can tell you that our rates aren't the cheapest but in times like these our company will do our best to make things right. Most large insurance companies will.

Now in terms of it affecting your premium, in reality if you didn't get a ticket/violation and your company doesn't pay out it shouldn't affect your premium and you wouldn't be subject to a deductible. The only time you have to pay your deductible is in times where your company has to pay out.

One thing you can look into is depreciation due to the damages that your vehicle sustained specially since it seems its not that old. Depending on state guidelines and company rules they can cut you a check for how much the vehicle depreciated due to the accident.

If you notice there's something not right even after the repairs are done. Make sure to contact the adjuster and make them aware.

A big thing I always tell people. ASK AS MANY QUESTIONS YOU CAN TO YOUR ADJUSTER! It's their job to put you back as if the accident didn't occur, that's what insurance is for.

Good Luck

 

Thanks for the detailed information. So I contacted my insurance company and they said they will pay for everything and need me to pay the deductible first and they will bill the other insurance company for the damages and from that they will return my deductible...

May I ask where would I find information about the depreciation value that I may be able to receive? I live in SoCal...

Thanks...

 

I'm only a licensed insurance agent, not a licensed adjuster so I don't know the specific process it takes. I know some companies call it Diminished-Value Claim. Google that and see what comes up.