In a deep shi.t, HELP!
08-19-2013, 12:24 PM
#1
In a deep shi.t, HELP!
Last Friday some as.shole smashed my front passenger side door at the parking lot. See the damage here, here and here.
As far as I remember I parked my car next to one small suv, I am pretty sure it was an old rav4. But when I came back later my car was standing there smashed alone, no other cars around.
As you can see the extent of the damage is too tall for rav 4. Notice it starts from the bottom of the car all the way until slightly above the mirror. So I am guessing it must have been a big SUV or van or some kind of box shaped vehicle.
The damage is pretty bad, but luckily its all in the passenger side front door, nothing around this door is damaged. Went to couple of local shops and both said the total cost would be near $3-3.5k. This includes a new door (1000), new mirror (400), lower cladding (270) paint (200) and labor (1200).
Talked with my insurance company and they're saying me to bring the vehicle in one of their shops, where they have some sort of contract or something. They're basically saying 'just bring the vehicle, we'll provide you a rental, and we'll take care of everything in our shop you just wait'. This is nice, but I still have to pay 500 deductible.
Well the situation is pretty fuc.ked up. 500 bucks flying in the air just because of some dousc.hebag... I am just trying to think that it could have been worse.
Anyways my question for you guys is: can I trust the shop recommended by the insurance company? just wanna make sure that they won't be doing anything stupid to save money for the company.
As far as I remember I parked my car next to one small suv, I am pretty sure it was an old rav4. But when I came back later my car was standing there smashed alone, no other cars around.
As you can see the extent of the damage is too tall for rav 4. Notice it starts from the bottom of the car all the way until slightly above the mirror. So I am guessing it must have been a big SUV or van or some kind of box shaped vehicle.
The damage is pretty bad, but luckily its all in the passenger side front door, nothing around this door is damaged. Went to couple of local shops and both said the total cost would be near $3-3.5k. This includes a new door (1000), new mirror (400), lower cladding (270) paint (200) and labor (1200).
Talked with my insurance company and they're saying me to bring the vehicle in one of their shops, where they have some sort of contract or something. They're basically saying 'just bring the vehicle, we'll provide you a rental, and we'll take care of everything in our shop you just wait'. This is nice, but I still have to pay 500 deductible.
Well the situation is pretty fuc.ked up. 500 bucks flying in the air just because of some dousc.hebag... I am just trying to think that it could have been worse.
Anyways my question for you guys is: can I trust the shop recommended by the insurance company? just wanna make sure that they won't be doing anything stupid to save money for the company.
08-19-2013, 01:59 PM
#3
mrgold35
I had USAA insurance for +25 years. Every time I had a claim, they would have one of their qualified claim inspector check out the damage, report back to USAA, and cut me a check minus my deductible. I had the option to repair at one of their recommended shops, find a shop on my own (I could save or pay the difference), or just keep the cash.
It sounds like your insurance company is just adding an extra layer of customer service and quality control. I'm pretty sure your insurance will not give you more $$$ if you take it someplace else that estimate a higher cost for the repair.
I would check to see if there were parking lot cameras or a witness that might of left information with security.
It sounds like your insurance company is just adding an extra layer of customer service and quality control. I'm pretty sure your insurance will not give you more $$$ if you take it someplace else that estimate a higher cost for the repair.
I would check to see if there were parking lot cameras or a witness that might of left information with security.
Last edited by mrgold35; 08-19-2013 at 02:02 PM.
08-19-2013, 02:13 PM
#4
my car was hit 5 times in a 2 year span 1 of them was a hit and run.. in oregon you have the right to choose the body shop regardless of the claim. and i make sure the work is done to my satisfaction
08-19-2013, 04:11 PM
#5
You always have the choice of going to your own shop. What is nice about recommended body shops that are part of the network is that the insurance company usually stands behind the work for the lifetime of the vehicle, even if you move to another state and you have issues. Also, if you have issues with the repairs using a network shop and you can't resolve, the insurance company can step-in on your behalf. The insurance company usually will not step-in if you chose a shop not in the network if you have issues.
08-19-2013, 04:22 PM
#6
I would blame my roommate.
08-20-2013, 01:27 AM
#7
Perhaps you will find my experience helpful. A couple of years ago my 2009 RDX was rear-ended, minor damage but to repair rear bumper shell, required removal of entire shell (surround), but not the hatch. Use plastic weld to fill in scratches, blend in damaged area w/ silver paint, then repaint entire bumper shell w/ clear-coat. Cannot tell where damaged after 2 years.
Now, before going to the other driver’s insurance company, I got three estimates, because my DW was persuaded by the young lady who hit her to take cash, and not report to her insurance company. Lucky my DW may be naive but not stupid. She did call the cops, and got an accident report filed.
So the three estimates were:
$350
$600
$1000
If it were my car, and I were paying, I would have chosen the $350 estimate. Car would have probably been fixed OK, and I am less anal about looks, only about mechanical condition of my cars. Small shop, fixing lots of older cars, low overhead.
If I were paying, and the DW had to drive, as was the case, I would have chosen the $600 estimate. Medium shop, fixing SUVs, Jaguars, Lexus, etc.
But since the other driver was to pay, I chose the $1000 estimate. Large shop, well known, fixing Mercedes, Bentleys, etc. I was surprised they agreed to fix my lowly RDX, but I guess a job-is-a-job.
However, the father of the lady who hit my RDX declined to pay such a high price of $1K and I guess I don’t blame him really – repair work is difficult (agreed) but ridiculously expensive (because of poor vehicle design in my engineer’s opinion). That is, cars are optimized for assembly, not repair. The manuf does not care what it costs to fix, only what it costs to build. But I digress …
============
Now, here is where an interesting thing happened. Since the other driver would not pay, DW called other driver’s insurance company – I forget which one.
Insurance adjuster came out, and looked at car, and gave an estimate of $800 to fix car. So I said, gee, I want this particular company to fix my car, and their estimate is higher. So sorry, he said, that is our estimate.
So I went back to the place with the $1K estimate, and was prepared to pay the $200 difference. But first I talked to the person there. He looked at the written estimate from the other driver’s insurance estimator, and said he would fix the car for $800 (instead of $1000).
I asked why, and he just really said – if you are paying its $1000 but if the insurance is paying its $800 – really, that is what he said. And that he would assure me that the quality would be the same at either price.
I have used the place with the $600 estimate before, on the car/ truck that I drive. The repair is still OK after almost 10 years, and I am sure that their repair to the RDX would have also been OK.
But, really, the repair that the guys did at the $1K estimate place was definitely better. The RDX may not be a Merc, but the shop treated it just like the other cars they were fixing, so if I ever need another car fixed, I will go there again.
And I want to make clear that I have been to other shops, and there really is a difference in the quality of the work done. When my 2001 Camaro was fixed at the local GM endorsed shop associated with the dealer where I had that car serviced, the repair was OK, but not to the standards of the shop that fixed the RDX.
So, while it may be true that the insurance company will be more likely to stand behind a repair done at the shop that they choose, I prefer to choose a shop that will stand behind their own work, regardless of which insurance company is paying them.
All of the repair shops that I have had do work, guarantee their work for the owner’s life of the vehicle, and as I said, I have had work done on more than one car that I kept for another 10 years, and the repair held up just fine.
JMO
Now, before going to the other driver’s insurance company, I got three estimates, because my DW was persuaded by the young lady who hit her to take cash, and not report to her insurance company. Lucky my DW may be naive but not stupid. She did call the cops, and got an accident report filed.
So the three estimates were:
$350
$600
$1000
If it were my car, and I were paying, I would have chosen the $350 estimate. Car would have probably been fixed OK, and I am less anal about looks, only about mechanical condition of my cars. Small shop, fixing lots of older cars, low overhead.
If I were paying, and the DW had to drive, as was the case, I would have chosen the $600 estimate. Medium shop, fixing SUVs, Jaguars, Lexus, etc.
But since the other driver was to pay, I chose the $1000 estimate. Large shop, well known, fixing Mercedes, Bentleys, etc. I was surprised they agreed to fix my lowly RDX, but I guess a job-is-a-job.
However, the father of the lady who hit my RDX declined to pay such a high price of $1K and I guess I don’t blame him really – repair work is difficult (agreed) but ridiculously expensive (because of poor vehicle design in my engineer’s opinion). That is, cars are optimized for assembly, not repair. The manuf does not care what it costs to fix, only what it costs to build. But I digress …
============
Now, here is where an interesting thing happened. Since the other driver would not pay, DW called other driver’s insurance company – I forget which one.
Insurance adjuster came out, and looked at car, and gave an estimate of $800 to fix car. So I said, gee, I want this particular company to fix my car, and their estimate is higher. So sorry, he said, that is our estimate.
So I went back to the place with the $1K estimate, and was prepared to pay the $200 difference. But first I talked to the person there. He looked at the written estimate from the other driver’s insurance estimator, and said he would fix the car for $800 (instead of $1000).
I asked why, and he just really said – if you are paying its $1000 but if the insurance is paying its $800 – really, that is what he said. And that he would assure me that the quality would be the same at either price.
I have used the place with the $600 estimate before, on the car/ truck that I drive. The repair is still OK after almost 10 years, and I am sure that their repair to the RDX would have also been OK.
But, really, the repair that the guys did at the $1K estimate place was definitely better. The RDX may not be a Merc, but the shop treated it just like the other cars they were fixing, so if I ever need another car fixed, I will go there again.
And I want to make clear that I have been to other shops, and there really is a difference in the quality of the work done. When my 2001 Camaro was fixed at the local GM endorsed shop associated with the dealer where I had that car serviced, the repair was OK, but not to the standards of the shop that fixed the RDX.
So, while it may be true that the insurance company will be more likely to stand behind a repair done at the shop that they choose, I prefer to choose a shop that will stand behind their own work, regardless of which insurance company is paying them.
All of the repair shops that I have had do work, guarantee their work for the owner’s life of the vehicle, and as I said, I have had work done on more than one car that I kept for another 10 years, and the repair held up just fine.
JMO
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08-20-2013, 01:43 AM
#8
HOW TO CHOOSE A REPAIR SHOP:
When I was getting my 3 estimates, I visited each shop. I talked with the shop manager, who allowed me to walk into the area where the cars were kept before, and during repairs. My Camaro was not treated well during repair, replacement of the passenger door, as on the OPs vehicle. My Camaro was allowed to sit opened-up, getting dusty and paint dust on my fabric seats, until I insisted that they use plastic sheeting to cover it up.
I walked through the repair areas of each shop I visited, checking the paint booths, paint bake oven, how other cars were being treated during repair, etc.
And finally, how clean was each of the various areas, what about the repair persons, and their clothing, etc.
The shop I chose looked like a clean shop for electronic repair. The shop with the $350 estimate looked like my own garage. Hope this helps.
When I was getting my 3 estimates, I visited each shop. I talked with the shop manager, who allowed me to walk into the area where the cars were kept before, and during repairs. My Camaro was not treated well during repair, replacement of the passenger door, as on the OPs vehicle. My Camaro was allowed to sit opened-up, getting dusty and paint dust on my fabric seats, until I insisted that they use plastic sheeting to cover it up.
I walked through the repair areas of each shop I visited, checking the paint booths, paint bake oven, how other cars were being treated during repair, etc.
And finally, how clean was each of the various areas, what about the repair persons, and their clothing, etc.
The shop I chose looked like a clean shop for electronic repair. The shop with the $350 estimate looked like my own garage. Hope this helps.
08-20-2013, 07:47 AM
#9
thanks a lot guys, this is helpful! especially dcmodels, thanks for sharing your experience in length. I live in Santa Cruz, small coastal town near the silicon valley. Here we have I think only 3-4 shops and I will make sure to inspect all of my options.
From the two I visited, though both gave me the same estimate, one did look like a small garage compared to the other one.
From the two I visited, though both gave me the same estimate, one did look like a small garage compared to the other one.
08-20-2013, 09:48 AM
#10
HOW TO CHOOSE A REPAIR SHOP:
When I was getting my 3 estimates, I visited each shop. I talked with the shop manager, who allowed me to walk into the area where the cars were kept before, and during repairs. My Camaro was not treated well during repair, replacement of the passenger door, as on the OPs vehicle. My Camaro was allowed to sit opened-up, getting dusty and paint dust on my fabric seats, until I insisted that they use plastic sheeting to cover it up.
I walked through the repair areas of each shop I visited, checking the paint booths, paint bake oven, how other cars were being treated during repair, etc.
And finally, how clean was each of the various areas, what about the repair persons, and their clothing, etc.
The shop I chose looked like a clean shop for electronic repair. The shop with the $350 estimate looked like my own garage. Hope this helps.
When I was getting my 3 estimates, I visited each shop. I talked with the shop manager, who allowed me to walk into the area where the cars were kept before, and during repairs. My Camaro was not treated well during repair, replacement of the passenger door, as on the OPs vehicle. My Camaro was allowed to sit opened-up, getting dusty and paint dust on my fabric seats, until I insisted that they use plastic sheeting to cover it up.
I walked through the repair areas of each shop I visited, checking the paint booths, paint bake oven, how other cars were being treated during repair, etc.
And finally, how clean was each of the various areas, what about the repair persons, and their clothing, etc.
The shop I chose looked like a clean shop for electronic repair. The shop with the $350 estimate looked like my own garage. Hope this helps.
The following users liked this post:
EcLm (09-05-2013)
08-22-2013, 10:14 PM
#11
Attorney- Will Sue 4 Food
I spent 10 years at high volume car wreck law firms and 6 of those running all the new files. Unlike injury claims that insurance companies fight ALOT, on the property damage side keep in mind you don't actually settle the property damage in regards to repairs (unlike where its a total loss and the FMV value is negotiated). So typically I see carriers wanting people to take their cars to Service King, which charges ALOT but usually does great work finding and fixing damage. This is because even dealerships farm out to independent repair shops 90% of the time. If the carrier recommends the shop and you go there and there are problems later on, the claim is still open and you can either go back for more repairs or file in small claims court for the estimated cost of the additional repairs if they won't (this is rarely needed). If you go to a repair shop off their list and you get screwed by them, then your carrier will not pay to cover a screw up or short change by the shop you have chosen. The shops on the carriers list want to do adequate qual of work to stay on the lists for a reason, and if you were to go to one of these shops on your own they typically charge prices higher than other shops for a reason, they are too busy with claims from carriers to cut costs and give an individual without insurance a good deal.
Last edited by oulaw29; 08-22-2013 at 10:17 PM.
09-09-2013, 10:27 PM
#12
Got the baby fixed in 10 days at one of the local shops, which was recommended by my insurance company. New door, new mirror, everything looks good.
The insurance company gave me a 2012 Dodge Voyager SUV as a rental. To be honest I was surprised, what a nice soft ride compared to RDX! This car was real comfortable driving both in the city and on the highway (much quieter).
But the interior is pretty shit.ty, bunch of cheap plastic. Regular v6 engine with not much power as well. But the thing I hated the most was the handling, really really bad.
Anyways, I really appreciate your responses on this thread!
Tuguldur
The insurance company gave me a 2012 Dodge Voyager SUV as a rental. To be honest I was surprised, what a nice soft ride compared to RDX! This car was real comfortable driving both in the city and on the highway (much quieter).
But the interior is pretty shit.ty, bunch of cheap plastic. Regular v6 engine with not much power as well. But the thing I hated the most was the handling, really really bad.
Anyways, I really appreciate your responses on this thread!
Tuguldur
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