gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

Wife got rear-ended four days ago. Insurance company wants to pay for "OEM equivalent" parts, and I want to say no. I would like to know what precedent and legal recourse I have in talking with them about this issue.

Before the hit-and-run, the car has Honda genuine OEM parts on it, and now the insurance company wants to put NON-OEM parts on it? That's BS. I'm not going to pay out-of-pocket for lesser parts, either.

When I was rear-ended two years ago, my complied and had a non-Honda rear bumper put on my car. I can very much see the difference.

1.) The paint isn't as smooth. The paint is a bit grainy due to the surface imperfections of the bumper.

2.) Surface irregularities. There are slight indentations in the bumper where I can tell because of light refractions, etc. It's shit.

3.) Roughness along edges of bumper where it meets the metal. This is the worst because it's rough and catches the edges of my microfiber towels when I wipe it down.

What can I say to the insurance company to tell them I want Honda parts, and I'm not going to pay extra for it. They are legally binded to return the car to the pre-accident condition, and the non-Honda parts will NOT do that. Anyone dealt with this issue before?

mrdeeno

You can say "No", but check your policy terms and conditions. It probably says something like they have the right to use OEM or equivalent parts. Whether equivalent is equivalent or not is a different story and you can bring this up with them, but it looks like the balls in their court if there's that clause in your policy.

RaviNJCLs

iTrader: (4)

Once the car is more than a couple years old I think the insurance company can use equivalent parts if they are cheaper. It should be in your policy. I don't think there is much you can do about it unless you get a body repair shop that can work with you and maybe pay the difference out of pocket. When I got rear-ended I was able to get the body shop to get most of the parts directly from Acura / Honda but not all.

westas2

^
Depends on your state also. Some states are tougher on ins companies and force OEM parts.

I agree - check the policy. You might be SOL on this one, but if you do some research, there are companies out there that have an endorsement you could buy to make sure you get OEM parts next time you have a claim.

fsttyms1

Check your policy. They ins co doesnt have the right (if its not in your policy) to tell you where or what parts to use. Go to the dealer and have the quote done with OEM parts and tell them that that is what they are repairing the car with. It came with them thats what you want them replaced with!

Also dont bring it to the shop that did the work on your last accident. Most of what you described as wrong sounds like a problem from the body/paint prep more so than the parts they used. They should have cleaned the edges and painted it better.

sr4dt

Seems like the body shop that did the paint job did not do a good prep. You can bring it up with the rep that a few dollar saved in AEM parts could be lost if the body shop has to spend more hours in prepping the part for "OEM Equivalent" finish.

chill_dog

I actually have a rider for OEM parts. In my state, even if the car is brand new, they will use OEM equivalent parts (well, my insurance company at least) unless you have an OEM part rider.

v6cord2k5

iTrader: (1)

What if you take it to a Honda dealer that has an in-house body shop?

The Lexus dealer near us has it's own body shop and they use Lexus OEM parts, that's what they pushed when we were there to get an estimate. I believe they might have offered to use the "OEM equivalent" type as well but my memory fails me.

gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

The body shop was able to negotiate and get great prices on NEW Honda genuine parts. They are going to call my insurance adjuster to see if they will cover the extra $110 for the new parts. Hopefully they will.

RaviNJCLs

iTrader: (4)

Good body shop.

mrdeeno

Hopefully it works out.

I was with Allstate and they screwed me out of a OEM window replacement when I had the CL-S.

I had a $250 deductible. Using OEM honda parts (quoted by the Honda dealer) was going to be around $300 installed. Using aftermarket parts with a non-OEM installer was going to be $260 or something. Since I had to pay $250 anyway, the cost to the ins. company would be either $50 or $10. They would NOT budge.

So I just paid it all myself and changed insurance company...this after being with them for 8 years with no claims, ever.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

My insurance was the same way, so I have a rider for OEM parts as well on all vehicles.

gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

Cheap bastards. I have not heard anything from the body shop, but I assume that the insurance adjuster said no.

MR1

What happened to getting 2-3 estimates and choosing which one you want?
Sounds like you may be with the wrong insurance company or have the wrong policy.
Good luck with the repairs.
My insurance company has a list of repair places. If you choose from the list repairs are guaranteed for as long as you own the car.

The Dougler

iTrader: (1)

If you really want to know what's getting put on your car, all OEM replacement Honda panels will have this marking on them



Your original bumper would have had the VIN instead. Other replacement parts will have this stamped as well, I.E an engine block so that it can be verified that the replacement parts are not stolen etc.

SodaLuvr

+1