Advice for two not at-fault accidents

[bttango]

Hi everyone,

I was delivered a brand new Tesla Model 3 Long Range in December of 2021. In February, I had someone illegally turn right in front of me, resulting in a heavily damaged front bumper. The other party's insurance, in this case, was Esurance and they immediately determined I was not at fault. I was scheduled for repairs at a Tesla-approved body shop, but the waitlist was about three months. During this time, my car was still driveable - but, I was rear-ended at a stop light by a vehicle going at a very high speed causing me to also hit the car in front of me. Luckily, I was able to get this repaired with the same bodyshop since my scheduled date was only about three weeks out from this incident. This incident caused extremely heavy damage to my car. We're talking totally replacing the backend, new front bumper, new hood, new sensors cameras, etc. Same situation, other party at fault. This time with Geico, but they said due to me having a Tesla I had to file a claim with my own insurance company (Progressive at the time, now with Tesla Insurance), which I did.

My Tesla is now in the body shop and has been for over a month, and the parts are still being ordered. It will likely take around four months. I have been paying out of pocket for a rental car and submitting receipts to Geico, but this is becoming insanely expensive. The total cost of both repairs is well over 25k and I am located in Colorado. Both of these incidents are my first dealings with accidents and insurance.

My questions are:

Has anyone been able to get the other insurance to pay for a rental car upfront?

Do I have a case for diminished value?

Any advice in general?

 

[RSpanner]

I have no idea..but a very good question. Hopefully someone in the Insurance game will reply..(ps..sorry to hear about your bad luck )

 

[Shelburne]

Hi everyone,

I was delivered a brand new Tesla Model 3 Long Range in December of 2021. In February, I had someone illegally turn right in front of me, resulting in a heavily damaged front bumper. The other party's insurance, in this case, was Esurance and they immediately determined I was not at fault. I was scheduled for repairs at a Tesla-approved body shop, but the waitlist was about three months. During this time, my car was still driveable - but, I was rear-ended at a stop light by a vehicle going at a very high speed causing me to also hit the car in front of me. Luckily, I was able to get this repaired with the same bodyshop since my scheduled date was only about three weeks out from this incident. This incident caused extremely heavy damage to my car. We're talking totally replacing the backend, new front bumper, new hood, new sensors cameras, etc. Same situation, other party at fault. This time with Geico, but they said due to me having a Tesla I had to file a claim with my own insurance company (Progressive at the time, now with Tesla Insurance), which I did.

My Tesla is now in the body shop and has been for over a month, and the parts are still being ordered. It will likely take around four months. I have been paying out of pocket for a rental car and submitting receipts to Geico, but this is becoming insanely expensive. The total cost of both repairs is well over 25k and I am located in Colorado. Both of these incidents are my first dealings with accidents and insurance.

My questions are:

Has anyone been able to get the other insurance to pay for a rental car upfront?

Do I have a case for diminished value?

Any advice in general?

I'm insured with Commerce Insurance. I had an accident last October and was without my Model 3 for about 8 weeks. It was the other guy's fault. Total repair costs came to $9206. I had to pay nothing. I pay an additional premium of less than $20 a year that covers car rental for up to 6 months. Without that premium, Commerce pays for only two weeks of car rental. You should look into that. I also hear nothing but bad stories about Liberty, Geico and The General: high premiums and poor service. Personally, I think they put too much money into their god-awful commercials. BTW, I pay a total just under $1100 a year for full collision on my M3 and basic comprehensive and liability insurance on my 15 year old Volvo. Over the years, I have had three other, less severe accidents with cars insured by Commerce. I never once had a bad experience with them...and no commercials to endure either

 

[bttango]

I'm insured with Commerce Insurance. I had an accident last October and was without my Model 3 for about 8 weeks. It was the other guy's fault. Total repair costs came to $9206. I had to pay nothing. I pay an additional premium of less than $20 a year that covers car rental for up to 6 months. Without that premium, Commerce pays for only two weeks of car rental. You should look into that. I also hear nothing but bad stories about Liberty, Geico and The General: high premiums and poor service. Personally, I think they put too much money into their god-awful commercials. BTW, I pay a total just under $1100 a year for full collision on my M3 and basic comprehensive and liability insurance on my 15 year old Volvo. Over the years, I have had three other, less severe accidents with cars insured by Commerce. I never once had a bad experience with them...and no commercials to endure either

Yeah, the issue is Progressive (my own insurance company) only covers a rental for 30 days, even with rental coverage. My issue now is trying to get the other insurance companies to put me into a car without having to pay these insane rental car fees out of pocket and ask for reimbursement, which I likely won't see for months. I'm in Denver and it's about $2000 a month for a rental and repairs will take another three months at least.

 

[mswlogo]

Have your insurance fight for diminished value. You should let your insurance do the talking with the at fault insurance company.

No idea on rental up front.

 

[afadeev]

In February, I had someone illegally turn right in front of me, resulting in a heavily damaged front bumper. The other party's insurance, in this case, was Esurance and they immediately determined I was not at fault. I was scheduled for repairs at a Tesla-approved body shop, but the waitlist was about three months. During this time, my car was still driveable - but, I was rear-ended at a stop light by a vehicle going at a very high speed causing me to also hit the car in front of me. Luckily, I was able to get this repaired with the same bodyshop since my scheduled date was only about three weeks out from this incident. This incident caused extremely heavy damage to my car. We're talking totally replacing the backend, new front bumper, new hood, new sensors cameras, etc. Same situation, other party at fault.

Fist of all, sorry to hear you got hit twice within three months.

This time with Geico, but they said due to me having a Tesla I had to file a claim with my own insurance company (Progressive at the time, now with Tesla Insurance), which I did.

That's a lie, but unfortunately, Geico is infamous for DDD (deny, delay, distract) tactics.
By filing with your own insurance company, you are drawing on your own comprehensive coverage (minus the deductible) with the hope that your insurance (Progressive) will eventually subrogate from Geico down the road. That process will only start after your repairs are complete, and will drag out for 3-12 months afterwards (see DDD tactic).
In the interim, you are subject to your current insurance's limitations and stipulations.

My questions are:
Has anyone been able to get the other insurance to pay for a rental car upfront?

Yes, absolutely. And there is, usually, no max daily count limit for those payments.
To do that, you need to file with the other insurance company (Geico), and get them to admit the fault.

This will be an uphill battle for you now, since you had already fallen for Geico's DDD tactic.
But try it anyway!

Do I have a case for diminished value?

That depends entirely on your state.

Any advice in general?

If Geico continues to drag its feet, it may be time to hire an attorney to expedite the process on your behalf.
Geico is infamous for aggressive DDD application. And Progressive (another discount insurer) is not much better. Unless you are comfortable and experienced in handling the negotiations, it may be worth your while to pay someone to do it for you.

Otherwise, the likely outcome is that you will run out of rental car day limit long before the repair is complete, and will be paying for the rental out of pocket.

HTH,
a

 

[bttango]

Hi everyone,

I was delivered a brand new Tesla Model 3 Long Range in December of 2021. In February, I had someone illegally turn right in front of me, resulting in a heavily damaged front bumper. The other party's insurance, in this case, was Esurance and they immediately determined I was not at fault. I was scheduled for repairs at a Tesla-approved body shop, but the waitlist was about three months. During this time, my car was still driveable - but, I was rear-ended at a stop light by a vehicle going at a very high speed causing me to also hit the car in front of me. Luckily, I was able to get this repaired with the same bodyshop since my scheduled date was only about three weeks out from this incident. This incident caused extremely heavy damage to my car. We're talking totally replacing the backend, new front bumper, new hood, new sensors cameras, etc. Same situation, other party at fault. This time with Geico, but they said due to me having a Tesla I had to file a claim with my own insurance company (Progressive at the time, now with Tesla Insurance), which I did.

My Tesla is now in the body shop and has been for over a month, and the parts are still being ordered. It will likely take around four months. I have been paying out of pocket for a rental car and submitting receipts to Geico, but this is becoming insanely expensive. The total cost of both repairs is well over 25k and I am located in Colorado. Both of these incidents are my first dealings with accidents and insurance.

My questions are:

Has anyone been able to get the other insurance to pay for a rental car upfront?

Do I have a case for diminished value?

Any advice in general?

Currently using Petty Details for diminished value on the first claim. They said second claim would be hard to get DV due to having a prior accident. Tried with my insurance at the time to help with DV (Progressive), and they were helpless. Petty Details says I should see $5k in diminished value for the first incident. Paid them $500 to take care of everything. Will report back!

 

[Mod3l@6202ft]

Currently using Petty Details for diminished value on the first claim. They said second claim would be hard to get DV due to having a prior accident. Tried with my insurance at the time to help with DV (Progressive), and they were helpless. Petty Details says I should see $5k in diminished value for the first incident. Paid them $500 to take care of everything. Will report back!

Any luck with Petty Details? After almost 10 weeks my M3 is almost done being repaired, was hit in a parking lot, and I am trying to decide which one of hundreds of companies I should reach out to for DV.

 

[GoldCountryCA]

If I were the OP and didn’t have several vehicles, I’d buy a cheap commuter and just sell it when the repair is complete.

 

[Tgal2020]

Hi everyone,

I was delivered a brand new Tesla Model 3 Long Range in December of 2021. In February, I had someone illegally turn right in front of me, resulting in a heavily damaged front bumper. The other party's insurance, in this case, was Esurance and they immediately determined I was not at fault. I was scheduled for repairs at a Tesla-approved body shop, but the waitlist was about three months. During this time, my car was still driveable - but, I was rear-ended at a stop light by a vehicle going at a very high speed causing me to also hit the car in front of me. Luckily, I was able to get this repaired with the same bodyshop since my scheduled date was only about three weeks out from this incident. This incident caused extremely heavy damage to my car. We're talking totally replacing the backend, new front bumper, new hood, new sensors cameras, etc. Same situation, other party at fault. This time with Geico, but they said due to me having a Tesla I had to file a claim with my own insurance company (Progressive at the time, now with Tesla Insurance), which I did.

My Tesla is now in the body shop and has been for over a month, and the parts are still being ordered. It will likely take around four months. I have been paying out of pocket for a rental car and submitting receipts to Geico, but this is becoming insanely expensive. The total cost of both repairs is well over 25k and I am located in Colorado. Both of these incidents are my first dealings with accidents and insurance.

My questions are:

Has anyone been able to get the other insurance to pay for a rental car upfront?

Do I have a case for diminished value?

Any advice in general?

Just want to comment on the point about Geico. I had a claim against Geico when I was rear ended by their insured. Geico denied my claim 3 times and gave me the run around. Then I filed a complaint on Geico with the CA State insurance commission on a Friday afternoon. That Sunday at 8 am I got a call from a supervisor at Geico responding to the complaint and they were then more than happy to roll out the red carpet to take responsibility for my claim. Apparently complaints to the insurance commission lights a fire under their ass.

 

[father_of_6]

Yeah, the issue is Progressive (my own insurance company) only covers a rental for 30 days, even with rental coverage. My issue now is trying to get the other insurance companies to put me into a car without having to pay these insane rental car fees out of pocket and ask for reimbursement, which I likely won't see for months. I'm in Denver and it's about $2000 a month for a rental and repairs will take another three months at least.

I would buy a used junker before I'd pay $8k for 4 months of a rental car.