Collision Repair Options

[Ostrichsak]

Are you able to share - what was the timeline of repairs, and did your company offer a rental during that time? My company (Farmers) explicitly said they would not subrogate rental costs, and any rental would have to be part of the rental coverage I have on my policy. If other companies operate similarly, this might a case where rates increased - the subrogation didn't count as the claim that switched the actuarial tables used for underwriting, but rental reimbursement did.

In my case the car was 100% driveable and the damage was superficial, cosmetic and barely noticeable. No rental required but I do recall them saying that it would adhere to whatever rental coverage I paid for with my policy if I went that route. That being said, it was probably pretty minimal as I tend to self-insure as much as possible and don't do extended warranty or put much value in "peace of mind" as the next person. I'd rather hold onto my own money and pay out-of-pocket should the need ever arise. I've done this long enough across all items that I own that I've saved a boat load of money over the decades and having to cover something out-of-pocket wouldn't be a big deal now. Not to mention it gives you new perspective on how how much most people waste on insurance & warranties they probably don't need.

tl;dr No rental. lol

 

[whitex]

If you do this and your insurance files a claim and goes after geico for reimbursement your rates can go up. Be cautious

Unless your insurance files it as no-fault or your-fault, they are not going up. We had a 1 year old Model S totaled, our insurance (State Farm) handled it and it didn't affect our rates, even though it turned out the other driver was uninsured so it actually ended up being an uninsured motorist claim. The only difference was that we had to pay the deductible up-font, but it was later refunded (actually the deductible was just subtracted from the check they gave us from the totaled car, and then couple of weeks later got another check for the deductible amount once they confirmed it is an uninsured motorist claim, if it wasn't, my deductible would come from the other party's insurance).

 

[whitex]

In my case the car was 100% driveable and the damage was superficial, cosmetic and barely noticeable. No rental required but I do recall them saying that it would adhere to whatever rental coverage I paid for with my policy if I went that route. That being said, it was probably pretty minimal as I tend to self-insure as much as possible and don't do extended warranty or put much value in "peace of mind" as the next person. I'd rather hold onto my own money and pay out-of-pocket should the need ever arise. I've done this long enough across all items that I own that I've saved a boat load of money over the decades and having to cover something out-of-pocket wouldn't be a big deal now. Not to mention it gives you new perspective on how how much most people waste on insurance & warranties they probably don't need.

tl;dr No rental. lol

"Peace of mind" is very expensive as you start insuring yourself against everything. After all, insurance companies are like casinos, house never loses. It boggles my mind how people are willing to pay as much as $300 a year to reduce their car insurance deductibles from $1,000 to $500 (actually a lot of people don't even ask how much they would save if they went with $1,000 deductible instead of $500, peace of mind is "priceless").

 

[imsachin]

I had an accident in September and the police report clearly said the other driver was at fault. Their company, Liberty Mutual, however, denied the claim saying it was he said-i said situation and they would not be accepting fault. It was my worst experience ever with claims process with the claim rep not returning calls, not asking for any information and just going by what their guy said.

I then called my insurance company, Geico, and they handle the claim quickly. After I sent the police report, they told me I would not be considered "at fault" for this accident and they would subrogate for the entire cost, including my deductible and rental bill. When I shopped around for insurance in late November, the claim was on my record as not at fault and my rates were comparable. My Geico insurance renews later this month and the premium did not increase.

Actually, I just got a letter in the mail saying LiMu denied subrogation and they have to now go to arbitration. Whether the rates or at fault designation changes after this mess, who knows. Will know at next renewal, I guess.

I haven't filed a diminished value claim yet, but I don't expect it to go anywhere considering LiMu is not accepting their driver is at fault even though the police report clearly says so.

 

[mattack4000]

Guys, look up your states department of insurance and small claims court. You can really make those hardball insurance guys poop the pants. I had usaa trying to deny my doctors bill for $3000. As soon as I pay my $50 for the small claims case, I got a check and some extra within days.

 

[OrbiterTI4]

Guys, look up your states department of insurance and small claims court. You can really make those hardball insurance guys poop the pants. I had usaa trying to deny my doctors bill for $3000. As soon as I pay my $50 for the small claims case, I got a check and some extra within days.

Yes and no.

Small Claims:
While it is easier and lower cost to file a small claims case, you will be facing an insurance company with a legal representative. You can either forego legal representation (which puts you at a disadvantage), or you have to pay for a lawyer, and those willing to take on small claims are far fewer. AND that's if what you are seeking is within the small claims threshold - for TX, that's $10k (so when I was seeking $15k in DV let alone loss of use, I was in county court by default). AND this only works if the insurance company actually wants to avoid the legal system - in my instance, insurance actively preferred dragging out legal proceedings instead of giving a fair offer to end things quickly.

Dept of Ins:
Depends on the state. When I checked with TX Dept of Ins (TDI), they said they could only help if it was against my insurance company, not the third party; the best offer TDI gave was "if they refuse to pay DV per their company policy, all we can do is confirm their company policy, you must still take them to court if they don't give you anything."

 

[mattack4000]

When you have a strong case (doctor's notes, bills, PTO), they will throw their hands up and move on.