The car had a bad night

[41magsnub]

The across the street neighbor backed into my car a bit ago.  They have insurance so it should get handled.  It is actually worse than it looks, the tire was hit and the steering is affected.  Something is rubbing in there.

Dang...

[Monkeyleg]

That sucks. You'll probably have to fight to get it repaired properly.

[vaskidmark]

That sucks. You'll probably have to fight to get it repaired properly.

Nah!  A bit of yanking and it'll buff right out.  Krylon makes paint that matches your color so absolutely that your eyes will bug out.  (Do not fall for the "It just moved the alignment a bit" routine - I'll bet there is some significant bentness to something holding the wheel on.)

Maybe you will stop parking across his driveway after this?  Seriously, what was he doing to get that close to you?

His insurance will be paying for the rental, so do not skimp - get something at lest as big as your ride.  And remember to keep your gas receipts and file them for reimbursement.

Truely sucks to start off the next four years with a hit like that.

stay safe.

[Brad Johnson]

That sucks. You'll probably have to fight to get it repaired properly.

Not really.  Take it to a reputable shop and tell them you want OEM parts used no matter how much grief the insurance company gives them.  If the insurance company balks, a call to the state insurance regulation office will usually suffice to correct their attitude.  Something this simple, though, and they usually pay up.  You're looking at a new fender, wheel, and tire.  (New fender + paint = cheaper than trying to straighten out your dented unit).  Figure $800-1000 in parts and 6-8 hrs labor at $75-85 an hr.  $1500-$1700 paid toot sweet is a cheap, easy way to keep them out of court since their policyholder is the at-fault party.  The repair is no biggie and the shop can likely have you out in a day or two.

When an elderly driver ran a red light and killed the Vic in 2009 I had a check from State Farm in under 2 weeks.  Aside from a little hassle about the tires (less than 500 miles on an $800 set of Michelins) they actually went above and beyond to make sure I was kept informed.  They even paid more than I figured, full book value on the car vs some kind of depreciated-value crap.

Brad

[41magsnub]

This isn't the worst thing in the world by a long shot, it needed some bodyshop time anyway to repaint the hood and fix the trim that is falling off.

I'm waiting on a call back from Safeco (the guys carrier), I have the claim entered and they need to do all their verification.  The rig will need to be towed which makes things a bit more complicated, Safeco's problem though.

[InfidelSerf]

And remember to keep your gas receipts and file them for reimbursement

Pardon my ignorance, but how would fuel be reimbursed on a rental?  I would think the insurance co would nix that. I mean you would spend money on gas regardless of the vehicle you drive. I understand them covering the cost of the rental, of the fuel too?

[41magsnub]

I'm not bothering with a rental, I have 2 other perfectly road worthy rigs.

Safeco is being a slight PITA, it is Thursday and the adjuster has not called me back yet (claim opened on Monday).  I will start raising a fuss this afternoon.

[BryanP]

Safeco?  Aren't they one of those "insurers of last resort" companies?  That doesn't bode well.

[Brad Johnson]

GET THE RENTAL!  Let Safeco pay for your vehicle while you get yours repaired.  If nothing else it will save a few miles of wear and tear on your other rigs.

Brad

[41magsnub]

Safeco is a normal insurance company, my Mom uses them. 

They called back, finally. The estimate they have from their adjuster is $1471.70 based on a visual inspection of the car using a non-OEM fender.  They did not allow for the mechanical damage and only allowed for the body work.  We agreed that they will have it towed to a shop of my choice and we will reassess the estimate based on what the shop says.

I may not get OEM, the car is a 1999 Toyota Avalon so availability is a question.

I really don't want the rental car, I'm always hauling the dog around and as such take the truck.

[Brad Johnson]

Get OEM.  It's your right to insist on an OEM part.  Non-OEMs are okay, but the factory part will fit a lot better.

Brad

[41magsnub]

Just for grins I started the OEM fight, no response yet.  On their claim they say they will do OEM if I pay the difference.

[Doggy Daddy]

Getting the rental will encourage them to get your own car back to you.

[41magsnub]

So...  according to the Montana Insurance Commission non-OEM parts are all they are required to use...

http://www.csi.mt.gov/consumers/pdf/ConsumerGdeAUTO%20Insurance.pdf

Thoughts there?

[41magsnub]

Getting the rental will encourage them to get your own car back to you.

Don't care about the speed..  2 other rigs.

Don't want to deal with the hassle of the rental no matter how small.

[Jim147]

Ask the body shop about their aftermarket parts. They know what is good and what is crap.

Since you don't need a rental car you might check with Safeco about paying you a little bit of money in lieu of them having to pay for a rental car. (Something my body shop mentioned when he thought I still had an extra vehicle.)

jim

[41magsnub]

Ah, the fun begins...

The body shop has had the car for 3 business days now just for the estimate, I had not heard anything about an estimate on the insurance or the extra work I wanted done so I called them.  They were very rude on the phone...  they had already scheduled the repair (ahem..  where is my estimate to agree to???). 

Then the estimator went a little crazy on me, complaining about difficult customers and all that.  Dude..  I just want to know how much it is going to be to fix the other stuff on the car before you do it!

I then said I am going to take the car somebody else.  The estimator told me to get the car off his property by close of business or he would have it towed away.  I just got back from picking the car up which I limped off of his property.  I went into the office to get the key, while I was there getting it from the secretary the estimator was glaring at me hard enough I found myself covering my CCW with my hand.  That dude was crazy angry...

[Tallpine]

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