Insurance Rant!

[BajaRon]

I'm sorry but I do not like insurance. I'm betting I have an accident and they are betting I don't. But sometimes you wonder if you don't loose either way.

Bought a brand new 2013 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDi in October. Same identical car as the 2014, better price and better warranty.

I have right at 5,000 miles on it. While doing about 15mph in a line of traffic, an elderly lady in opposing traffic suddenly accelerated and turned left right into my door. I tried but I couldn't get away from her. She then bounced off of me back into her lane but continued to accelerate and took the guy behind me (who had stopped after he saw what she did to me) and took him head on.

None of this has anything to do with my rant, just the way it goes sometimes.

So, her insurance is supposed to take care of it (State Farm). But here is were things start to go sideways, IMHO.

They keep talking about 'Industry Standard' which is just a fig leaf to give you the shaft. They want to fix my car with the following.

Wheel - Remanufactured
Suspension - Recycled
Headlight assembly - Remanufactured
Fender liner - Non-OEM
Door frame - Recycled
Door hinge - Recycled
Door glass - Recycled
Body panel assembly - Recycled

Ok, with 5K on the car it is used, I understand. But my feeling is I'd get the same treatment if I got hit pulling out of the dealership parking lot with 3 miles on the car. There is USED and then there is used...

I didn't have any 'Remanufactured, recycled or aftermarket parts on the car before I got hit.

I understand that the Insurance company wants to save money. And I'm ok with the used door frame/glass and body parts if they are in good condition since they have to be painted anyway. But junk yard door hinges could have a lot of wear on them, and who knows what used suspension has been through. And really! I can't get an OEM headlight assembly or fender liners?

Just not a happy camper. I went in with a new, 100% VW parts machine in perfect condition, and I'm coming out with a 'Recycled', aftermarket replacement parts vehicle.

 

[Bob Denman]

Ron,
If you can work with your repair shop a bit; they'll find a way to put the parts on that you really feel are important. nojoke
Sonny-Boy smacked a deer last July with his 2011 Ford Fiesta...
To the tune of 6600!
My bodyshop guru managed to "find" enough things to replace; that it was easy enough to cover the cost of the genuine new Ford parts that we wanted on the car...
We didn't worry about the non-essentials; just the serious structural parts.
PM me, if this gets messy... :thumbup:

 

[BajaRon]

Ron,
If you can work with your repair shop a bit; they'll find a way to put the parts on that you really feel are important. nojoke
Sonny-Boy smacked a deer last July with his 2011 Ford Fiesta...
To the tune of 6600!
My bodyshop guru managed to "find" enough things to replace; that it was easy enough to cover the cost of the genuine new Ford parts that we wanted on the car...
We didn't worry about the non-essentials; just the serious structural parts.
PM me, if this gets messy... :thumbup:

My body shop was surprised at some of the parts spec'd by the appraiser. They know the guy and I guess he apologized but said it's the way he has to do it. I was hoping for more help from my agent, Allstate, and he said he would but that I would be more likely to get movement than he would.

I have pretty much decided to go with the approach you recommend. He is a good guy and he won't put junk on my car.

 

[cuznjohn]

it is some ware in your policy that they can and will use aftermarket parts. they are low grade and really suck.

 

[shelbydave]

Ron,
If you can work with your repair shop a bit; they'll find a way to put the parts on that you really feel are important. nojoke
Sonny-Boy smacked a deer last July with his 2011 Ford Fiesta...
To the tune of 6600!
My bodyshop guru managed to "find" enough things to replace; that it was easy enough to cover the cost of the genuine new Ford parts that we wanted on the car...
We didn't worry about the non-essentials; just the serious structural parts.
PM me, if this gets messy... :thumbup:

:agree: When my truck got hit, the body shop was "supposed" to put recycled parts back on, but the manager noticed how well we kept our vehicles (It was a 2008 with 22,000 miles in 2013). Anyhow, he reported that they couldn't find recycled parts, and I got new all around.

 

[jcthorne]

You do not have to accept their estimate and you do not need to use their shop.

Take it to an OEM shop and insist on all OEM parts. One way to buck the recycled parts game is to insist on full providence for all parts used and that they must have no more than 10% additional miles on them than yours did. No junk yard keeps this paperwork even though it is your right to know where the parts come from, their age and that they are not stolen. And you do NOT have to accept non OEM parts unless yours were. It may be THIER industry standard but it's not what YOU paid for and own.

You cannot ask to be made better, only to be made whole.

If they he haw much, use the phrase "I think you are trying to settle in bad faith". Walk away. They WILL call you. And if they do not, call the state insurance commissioner's office and tell them the same thing with a few details. Get into a State Farm funded rental car BEFORE bringing all this up.

It's State Farm's JOB to get by for as little money as possible. They owe that to their shareholders. You do not HAVE to accept less than what you had before the accident. You are also entitled to rental transportation of similar quality to that which you are missing. IE you do not have to accept the Geo Metro they will try to put you in. And do not turn in the rental car until you are completely happy with the repairs.

Good luck. Dealing with insurance claims is a real chore but you can come out whole.

 

[ARtraveler]

I have State Farm and they repaired my car with all new parts when I had accident. The car was 2 years old when the accident happened. 2006 was the year. Also had a tree fall on my car in 2012 (caved in the roof) , and they did all the repairs with new parts. That was a 2007.

 

[Bob Denman]

Remember: the vehicle must be repaired to YOUR level of satisfaction... :thumbup:

 

[SpydermanCT]

You do not have to accept their estimate and you do not need to use their shop.

Take it to an OEM shop and insist on all OEM parts. One way to buck the recycled parts game is to insist on full providence for all parts used and that they must have no more than 10% additional miles on them than yours did. No junk yard keeps this paperwork even though it is your right to know where the parts come from, their age and that they are not stolen. And you do NOT have to accept non OEM parts unless yours were. It may be THIER industry standard but it's not what YOU paid for and own.

You cannot ask to be made better, only to be made whole.

If they he haw much, use the phrase "I think you are trying to settle in bad faith". Walk away. They WILL call you. And if they do not, call the state insurance commissioner's office and tell them the same thing with a few details. Get into a State Farm funded rental car BEFORE bringing all this up.

It's State Farm's JOB to get by for as little money as possible. They owe that to their shareholders. You do not HAVE to accept less than what you had before the accident. You are also entitled to rental transportation of similar quality to that which you are missing. IE you do not have to accept the Geo Metro they will try to put you in. And do not turn in the rental car until you are completely happy with the repairs.

Good luck. Dealing with insurance claims is a real chore but you can come out whole.

All good information.


Does the VW dealer you purchased the car from have a body shop on site? I would bet they would not accept salvaged parts be used on your car. Your insurance policy might state that LKQ (like, kind and quality) parts be used in the event of an accident but it's going through the other party's policy. If your car was was at my shop I'd could almost assure you that I would win the battle and the adjuster would allow original equipment parts be used. A remanufactured wheel, I'd lose that one but the reman wheels are excellent and you would be completely happy with it. I'd tell him, it's a new car with 5000 miles on it, it's not my customers fault and he will not accept used parts. Period. Sometimes the estimate will have a line on it it that says "concession" where an adjuster will add funds to cover labor rate differences or parts costs.


Ron, I would not roll over and I would get a second opinion from another shop if your not getting what you feel is fair or get your current shop to call State Farm back and renegotiate based on your requests. A 2013 with 5000 miles on it, doesn't seem fair to me. Sometimes going up the ladder and speaking with a supervisor is all it takes.

Good luck

 

[Bob Denman]

The Other Side of The Coin... :gaah:

State Farm will say that by putting new parts on your car; your position is being improved. This DOES fly in the face of insurance theory, as any claim settlement is supposed to get you back to where you were, BEFORE things got interesting... :shocked:
This all ends up playing-out like a game of Liar's Poker... push until the other joker pushes back; then you need to figure out your next move...
Good luck, and keep me posted; I'll try to offer whatever useful insight that I can.

 

[mowin]

I feel your pain. I had a new 2011 gmc 3500 and the rear end wasnt filled properly. At 3000 mi the rear let go taking out the transmission with it. GM replaced the rear axle with new, but rebuilt the tranny, so I had a new truck with a rebiult tranny. I fought hard but lost that battle. 16, 000 mi later the tranny went again. Theres a Ram sitting in the drive now.. Not quite the same issue your having with the ins co, but it sure does sting......
Good luck....

 

[bruiser]

Kris' 2006 Impala was hit in the rear quarter panel. 2500.00 dollars worth of damage. State Farm said we had to use their body shop and reman/used parts. We refused, had it towed to the dealership. They fixed it with new OEM parts for 2100.00. State Farm paid the bill, then slapped Kris with 3 insurance points and raised our rates. By the way, no one was charged with the accident as fault could not be determined. We no longer have State Farm for this and other reasons. We had them for 35 years without any tickets or accidents.

 

[jwulf74]

Her insurance is presumably paying for it. You tell them how it is going to be and threaten to lawyer up if they won't fix it to your satisfaction. It was their insured that caused the damage. It will likely also cost you on your insurance at renewal time even if it wasn't your fault. They need to compensate for that and you will also have a less valuable car at trade in time and they need to pay for that as well.

 

[shelbydave]

The other thing for me was I went through MY insurance, then they billed the other folks. By doing that, I got warranty on the work, and if I found something a few weeks later that was accident related, it would get fixed as well. Going with the other guys insurance offer, they close the case as soon as you sign, and any other hidden damage that may not have been found is on your nickel usually.

 

[Flanker]

Man! That's really some dumb:cus: :cus:, Ron! Glad you didn't get hurt!

Every billing cycle my insurance goes up; though my vehicles are older and worth less, and I've had no accidents, made no claims, and had no citations. What a freakin' racket!

Hope you're fixed up, and rollin' soon!

 

[DJFaninTN]

Like A Good Neighbor ….

 

[Bob Denman]

I LIKE that!! :roflblack: :thumbup:

 

[jcthorne]

Insurance companies are in business to make money, not pay claims.

That said, State Farm has be very fair and professional with my claims over the years. And there have been a few. If I leave my insurance with them the rest of my life, they will never break even. Yet they still see me as a good risk today. Its all averages.

 

[Bob Denman]

Insurance companies are in business to make money, not pay claims.

:shocked::hun:
Compensating insureds for their losses, by spreading the risk amongst all of their insureds; IS their business.
Making money; is the by-product, of that endeavor!

 

[retired1]

Rant continued

No change in residence, tickets, accidents or credit score, but my insurance went up $200 a year.
That was for changing the coverage from a 2010RTS to 2014 RTS with Progressive.