i recently put my car in a collision shop and the collision shop says they need new parts for the car and the adjuster doesnt want to write the check. my car is old 2000 and the damage extends through the whole back and onto the side of my car. My insurance basically wants to pound out all the metal and bondal everything and just paint over whatever is damages(basically cutting their cost) is there anything i can do about it?i feel that my car deserves more than that i havnt had any accidents and 1 ticket through out my driving life.
2007-08-09 09:52:48 · 4 answers · asked by long t 2 in Business & Finance ➔ Insurance
Sure, call your agent. Have them intercede. POunding & bondo isn't a good idea, in general. Actually, the auto body guy might ALSO go to bat for you on this - but your agent is point guy to be discussing this with the adjuster.
I'm assuming we're talking about $4,000 or so of damage.
2007-08-09 14:43:32 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Based on what you've said: You may want to clarify the difference between "new" parts and "refurbished" parts. If the collision shop can't fix the existing part because of too much damage, then yes, the insurance company will put on a replacement part. However, if the car is not a newer vehicle (typically within a couple of years) like yours, they may use a refurbished part. This means that the part is "new to you" but not brand new from the manufacturer. I would inquire to the adjuster if this is what they mean when they say that they won't pay for new parts.
That being said, if your vehicle was seen by a staff appraiser from the insurance company, and there is no reason why the existing parts cannot be repaired, then they will only pay the fair cost to complete that repair. You may want to get a second opinion from a different body shop if the one you have now is not willing to work with the estimate from the appraiser.
2007-08-09 10:12:54 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
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2016-09-25 20:50:47 · answer #3 · answered by Joyce 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
With out knowing more about the nature of your damage this is a hard one to answer.
What part is damaged will also affect how the part is repaired. Some parts are better to be repaired than replaced.
For example, a fender is held onto a car by 3 screws. If a fender is all bent up, it is usually better to replace it - it's not a big deal to take the old one off and pop a new one on.
On a uni-body car the quarter panel (frequently called the rear fender in error) is actually a part of the car frame. To replace the quarter panel, you have to cut it off the car and weld a new one on. This is much more invasive than repairing the quarter panel. It also puts a hard spot (weld) in the car frame that was not there before. So unless the quarter panel is really torn up- most of the time, repairing it will be the better option.
"But I don't want any Bondo on my car" - guess what, your car came off the assembly line with body filler on it .....it's how they hid the welds.
To repair a body panel - the body tech will work the metal out. Metal has memory. He will work out the dent and then put a small layer of body filler across it to smooth it out. It takes skill to work metal and you have to have a body tech that knows what he is doing. Most shops are good and have really good folks working for them, but it seems now a days you are running into more and more that only know how to change out parts and don't know how to do work metal.
Insurance companies expect a car to be repaired in accordance with manufacture specs.
The insurance company may use OEM parts (original manufacture equipment - ie name brand parts), QRP (re-manufactured or used parts) or LKQ (aftermarket). Given the age of your car, they will not use all OEM unless they can not find LKQ or QRP.
"But my car had all new parts on it". Yes it did -- back in 2000 when you purchased it. Now those parts have been driving around for 7 years. They are used.
When an insurance company gets used parts - they don't take damaged parts and use those again. They use non damaged parts from salvaged vehicles. Example: a car was hit hard in the rear and has damage to the rear. However, the front bumper is fine and may be use in the repair of another vehicle. They will not use the rear bumper again.
As far as paint goes - the insurance company owes to paint the damaged area. They will add to blend the paint into the adjacent panels. They will not paint your car all over.
The fact that you have not had any accidents and only one ticket have nothing to do with how your car is repaired.
2007-08-09 13:42:42 · answer #4 · answered by Boots 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋