Car Accident Insurance Settlement : How to Avoid Paying for Auto Repair
Many times during the car accident insurance settlement, you and the insurance company don’t see eye to eye on the amount your auto repair costs are actually worth.
If you get your own repair quotes, the insurance company will attempt to pressure you to accept their own smaller settlements. The bad news is that the insurance company’s quotes can be hundreds and even thousands of dollars below what your actual repair fees.
If you don’t fully understand how to sort out these disagreements with the insurance company, you will find yourself paying for your auto repair out of your wallet.
To protect yourself from spending money on your vehicle damages, here are a few simple tips you can follow:
1. Get Thorough Estimates
First, you need to get a complete itemized estimate for your vehicle damages. Getting the list of replacement parts and their costs undoubtedly shows how much money it will cost to repair your car.
With a detailed estimate, you can then ask the insurance company to provide their own detailed estimates. In this way you are judging accurate estimates, rather than simply some arbitrary amount from the insurance company. If you are upset with a lower estimate, you have a right to understand how exactly they calculated the low settlement figure.
Make certain that your estimates are for the same exact factory vehicle parts. You have a right to get your car in the SAME condition as it was before the car accident. The insurance adjuster’s estimates may be lower simply because they used less expensive non factory replacement parts. You don’t have to agree to this, so get the estimates for the same quality parts.
2. Get Quality and Realistic Estimates
You need to get your estimates from a shop that will do the actual repairs. Don’t just stop at a random auto mechanic or service station and get a vague estimate.
Insurance companies actually classify your damages as falling in a selected range. For example, they may expect repairing a broken bumper shouldn’t cost more than a few hundred dollars.
However, this really depends upon who does your repairs and the model of your vehicle. So be sure you get your estimates from a repair shop that knows how to repair your brand of vehicle. This is going to give you a more accurate cost of labor.
If the insurance company disputes this estimate, ask them to provide another repair center that can ensure the same high quality work. If they don’t offer a satisfactory alternative, you can argue that their estimate is incorrect and you shouldn’t have to consent to poor quality work.
What if My Car is Totaled?
If the cost of your car repair is more than the cost of your vehicle, this is what’s called a “total loss”. The insurance company will attempt to give you what it considers the Actual Cash Value (ACV) of your car. This tends to also increase disputes because you may think your car is definitely worth more than you are getting.
The simplest way to see if you’re getting a reasonable deal is to check your vehicle’s Kelly Blue Book value. The blue book lists the present value of the car and you can check how much your car is actually worth.
What if I Can’t Negotiate A Good Settlement?
Applying these tips really will depend on how comfortable you are negotiating cash settlement costs.
Learn how to get money if you were in a car accident or suffered personal injuries
