Insurance/accident advice

[Skel]

Last friday im driving my 1996 nissan maxima down a 1 lane road. !1 lane each way. A guy pulls out of his driveway right in front me me and i hit my breaks and skid into him. I have some front/side damage near my left wheel and it was his fault, seeing as how i wasnt speeding, i had the right of way, and he was coming from private property. As of now , the car isnt really driveable because part of whats left of thebumper is rubbing on the tire. His insurance is sending out someone to inspect the damage and investigage whos fault it was. For now im in a rental and his insurance is going to reimburce me.


Anyways on with the question. So they send out an agent to estime my damage. Now supposed they estimate it at lets say 2000 dollars. What if they give me a check for 2000 dollars and it winds up costing 3000 dollars to fix?

Also i dont really understand how they can estimate the damage without it being in a shop. I hit him almost tire to tire so how can they tell if I have damage to my shocks, axel, frame etc etc? How can they tell if what is wrong with my car was caused by the damage or was previously already not working?

They said within 2 days of the estimate I will have to get it into a shop to be repaired. Am i allowed to simply take the money and not get it repaired if i find it to be in my best interest to buy another car with that money?

Help a confused person that has never been in this situation before.

 

[Coolage]

You didn't get an accident report?
i always found it easier to get a police report

Next, take your car to a certified shop and get a quote for repair. Call up your insurance and have them collect for you.

 

[Ken785]

Originally posted by Skel
Last friday im driving my 1996 nissan maxima down a 1 lane road. !1 lane each way. A guy pulls out of his driveway right in front me me and i hit my breaks and skid into him. I have some front/side damage near my left wheel and it was his fault, seeing as how i wasnt speeding, i had the right of way, and he was coming from private property. As of now , the car isnt really driveable because part of whats left of thebumper is rubbing on the tire. His insurance is sending out someone to inspect the damage and investigage whos fault it was. For now im in a rental and his insurance is going to reimburce me.


Anyways on with the question. So they send out an agent to estime my damage. Now supposed they estimate it at lets say 2000 dollars. What if they give me a check for 2000 dollars and it winds up costing 3000 dollars to fix?

Also i dont really understand how they can estimate the damage without it being in a shop. I hit him almost tire to tire so how can they tell if I have damage to my shocks, axel, frame etc etc? How can they tell if what is wrong with my car was caused by the damage or was previously already not working?

They said within 2 days of the estimate I will have to get it into a shop to be repaired. Am i allowed to simply take the money and not get it repaired if i find it to be in my best interest to buy another car with that money?

Help a confused person that has never been in this situation before.

alright heres whats up. they are gonig to send someone out there to look at your car right. hes going to take a look at it and estimate how much damage is on there. hes then gonig to compare it to the estimate from the shop you took your car too. (i suggest taking it to 3 very good ones) for estimates)

for example:

say its $3000 worth of damages that the other insurance dude says it is....but thew shop you went to says its $4000 worth of damage. the two both have to now work with each other and negotiate so both sides can be happy with how much is going to be paid for the work that needs done.

**But remember one thing. Lets just say If the insurance guy says theres only $3000 of damage for your car and the shop estimates $7000?....THE INSURANCE HAS TO PAY....because by law, you have the right to pick ANY body shop you want your car to be fixed at. SO DO NOT TAKE IT TO A CHEAP ONE!!

The other insurance people want to cheapest repairs for your car, do not let them handle you like that. take it to a real exspensive shop. if the shop estimates more than the cars worth, guess what?? the insurance company HAS TO pay for the cost of fixing it!! OR pay you for what your cars worth.

 

[Skel]

Originally posted by Coolage
You didn't get an accident report?
i always found it easier to get a police report

Next, take your car to a certified shop and get a quote for repair. Call up your insurance and have them collect for you.

I can get the police report 72 hours after the accident which is actually yesterday. I called my insurance but they said i have to go through his insurance company which im doing now and awaiting inspection for my vehicle

 

[Skel]

Re: Re: Insurance/accident advice

Originally posted by Ken785
alright heres whats up. they are gonig to send someone out there to look at your car right. hes going to take a look at it and estimate how much damage is on there. hes then gonig to compare it to the estimate from the shop you took your car too. (i suggest taking it to 3 very good ones) for estimates)

for example:

say its $3000 worth of damages that the other insurance dude says it is....but thew shop you went to says its $4000 worth of damage. the two both have to now work with each other and negotiate so both sides can be happy with how much is going to be paid for the work that needs done.

**But remember one thing. Lets just say If the insurance guy says theres only $3000 of damage for your car and the shop estimates $7000?....THE INSURANCE HAS TO PAY....because by law, you have the right to pick ANY body shop you want your car to be fixed at. SO DO NOT TAKE IT TO A CHEAP ONE!!

The other insurance people want to cheapest repairs for your car, do not let them handle you like that. take it to a real exspensive shop. if the shop estimates more than the cars worth, guess what?? the insurance company HAS TO pay for the cost of fixing it!! OR pay you for what your cars worth.

Thanks for the reply. They told me they have to inspect it first before i bring it to a shop. Hopefully that will happen today or tomorrow. I want to make sure I get all orginal nissan parts and not generic crap. Anyways what about if i dont want my car repaired, can i just get a check?

 

[Ken785]

yes. take your car to 3 different shops for the estimates. show them to your insurance compaNY. tell them you want to be paid in check instead of the repair, out of those 3 they will pick which one they want to pay. so say 1 is $3000, 2nd $3500, aND 3rd is $6000. if they choose the $3000, they pay you $3000.

THEY HAVE TO PAY YOU THE FULL AMOUNT OF THE ESTIMATE!! SO GO TO 3 EXPENSIVE A$S SHOPS!!!

 

[Coolage]

I am not sure what difference a more expensive shop would be.
Skel, you need to get estimates done by shops.

Was his fault marked and you had none on the police report?

I am really surprised that you have to go through their insurance. I got hit by an idiot a few months back and my insurance handled everything. if you don't mind me asking, who is your insurance carrier?

 

[Skel]

Originally posted by Coolage
I am not sure what difference a more expensive shop would be.
Skel, you need to get estimates done by shops.

Was his fault marked and you had none on the police report?

I am really surprised that you have to go through their insurance. I got hit by an idiot a few months back and my insurance handled everything. if you don't mind me asking, who is your insurance carrier?

I called my insurance company(metlife) and told them im not making a claim, but i want to know what to do from here. THey said contact his insurance company(allstate)which I did and they called me back today. The agent is coming out today to estimate the damage and tomorrow ill be bringing it to to the first repair shop for an estimate.

 

[Coolage]

with my insurance, (State farm) you can make a claim without an adjustment of rates if you are less than 50% liable. I think all insurance companies operate similarly. I would verify with your plan though.

If they don't give you a fair value, you could make a claim.


Good luck. accidents are a pain.