AUTO INSURANCE ARTICLE
Top 5 Things Your Auto Insurance Provider Doesn’t Tell You When Your Car is on Repair
By: coppeneur1. Renting a car have costs, even with rental car insurance. You need a car while yours is in the repair shop. If you rent a car for, say three weeks, expect paying about $1,000 or more. And even if you have optional rental-car insurance (which costs $1 or $2 a month), your daily reimbursement may be limited to the cost of a compact car. So check that your coverage satisfies the car you are driving. If you are driving a compact car, then your compact-car coverage will suffice. But if you are taking a mini-van, make sure you have minivan-size coverage, or else, expect to shed out of the pocket costs for your car rental.
2. Accredited shops are retained by cost-maximizing insurers. At a pre-negotiated rate, insurers retain the services of auto repair shops. This practice may however be against the policyholder’s interest. "Insurers have wired the shops to give them so many discounts that, to stay alive, the shops often do the bare minimum," says Erica Eversman, of Vehicle Information Services, a consulting and forensic expert provider for both insurers and consumers alike. Doing the bare minimum, although most probably cannot be described of all repair shops – could happen to your car. We suggest that you build your own contacts with a repair shop mechanic or owner yourself. But there’s a first time for everyone, so we suggest that if you want to take a look at independent shops that have been tested for certain quality delivery, click this link Assured Performance Collision Care.
3. Bring your car to a manufacturer-certified shop. Since not all cars are made the same, don’t expect or even be led to believe that all repair shops can fix all cars the same way. European cars for example use aluminum and ultra-hard steel that require special equipment and a high degree of precision to repair. That is why shops invest in getting certification from car manufacturers to do the work. This also explains partly why these so-called certified shops charge higher rates, because they have invested in the specialization for a particular car make. More often, to cut costs, insurers might try to skip out on recommending these shops for your repair needs. So it pays to do your homework, only bring your car for repair to a manufacturer-certified shop. After all, your auto insurance has no choice but to pay the tab.
4. The fender-bender is not a minor expense. Assuming the accident is your fault and you have the typical $500 collision deductible, expect to blow this off with a single fender-bender repair. Consumers' Checkbook, a nonprofit consumer information group, shows that replacing a fender on a 1998 Buick LeSabre can cost as much as $982. A new front bumper on a 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class can go as high as $1,350. These costs were taken from a survey of repair shops in the Washington, D.C.
5. Claim OEM, especially if you are no-fault. OEM or original-equipment manufacturer parts are designed precisely for your car. And we can assume that since OEM parts are products of research and precision engineering, they are fit and desined to be safer for your automobile. But in a cost-maximizing behavior, insurers might prefer that shops use generic or salvage replacement parts because they're cheaper. If you are at-fault in an accident, your auto insurance policy could actually contain a clause that you allow the use of aftermarket parts or pay the difference for OEM parts should your car needs repair. And you can do nothing about that, unless you paid more attention before you signed the policy. But if someone hits you, meaning you are no-fault, then accept no other replacement on your car but OEM parts.
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