Nobody likes to possess an auto accident, not even a minor fender-bender. it's possible, however, to return out of a fender-bender with many dollars that you simply can save towards the acquisition of your next car.
First let’s clarify what this text isn't about.
We hope you weren’t seriously injured. If you had minor injuries, we hope that either your insurance or the at-fault party’s took care of that.
We’re not talking about lawsuits. There could also be an area for action , but it's not discussed here.
We’re presuming that your car is either still drivable or are often repaired to safe, drivable condition.
By the way, some insurers only buy repairs actually performed. That is, they pay the shop, not you, and you can’t pocket any difference. I won’t say they’re being unfair, but if your company is like that, don’t waste some time reading this text . If it’s an enormous deal to you, you would possibly buy another insurance company—I would.
Assessing the Damage
Your insurance firm goes to assess the damage. they are doing that in one among 3 ways , counting on the corporate . Sometimes they need you to bring your car (if still safely drivable) to a regional center where they need their own adjuster to write up a damage estimate. If your car isn't driveable, they'll have their field adjuster come to the car. Sometimes they hire an independent adjuster to return to your car. Sometimes they ask you to urge two or three written repair estimates to undergo them.
There are often tons of variations in repair quotes. The adjuster has no motivation to be generous with you. counting on how closely allied he's to the insurer, he may very well have incentive to be somewhat stingy. it's also possible for him to miss things, especially if he doesn’t have tons of experience.
The first thing you would like to try to do is get your insurance firm to simply accept a reasonably high repair estimate. If at the least possible, get a few estimates of your own even before seeing the adjuster . If it’s a late-model car, take it back to the dealer. Otherwise, take your car to a few reputable collision centers or national chains. Tell them you're getting an estimate for a claim , that you simply want it done right, that you simply don’t want them to miss anything. Your shop should understand from this that you simply are trying to find an estimate on the high side of what's reasonable and customary. Don’t allow them to get the impression that you simply are comparison-shopping for rock bottom bid—quite the opposite! There should be no discussion of deductibles.
When you have the adjuster from the insurance firm check out the vehicle, let him know that you simply have a few quotes already. He won’t provide you with a settlement without knowing what those are. But tell him that you simply want to ascertain what he comes up with before showing him what your own shop came up with. If he’s higher, take it. If he’s lower, you’ve got leverage together with your estimates. Maybe he missed something—that’s common. A fix-it shop hoping to try to do your work isn’t going to miss the maximum amount of that because it’s bad for business.
What if they assert it’s totaled?
If the estimate to repair the damage is quite about ¾ of what they figure the car would be worth in undamaged condition, the insurance firm will want to pay you simply what the car is worth. They determine value supported rock bottom trade-in value of that make, model and year of car—regardless of restoration or rusty relic. At that time , you've got a second determination to make: is that the car worth more to you than it's to them? This goes back to the third assumption within the introduction: that your car is either still drivable or are often repaired to safe, drivable condition.
If the car is customized, unusual or rare, you would possibly be ready to make a case for valuing the car above “the value .” I even have a 1981 Toyota that's registered as a coupe. it had actually been one among just 900 convertibles sold in showrooms that year. It took quite little bit of hard-to-get documentation before the insurance adjuster doubled the worth . They still said it had been totaled. I didn’t see it that way, of course, and restored it, but they gave me twice the maximum amount of money to figure it out as they initially offered.
Pocket the Cash and Drive It As-Is
So far we’ve established that your car is broken , but repairable, which the insurance has paid you what it'll cost to repair it. there's probably bent sheet which will require a body buy repairs. Often, there's no mechanical damage—like a punctured radiator or bent wheel rim—that renders the car either un-drivable or unsafe. during this case, you would possibly want to ask yourself, “Do I really need to possess this car repaired?” If the car is several years old, you actually don’t have to have it repaired to like-new condition.
If the driver’s door or hood won’t open, you almost certainly have to catch on fixed, a minimum of enough in order for it'll operate. On the opposite hand, the entire side could be side-swiped and the price overflow $1,000, but still have working doors, windows and mechanical parts. Are you able to accept it ugly like that? If so, pocket the insurance money and reserve it for your next car. a couple of examples will illustrate:
Example 1: Oldsmobile
My daughter’s Oldsmobile bumped the car ahead of hers. The hood worked fine, and for $2.50, we replaced a bulb with a broken filament. She pocketed slightly quite $1,000 thereon one. A year later she was sideswiped by a pickup . She replaced the mirror and side marker light and lived with the scraped-up body panels that worked just fine. Again, she pocketed just over $1,000. Next, the car was struck broadside by an SUV. The insurance firm said it had been totaled and gave her $2,300. Doors on the passenger side wouldn’t open, but the car was still completely drivable. and she or he did drive it for an additional few months before deciding it had been time to upgrade. All totaled (pun intended), that old car helped her save—or should I say earn—$4,300 towards her next car.
Example 2: Passat
One time I used to escape the road by a city vehicle whose driver didn’t see me. Since there was a curb, there was significant damage to the undercarriage—the VW dealer estimated $3,500, and therefore the city paid. The damage didn't affect the alignment or anything mechanical, although it certainly looked nasty if you set it on a lift and checked it out from the underside. Since I don’t expect most of the people to seem at my car from that angle, I didn’t have it repaired.
Repair It on a decent Budget; Pocket the remainder
OKk but suppose that you simply do have mechanical damage, broken glass, or doors or hood that won’t open. You’re going to need to repair the car so as to stay driving it. But there are 3 ways you'll economize here, individually or in combination—and this is often not in the least the way it had been estimated to start with. meaning that whatever insurance money you don’t spend is what you get to stay . This is often more palatable for a car that's several years old than for last year’s sports coupe!
Partial Repairs
The suspension and drivetrain got to function. Safety items like windshield, headlights, taillights and switch indicators need to operate. you would like to be ready to get into and out of the car and open the engine compartment. If you stop there, you'll have what's called a daily driver or a commuter car—something to place the miles on when you’re by yourself and don’t really care what the sheet seems like . counting on who or what you sometimes transport, you'll need quite one door operable and therefore the lid also . you would possibly be ready to get by with partial repairs.
Shops With Low Overhead Costs
You got your repair estimates from quality repair shops. If you would like the car to last another ten years, then that’s probably where you ought to catch on. But if it’s already five years old and you simply need it to last another three years approximately , you'll cut quality and save 50-75% of the repair cost.
Ask a trusted friend who is within the automotive business—any a part of it. He knows people, or he knows others who know people. What you’re trying to find is a few independent guys who have no advertising but word of mouth. he's employed in conditions with low overhead expense, possibly only one unit during a warehouse. He won’t accept any sort of payment except cash—and doesn’t issue receipts. But he does paint and body work of excellent (or a minimum of acceptable) quality, does it cheaply and is trusted and revered by someone you trust and respect.
Buy Used Parts
A third thanks to save on collision repairs is to urge used parts from a salvage yard or on eBay. If you’re working with a nationwide repair chain, they probably won’t just like the idea, unless it’s only for a headlight or tail light assembly. If you accompany a budget shop as described above, he’ll love the thought , but don’t be surprised if he wants you to try to do the legwork to locate the parts. At salvage yards, you don’t necessarily need to get too greasy, but you'll get dirty. Buying from eBay will cost a touch more, and therefore the seller will have already got cleaned up the part some for you. thanks to the shipping, eBay works best with small but expensive items like headlight and taillight assemblies.
When my 30-year-old convertible was damaged, I needed three parts that are not any longer manufactured. A fast internet search showed me which local junk yards had cars that were similar enough to possess an equivalent part. The subsequent step was on behalf of me to drive out there and see for myself whether the needed parts were available and usable. The junk car could be damaged thereon corner or someone could have beaten me to remove those parts. once I found the parts I needed, I paid someone to get rid of them for me—they were big and greasy—so I could deliver them to the shop that might install them.
Where you'll save plenty of cash this manner is on headlight and taillight assemblies, bumpers, whole doors, hoods, deck lids and glass. These are relatively easy to get rid of and not too dirty—not compared to a frame member or axle. I used to be shocked at how cheap it might be for them to put in a second hand windshield on behalf of me right there and provide me a one-year warranty. (If it’s getting to leak or break thanks to faulty workmanship, it certainly won’t take that long to happen.)