Bad string of luck here guys... I got a deer in my wifes car... appraised at $4,500 in damage... Comprehensive is a great thing.... Then I hit a dog in my S-10 Pick-up... went ahead and filed another Comprehensive claim... but have since become skeptical of my decision... I looked up some parts on Ebay of what I thought it would take to fix my truck and came up with around $150 in parts. I don't want my premium going up, remember Im only 21....can I cancel my claim? He's coming to appraise it in the morning, What if he figures damages in the $500 range.... (what I originally expected)? What can I do? What would you guys do? Thanks... Doesn't look like $4,500 does it?? And will hopefully be a lot cheaper if I can get the shop to use aftermarket parts rather than GM... And my incident with the dog... I felt terrible... trooper said there is nothing I can do, no leash law, kinda treated like a wild animal.
If you deductible is $500 (I'm guessing from your post).....and you can get is fixed for $150......I would try to NOT turn the claim in. BUT.... Have you had a proper appraisal done on YOUR truck? Are you sure you can fix it for $150? Heck...I'm not much for Ins. fraud....lol. But I'd have probably told 'em I was driving behing her when she hit the deer!:D
FOR THE TRUCK?!?! Why do you have your deductable so low??? That's crazy! No offense, but you should talk with your insurance people and ask them different quotes for a higher deductable, seriously. For the S-10, is it all cosmetic? There is a good chance you can get all those parts from aftermarket companies for less. If not all cosmetic, then look at getting, (what I would guess) the radiator? fixed, then do the rest yourself. With basic tools, you can easily do all of that in an afternoon. As for the car...yeah... It's not 4500 for the damage that you CAN see, it's the stuff that you can't see that gets you. Just make some calls, and bring it around to different shops, and see what they would do it for. You control where your vehicles get fixed at! If you have someone in mind, make sure your insurance company knows that you will be taking it to them. Seriously though, let them take the car in, but as for the truck, DIY would be some better. Unless there is more hidden damage than you know about... ? EDIT: For such a widely made truck, you may try a few local Junkyards, Craigslist, Ebay, Etc. Possibly even Forums (S-10 foums) THere is a lot of people on those sites that may be willing to sell you their OEM parts, due to them "Pimping their rides"...."Yo".
Lol... Been there, Done that...It was nice, but then my car (SRT-4) looked like crap for a while. And I hated it. The OP may want a good looking car though... And by the looks of it, the truck seems fine, and should not have cost anything over 450 in parts. (Be advised, I'm not an expert, just have experience in buying body parts, and replacing things on cars)
Later thought.... When looking for parts for the truck. Keep in mind that the Chevy S-10 had a GMC (Generic Made Chevy) counterpart, and I believe, depending on the year, that the small Blazers they used to make, had a lot of the same parts for the front end also... FWIW.
Are you factoring in the increased premiums (likely for 3yrs in NC) in this scenario? So...on the truck...you "pocket" $700? How much do your premiums go up for multiple claims? Not too many times a claimant "makes out good" on small claims.
Some insurance companies won't let you do the work yourself, the check gets written to you and the autobody shop so both has to sign.
EXACTLY what I'm getting at... It may not go up these two rounds.. due to Non-fault Comprehensive, but if something else were to happen...I'm afraid, They're going to stick it to me. I've done filed the claim... lets just pray something else doesn't happen. I'm sure I'll come out ahead on my truck... I've done figured it... but at what long term costs....? Just wondering what you guys would've done. Thanks for the imput.
Comp claims have never increased my premiums. As a matter of fact just turned one in the a month ago. Ran over a deer in the road busted a $200 tire, called my agent, sent someone out and THEY also "found" some scratches that the deer did, got a check in the mail 3 days later. I will say this though, if I knew it was going to make my premiums go up, I would not turn it in. I pay 2g's/year just for full coverage on my street bike can't afford a rate hike. Aaron I'd done the same thing.
First off, that is a completely accurate. Almost an understatement. With my primary company (I'm an insurance agent), and this area (rural), it makes sense for almost everyone. The problem I have with the guy complaining about the $100 deduct is this. You can't base deductibles from what you're paying. Every individual will be different especially with different companies. Second, call your insurance agent and find out the state law. Every state runs it's own insurance regulation. In PA a comprehensive claim can not go against your record for rating or eligibility for existing business. Meaning you could put in 100 legit claims and never see a raise in premium or be dropped. If you were in PA I'd tell you to put in the claim no matter how small you "think" it appears.
In NYS comprehensive claims are not surchargeable.Comp claims though can keep you from being placed in a companies best rating tier.So if youwish to move from one company to another you may not be able to get the new companies best rates.As far as deductibles go,price them out at $100,$200 and $500 to see how much money you say at each level higher.Increase in Comp deductibles do not typically reduce premiums all that much,but it depends upon the age and symbol of a vehicle (symbol is indicative of the value of the vehicle and it's cost to repair or replace). I am an agent/partner in an Agency and I wouldn't make a claim unless I was a head of the deductible by at least $500 and even more if I had other claims still in my experience period(39 months in NY)
