alpinab7

My car got scraped down one side about 18 months ago and I had one side painted. However it was bumped on the other side, my passnger side doors are rusty at the bottom and there is a good key(?) mark all the way down the other side. Someone slid something accross the trunk lid which looks almost like another key mark. Just above the windshield are some stone chips and the hood has a ding, dead center, and is full of stone chips.

The car looks great when waxed. But i'd like to paint the whole thing and get the scrapes and dings fixed. I don't want to fork over $4-10k for it. Will insurance cover this? I have a $500 deductible and all of these things were damaged at the hands of others.

Any thoughts from anyone who knows the insurance system? I will prep the car for paint and replace the doors and fender that are rusted, damaged so if I can get insurance to cover some of it I should be able to do it without a lot of out of pocket expense.

deephouse

Does your insurance do the estimate and cut you a check? (mine does that style of reimbursement).

WHen i got in an accident, They had an adjuster come out, do the estimate, then mailed me a check. I was free to take the car to any shop i wanted. If the shop determines there is more damage and needs more $$ for repairs, they just contact the insurance directly, and I am out of the loop from there.

It was $2400 in damage and it was LIGHT by all means. Technically if i could have found a shop that would paint the whole car for $2400, then I could have. (I was reeeeeeaaaaaalllly trying to swing for a new bumper cover but no dice)

So...it just depends on how your insurance handles claims.

alpinab7

Last time the body shop said they always cut a small check and then have to come back. I was told always bring it to the body shop first and THEN call the insurance co. My issue is this was not a single incident but rather 3-4 different scrapes, dings. I just always feel i'm going to get screwed by insurance.

blk_urs4

Here is your best advice... Call you insurance company!

Fastscirocco

If they cover the damage your deductible will apply for each incident, so multiply the number of
incidents by $500 and that's your deductible.

So if you have 4 incidents, that's 4 seperate claims and $2,000 in deductible, if the estimate
is say $3,000 they pay $1,000 and you pay $2,000.

But as others have said, call your insurance company and inquire.

alpinab7

I want to be prepared before. Don't turn yourself in to the police before you talk to your lawyer....right?