Car Accident Insurance Settlement : How to Avoid Paying for Auto Repair

By , May 30, 2011

Many times during the car accident insurance settlement, you and the insurance company don’t see eye to eye on the amount your auto repair costs are actually worth.

Should you get your own repair quotes, the insurance company will try to push you to accept their own smaller settlements. The bad news is that the insurance company’s rates may very well be hundreds and even thousands of dollars below your actual repair charges.

If you don’t fully understand how to resolve these disputes with the insurance company, you will end up paying more for your car repair.

To avoid spending money on your vehicle damages , here are a few basic steps you can follow:

1. Get Thorough Estimates

To start off, you should always get a detailed itemized estimate for your vehicle damages. Capturing the list of replacement parts and their costs unmistakably shows how much money it will cost to repair your vehicle.

With a detailed estimate, you can then ask the insurance company to provide their own detailed estimates. In this way you are judging accurate estimates, rather than simply some arbitrary amount from the insurance company. If you are upset with a lower estimate, you have a right to understand how exactly they calculated the low settlement figure.

Make sure your estimates are for the same exact factory vehicle parts. You have a right to get your car in the SAME condition as it was prior to the auto accident. The insurance adjuster’s estimates may be lower mainly because they used less expensive non factory replacement parts. You don’t have to approve this, so get the estimates for the same quality parts.

2. Get High Quality Estimates

You should get your estimates from a shop that will actual work on your car repair. Don’t just go to a random repair shop or gas station and get a rough estimate.

Insurance companies actually classify your damages as falling in a selected range. For example, they may expect repairing a broken bumper shouldn’t cost more than a few hundred dollars.

However, this really relies on who does your repairs and the model of your vehicle. So check to make sure you get your estimates from a repair shop that is qualified to repaire your brand of vehicle. This will give you a more reliable cost of labor.

If the insurance company disputes this estimate, make them give you another mechanic shop that can ensure the same exceptional work. If they don’t offer a satisfactory alternative, you can argue that their estimate is inaccurate and you shouldn’t have to settle for poor quality work.

What if My Vehicle is Totaled?

If the cost of your vehicle repair is more than the cost of your vehicle, this is called a “total loss”. The insurance company will give you what it considers the Actual Cash Value (ACV) of your vehicle. This could also increase arguments because you may think your car is worth more than you are getting.

The simplest way to see if you’re getting a reasonable deal is to check your vehicle’s Kelly Blue Book value. The blue book lists the present value of the car and you can check how much your car is actually worth.

How Can I Learn to Better Negotiate my Car Accident Settlement?

Applying these tips really will depend on how comfortable you are negotiating cash settlement costs.

Learn how to get money if you were in a car accident or suffered personal injuries

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