So i moved into a new townhouse about a month ago which has a tandem garage(long 2 car but narrow) well there was a car parked semi in front of my garage and when i tried to pull in i scraped the drivers side of my front bumper against the outside of my 05 aero blue pearl crossfire causing the paint to scratch . I filed an insurance claim to fix the damages and they said i can get an estimate anywhere. I have a previous key mark on the passenger side from some jack a%^ do you think they can throw that into the estimate without my insurance company finding out. Like maybe for free, anyone have luck having their car fixed and having the repair place fix something else as well without charging ?

 

I think it depends on two things. One, does your ins company adjuster have to look at it first? Two, will the body shop work with your idea so they can write it up in a way to make sound like its from the same event? If an adjuster doesn't have to look at it, I'm sure my paint shop would get around it. Ins fraud is taken seriously so you have to cover all your bases.

Its a fine line to walk.

James

 

the adjuster wouldnt have to look at it, im not trying to commit fraud but just wish they would throw in a repair of my key mark while they are fixing the bumper lol

 

I believe comprehensive should cover vandalism. The question is whether they wil accept it as one claim or charge you two deductibles. I doubt any repair shop could cover a bumper and a door for a price that an insurance company would accept for the bumper alone. You could try that approach first, but honesty may be the best policy. Sorry about your bad luck.

 

I don't think I would trust a shop that would try to 'pull one over' on an insurance company. If they are willing to do something that shady, how can you trust them to do right by you? Is risking insurance fraud worth a couple hundred dollars?

 

But all the above said, as long as the shop has to prep everything (the paint, etc.), for the insurance "covered" fix, they probably will work with you on fixing the key scratch too. I would imagine it would be a relatively small additional expense since a lot of the prep work will have already been done. You won't be the first person with some minor additional dings they want fixed at the same time.

Check around. A lot of times the smaller independents can work with you when the larger shops don't have the flexibility (or the pricing).

 

Sorry I don't agree. I think most body shops know how insurance companies try to screw the customer when they can get away with it. My paint shop will go out of their way to make it work for everyone. Good Luck. James

 

wish your shop was in Az

 

I had a ding in the side door when I was taking my car in to fix the back bumper after someone hit me. They happened to have the ding guy there at the body shop and he popped it out for free (because they knew I was having my work done there). I threw the ding guy a 20 dollar tip.

I am sure the body shop will throw you a bone... probably cost them nothing to fix and would happy to do it since they are working on your car. As for trusting a body shop that would pull one over on the insurance company? Some of the best body shops are known for that

 

I am no expert on body work, but when a shop is repainting one body panel, they will need to blend the paint work into the adjacent body panel. Any competent estimate will itemize the cost of blending into the adjacent piece, and charge you (insurer) for doing this task. SOP

So if your two damaged panels are next to each other, there is some chance you can have it all worked into the repair at a reasonable or no cost; on the up and up.

If the damage is not on adjacent panels, you are looking at two separate incidents and two separate deductibles. Consider paying for the second repair out-of-pocket ... on the up and up. This all presumes you have decent no-fault comprehensive coverage and reasonable deductibles, along with a clean record.

BTW: just as often as not, filing an insurance claim for minor damage doesn't pay in the long run. You'll be paying your deductible in any event, and run the risk of losing your 'good driver' or 'no claims' discounts, etc., etc. Also understand that NO industry preferred body shop will EVER risk the relationship with the insurer 'just for you'. It's part of the age old don't-****-in-your-own-feed-bag thing.

Alas, life is never fair.

 

Sorry I don't agree. I think most body shops know how insurance companies try to screw the customer when they can get away with it. My paint shop will go out of their way to make it work for everyone. Good Luck. James

James, no insurance company try to screw a customer over "when they can get away with it". That is one of the biggest fallacies perpetrated by the trial lawyers and their advertisements. I've been in this business for 25 years (as a claims manager) and I've yet to see one try to pull a fast one on the customer-but I have seen plenty of it go the other way. Their policy states two occurrences two deductibles. And it is simply fraud if you or the body shop says the two incidents are related to pay only one deductible.

If it's the same area, a scratch first, then a dent, nobody really cares. Two different areas then it's fraud. simnple as that. Work with the body shop to minimize the cost of the scratch or eat the deductible and sleep well. Even if you do pull one over on them, you've just lessened yourself for absolutely no reason.

Oh, and dwight above is absolutely correct. most body shps have agreements with carriers to pay as a preferred shop. they will NOT jeopardize that for you. You are meaningless to the majority of them. It may seem like they care-but trust me they don't. Unless it's the little guy down the street that you've used a zillion times before, and so did you Dad and Grandaddy.

 

James - So go ahead and screw the insurance company? A little here, a little there that's why we all pay more in insurance. C'mon James not a smart thing to tell someone. The proper thing to do is call your agent and discuss what both claims involve.
There are two claims involved here. # 1 is a collision claim. You ran into the car, the parked car didn't run into you.
#2 is your key mark. That is a comprehensive claim, vandalism.
Insurance fraud is serious business and shouldn't be taken lightly. Most all companies, especially ours have an adjuster in house (at the repair shop) or send someone out. Yes they can work with you but let the insurance company do that.
Pat

 

Good advice, patpur.

 

Throwing in an extra repair for no extra charge it fantastic - kudos to the body shops that do that for their customers. That is a great sign that the shops put customer satisfaction first. However, adjusting the covered repair price upward to take care of an uncovered repair, or making an unrelated repair look like it came from a covered repair sounds a lot like insurance fraud to me...I hope that they are good enough at it to not ever be investigated.

I understand that the insurance companies can make it difficult - I've been through my share of fights over the years to get them to pay for covered repairs. But I refuse to sink to their level just to squeeze a few hundred bucks out. Two separate incidents = two separate claims. Talk to the insurance company – the worst that could happen is that you will have to pay 2 deductibles. You may get lucky and get an adjuster that will work with you and the body shop to come up with a deal that is fair and above all legal.

OK, this is me climbing down from my soap box now...

 

a friend of a friend works on high end cars at a shop and told me he would throw in the extra repair on him for bringing me business.