Should I Let my Insurance Company Do Damage Estimate or Only Have Shop Do It?

[r00tb33r]

Hey all,

A tree fell on my truck and crushed the roof and two doors and caused other miscellaneous damage.

My insurance repairs up to 75% of vehicle's value before totaling it, so I suspect they may actually try to fix my truck. My deductible is low, just $100.

Question: the truck drives, should I have my shop of choice do the estimate, or should I let an insurance agent (an estimations contractor to be exact) do the estimate first? Or are they the enemy? Would the insurance company dictate the maximum allowed amount for the repairs if they did their estimate?

Basically, should I let them come look at the truck first, or take it straight to the shop and never let the insurance company near it?

Insight is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Zivic]

in my experience, get a claim number take the vehicle to your shop and let the shop work with the adjuster...

take it straight to the shop.

 

[gorcorps]

Not sure why you think the shop would be any better. They want the business, so they'll quote a number that's under the limit to get the okay to fix it, and by the end the "unforseen issues" will have piled up.

That's what happened to my grand Cherokee. They quoted around $17k for the repair, ended up being over $22k. If they would have told the insurance company that from the start they wouldn't get the business.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

The person doing the estimate should be the person fixing it.

If your insurance company is doing the estimate, then they can go take it to one of "their" shops to get it fixed. (Progressive does this, I know for sure. Other companies might.)

Do you trust that unknown third party do the work well?

 

[Zivic]

Not sure why you think the shop would be any better. They want the business, so they'll quote a number that's under the limit to get the okay to fix it, and by the end the "unforseen issues" will have piled up.

That's what happened to my grand Cherokee. They quoted around $17k for the repair, ended up being over $22k. If they would have told the insurance company that from the start they wouldn't get the business.

Sounds you did a poor job selecting a repair shop...

Why have their guy come out and waste your time? You aren't doing the repair. Let the adjuster and the shop handle the estimate and the repair. Call your insurance, get a claim number and bring the car to the shop

 

[r00tb33r]

Do you trust that unknown third party do the work well?

A known third party. I'm just wondering if having the insurance company see the vehicle will greatly undercut how much my friendly shop of choice can charge.

 

[NutBucket]

I must be missing something. The insurance company can't dictate which shop to use so what difference does the quote make unless you are aiming to get it totaled? Or maybe that's because of my state's laws?

In my limited experience, the shop my insurance told me to get an estimate from undercut the "reputable" shops by a good amount. I paid my deductible and took it where I wanted.

 

[boomerang]

Crushed roof and two doors? I'd be amazed if they didn't total it. Roofs are typically not available as repair parts.

 

[bruceb]

Get an estimate from at least 2 body shops and then see what the insurance company says. Also remember you have the right to chose what shop does the work. You do not need to use the insurance companies recommended shop. And if they say they want to use non-oem body panels, you can request factory parts, but you may have to pay a little for it. A lot depends on how old the vehicle is. Sometimes, you can not get new OEM or the non OEM is the only choice.

After reading how much damage, I would probably not fix it. Two doors and a roof is a lot of damage. And you can usually get the roof skin, but the pillars may be damaged or the whole interior area may now be out of square.

 

[thomsbrain]

I've done it both ways, and if you are hoping to have the damage fixed (not pocket cash), you should absolutely take it to the shop, not the adjuster. Only take it to the adjuster if you're trying to get cash and not fix the damage (and even then, expect to get low-balled because they will base their payment on what they can see by visually walking around the car, not by the actual structural damage).

 

[nate80918]

I've worked in insurance claims for 10+ years. It doesn't matter who writes the estimate. I'll take you through what happens behind the scenes for both.

When the shop writes the preliminary estimate they usually submit it to the insurance adjuster for review. Depending on the company the adjuster either does it or a specialty damage adjuster reviews it. The adjuster will then give the ok and submit the payment to the shop to start repairs. If they get into the repairs and find more damage or additional work needs to be done, they will write what is called a supplement and submit that to the insurance adjuster. They will review and give it the ok and issue payment.

When the field adjuster writes an estimate, they can come out to wherever the vehicle is located and they will take photos and write the initial estimate. You then take it to your shop of choice, or a direct repair facility once they have given you a check with a copy of their estimate. The shop will then work off the initial estimate you have provided the shop. If they find additional damage or work they contact the field adjuster for the ok. They will send the check or stop by the shop with the check.

Either way you get the same parts and the same work done. Unless you go to a bad shop that does horrible repairs. Good auto body repair really is an art. Some people do it better than others.

Hope this helps.

 

[Subyman]

IMO let the insurance adjuster see it at your house. Why waste your time? A crushed roof and doors is likely totaled. The roof is usually integrated into the entire body. They'd be looking at replacing the entire cab. Labor alone to take everything off the cab and put it all back together would be ridiculous. Then they'd have to weld, prep, and paint the thing. Then theres the cost of your rental car for the duration of the repairs which are extensive. I'd be surprised if they don't total it, but this assumes major roof, door, and pillar damage.

 

[Midwayman]

Yah, I'd have the adjuster come by. You can still take it anywhere you like after that. It just saves the hassle of towing it somewhere it it gets totaled anyways.

 

[Jimzz]

Crushed roof and two doors? I'd be amazed if they didn't total it. Roofs are typically not available as repair parts.

Not only that but I would not want a vehicle after that type of damage. Shops keep cutting corners to meet what insurance will pay let alone the roof is a very important safety part of a vehicle.

 

[Zivic]

one man's "Crush" is another man's dent

 

[Zor Prime]

Had a total loss earlier this year.

Shop did the estimate.

Came in about $500 higher than the insurance company wanted to pay.

Loss, got cut a check.

Went back to the shop before I had everything finalized.

After an hour or so shooting the shit with the guys there was told I should have came in and asked them to write it up so it wasn't a total loss but they could have cut a thing or two off the list to pretty much ensure it wouldn't be.

They actually thought they wrote up the estimate to be just under what the insurance company would cover.

Win some, lose some.

 

[NutBucket]

But would do you really want the repaired car?

 

[boomhower]

My wife got into a crash a few years ago and the insurance company of the at fault driver wanted us to take it to their preferred body shop for a quote. So I did. Then I took it to my preferred by shop. Their quote, $2500. My body shop, $3,500. Their was internal damage the other shop wasn't going to fix, only the visible stuff. They paid with absolutely no arguing needed for my shop to do the job.

 

[Zivic]

My wife got into a crash a few years ago and the insurance company of the at fault driver wanted us to take it to their preferred body shop for a quote. So I did. Then I took it to my preferred by shop. Their quote, $2500. My body shop, $3,500. Their was internal damage the other shop wasn't going to fix, only the visible stuff. They paid with absolutely no arguing needed for my shop to do the job.

the first shop only quoted what they could see. doesn't mean it wouldn't have been repaired. they would have likely written a supplemental to the original.

it still speaks to the fact that you take it to the shop you trust and let them deal with it. absolutely no reason to meet with an adjuster unless you are taking the payout and not repairing the vehicle.