Hit by State Farm Driver....

[Crabcake Johnny]

Thanks guys...

My vehicle did not come with re-manuf parts, and I do not expect 2nd hand parts to be put back on, now if i had a junker, then I guess i would not care so much, but this is only a 2008 with just about 40k miles; The vehicle did not look like junk before it was hit, and i expect them to fix it like new; I do not expect them fix anything that is not related to the repair.

having said that; they said they will send someone out to look at the vehicle, then send a check based on that; As long as they pay for the repairs, then we have no future issues; But we will fight if they try to issue me a $1500 check on a $3200 repair bill; I can not force the shop lower their bid down to $1500, but this is just one of those, what if deals....

This is why we pay for insurance, and I do not know about some of you guys,
but I do not pay premium insurance rates to have 2nd hand parts put back on; If
they are doing to do that, then they can add on to the diminished value payment.
this car is not going to sell at the price as it would have sold before it got hit....

It may or may not apply since it's not your carrier paying for the damage. That said, better read your policy.

I filed a claim with my carrier years back and yep, not only could they use re-manufactured parts but the hood didn't line up properly because of it. To make a really long story short, I was SOL.

My car was "new" but it was over a certain number of miles which allowed them to use junk to fix my car.

 

[dsimms]

Im glad he had insurance, otherwise, it could have
cost me $1000 deductible for sure. I already have
enough losses due to increased taxes, prefer not
have more losses on top of that....

I understand that we have losses, but this is the
business they have chosen to be in...

Actually, you haven't been paying insurance premiums. The person you hit was paying the premiums for the coverage that is going to repair your car.

Just tell the adjuster that you'd like him to come out at his earliest opportunity and estimate out the damage. State Farm wants this to end well just as much as you do. While they want to limit the loss, they also don't want to act in bad faith and incur legal problems over it down the road.

 

[mamagajambo]

The use of "salvaged/recycled/like, kind, and quality/used, junk" parts differ by carrier. I remember a while back SF got gigged in court w/regards to the use of these parts, but I'm not sure what their current stance is towards use of LKQ parts. Your repair facility would know though.

Use of LKQ parts is still common with many carriers(Perhaps even yours). You mentioned your vehicle to be a 2008 model. There is usually a threshold (current year model and/or xx,xxx miles) after which LKQ parts are utilized when/if avail.

 

[FullAuto]

If you go to a SF Direct Repair Program (DRP) facility, they have to follow SF repair standards. If you go to a shop not on the program, they can repair the car in any manner as long as the customer is satisified. If you think the shop's have higher repair standards, that would be incorrect. Shop's want to cut corners. They have no desire to do more work or invest more into parts than an insurance carrier is willing to pay and either eat the difference or attempt to bill the customer for the additional. If you decide you go to a SF DRP shop, SF will spend more money to have your car repaired than if you choose a shop off their program. There are many reasons for this and I can explain if needed.

SF has an internal company policy that they only bid OEM exterior sheetmetal and safety items unless specifically requested by the insured/claimant (which are extremely rare situations) or some crazy circumstance where they can't find an OEM fender for your 1948 Mercury but aftermarket is available. The will use recycled "LKQ" parts when available although some states have laws where age considerations apply (not in my state as I'd buy you a used part for your 2013 that you wrecked pulling out of the dealership lot). SF uses aftermarket mechanical items like radiators, condensors, steering and suspension parts, etc. when it's economical. Reman parts are mainly chrome bumpers and bumper covers on cars with some mechanical parts like a steering gear assembly, water pump, etc.

If you receive an estimate with a recycled or reman part, don't complain. This is typically pretty easy to work around. In fact, the shops usually take care of it without your knowledge. If you want to be really involved and don't have much faith in the shop you've chosen, you can post a copy of the estimate here or email it to me and I can help you with any concerns you might have. If you have part concerns, those are probably the easiest to deal with. It's differences of opinions as it applies to procedures that get a little tricky. And as long as you aren't trying to pocket money or the shop is just shady, there are rarely any procedure issues.

Unless you wreck your car often and are just in love with that shop, I'd recommend you one of their DRP shops. It will be a much easier and faster process for you. There won't be any corners cut. If you have any problems, the shop will bend over backwards to make it right. They have to. They don't want you to complain. The SF DRP system is a gravy train and once a shop is on, they don't want to get kicked off. SF has the highest gross average repair cost in the business and the most cars insured in the U.S. That's max volume and max $ per repair. And even with that being said, you can go get an estimate from your shop and I'd expect their adjuster to write maybe 70-80% of your estimate. That's how the game works. If they write $1500 and your shop writes $3200, guess what happens? They fix it for $1500 and are happy to do it. It happens every day.