Minor Body Damage, pay for repairs vs. an insurance claim

I was backing out of a shopping center space with 14" curbs and heard a CRUNCH...
After hearing this sickening noise, I inspected the damage and the rocker panel was crunched along
with collateral damage to adjacent areas.

So...to claim or not to claim and request the insurance company to cover it.
I'm in my 60's and my fam and I work in and about the Boston area, and have had
several fender benders (and worse) over the years, some of which we were at fault (all the
minor ones) I say this because we have dealt with body shops/ insurance companies
over the years.

So...I considered going to our local body shop, who does great work, but he is quite busy, and we didn't
get a good vibe, probably because he is overwhelmed,

I have a $1,000.00 deductible and in MA I have to pay "points" for 6 years. I have some knowledge of
the insurance claims business in the HO and Commercial Property areas, not Auto. I suspect that
the shops quote low to get the job for an insurance claim, and then once the job is in the shop, there is a "supplement", maybe several. So, what can be done, now that the car is pulled apart in their shop.
Has anyone ever heard of an insurance company insisting that the car and it's pieces be picked up and transported to another shop? (NO)

So, I searched on Yelp, and found a shop the next town over that had 5 star yelp reviews -
very many of them, so it couldn't have been all friends and family. The other thing
I liked was that he did a lot of body work for people that were paying the bill out of their
own pocket - a very good sign. Many were people that wanted to fix dings in their leased car, before turning it in at the end of the lease.

OK I go there and find that it's one of those commercial garage type units - that OK although I
wondered if they had a paint room (not sure of the technical word for it but it is a separate room where the car is painted and (I think this still applies) heat lamps are used. Anyway they had them.

So I went in and went into a kind of disgusting office with old coffee cups on the desk, papers taped to the walls, etc.

I received an estimate for $1,100.00. I agreed to have the work done in a few weeks when they had
an opening. It was supposed to take a few days, it was done ahead of time and the owner didn't have any supplements, and took $100.00 off my bill, so the repair cost my deductible, plus no points!

 

The point of this, as I'm sure many have been in the situation, where they wonder if it's worth the future costs of putting a claim in
through their insurance company, or "eating it". In my case I was able to use my wife's V during repairs - which again took a very short time.

So---My advice---Check Yelp reviews or similar, where you are located, and look for +++ratings from people that had to pay for the repairs themselves, oh and make sure the shop has a paint booth.

 

I wasn't asking a question, I was describing my experience with the intent that some forum members may find my approach useful.
In the past I have gleened some useful information from others here.

To sum it up:
1. I had minor body damage to my Prius
2. I located a nearby body shop on Yelp (many reviews - all 5*) that did quality work at a discounted price, when initiating an insurance claim didn't make sense.

The $1,000.00 deductible isn't the issue. In MA you would be assessed points on your insurance bill for 6 years.
Many companies offer accident forgiveness for a small additional premium, but I think that this only keeps them from raising
your rates for one accident. The points are assessed by the state and I don't believe they can be waived by
purchasing accident forgiveness. Maybe another forum member can provide more information on this matter.

 

I picked up my Prime and the owner deducted another $100.00 since I wasn't going through my insurance company.
I asked him about a problem we have with a rattle problem we're having in our V.

My wife's V has a rattle in the passenger door that no one wants to investigate (a glass company, our former body shop, a mechanic we know)
Herman (now my new body shop guy) told me to bring the V by around lunch time some day, and he would take the door panel off and try to find the cause of the rattle. We brought it by, he did his thing, and now the rattle is gone. Apparently a stone inside the door cavity caused the rattle.

Herman did this work for no charge!

 

"Umbrella liability insurance is sold in million dollar increments. If you own much, it might be right for you. The umbrella policy will have moderate level liability requirements on the liability coverage on the other policies, so you might be able to lower the car and other policy's liability limits when the protection is replaced with the umbrella."

Every time I've seen an Umbrella policy, it is contingent on the insured maxxing out the liability limits on his/ her other policies.


" You learned your lesson hopefully.
Anytime you look into the mirrors remember it costs you a $1,000 or more if you dont."

Yes, I have thanks, however the culprit in this case is Granite curbing of at least 10" high, so
it doesn't show up in the mirrors or cameras or back window - CRUNCH .

This was a new store (an Ocean State Job Lots that moved in
to a former Toy's R Us) with new ridiculous curbs.

 

Yes, that may be a good idea. Maybe one on the passenger mirror, I don't like to obstruct my view of the passing lane.
I still remember when cars only had a side view mirror on the driver's side, the passenger side was an option.
My Company car (I think it was a '87 or 88 Grand Am) was a nice car, but came without a passenger side mirror.

 

Sic786 - If your accident involves only damage to your vehicle, and you were not injured, you should be able to have the at fault driver's insurance cover your repairs and a rental car. Sometimes, the liability for an accident is not clear cut though, especially if the other driver contests it. I don't know about NJ, but in MA you can collect through your own insurer and they will pursue the claim against the other drivers carrier ("subrogation").

I'm sure there is something similar where you are, BTW you should discuss your situation with your agent, if you don't have an agent and are with a direct writer, then call one of their CSR's for advice. As a last resort there is always the NJ Insurance Comissioner.