Hello,

I purchased my CPO back in October (currently 40k miles, bought at 34k miles) and just got into an accident. It was a freeway off ramp with two lanes and I was on the right lane making a left turn (you could go right, left, straight). A Nissan Quest on the left lane was making a wide turn and hit my driver-side front and rear door (hard to see front door damage from the pic).

I was little surprised no side or curtain airbag deployed with that damage. Anyhow, I doubt it will be totaled by my insurance co.. They say I may have to pay the price difference if I opt to get it repaired at a Lexus dealership. What do you guys think? Would you ever consider a non-Lexus repair shop for that kind of damage? Also, I don't have rental insurance, so hoping Lexus could provide me with a loaner..

This is so heartbreaking

 

No such thing, if you have full coverage, it should be 100% covered.

I wouldn't go Lexus though, most dealerships just go to another paint shop (3rd party) for repairs, then they price gouge on top of that for "taking care" of you.

 

Ask your Lexus dealership for a recommended body shop.
If the other driver is at fault, his/her insurance will take care of your car rental.

 

Thanks guys for your inputs.

I will try one of these:
http://www.lccc-online.com/owners/collision_centers.php

 

I am not 100% sure about US insurance coverage, but in Canada, you have the right to select any body shop you want, period. The insurance company has their "recommended" (read el cheapo use parts from junkyard) shops, but they have no right to make you pay a "difference" if you choose a good shop. The insurance suggested places *may* (depending on how shady your insurer/body shop is) opt to cut corners that you would likely not see, but things like rust protection on newly installed panels, paint quality and application, as well as other non visible damage may not be properly done. The shop must be reasonable and justify its price for the damage, otherwise it is fraud, under your coverage you have right for your car to be brought back to perfect condition, if your insurer doesn't like that then they just "total" it. On the swing side, just because it is expensive (read Lexus) doesn't mean they do a good job. Dealrships 99.9% do not run body shops and like the insurer just want to be charged the least by the person performing the work, at most they will have an on-site 3rd party body shop. You are best off finding an independent shop that is watching out for you. Call every shop that doesn't look like someone's home garage and see what they say..

Call around, find an honest body shop, tell them who your insurer is and ask where they will source replacement parts from. Some insurers pressure the body shops to source parts based on the following priority Scrap yard -> Aftermarket low tier -> Aftermarket high tier -> OEM part. An honest shop will be frank with you as what you can expect from the insurer. Also check that the work done by the body shop comes with a warranty.

I have had a very positive experience from my insurer, AVIVA, before (yea, I was surprised as I was ready for hassles and a fights over the phone)

 

I recently had to deal with insurance to fix my vehicle due to another driver hitting me. I expected it to be a huge PITA, but had no fights or difficulty in getting what was reasonable.

Their insurance should pay for everything, including a rental. I was told I had to get an initial estimate at one of "their" body shops, but then took that estimate to the shop of my choosing to have the repair completed. Discuss all this with the claim rep from their insurance once you start the process. Communication and being polite will go a long way. If your shop finds more damage than the initial estimate, they will file a supplemental with the other parties insurance. DO NOT allow them to pay you direct for anything. Have them pay the body shop directly and this ensures that you are in a position to only accept the car when you are satisfied with the repairs.

On the rental car, let the insurance rep know that you would like them to book a comparable class vehicle for you. I ended up with a Hyundai Genesis instead of the Altima they were initially going to put me in.

If they push back, gently remind them that THEIR insured is the at fault driver and you just want to made whole with minimal inconvenience.

Good luck and given the scope of the damage, look into a diminished value claim as part of the process with their insurance.

 

Ok, thanks for a long response. It sounds like you took their (at fault's) insurance route. My insurance is State Farm and theirs is some shady Infinity Auto Insurance. I filed a claim with SF and just talked to Infinity and confirmed the driver at fault filed a claim with them as well.

Both companies told I could choose whichever route I'd like to take - either through State Farm or through Infinity. I'm just thinking it'll be much harder for me to deal with their insurance co as it's not one of the big name firms.

I just looked at Costco car rental and they quote approx. $350 for 2 weeks, ~$700 for 1 month for a full size sedan.

I'd definitely go for a comparable vehicle if I had a rental insurance with me, but I don't want to risk some portion of my out of pocket expenses not being reimbursed by their insurance.

Do you think it'd be fine for me to deal with State Farm and just get my own rental for hopefully later reimbursement? How long would it typically take for me to be reimbursed?

ONE MORE THING,

State Farm told me at their inspection site tomorrow, they are going to cut me a check so I can take it to get it fixed at a shop of my choice. I asked what if it comes out to be a lot higher than their check, then they said they will send out an adjuster. So you're suggesting to refuse to take their check tomorrow and deal with it later?

Thanks everyone for your inputs.

 

Keep in mind if you go through State Farm, you will be out your deductible unless Infinity offers to advance you that amount. No guarantee they will reimburse you 100% of your rental expenses as they can question how long you are in the rental as well as the amount you paid. I would suggest going through Infinity so you have no out of pocket and they set up your rental for direct pymt by Infinity. If you pay rental, ask rental co if they can give you insurance rate. If not, your SF adjuster can get the rental co to give you insurance rate which is much lower. Try Enterprise.

On your check from State Farm, it is not a final pymt but based on what they see at your appraisal appointment. Shop,will communicate with them if they find more damage. That is normal so don't be concerned.

 

....also, the at-fault insurance company MUST provide you with a rental car for the duration of repair. Don't forget to ask for diminished value re-reimbursement. If I were you, I would not involve my insurance unless absolutely necessary.

 

Why would you immediately jump to using your insurance? You'll have to pay the deductible AND it will potentially affect your premiums going forward. I'd definitely start with their insurance and fall back to yours only as a last resort. Also, no way would I pay out of pocket for something like a rental with the hope that insurance will cover the cost later. Work all those details out BEFORE you spend a dime of your own money.

As I said, I wouldn't take a check from either company unless you planned to do the work yourself or skip the repair. Significant damage to your car and I can almost guarantee the final number will be higher than the initial estimate. There could be alignment issues, electrical, exhaust, or lots of other stuff beyond the obvious panel damage. Search my history and look at the very minor cosmetic damage to my rear bumper cover. Ended up being over $3k + 10 days of rental car. Total paid by their insurance was close to $4k and that was for a bumper cover hit with no panel damage. Once opened up, they found two bad parking sensors and the Y pipe on my exhaust were damaged as a result of the accident. That alone more than doubled the early estimate.

Their "in house" shop gave me an initial estimate of $1300 or so IIRC and if I had taken a check, dealing with the additional damage would have put me in the middle. By having them pay the body shop directly, I just let them work it out and picked up my car once complete.

Did you get a police report and does it clearly state the other driver as the at fault party? If so, that's your leverage against their insurance. Even if it is some fly by night deal, they have a legal responsibility to cover damage by their insured. If they balk or are difficult, call your state insurance commission and file a complaint.

If you're willing to endure the extra expense, go for it, but no way I'd let the other parties insurance off the hook that easily if there was no contributing fault on your part. My car was still drivable, even though the check engine light was on due to the exhaust leak. I drove my car for nearly two week while the police report was completed and I worked out the details and estimate with their rep.

Take notes on EVERY call with their rep, date and time, so you can reference. Document what was discussed and said along the way. If there is an issue, having a clear and concise timeline will make your case much stronger.

Remember, they hit you. Your out of pocket should be ZERO (other than time and aggravation).

 

Go with your insurance. Let them do the paperwork and deal with other party's insurance company. After all you pay them for the insurance and service.

Unless you are at fault, there won't be a deductible, You can either accept the check or have the check sent to your auto body shop. If your auto body shop finds more damage, they will contact your insurance.

Just remember if your car is still driveable, the insurance only pays for the rental while the car is being repaired.