Car is only months old and a 84 year old lady side swiped the right side of the car with her Cobalt. Damage is to passenger side rear door, rocker panel, rear wheel and rear fender. Lucky it wasn't worse and nobody was hurt.

 

Since most insurance companies allow you to take your car for repair to a place of your choice, I would take it to a Lexus dealer and let them get it fixed. I believe you stand a better chance of getting OEM parts and not some secondary market parts, which tend not to fit as well and in some cases the sheet metal is a little thinner. It's her insurance that will pay the bill. What I have done in the past is take it to a place of my choice, file the claim through my insurance carrier and pay the deductible, and when the claim is completed your insurance will bill her carrier and at that point they will reimburse you your deductible and it will not count as an at fault accident against your insurance. My carrier will let me go anywhere and they have never questioned the parts used in this type of situation. Turning it over to her carrier you really do not know what to expect and how well the claim will be handled.

 

damn shame, luckily no one was hurt and the accident wasn't worse.

 

I doubt secondary/aftermarket replacement parts would even be available for a car this new. Hopefully you get this fixed and back on the road again.

 

man, dammit!!! that sux.

 

Glad you and all involved are ok, it could have been worse.

 

Old people shouldn't drive. End of story

 

Nah, it's women who shouldn't be allowed to drive.

Statistics show that the safest drivers, by age and gender, are men between the age of 64-69.

To make the roads even safer only men should be allowed to drive and not until they reach their 64th birthday.

JR

 

Actually, it's young people who cause more accidents. I don't think they should be allowed to drive.

 

Don't sweat lining up dealer only repair. Ferret out the best body shop in town. Get a quote from them. Then, the insurance adjuster will use that quote and his little computer to generate his own quote allowing/requiring use of substitute parts. Don't sweat this either. When the shop finally gets the green light to begin work, they will "discover" substitute parts are unavailable. They will then order Lexus parts from your local dealer who will order them from the regional center (or Port). Then, when the parts come in, you'll get the best repair/replacement using the best parts. I just went through this a month ago (damned deer!) and it's no big deal. Good luck.

 

Depending on your state law, you have a choice between aftermarket and OEM parts. Just let the adjuster know that you want your car repaired with OEM parts and not aftermarket. I'm an adjuster/appraiser and do this daily, I don't think you'll have any problem having your car repaired using quality parts.

 

Not by Florida law you don't. Very few states require anything other than simple disclosure of aftermarket parts used in the repair, their price, and a requirement that the parts meet OEM "standards" which compliance NOBODY is checking!

To the OP:
You can always REQUIRE OEM parts be used (it IS your vehicle), but your insurance company is likely to get nasty and you will have to pay for the difference in cost between aftermarket and OEM. That's why it's best to go along with the adjuster and then let the body shop "discover" no aftermarket parts exist for your new car. Usually, the insurance company will usually readily accept the upcharge (what else can they do?) and pay it directly to the body shop. That way, YOU don't fight with the adjuster or your insurance company; the body shop does all the dirty work, and you get OEM parts.

In general, the adjuster is your enemy and the body shop is your friend. Talk to the body shop BEFORE bringing in the adjuster (but not before notifying your insurance company of the accident). You'll get the real story from any experienced shop owner/manager and end up with the best repair. Remember, adjusters are paid by the insurance companies to minimize the cost of repairs any way possible. Body shops have an incentive the other way; bigger payouts for OEM parts (shops collect a % of part price) and labor (better work) = bigger paydays. Which is working for you?

P.S. That's very astute advice from Valley101 about getting your insurance company to front the repairs and having hers reimburse you later. Her insurance is doubly motivated to chintz (not their customer and general cheapness) whereas yours is only motivated by general greed. It still wants to keep you happy and paying premiums. I'll have to remember this little trick if someone hits me. Thanks, Vallley!

 

That advice can backfire.

My daughter's car was totaled. The other driver was cited for the accident by the police. Fortunately my daughter was uninjured.

We had State Farm, other driver had Allstate.

I called my long time State Farm agent who advised me to not file with State Farm but to file with Allstate directly. My agent explained I was at risk if I filed with State Farm because a month prior my 300ZX was broken into in a mall parking lot and the radio was stollen. It seems that incident created 2 claims, one for glass breakage and one the radio. My daughters accident would be a 3rd claim within months. Even though none of the claims were our fault the number of claims within a short time period would flag us as a bad risk.

I had the car towed to a body shop and called Allstate. I presented Allstate with the Police report where their driver was cited and had 3 tickets Issued. Allstate then accepted responsibility.

Allstate then sent an adjuster to the body shop who agreed with the body shop that extent of repairs qualified it to be totaled. 2 days later Allstate called with an offer that was more than fair. We had a check the next day and we bought our daughter a replacement car.

JR

 

Hmm...a lot going on here.You're implying your insurance company is "officially" unaware of accidents in which another insurance company pays the claim. Is that actually the case? Surely State Farm was aware your car was totalled, no? Also, the OP was talking about a repair that he would have to live with, not a total loss where a new car is in the offing. I ask because <knock, knock> I've never had a casualty loss of any size where another driver was responsible. I've only ever hit deer, had rocks hit me, or (when I was a lad) crashed my own car into trees and other cars.

 

No, I was not implying anything. I was just passing on was what my agent told me i.e. 3 claims filed within a few months on MY policies put me at risk of cancellation, no matter who was at fault.

Perhaps it's a Florida thing because of the No-Fault rules.

I had a similar issue as the OP had. My wife's 3 day old Prius was hit by an "elderly" driver and tore the bumper cover, while I was pumping gas.

The other driver was also covered by State Farm. I called my agent and he told me to call the other drivers agent. We made the call via my cell phone on the spot. The other driver admitted to his agent he was at fault and the claim was filed under the other drivers policy number.

I took my car to a Lexus dealer who replaced the bumper cover and provided a rental car, all covered by the other driver's policy. The repair was perfect.

JR