Guys wait...I think I'm going to be in a bind.. I called the insurance adjuster's office and got through to someone else there finally ...apparently I THINK (since I cant get a hold of him since monday) he mailed a check for only $319 !!!

Now what do I do? How do I dispute this? This is nuts!!! $300 aint shiiiieet.

Can I take it to a body shop.....and have them REbill the ins company for a higher amount? You know it's gonna cost more than that.

I am so lost and confused in this...as I have never done this before.

HELP!

Myke,
Do you mean that you called YOUR insurance company?? I am not sure how insurance companies differ from wher I live, but shouldn't the dood who hit you's insurance company be paying? Is the reason that you are getting such a little amount because of a deductable? Insurance companies have to get your car back to the condition that you car was in before the accident. Otherwise you might have to bring that guy to court. Get your neighbor who heard him say it was all his fault ready to testify in court on your behalf if you have to.

Edit: If you wish to dispute the charges, whatever you do, do NOT cash the check. Cashing the check is a legal way of saying that you agree to the settlement that the insurance company is offering you.

imo, your bumper doesnt need to be replaced you can put this putty that will go in the gashes and have them repaint it(different body shop) lol.. and you will have some money left over imo but if you want more, send them the check back make sure you make copies of it and call your insurance

Obviously, it's his insurance. Not mine.

How much did your estimate say it would cost to fix your front end? When an insurance company pays for repairs for someone else's vehicle, they pay the full ammount of what your estimate says. A deductable does not apply to you. If they are not giving you the money to put your car back to the condition it was in before their client damaged your car. I would contact the guy that ran into you, tell them his insurance company isn't giving you enough money, and then call the insurance company and tell them to fork over the rest of the cash. Other than that, it's time to call a lawyer.

Good Luck!

heres how it worked when someone hit my gfs neon. we took it to the other guys insurance and they did an estimate right there, and then offered us 900 bucks. they said if that wasnt enough we could go to another body shop and get an estimate, but if we did it that way the ins company would pay the body shop directly, instead of righting us a check. so tell them you want to take it to a body shop, but youll have to actually have it repaired. with the neon, we didnt give a shit and took the 900 bucks!

-johnny

"Few people understand
the psychology of dealing
with a highway traffic cop.
Normal speeders will panic
and immidiately pull over to
the side. This is wrong. It
arouses content in the cop
heart. Make the bastard
chase you, he will follow..."

im with sunblocker myke he hit you.. he seems like he was cool about it.. i think he should pay you for what he did to your car..

Here's what happened to me, and I think it'll answer one of your questions. When my car was hit by a deer, the insurance company wrote me a check for what they thought the damages were, BUT if the check wasn't enough to cover the repair cost all I had to do was get the body shop to fill out a form (came with the check) requesting the addtional funds and they would pay it. Sure enough, their quote was way under and all the shop did was fill out that form and they were paid the extra cash, No hassle or questioning. The owner told me that's not uncommon and that he has to do that all the time.

Thanks, I will wait until I get the check then and go get estimates I guess.


Keep in mind though Blitz that your'e also referring to claim you made on your policy...of course they will jump when you are paying for it. The "other" guy's claims dealings with you being the victim are another story though. I hope I am just worrying as I always do.

Whenever I have to do an insurance claim I bring it to the bodyshop first. Then I take their estimate to my(or the other persons) insurance company. Then they know for sure how much it will be

www.sugarcreekpaint.com is where I will be taking the car.

the BAD NEWS is that my estimate is over $2100 !!!!

Some $300 check. Now my body shop is going to battle with Progressive and see how it goes. Wish me luck guys...as I have not been with luck the past month or so.

On a side note...this body shop is the same shop that badass rides such as those from http://teamkoncept.com (TKR) came from. IE., the kickass white eclipse widebody, the maxima, the prelude, etc...

I saw a widebody MK3 painted KandyApple Red omfg it was SWEEET! all body kit pieces molded, sittin on 18s and all TRD'd up n crap. I was impressed.

*sighs* why can't something go right once for me? All I wanted was some decent money out of this and get my car fixed up.

don't worry mikey things will work out. insurance companies will always try to hand you the smallest dollar but don't give in! they have to pay every last cent to fix your car.let the body shop handle it. if it's a good body shop the will wrestle every dime outta them to get your car fixed right. make the body shop give you a thorough rundown of EVERYTHING they are gonna replace and fix. imo the only way you can fix that bumper is a replacement cuase putty or bondo sounds like it will fall off urethane. where's eclipse804 when ya need him. :P i've had to deal wif other people's insurance many times before but yeah don't give in, that's what they want you to do!

>where's eclipse804 when ya need him. :P

Here I come to the rescue hahah jk. Well this is the easiest way to do it, which other people have already suggested. Take it to an auto body shop that is authorized to do insurance repairs for that guy's insurance company. Get an estimate, then tell the other insurance company that is how much you will need, and fax them the estimate if they need it. Also, how did you come up with a $2100 estimate? Just for a front bumper? Or new headlights too? For 2100, I can get your whole car painted a different color inside and out. Just drive out here to cali :)

If there are scratches on the headlights, you can claim new ones. I did when someone backed into me and slightly scratched it. Here's the breakdown

New stillen front 400
New headlight 300
Paint and install bumper 300
Total = at least 1000. But I don't see how that can get pumped up to 2100?

here's the breakdown on the receipt....

stillen front (with body shop 20% markup)...$499.93

front headlamp components...$380.43

cooling radiator support...repair damage/bent

replace left fender $224.30

blend left door outer panel into fender


paint supplies...$228.80
body labor...$255.60
paint labor...$374.40
Structural labor...$100.00
tax $111.87

total alert...$2197.83 !!!

Woah, I didn't know your fender was damaged too? If they do give you 2100, I would try to get a used fender, or z3 fenders if you want (but they usually don't fit perfect). Then get some projectors for less than 380, and you'll be set. Good luck.

^^^werd

No. I'm getting screwed. They refuse to replace the bumper...and they are only going to fix the bumper, nothing else. They are gonna fight it out now, they will only deal with the shop now.

Nothing seems to go right for me. I got no choice here either. That's what sucks..at least I got to pick my own shop.

Myke, don't worry. You have a car like me. Everything will be okay.

Mike, it is your RIGHT to be able to have your car back to original condition. Fixing the bumper is not really the same as an original. Demand to get it replaced, as well as the headlight. My insurance company didn't even try to argue that you could try to buff out the headlight, they just payed me to replace it because that's what I wanted.

How do I make them do so?

Well tell them that you want your car restored to its original condition. Which means you ARE entitled to all OEM parts that are new. If there is a gash in your bumper (I believe you said there was), then you should get a new bumper. Most insurance companies don't bother fixing urethane bumpers because you can't really fix them good. Threaten to have your lawyer sue the insurance company and hopefully they will listen. YOu can also see if your own insurance company will fight for you and get you your money from the other insurance company.