The types of coverage that pay for your car repairs
It ‘s substantive to understand the three car policy coverage types that can cover your car while it ‘s in the body workshop : collision, comprehensive and rental car reimbursement insurance .
collision and comprehensive are typically optional coverages that pay for your repairs to your fomite after an accident. These protections carry a deductible — normally about $ 250, $ 500 or $ 1,000. The lower your deductible, the higher your premiums will be, but the less you ‘ll be creditworthy for out of pocket if you file a claim .
In the event of a sum loss, your insurance company will pay out your claim up to your cable car ‘s actual cash measure, which is your car ‘s original purchase price minus disparagement. These are n’t required by law but can be required by your lease or finance company.
- Collision Insurance pays for repairs or replacements to your car when involved in an accident with another vehicle or a stationary object. Note that insurers generally require you to have comprehensive coverage in place before adding collision.
- Comprehensive Insurance covers damages to your vehicle not caused by a collision. Incidents include theft, vandalism, fire, falling objects, severe storms and natural disasters, hitting an animal, and acts of God or nature that are typically out of your control when driving. You’re typically reimbursed the ACV amount minus your deductible if your vehicle needs to be replaced.
- Rental Car Insurance
Having both comprehensive and collision is considered “full coverage”. Whether they ‘re worthwhile for you depends on the value of your cable car. If you have a newer model, it ‘s worthwhile to get full coverage because the value you stand to lose is higher if your car gets totaled .
These coverages are all different from liability insurance, which covers damages to another person ‘s car or place, arsenic well as bodily injuries, that result from an accident you caused. Drivers in every state are required by law to have this coverage, although minimum mandate limits will vary .
What to do after an accident
Following a car-damaging event, you should immediately contact the succeed authorities :
- 9-1-1 emergency services if anyone is injured
- Local police if other cars/property is involved
- Your insurer to report a claim
“ policy should get involved correct aside, ” said Nicholas Cronauer, lawyer with Charles E. Cronauer & Associates. “ The insurance companies generally assess who is at fault between themselves, based upon their cover ‘s instruction and the patrol report. ”
A claims adjuster will cursorily be assigned to your case, and probable be your main point of reach throughout the claim resolution/repair process. This person will :
- Expect you to answer all questions honestly and with as much detail as possible
- Collect statements from witnesses
- Examine the accident details
- Review medical reports
- Inspect all vehicles involved
- Provide a damage repair estimate
Who pays to fix your vehicle
If you ‘re at fault for an accident, your insurance company will cover your repairs after you pay your deductible, however if the other driver is at mistake you can file a claim with their insurance supplier.
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If the early driver is at mistake, you can choose to have his insurance company handle your claim ; but if they are n’t cooperative or responsive, you can opt to have your insurance company pay for your repairs ( minus your deductible ) .
In this event, your insurance company will seek recompense ( including reimbursement of your deductible ) from the other carrier through inter-company arbitration or a process called subrogation. If there ‘s a dispute over who ‘s at fault, the insurers can sue each other in court to recover claim monies paid to the insured .
Kathy Wertheim, a driver in Ventura, California, said it ‘s important to be dogged with your adjuster after filing a title. “ Do n’t assume they know what ‘s going on. Call them every few days, and contact your normal indemnity agent, besides, ” said Wertheim, who was disappointed she had to wait respective weeks to receive her reimbursement discipline following an accident involving her 2007 Prius, which was deemed unrepairable. Her insurance company reimbursed her for the pre-accident ACV ( $ 10,300 ), and she ended up purchasing a comparable replacement vehicle that set her back an extra $ 5,000 .
If the damages are minimal ( typically below $ 1,000 ), no injuries occurred and no other personal property/vehicles were involved, you can always opt to pay for the repairs yourself without filing a claim. Filing a claim can raise your car indemnity quotes in the future because insurers view you as a riskier policyholder to insure .
Choosing an auto repair shop
You have the correct to decide where to have your car fixed. But if the estimate you get from your insurance company ‘s recommended denounce is lower than a quotation you get from another garage, you might have to pay the remainder .
The advantage of going with an insurer-recommended animate facility is that the insurance company “ has an established relationship with that company, is conversant with their work and can trust them, ” said Bob Passmore, adjunct frailty president of personal lines for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America. “ But you should constantly be comfortable with whomever you choose for the repairs. ”
Some insurers besides offer a repair guarantee if you choose a compensate denounce in their prefer network .
consequently, it may be judicious to provide your insurance company with rectify quotes from a few different repair shops .
Consider these tips when choosing a repair facility :
- Ask friends and relatives for referrals to shops they trust.
- Give a copy of your insurer’s estimate to the shop, and be sure they can/will complete all the work indicated on that estimate.
- Have the shop provide a detailed price quote estimate in writing, and make sure your insurer approves of this estimate.
- Try to get a lifetime warranty on the repairs, which can indicate a trustworthy company.