Urgent help needed: Dealing with insurance adjuster

Ok guys so my car was hit while it was parked, the guy that hit it stuck around and give me his insurance info (great).

Today the adjuster finally shows up (Farmers). The guy misses half the damage to the car (even though he took pictures of it all) on the claim form.

Now farmers want to replace the driver side headlight, quarter panel, and front bumper with non-OEM parts because they're cheaper.

I've left a message with the adjuster and am expecting to hear from him in the morning some time.

So my questions are:

1) How should I deal with this to ensure that the parts that they put back on are exact matches for the parts they took off

2) What are my other options (filing claim through my insurance, etc?)

Any advise is greatly welcome.

Interesting, that's another option as well. I might do that. I think I'm going to discuss it with my insurance company first and get the skinny on having them cover it then go to farmers for the deduction.

Um.. what to do what to do... So much trouble because someone wasn't paying attention.

Insurance companies CANT tell you where to take it!! Get and independent quote/estimate from any shop you like and go from there

The problem is their adjuster will only pay for so much, so if the OEM parts cost more I'm SOL.

Then what?

It looks like they are trying to rip you off.

At worst the insurance adjuster is going to make money out of this by some shady transactions where his company will pay for full parts while you get cheap parts on your car and the rest leaks into the pocket of the adjuster. That's not impossible if you use a shop selected by the adjuster.

The problem is their adjuster will only pay for so much, so if the OEM parts cost more I'm SOL.

 

Then what?

They have an obligation to pay for reapris to your car to put it in the same condition it was before their nsured hit it - if the car is a $1 trillion supercar they have to pay that (to their policy limits) if it is a $300 beater they have to pay that. If the car is modified they have to pay to repair the modified parts, etc.

Insist on OEM quality parts (that is what you are entitled to).

If it was your fault and your insurance covering the damage it is a different story.

I was recently in the same situation. Farmers was the other guys insurance. Farmers has a network of bodyshops called "circle of dependence" or something like that. They gave me a list of shops in the area and I looked up reviews. I found a good shop and insisted on OEM parts. They negotiated w/ Farmers and since they were a "circle" shop farmers just paid them I didn't have to worry about it. They found more stuff wrong after the teardown and fixed it all and just charged Farmers.

I would try to do what this guy did. Find out which body shops they use.

Or have your own body shop give you a estimate and see whatt he guy there say about dealing with this. They do it all the time.

Or call your company and have them handle it all, that's what you pay premiums for. Even if they say they won't jack your rates because of this, they all lie anyway's. They will find some way to raise all our rates.

You have the right, by law to go to whichever body shop you choose, no matter the cost, either way if you go through his insurance company or pay your deductible and go through yours, it will show up on his insurance record as his fault (as long as he is the one that is found to be at fault). So, your rates will not be affected, his rates will go up in this case, either way.

If you file through your insurance, pay your deductible, your insurance company should fight for you to get that back.

I used to be a claims adjuster. I had people freak out on me about non-OEM parts too. We offered a lifetime warranty on the parts and the shop stood behind their repairs should anything go wrong. The concept of OEM is bullcrap, especially when it comes to body work. The same body panel can come from the same source and just because it is stamped Subaru, they mark it up. Non-OEM has to meet or exceed OEM specs. You have every right to have OEM installed on your car, but the insurance will pay for non-OEM and you'll have to come up with the difference. It's usually how it works. Do you really really think Subaru plants are churning out their parts? Hate to break it to you, but most parts are build by the lowest bidder, so therefore not OEM to begin with.

Most if not all insurance companies have a list of shops that are on their prefered list and they are called VIP shops, select service, circle of trust, whatever. These shops do NOT have a contract with the insurance company, but the insurance company trusts them based on their service, etc. If you go with such a shop it will be easier for you because if something goes wrong, you don't have to deal with it. The insurance company will have to straighten you out because the insurance company will cut the check straight to said shop, not you. If you go to a shop that is NOT on the preferred list, if something goes wrong the adjuster will say "hey, it was your choice, it's between you and the shop".

My opinion. Go with one of their "circle of trust" or whatever shops so if something goes wrong, you don't have to deal with getting it fixed. Non-OEM is also a non-issue.

It looks like they are trying to rip you off.

 

At worst the insurance adjuster is going to make money out of this by some shady transactions where his company will pay for full parts while you get cheap parts on your car and the rest leaks into the pocket of the adjuster. That's not impossible if you use a shop selected by the adjuster.

That's a common misconception about how insurance companies conduct business. If such a thing were really taking place, upon opening the books the government would shut down said insurance carrier for dishonest business practices. Or are you going to tell me the government is in on it too

They have an obligation to pay for reapris to your car to put it in the same condition it was before their nsured hit it - if the car is a $1 trillion supercar they have to pay that (to their policy limits) if it is a $300 beater they have to pay that. If the car is modified they have to pay to repair the modified parts, etc.

That's not how indemnity works. I'll give you a specific example. Dodge used to insist that upon damage, the hood of a Viper would have to be replaced ENTIRELY, to the tune of several thousand dollars. And of course, they were the only ones manufacturing said hood. They would NOT accept repairs because the hood is fiberglass so they deemed repairs unsafe. In reality, it was just a money-making scheme. Several insurance companies hired independend bodywork guys and crash test labs and performed repairs on said hoods, after which they tested them in crash situations. They exceeded OEM specs. Finally, under pressuring them, Dodge came around and accepted such repairs. So now, instead of paying 10 grand on a brand new hood for your Viper, if you have a crack in it or a dent, it can be fixed for 500 bucks.

I think some of you ought to read your insurance policy sometime ...

The concept of OEM is bullcrap, especially when it comes to body work.

I have to disagree based on MY experience. When I needed work done on my Land Cruiser I was assured by the estimator that there was little to no difference in quality between OEM and non-OEM parts. Wrong. The quality of the rubber and plastic on the non-OEM parts is clearly inferior to the matching OEM parts. Also, my sister's Altima had the rear bumper cover replaced twice; once to replace the original one that was smashed and a second time when the non-OEM cover had fitment issues. When she picked up the car the owner of the shop told her it would have been cheaper on his end if he just used an OEM bumper cover in the first place rather than trying to make the non-OEM part fit.

I wonder, if I go with my insurance company (who will pay for OEM parts) if they would raise my premiums

shouldnt as long as they get all their money back.

I used to be a claims adjuster. I had people freak out on me about non-OEM parts too. We offered a lifetime warranty on the parts and the shop stood behind their repairs should anything go wrong. The concept of OEM is bullcrap, especially when it comes to body work. The same body panel can come from the same source and just because it is stamped Subaru, they mark it up. Non-OEM has to meet or exceed OEM specs. You have every right to have OEM installed on your car, but the insurance will pay for non-OEM and you'll have to come up with the difference. It's usually how it works. Do you really really think Subaru plants are churning out their parts? Hate to break it to you, but most parts are build by the lowest bidder, so therefore not OEM to begin with.

 

Most if not all insurance companies have a list of shops that are on their prefered list and they are called VIP shops, select service, circle of trust, whatever. These shops do NOT have a contract with the insurance company, but the insurance company trusts them based on their service, etc. If you go with such a shop it will be easier for you because if something goes wrong, you don't have to deal with it. The insurance company will have to straighten you out because the insurance company will cut the check straight to said shop, not you. If you go to a shop that is NOT on the preferred list, if something goes wrong the adjuster will say "hey, it was your choice, it's between you and the shop".

 

My opinion. Go with one of their "circle of trust" or whatever shops so if something goes wrong, you don't have to deal with getting it fixed. Non-OEM is also a non-issue.

CAPA approved parts are a huge scam. They aren't OEM equivalent. They have inferior rustproofing and any body guy can tell you that half the time they don't fit right. Real fun when your hood unhooks and mates with your windscreen (see Honda Accord, see Toyota Tacoma Hood recall). I've had cars with CAPA parts on them Funny, only the replaced parts rust. (And it wasn't the pant as OEM panels that were repainted were just fine). Lower quality plastics that shatter on impact in the cold (real cold, like -20F, which the subaru stuff does fine, ice racing FTW!).

Subaru does churn out a lot of body parts because it turns out they can make a lot of money because frequently no one else makes a truely equivalent part.

Now thanks to insurance lobbying, many states don't require that insurance companies use new OEM parts. Some allow used OEM parts or new aftermarket. Look upthe laws.

New OEM>Used OEM>. . .>Aftermarket

The issue I'm hearing you guys talk about is inferior OEM. You are incorrectly and unfairly labeling ALL OEM as junk. Some are bad, but not all.

Some domestics come with bubbling, peeling paint and rust under the body panels from factory

That's not how indemnity works. I'll give you a specific example. Dodge used to insist that upon damage, the hood of a Viper would have to be replaced ENTIRELY, to the tune of several thousand dollars. And of course, they were the only ones manufacturing said hood. They would NOT accept repairs because the hood is fiberglass so they deemed repairs unsafe. In reality, it was just a money-making scheme. Several insurance companies hired independend bodywork guys and crash test labs and performed repairs on said hoods, after which they tested them in crash situations. They exceeded OEM specs. Finally, under pressuring them, Dodge came around and accepted such repairs. So now, instead of paying 10 grand on a brand new hood for your Viper, if you have a crack in it or a dent, it can be fixed for 500 bucks.

 

I think some of you ought to read your insurance policy sometime ...

You really don't want to go there. I suggest you read my post

I used to be a claims adjuster.

 

 

Sorry, not sure I'd admit to that. lol

So the resolution for me here is to drop an extra $60 to cover the cost difference from OEM to non-OEM, man what a scam. If I had hit this guy my insurance company would be putting OEM parts back on his car, and for me to get the same treatment I get to fork over more cash.

I didn't ask to be backed into and the guy admitted fault. I think the next thing I'm going to do is present the dude with the bill from the body shop and ask for my $60 back (which isn't much, but irritating). If he's a stand up guy he'll just cover it.