Insurance FAQ

This is where you can find answers to frequently asked questions about auto body insurance claims.

Q. An insurance adjuster looked over my vehicle and provided me with a claim number and estimate, but the estimate is less than the one the shop provided me. What do I do?

A. Don’t worry. The place where you are getting your repair done (the vendor) will communicate with the insurance company to ensure your repairs are covered. Insurance adjusters are skilled professionals, but estimating auto body repairs are the vendor’s specialty. Often times the vendor will notice damages the adjuster overlooked and will work with the insurance company to insure your damages are covered. This is why its important to work with a vendor that has experience working with insurance companies.

Q. Do I need to gather multiple auto body repair estimates?

A. No. If you have a body shop you are comfortable handling your repairs, you may tell your insurance company that is where you would like to go to have the work done.

Q. I’ve got my check for my auto body repair, now what do I do?

A. Schedule your repair. As mentioned previously, often times the check will be for less than the cost of repairs. Professionals speculate insurance companies do this to keep costs down. A skilled vendor will be able to work with your insurance company to ensure all damages are repaired.

Q. If I make a comprehensive damage claim, will my insurance rate increase?

A. No. Insurance companies do not raise their rates over comprehensive claims. A comprehensive claim is something that happens to your property from a natural occurrence: something out of your control (this is includes hail damage).

Q. Should I just keep my check and not get the repairs done?

A. While it is tempting to keep the money and postpone the repair, it may not be the wisest decision. This could pose problems should you have an accident later and you may wind up paying thousands more out-of-pocket. Additionally, the insurance company may payout less in the event that you have another accident with your vehicle because you did not use the money they gave you previously to repair the vehicle.

Another problem you may incur, should you opt to cash the check, is the value of your vehicle will be lower. If the money collected is not applied towards any liens against the vehicle, the value for the trade-in or sale of your vehicle may not be enough to cover the lien; costing you more money later.