Hi,

I am not sure whether I have the right to post this question in this forum but I have been searching in Google for the answer for quite awhile and struck no luck on that and that's why I am asking it here.

I got involved in an accident with my Eclipse Spyder and my insurance coverage is only 5K per accident which is the minimum for California, the state I live in. The damages on the other car were estimated to 9K which means I will have to pay the difference. I was wondering whether any of you have been in a similar situation and could advise me on what they did. I can get the 4K but I do not think I can do it in 1-2 months so I was wondering whether I could do it in a payment plan or something else? I am also thinking of arguing the amount of 9K damages as the only thing damaged on the other car was the front tire and passenger fender unless something internal happened. Do you think arguing about the amount can help and could buy me some time until I get the 4K unless some sort of a payment plan is available?

Again, I am sorry if I disturb you with that off-forum question but I do not have any other place to ask.

I will appreciate your opinions and advise.

Thank you,

Svetlin

 

Well, from other forums, any insurance topics usually varied from company to company, like State Farm for instance, alot of people with them get hooked up if they get in an accident. Then again, there's alot of diffrent variables to take into account, laiability, coverage limits. But I'm guessing you were at fault, and fighting their insurance company (I assume) wouldn't be the good idea, just ask them about payment options.

 

when people get in accidents, they get estimates for how much it will cost to fix, and they always try to get the estimate as high as possible so they can fix it for cheaper and pocket some cash. You need to ask for a copy of the estimate and go over it with someone who knows what they are looking at to see if its legit. The ideal situation would be to ask them to fix it, and you will cover the bill after, that way you're not getting ripped off. Unfortunately, you may not have that option.

 

California must have some strange rules. I'm used to either paying for collision or not. On my 85 I have no collision which means that if it's my fault my insurance doesn't pay for anything on my vehicle but will pay the other driver for repairs. If it's the other drivers fault, his insurance will pay for mine and his. Anyway, 9k for the damage you claim you did seems awfully high. You could see if you can hire an independent appraiser who will verify the damages. It may only be a couple of hundred bucks for good piece of mind. If you go to court you will need more than a "I think it's too high" defense. Also take pictures. I would also back up the other suggestion about paying the body shop directly if you can. Now I have gotten estimates from body shops intending to fix it myself, but the estimates were legitimate, and I consider my time and labor payable. But having the bill padded is illegal so be careful. What year was the other car? 9k may be approaching it's salvage value?? Does CA law say you need 2 estimates? I would go on the CA gov. web site and look up the statutes to see where you stand legally. You will need to act fast as you don't want the other car to be fixed before you take some action.

 

What kinda car did you hit?? If you hit a $50k car I could see it being a little pricey.. A fender, rim, and cv shaft cant cost ne where near 9k