S550 Accident/Repair

[MurderPony]

I'm using my phone and can't see the photos very well but I looked again and the rear body does look like its damaged on the driver side and the gap between the 1/4 panel and luggage lid looks off. "If" I'm seeing that right and they had to pull the vehicle on a bench, repair the lower 1/4, repair the rear body, repair the floor and blend the luggage lid it still wouldn't justify 10k. Even if they had to replace the rear body and repair the rail it still seems a little high.

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[bluebeastsrt]

Yes except that dollar amount stays with the vehicle as apart of its history and is open to interpretation so the smaller the better.

I don't think Carfax reports a dollar amount of damage for repair. Any accident report can be used to Low ball you on trade in or a sale.

I would be weary of any dishonest shop. If they are trying to get over on the insurance company, then they are also likely to do sub-standard repairs and/or use used/remanufactured/replica parts.

The owner of the vehicle has to do their do diligence also. Are you trained to tell the difference between a Ford bumper cover or a Chinese knockoff? Are you willing to remove the bumper once it's been mounted by a bodyshop to ensure you got a Ford part by looking for identifying marking on the underside? How exactly do you tell the difference between a New or used part if your not involved at the time of installation? Lets face it. All we can do is hope the body shop does a quality repair. We look it over best we can then drive it home.

 

[Blk2015GT]

I'm in the school of thought that's as long as they repair Your car to like new condition it's the insurance company's problem if the body shop is trying to get over on them. They need to do their do diligence.

Until your insurance rates go up or your carrier drops you.

Most people don't know how much it costs to repair their car, but do you honestly think it takes $10k of a $30-35k car to replace the rear bumper/tail lights/trim pieces?

Common sense says no.

 

[MurderPony]

Always funny hearing people talk about needing "Factory Parts". Historically that concern is understandable but this is a very common misconception by the public.

Many many many parts are made at a plant that puts the Ford stamp on one and not on the other that are both the exact same.

Also the Mfg parts you buy at the dealer are not Mfg parts. They are aftermarket parts made by an outside company authorized by Ford. They are called "service parts" and are not the same as the part put on your car at the plant.

With all that being said you can't argue wanting "Ford" parts but more and more often it's not necessary.

Also be careful trusting Carfax and ask your body shop, insurance company, dealership etc. if they sell information to them. That's how they get their info and it's not always accurate

 

[bluebeastsrt]

Until your insurance rates go up or your carrier drops you.

Most people don't know how much it costs to repair their car, but do you honestly think it takes $10k of a $30-35k car to replace the rear bumper/tail lights/trim pieces?

Common sense says no.

Im not an insurance adjuster. Are you? If yes, could you tell if there was frame or unibody damage from those photos? I cant speak for everyone. But in New Jersey if "YOUR" insurance company pays for "your" claim. Your insurance will go up! Period! But if your rear-ended your almost always found to be not at fault and the Other drivers insurance is expected to cover it unless your hit by a crackhead without insurance. The the no-fault comes into play but either way your insurance cannot go up.

Always funny hearing people talk about needing "Factory Parts". Historically that concern is understandable but this is a very common misconception by the public.

Many many many parts are made at a plant that puts the Ford stamp on one and not on the other that are both the exact same.

Also the Mfg parts you buy at the dealer are not Mfg parts. They are aftermarket parts made by an outside company authorized by Ford. They are called "service parts" and are not the same as the part put on your car at the plant.

With all that being said you can't argue wanting "Ford" parts but more and more often it's not necessary.

Also be careful trusting Carfax and ask your body shop, insurance company, dealership etc. if they sell information to them. That's how they get their info and it's not always accurate

Agreed with all posts.

 

[MSMStannyl]

I don't think Carfax reports a dollar amount of damage for repair. Any accident report can be used to Low ball you on trade in or a sale.

The owner of the vehicle has to do their do diligence also. Are you trained to tell the difference between a Ford bumper cover or a Chinese knockoff? Are you willing to remove the bumper once it's been mounted by a bodyshop to ensure you got a Ford part by looking for identifying marking on the underside? How exactly do you tell the difference between a New or used part if your not involved at the time of installation? Lets face it. All we can do is hope the body shop does a quality repair. We look it over best we can then drive it home.

One thing I didn't add earlier, but will now because the discussion has headed that way, is about the shop. In general, this shop has very high reviews for their work and has been in business for a long time. What's more, one of my close friends works there now, as of about 2 years ago. We were friends with the current owner of the shop back in our high school days (he did not own it then obviously) and he offered my buddy a job there a couple years back. My friend that now works there helps out on the administrative end of things. Every time I stop by there, I speak to the owner about my car since he's the one actually involved in its repair.

Bottom line is that I trust them. They made sure I got all new OEM parts. For example, Geico originally wanted the bumper cover to be thermally plastic welded or something like that. I didn't want that. I wanted a new one. They made sure I got a new one.

They also did a great job on my previous car, a 2011 pearl white WRX after a deer strike.

I'm out of the loop on whatever their negotiations are with Geico in regards to the supplement. If they're pocketing some extra money, more power to them. It's just that with the process being what it is, I can't see Geico just giving away money without validation. I just want my car repaired perfectly and I trust them to do so. I wanted to post the story here for others to compare to if they are involved in similar incidents. I will also keep updating as I go through the Diminished Value claim after I receive my repaired car back.

 

[bluebeastsrt]

One thing I didn't add earlier, but will now because the discussion has headed that way, is about the shop. In general, this shop has very high reviews for their work and has been in business for a long time. What's more, one of my close friends works there now, as of about 2 years ago. We were friends with the current owner of the shop back in our high school days (he did not own it then obviously) and he offered my buddy a job there a couple years back. My friend that now works there helps out on the administrative end of things. Every time I stop by there, I speak to the owner about my car since he's the one actually involved in its repair.

Bottom line is that I trust them. They made sure I got all new OEM parts. For example, Geico originally wanted the bumper cover to be thermally plastic welded or something like that. I didn't want that. I wanted a new one. They made sure I got a new one.

They also did a great job on my previous car, a 2011 pearl white WRX after a deer strike.

I'm out of the loop on whatever their negotiations are with Geico in regards to the supplement. If they're pocketing some extra money, more power to them. It's just that with the process being what it is, I can't see Geico just giving away money without validation. I just want my car repaired perfectly and I trust them to do so. I wanted to post the story here for others to compare to if they are involved in similar incidents. I will also keep updating as I go through the Diminished Value claim after I receive my repaired car back.

Sounds like a win to me. You've had previous quality work done there before. The shop is well reviewed. Hopefully you'll have another pleasant transaction with them. But look into the DV claim on the other drivers insurance. Your entitled to it. Good Luck.

 

[MichaelKael]

One thing I didn't add earlier, but will now because the discussion has headed that way, is about the shop. In general, this shop has very high reviews for their work and has been in business for a long time. What's more, one of my close friends works there now, as of about 2 years ago. We were friends with the current owner of the shop back in our high school days (he did not own it then obviously) and he offered my buddy a job there a couple years back. My friend that now works there helps out on the administrative end of things. Every time I stop by there, I speak to the owner about my car since he's the one actually involved in its repair.

Bottom line is that I trust them. They made sure I got all new OEM parts. For example, Geico originally wanted the bumper cover to be thermally plastic welded or something like that. I didn't want that. I wanted a new one. They made sure I got a new one.

They also did a great job on my previous car, a 2011 pearl white WRX after a deer strike.

I'm out of the loop on whatever their negotiations are with Geico in regards to the supplement. If they're pocketing some extra money, more power to them. It's just that with the process being what it is, I can't see Geico just giving away money without validation. I just want my car repaired perfectly and I trust them to do so. I wanted to post the story here for others to compare to if they are involved in similar incidents. I will also keep updating as I go through the Diminished Value claim after I receive my repaired car back.

Yeah, maybe, but it seems to look like (to me) they could give you a cut of that 10Gs they're getting... But again, not my field so maybe I'm wrong...

 

[MurderPony]

Im not an insurance adjuster. Are you? If yes, could you tell if there was frame or unibody damage from those photos? I cant speak for everyone. But in New Jersey if "YOUR" insurance company pays for "your" claim. Your insurance will go up! Period! But if your rear-ended your almost always found to be not at fault and the Other drivers insurance is expected to cover it unless your hit by a crackhead without insurance. The the no-fault comes into play but either way your insurance cannot go up.

Agreed with all posts.

I'm not the one you quoted but I was an insurance adjuster 15 years ago (entry level position) and this car does not have a frame and in CA your rates don't automatically go up. You might loose discounts you had, you might get an increase depends on lots of factors.

 

[bluebeastsrt]

Thanks for the info but I've pretty much lost interest at this point. As long as the OP is happy......... I'm happy. End thread/

 

[Asharus]

it's normal for body work to be inflated like this. my take is that the adjuster takes a cut of it from the body shop. at least that's my theory.

i have a body shop that is able to recoup enough $ from the insurance company so you don't have to pay your $1000 deductible.

in the OP's case, he's at no-fault, so this wouldn't even matter. the body shop will be taking all of the profit.

 

[MSMStannyl]

Yeah, maybe, but it seems to look like (to me) they could give you a cut of that 10Gs they're getting... But again, not my field so maybe I'm wrong...

Haha. No thanks! That would constitute insurance fraud but that's not my field so maybe I'm wrong. :cheers:

 

[MSMStannyl]

UPDATE:

As requested, I have attached the initial GEICO estimate. It's in PDF format, hopefully this works. I tried uploading it as 1 PDF but it wouldn't let me (even though it appeared to be well under the max size requirements). I split it into 4 pages and it seemed to work.

I will try to get the Supplement up as well.

EDIT: Sorry for the pages being upside down. I tried to rotate them the right way and save it but apparently it didn't take.

 

[MSMStannyl]

UPDATE:

Here is the 15 page supplement documentation (edited to remove personal info of all parties involved). This is the first time I'm seeing it myself. Looks like the initial supplement was written for over $10,000 and then after negotiations, GEICO approved the $8600.

For those with some body shop experience, take a look and let me know what you think or if you see anything fishy. Not that it really matters at this point but I'm just curious. It still blows my mind that this whole thing is over $10,000 total but what do I know!

 

[MSMStannyl]

I am literally an EXPERT in California on everything relating to vehicle damage and estimating. I review and rule on cases for all of the major insurance companies all over the country.

Not sure what state you live in but I can assure you Finesse time does not exist in CA unless somebody is taking money under the table. Paying someone to do a Better Job on a new car implies they won't do a good of a job on an older car which would put them in a tough position legally. I don't see 10,000 in damages in those photos. When I was reading your post I assumed they discovered rear body and side member damage after they disassembled it which might explain it but again I do not see that in those photos. Large supplements are not that unusual but they can be minimized with a proper initial inspection. For example most estimators are lazy and don't take the time to look under the car, up behind the bumper, open trunks and lift up carpet, pull back weatherstrip to look for separation of pinch welds, check gaps, etc....

Generally speaking you Absolutely have a DV claim. You usually can't file it against your own company but you can file it against the company that hit you even if they are both the same company. Some states have a very specific DV structure with charts that show you what you are owed while States like CA does not. It's easy to prove the value will be diminished but it's very difficult to prove how much often resulting in low settlements.

Post pictures of each page of the estimate and I can tell you if it's legit or not.

Documentation for both the Initial Estimate and Supplement have been posted (See posts #28 and #29). Skimming through them, I didn't see anything for "finesse" time. That was simply the word the body shop used to explain it to me. I guess I was expecting that to be an actual line item but now I'm realizing that it probably just meant that they could add on additional labor hours than what would normally be charged. I dunno...

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