Insurance: OEM vs. Aftermarket

[benjamming]

So, a guy rear-ended our '02 Accord a few weeks ago. Police report, etc. No one hurt. New rear bumper cover (only) required. His insurance is State Farm. I am the claimant. My insurance is not involved but is a different company.
Can they be forced to provide an OEM replacement bumper cover or can they provide aftermarket & force me to suck it up & go on? This is for Alabama (I assume the laws can be different in each state). If the former, how do I go about it? They claim that their policy allows either OEM or aftermarket replacement parts. However, my policy is OEM replacement parts for body panels. I could not care less what their policy is.

Thanks.

 

[Bill in Utah]

I doubt it on a 2002 vehicle.

I also doubt that anyone other than OEM is making Honda bumpers for 2002.

Best way is ASK the body shop what they use and take it to them.

The other insurance company can not MAKE you go anywhere else. They can refuse to pay them (but if you get 3 quotes and ALL of them have OEM parts the prices will be the close) the insurance company will have to pay it.

Insurance companies will not want to go to small claims court or the state board when you have 3 quotes.

Sorry to hear you had a incident. Glad that everyone was okay.

Bill

 

[benjamming]

Oh, I already had 3 quotes & they all list OEM $311.80 list price. Bodyshops all said it will come from Honda (that can mean different things of course, but not really part of this discussion I don't think). Insurance company lists Woods Bumper REMANUFACTURED. I named to State Farm a couple places that I would consider. Two of the places they said they don't "deal with directly". I won't go into how I interpret that.

So, are you saying to just go ahead with the repair on my dime & try to get reimbursed the costs? I don't like the sound of that. I want paid upfront.
Or, are you saying I can make them pay what the 3 shops want? If so, how do I MAKE them? I'm even ok with the lowest of the 3.

 

[Nick R]

If you want I can go ahead and forward this to my mom, who works for State farm. (She is the seller, the one you actually talk to when you go into the office) just give me the word and I'll send it to her to see if she has some time to answer your question

 

[Bill in Utah]

I beleive (with about 99%) they can NOT (unless the price is out of line) dictate WHERE you take the vehicle to get repaired.

They may decide not to pay the repair then you'd have to take them to small claims court or have to file a complaint to your state insurance board (which will get them to pay if the quotes are in line).

What I've done (with family members who have been involved) is TELL the insurance company that this is WHERE the vehicle WILL be repaired and since the quote is in line with others, they WILL be paying for the repair. Only once did we have to file a complaint with the board and within 72 hours the bill was payed.

I would NOT pay for it out of my pocket. The other way is to go ahead and have your insurance company pay for it and then let them go after the other insurance company. You WILL pay for your deductible and once the other insurance has payed, you will get it back.

The big thing is that the insurance companies want to make sure they are not over paying for claims.

Personally (and you will not like me for saying this) expecting OEM stuff on a 8 year old car is close to impossible. Ask but don't be bummed if it does not happen. A 2002 Accord is not really worth much in the eyes of insurance companies and blue books.

A lot of them get totaled with a SLIGHT bump. If the airbags go off its a total most of the time.

Take care, bill

 

[Nick R]

You know, you don't have to be rude to the insurance companies. ESPECIALLY the person you ACTUALLY deal with on the phone. THEY have no control over how claims are paid out or anything. They simply pass information between you, the other insurance comapany and the claims department.. Trust me, I know, my mom has new stories every day.

 

[benjamming]

rudolph,

I'm not sure if you are directing that towards me or not. In any case, I am very polite when dealing with people. I've worked retail &, as a result, understand how unreasonable folks can be.

Bill,

I do understand the insurance companies trying to ensure that prices are kept in check. I expect that & they should do that. I don't treat this any different than I do when I am paying outright. That is whole reason I got 3 quotes up front.
Who were you talking with during all this - claims associate?
I don't take offense at your comment. However, I'm not concerned what value they place on the car. It is in really good shape. I have worked hard to keep it that way. It's not treated like a daily driver.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Just give the highest quote to State Farm and demand they pay you the check for that amount, then take the car to anywhere you want to repair, that how it works in California.

 

[mechtech2]

Also demand the [approximate] 10% premium for having your car damaged, and thus affecting the resale value.
This is a hidden benefit that the insurance companies keep hidden.
I hope it applies in your state. Start digging.

 

[Nick R]

Ben no I was directing it at anyone who thinks whining to the person is going to help, I never thought you would do that, I was just putting that out there for everyone.

I talked to my mom, she says that she cannot answer questions regarding claims, as she is not a claims person, however she did say it is State farm policy that you can only get your car repaired using aftermarket parts, no OE allowed. She said you should try to explain your situation to the State farm rep handling your claim, but because of the way they handle claims, it is doubtful you will be able to get an OE part. She also said you could try going through your own insurance agency to get it paid for, and maybe they could then get the money from State farm.

 

[opus1]

Fortunately, I have little experience dealing with accident claims but here's what I've had to deal with in the past. My insurer is State Farm, BTW.

OEM Parts, pretty much not going to happen if aftermarket is available. If you want to force the issue, I think you'd have to file a claim with your insurer since your policy states OEM only, and then their subrogation department would sue the other driver to recoup their costs. However, your policy would then take the "hit" for having a claim filed on it, even though you weren't at fault.

Where to get the work done, my experience was that the claims department "recommended" a shop. If I took the car there, I owed nothing but the deductible. If I went somewhere else, I'd have to pay and then get reimbursed from either the insurance company or the shop. So it depends on whether you want to float someone a loan while you're waiting for reimbursement. I don't remember who cut me the check, but at least the process was fairly quick once I got the car and the claim went in.

 

[benjamming]

Heck, why don't they pay just for this $53.95 part.

I assume ordering this part online would not be practical due to freight shipment required (oversize for UPS)?

 

[The_Jeff]

Many shops have direct billing with major insurance companies. Ask one you like if they'll do it. Sometimes they find other little things that need fixing once they get a bumper cover off.

A new OE bumper might need painting instead of coming from the factory color-fast like the original. Might make finding an unscratched used OE one worthwhile as far as fading like the rest of the car in the sunlight.

 

[Gary Allan]

I really find it odd that no one has brought this out first (I skimmed a little without seeing it).


Go through YOUR insurance company. Pay the deductible and they deal with the other insurance company. They return the deductible when they recover costs ...and they WILL recover their loss.

That is, if there's a better repair to be had ..get it done. I suspect it will end up as the same deal though.

 

[benjamming]

Gary,

That's b/c I don't want my rates increasing for another guy's mistake.

eljefino,

A new OE bumper will indeed need painting just like an aftermarket one. I suspect that if I asked why the insurance company prefers one place over another will be due to direct billing. That place asked me no less than 5 times when doing the estimate if it would be insurance. They are also the place with the nice furniture, etc.

A lot goes on behind the scenes in these deals.

 

[Gary Allan]

Quote:
Gary,

That's b/c I don't want my rates increasing for another guy's mistake.


Why in the world would YOUR rates go up for an accident that you're not at fault for?

 

[benjamming]

Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
Quote:
Gary,

That's b/c I don't want my rates increasing for another guy's mistake.


Why in the world would YOUR rates go up for an accident that you're not at fault for?


Are you seriously asking that question? If so, then welcome to the world of auto insurance where they will increase your rates for losing your job, disputing a credit card transaction, & yes, being hit by someone that was drunk going down the road in reverse. An actual example is my sister was hit by a state trooper making an illegal turn w/o lights or siren. It was ruled the LEOs fault but her insurance went up b/c this was the x wreck she had been involved in within the past y months/years. All of the previous wrecks were ruled not her fault.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: benjamming
Gary,

That's b/c I don't want my rates increasing for another guy's mistake.


Unfortunately, his rates will probably go up anyway now that he has had an accident.

This may very well be wrong, but according to my father, even not-at-fault accidents can cause your rate to increase as you are deemed to be "accident-prone," whatever that means.

 

[Gary Allan]

Quote:
Are you seriously asking that question?


Yes. I'm serious. This has to be some corrupt state insurance commission to allow that type of highway robbery.

Insurance that you can't use. I'm not saying that PA is any better at this point, but this is really dark comedy.

 

[VeeDubb]

When my wife's bumper was ripped off her car from another car clipping her, we had zero problems getting the guy's insurance company to replace OEM. Basically, they left it up to us. The company was Nationwide and it was actually a pleasure dealing with the agent handling the case. This was in Ohio.

We have State Farm and I would be very surprised if they gave you grief. I've had nothing but great experiences with State Farm. They don't even make me go to a "preferred body shop" when I've had issues. I had hail damage on my old Passat and they told me to use whoever I wanted. I asked them if I can use the dude that was pulling dings out BMW's and Porsches at the local European dealership. They said no problem. The bill ended up at $5000 and they paid it no questions asked.

Recently, my wife's windshield got a chip in it. We had it replaced and again, I didn't have to go to a preferred shop. I asked State Farm if I can use an OEM windshield. Difference in cost was $400 vs $1200. State farm signed off, no questions asked. This is in Indiana. My experience is if you aren't dealing with some fly-by-night discount insurance company, you should be be able to get the OEM if you ask.