just filed a claim with state farm b/c some Fuc* hit me and left when my car was parked. does anyone know what is the best way to get the most out of my claim (money). so i can get a few other body blimishes fixed. im going to the state farm claim office tomorrow..they will prob. cut me a check ..but what if the cost to fix it cost more then what they paid me? I was thinking getting a estimate done at a high end auto body shop and they getting it done with a good body shop guy that a friend of mine knows...thanks for any input.

 

First, get a list of authorized shops by your insurance. Go to every shop and especially those shops that advertise on TV or have a huge banner in the phone book, and get an estimate. Submit the most expensive estimate to your insurance, they may not pay that fully but you should get most of it.

Just keep in mind that when you make a claim, they will count it against you (regardless of who caused the accident), so expect a premium increase. Some insurance companies drop the first and second claims if you have a clean record with them...

 

Hmmmm...let's all remember that one of the reasons we all pay such high insurance premiums is INSURANCE FRAUD.

I too feel like I'm paying out the **** for insurance, but milking the company just makes it worse for everyone in the long run.

Tony

 

I have State Farm. Oregon is a nofault state. I took car to a State Farm authorized body shop. They worked directly with State Farm to repair the car. BTW I knew the quality work of the shop. Then State Farm went after other guy's insurance for repairs and car rental. My experience was pretty hassle free.

 

No ins. co. works off of other body shop estimates anymore. They will write you an est. You then take it to whatever shop you want to use, and if the est. is short, your shop will call the ins. co. for a supplement. Or, you can just use one of the state farm approved direct repair shops and it will be hassle free. Either way you will not get any "extra" money. The only way to get extra is to get a cheaper shop to do the work for less than what the state farms appraiser writes. Good Luck

 

I have State Farm and Had someone hit and run on my 4 Runner. This is the process..
You call 911, File a report
Call Insurance company, tell em what happened, and give them Police report #
Insurance will setup appt with An Adjuster to look at the car
take your car their, They will look over and give you a writeup on the damage
Insurance will mail you a check in mail, You do whatever you want to do with it.
Whoever the body shop is doing the work, IF they need more money, They file claim with statefarm, StateFarm will Now Deal Directly with Bodyshop and not Consumer.

Days of Jipping Insurance companies are over

 

if the amount they give you is less than the repair, then just show then just show them the receipt or call ur adjuster with the estimate and they will adjust the check that they gave you. I have state farm and have done this recently. They will have to send an adjuster to the shop where the car is and talk to the body shop mechanic to find out why the estimate was higher

 

State Farm doesn't have a problem paying the Bill, They just have this process setup to look at the car by their own adjuster so the body shop or the consumer doesn't rip them off. So far I've seen their adjusters do a pretty good job at setting up the repair order. Most of the prices match and they pay retail prices not wholesale. But if you try to cash in on the check and get the work done by Joe's Body shop, NO Warrenty on the Work. So 6months later when the sunroof starts leaking, State Farm will say, Did you take it to a body shop in our Network