mjr24

My CL500.....the front valance is torn off on the passenger side.....there is about a 4 by 6 inch area on the front fender......rear quarter panel and passenger door....dented in about 2 inches and all of the paint worn off. The passenger door also has metal torn and twisted back...Both of my 20" rims on the passenger side have a deep scratch in them too. I took a turn way too fast and hit a cement barrier that was on the side of the road (was dark and I couldnt see it).
Obviously I have comprehensive insurance on the car....$500 deductible...but I would bet I need a new door, quarter panel, fender. I am thinking $5k of damage easy....heck removal and reinstallation of the quarter panel is 19 hours by itself laborwise (have to remove roof) according to a book I have.....
My questions are...do you think my insurance company will drop me if I have to make a pretty high priced claim on a $65k car that was my fault?
Will they deny payment for it since I did it as opposed to if someone had hit me?

lexusk8

First of all, sorry to hear about the damages to your CL. It's gonna be a lot of money to choke up, no question about it. The question of whether your insurance carrier will be able to keep you in the policy or not really depends on the discretion of the insurance agent whom you talk to. Your best bet is to get on the phone and call up your insurance agent.

I can tell you this from my experience. About 3 yrs ago, after 1 at-fault accident and 2 speeding tickets, my insurance carrier at that time (Prudential) told me in a written letter that they won't be able to renew me in the policy. Luckily I found another carrier (my current one) that was able to take me in with my driving history and charge me cheaper premiums at the same coverages

vedro

I'm pretty sure your insurance company will ask you to find another provider. In typical circumstances the insurance companies dump their clients if the accident will cost them over $1,000 and the driver is 2/3rds at fault. Unfortunately in your case the damage is well over $1,000 and you are 100% at fault.

You can tell the insurance representative that the car was struck while it was parked and the driver of the other vehicle fled. This way they may think you are not at fault and one of the conditions to dump you as a policy holder will be eliminated. The law requires that both conditions occur before an insurance company can either increase insurance premiums or abandon their client.

In your case it will be very difficult for you to convince them that it wasn't your fault. Eventhough it is.

fireballs gs400

maybe not honest, but tell them it was a hit and run, you were parked somewhere n nailed

jet864

But isn't that why they have inspectors? I'm sure a very good claims researcher (whatever the heck they're called) could come look at your car and determine if someone hit you, or you hit someone. My guess is the scratches in your wheels are radial marks, impossible to be inflicted on a stationary vehicle. Just a thought, but if you're gonna try to get away with lying to your insurance, don't get busted for insurance fraud too (even talking about it on an internet forum may be a bad idea). Hope everything works out for you.

James

Iron Chef

You want him to commit insurance fraud?

aliga

iTrader: (147)

f the insurance company, do the fraud

if they deny you on the claim, sue them. They collect payments from you, and once you file a claim, they act like wolves.

gadgetSC

I had an accident a few years back that was my fault.....I fell asleep behind the wheel(eyes wide open) and did some damage to a truck and a 2-month old $40k car. Also got a speeding ticket the earlier in the day for going 84 in a 55. Damages were close to 5k. Made the claim to Allstate the next day. They fixed the car, even agreed to the extra fee for blending the paint to match perfect. I was not dropped, my rates did go up slightly and I stress slightly. I also took one of those defensive driver courses.
Your insurance cannot deny payment as long as your premiums are paid.
Be careful with taking advice about insurance fraud. I will be the first to tell you that Insurance companies SUCK My 2c



gadgetSC-t

VSsc400

iTrader: (1)

i think it will cost more than 5k. I would suggest against telling a lie to the insurance co...

good luck with the repairs. Let us know what you decide.

mjr24

Ugh.....$7,700 is the estimate.
Ill post some pics later. No point in lying to the insurance company, there is no paint like from another car on any of the dents, so its pretty obvious no one hit me. I wouldnt do that anyways.
Now actually...somewhat related....my policy is renewed every 6 months...and actually my payment for the new policy is due Thursday. Should I pay that before I report this, in case maybe they decide to drop me right away? Like someone said, if I pay they cant drop me yet can they?

aliga

iTrader: (147)

they can drop you at any time, and they will refund your unused payment.

rushgator

"f the insurance company, do the fraud

if they deny you on the claim, sue them. They collect payments from you, and once you file a claim, they act like wolves."

And that attitude is why rates are so high. Fraud= jail. Don't do it.

"they can drop you at any time, and they will refund your unused payment."

Maybe in NY, but in Texas, they cannot "drop you at any time". They can refuse to renew, but once the renewal offer is made, and it is accepted by you by paying your premium, it is a legally binding contract. This is law and is regulated by the State Department of Insurance. My advice, make sure that the premium is paid, and file your claim in a timely manner. Get two repair estimates to present to the adjuster. Being professional and prepared will go a long way towards getting your claim settled the way you want. I think it's reasonable to expect a slight rate increase at your next renewal. However, cancellation/ non-renewal is not a foregone conclusion. Talk to you agent without initially mentioning that you wish to file a claim. Present your situation as a hypothetical and see what they say.

mmarshall

Here's an important point nobody seems to have brought up yet: You say you lost it going around a fast turn......did you have the traction control and, even more important, the vehicle stability system turned on or off ? If you can honestly answer that it they were on, then perhaps they did not work properly and save your a-- going around that turn. Late-model Mercedes electronics are notorious for failing....to the point where the factory is doing major investigations and may even yanking some of this stuff out of their cars.
Much has also been written in these forums about M-B failures. You may have a case against M-B if the stability computers did not function properly. Of course, no system, even when functioning properly, can change the laws of physics or save you if you really do something stupid. I'm not saying to lie or engage in fraud, but it may be to your advantage to pursue this if you did in fact corner too fast, but at a rate that the stability computer could have handled and just didn't. You also got a car...a CL500.... that does NOT cost chump change to repair either........it could end up being repaired at factory expense.