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https://www.state.nj.us/dobi/ins_ombudsman/wysk1.htm - insurance/claim rules in NJ...the entire site has great info that is pertinent to your situation but items #11 and #12 might be of interest to help answer your questions.
Before reading any more of the thread I immediately said $10k in damages. The parts that will be the tipping point will be your headlights. If they are indeed damaged, those are $2k/each. The mere fact that the airbags deployed kicks it into a whole other level of repairs. Are we talking just driver side deployment, or both sides? I still stick to $10k in repairs, easy. It's not totaled, but that will be expensive. Sorry man, it sucks, I've been there.
@CottageChz Actually the other drivers insurance estimate was accurate $10-12K but driver only has coverage up to 5K. Reason I had to file a claim with my insurance Geico, they did the estimate for 2K smh.
@jtrue28 Airbags were not deployed. Just the front end damage in pictures above.
Having been an accident with similar damage (hit a deer), the cost in 2017, my original estimate was $7,833 but the final was $9,614, plus rental car for 2.5 weeks and diminished value. I had the work done at a Lexus certified garage owned by my dealer. I would highly recommend a place like that, not some aftermarket garage. You can go to ANY garage you want, don't let them tell you otherwise. All parts were OEM, which you can insist on. My insurance company would not pay for an OEM radiator, but I paid the difference to get it ($110), otherwise everything else was OEM.
To give you an idea of cost on my 2015 non F-Sport: One of my headlights was broken ($1,551), one fog light ($146), front hood replaced ($1,004 including paint), the pass side quarter panel replaced ($415), the whole front bumper/grill ($1,327) and then paint blending, replaced the radiator even though it wasn't broken (the car was driveable), but was dinged. During the rebuild, they found that the pass door needed replaced because it had a slight warp that would not line up with the quarter panel ($884) and then a bunch of other small stuff (e.g. engine stickers, screws) and paint blending that all adds to the total bill. No airbags deployed, so there was no cost there. You had towing and storage cost, so that adds to the bill too.
On top of that, I got diminished value, which you can negotiate. They first said $150, to which I said no. Then they sent me a check for $650 without asking me, which I did not cash and I told them no again. I originally asked for $3,500, and eventually talked to some guy at the insurance company corporate office that said $1,600 was his max, but I said I'd settle for $2,000 and he agreed. How did I come up with $3,500? I searched the internet for vehicles of my same model year, similar mileage and found some with and without accidents and sent them those differences in prices to the insurance company, which was around $3,500 on average. It's a pain in the you know what, but since it was someone else's fault, you need to have yourself "righted" back to where you were before and where you'll be in the future.
Get as much as you can, but if you try to pull the "I'll get a lawyer" clause with any insurance company with unreasonable requests, you'll never see your money for over 2+ years as it will have to go to court. You just have to decide if it is worth that hassle or not, plus cost of the lawyer. Good luck!
Edit: I see you had 3M film on the front hood, make sure they include that with the repair, though you'll have to wait for the paint to cure before applying it.
Last edited by marjenmill; 08-14-20 at 07:09 AM.
Reason: more detail
@marjenmill Thank you for all the info! Im definitely going to look into that diminished value and to see if the insurance will replace the 3M on the hood.
I did not know dealing with an insurance company could be such a pain in the ***.
Today, I had the car towed to the best collision center I could find around my area. Lets see what kind of estimate they come up with.
I was finally able to get ahold of the estimate CURE (other drivers insurance) made. The estimate from my company Geico is such a joke compared to it. Here is the estimate they provided :
@praetor They are going after the others person insurance for the 5K and deductible. Its a joke I have I have to pay $500 ded until they recover it from the others person insurance. This has been my first accident and to see how claims and the coverage are handled is such a disappointment.
When I inquired about the uninsured/underinsured clause on my policy , I was told that in NJ only the uninsured part of the clause is used . Basically the underinsured is useless.
Interesting to read the differences in how motor vehicle insurance works in the states vs Australia. It seems like all your repairs are dictated by the other persons insurer?
Over here, we have pretty much full control over how our vehicle repair is handled, as its done by my insurer. I couldnt imagine some other 3rd party recommending cheap aftermarket parts to repair my new lexus!
@DiscoJango I was able to take my car to my place of choice. I spoke with the shops owner about using OEM parts, he explained to me that no insurance issues OEM parts in repairs. He said many people fight the insurance on it but it all comes down to their decision which 85% of the time they say no. Overall, insurance companies suck. Its crazy how much money we spend to have our vehicle protected yet if something happens we end up with aftermarket parts.
08-14-20, 12:11 AM
