Can i fix my car my self?

[97luder]

long story short i was in an accident (not at fault) quote is $2600. I want to know do i have to take it to a body shop to get fixed or will his insurance cut me a check and i can do it my self?

[Tik-Tok]

From what I've heard, insurance will only pay a fraction of what the repair would be, if you take cash.

[Sophal]

Better off bringing it in and have the professionals do it on his insurance's dime.

[benz_890]

just tell them that you dont want to fix it and will just take the cash. You are free to do whatever you want with it.

[97luder]

awesome ill see what they say cause i know i can fix it for way less then 2600 just body, i could get a used bumper and fender for less then $600

[Duckman]

Originally posted by 97luder
long story short i was in an accident (not at fault) quote is $2600. I want to know do i have to take it to a body shop to get fixed or will his insurance cut me a check and i can do it my self?

Insurance companies will typically pay 80% of the estimated cost of repairs for a cash settlement. Or, if you're a licensed body or automotive technician, they will pay the actual cost of the repairs if you fix it yourself.

[FixedGear]

i would not do it your self. The insurance company would not have any proove that you actually fixed it and they might try to not cut you a check and you would have to file a class action law suite to get the money.

[03ozwhip]

^^LOL wtf! Ummm no. All you do is say you'll take the cash payout, they'll give you a portion of the payout(or all, not 100% on that) then do whatever you want, it doesn't have to be fixed be a bodyman.

[jltabot]

Depends on the payout. I recently had to deal with the other guy's insurance and they only paid out 100% parts and 50% labor based on the initial estimate. I'd say ask them for a final number on the payout and decide from there.

[DarkDream]

The insurance company will send out a person to get an estimation. This is the value of the cheque, if you were to get paid out.

Doing so however, could possibly impact future claims. For example, in your first accident, if the damage is ONLY to your front bumper and you had them pay you out. Then the next time you get into another accident, they they will fix everything with the exception of the bumper.

Another down side is, if you find issues later on due to the accident after taking the cheque, they will not reassess and send out another cheque. If you initially brought the car into an autobody, anything they discover during the repair is covered by insurance.

hope this helped.

[G-ZUS]

I was in this position a couple years back. Got rear ended by a guy in a pickup. Damage was estimated @ $4000, I told them (his insurance) just cut me a cheque. They took off the tax and 20% which left me with ~3000. Cost me $300 to get it fixed.

[Zero102]

Originally posted by FixedGear
i would not do it your self. The insurance company would not have any proove that you actually fixed it and they might try to not cut you a check and you would have to file a class action law suite to get the money.

class action eh?

[JRSC00LUDE]

Originally posted by FixedGear
i would not do it your self. The insurance company would not have any proove that you actually fixed it and they might try to not cut you a check and you would have to file a class action law suite to get the money.

So many things wrong with this sentence and the "knowledge" within it that cannot tell if serious......

In other news......remember not to buy used vehicle from OP.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Originally posted by JRSC00LUDE


So many things wrong with this sentence and the "knowledge" within it that cannot tell if serious......

Poe's law at work. "Any sufficiently advanced parody is indistinguishable from a genuine kook."

[Kloubek]

Not all insurance companies are willing to pay you out.

I had a vandalism claim for almost 3g, and TD/Meloche is not willing to give me any cash at all.

[sputnik]

Originally posted by Kloubek
Not all insurance companies are willing to pay you out.

I had a vandalism claim for almost 3g, and TD/Meloche is not willing to give me any cash at all.

That is not so much the company but the fact that it was a vandalism claim.

Vandalism claims are the #1 culprit in auto insurance fraud.

[mr2mike]

Behind that fender could be other damage.
Just be warned, what looks like an easy unbolt and bolt up soon turns into panels not lining up, paint cracking to make it line up, etc.
Then does the paint match?
Also alignment on suspension stuff too depending on speed of impact. May look okay but isn't.
Just food for thought.

[Kloubek]

Originally posted by sputnik


That is not so much the company but the fact that it was a vandalism claim.

Vandalism claims are the #1 culprit in auto insurance fraud.

Still think it is a bunch of BS though. I didn't have glass coverage and although they cover every other window in a vandalism claim, the guy broke my windshield which they *don't* cover. Ok then, I was hoping they'd pay me out so I could take the money to fix my windshield (the rest of the damage was pretty minor considering the $2700 pricetag; I could live with it) and they wouldn't let me do that either.

[Lulzzors]

Really depends on how old your vehicle is.
$2600 repair on a car thats only worth $5000, his insurance company will just write it off and give you the value of your vehicle before the accident. You can honestly get a good deal doing this, I got $6000 for a car that was only worth about $2500.

They'll give you the option to buy it back but it will have a salvage title and they'll ask for almost the full amount they paid you for the vehicle

I would talk to them about getting it repaired at your own expense and getting reimbursed because they may not want to reimburse you for repairs.

But they won't just cut you a check and you get it repaired yourself. They pick a facility and book you in then that's it, occasionally you can pick a place you want to take it to but they must be licensed.

[G-ZUS]

Originally posted by Lulzzors
Really depends on how old your vehicle is.
$2600 repair on a car thats only worth $5000, his insurance company will just write it off and give you the value of your vehicle before the accident. You can honestly get a good deal doing this, I got $6000 for a car that was only worth about $2500.

They'll give you the option to buy it back but it will have a salvage title and they'll ask for almost the full amount they paid you for the vehicle

I would talk to them about getting it repaired at your own expense and getting reimbursed because they may not want to reimburse you for repairs.

But they won't just cut you a check and you get it repaired yourself. They pick a facility and book you in then that's it, occasionally you can pick a place you want to take it to but they must be licensed.

Different scenarios my friend. If it's not worth repairing they will write it off and you can buy it back at salvage value. If you get hit by someone and the insurance want's to repair the vehicle, you can tell them you don't want to repair it and take the cheque instead. Once you get that cheque, you are free to do whatever you want with it whether it be repairing the cars, booze or hookers and blow.