One question I’m asked by clients when filing a car insurance claim is how much will this cost them when their policy renews? Here are some interesting statistics that give us some benchmarks.
According to NICB, thefts of vehicles in the United States rose again in 2017 by more than 4%. For the vehicles that were recovered, many were missing parts such as wheels, rims, and other valuable parts. Those that weren’t recovered, probably ended up in chop shops where they were dismantled, and their parts sold on the black market.
The value of a totaled vehicle is one of the most contested car insurance claims. Is it too low, is it fair, or is it more than you expected? It doesn’t have to be, based on a recent article in the Dallas Morning News by Jerry Reynolds. His article, “How to Negotiate with Insurers,” suggests, if you’re willing to do a little homework, you’ll know whether the offer you receive for your totaled or stolen vehicle is fair or not.
A client texted me early Monday morning letting me know his car was broken into overnight. The good news was his car wasn’t stolen. What was stolen, though, was his wallet, watch, possibly his passport, a ring, and a few other items. His question was, did his car insurance policy cover this? He has “full” coverage policy on his car which results in a yes and no answer. Let’s look at the reasoning behind the two answers.
I had an interesting conversation with a new client the other day. She leases her car and wanted to confirm whether the car insurance policy covers manufacturer parts, also known as original equipment manufacturer or OEM parts, or would they insist on using third-party parts to repair her car if she files a car insurance claim? No client or prospective client has ever asked that question and it told me she’d either experienced or seen a claim go sideways.
Last week, I introduced the topic of Sheri’s and my car accident, which happened three weeks ago, and outlined what to do if you’re involved in an accident while at the accident scene. This week, I will outline the claim process we went through and how a decision we made a few months ago on our car’s coverage shaped our options. Maybe our experience will help you navigate a car insurance claim.
I was talking with a friend of mine who’s a Dallas area financial planner. His wife had just gotten their vehicle back from the repair shop after being in an accident where someone had hit them. The new paint on their vehicle was still curing so the car couldn’t be washed. As his wife drove on Central Expressway in Dallas, a wrench fell off a truck, struck their car, breaking the new grill and then gouging the hood. Luckily, the wrench didn’t hit the windshield in front of his wife or pass through it. She was safe, but they have another car insurance claim on their hands.
I had lunch with a client of mine on Wednesday in Richardson to discuss commercial insurance for a new venture he’s starting. When we were done, I left the restaurant and headed to my next appointment in Dallas. I got onto the frontage road of North Central Expressway headed toward Campbell Road but had to navigate around a head-on collision in the U-turn lane underneath Central. Somehow one of the cars was headed the wrong way on a one way U-turn under the freeway when it met a car attempting to get onto the southbound frontage road.
A client called me last month to discuss an accident he’d had and filing a car insurance claim. He’d backed into an object visiting a family member on a trip and damaged the bumper and one of the brake light kits on his car. I provided him with the information he needed to initiate the claim and transferred him to the claims department with his car insurance company.
When it comes to a Texas car insurance policy, everything other than liability coverage is considered optional coverage, however, most people don’t think that way. With that in mine, last week, I outlined four car insurance options worth considering (see https://wiseinsurancegroup.com/texas-car-insurance-options-part-1/). Here are four more that may be of interest to you.
Subscribe to my newsletter by filling the form below.
A confirmation email will be sent to your mailbox: please read the instructions to complete the subscription.
