Accepting Insurance Parts

I got rear ended by a Geico insured driver a couple weeks back. Was a minor accident. Took the Prius to a shop where they took the rear bumper cover off and found additional damage done to the re-bar and some other parts. The shop told me Geico approved of the additional work, but will not approve a specific part ( 2 reinforcement bar brackets I believe). The shop wanted to use a part that was "certified" (I'm assuming they mean Toyota oem). Geico will only approve of aftermarket parts which aren't "certified", and are accepted by the company, but aren't recommended by the body shop.

I plan on taking it up to the adjuster tomorrow, but I did some research and am now aware of "like kind & quality" (LKQ) laws in where comparable and even used parts can be used, so I think I'm SOL in that department. But considering that the oem parts are only $30 more in total over aftermarket, would I be able to do the $30 out of pocket in the case the Geico adjuster does not budge?

I wanna avoid having this whole process drawn out and get my car back ASAP, but at the same time I don't want to cheap out on safety features with possibly inferior parts, especially with a 2,700 mile odometer and a $30 price difference.

 

I talked to the adjuster this morning, and he wouldn't budge, so we agreed that I would cover the $28 out of pocket if the certified parts are ordered. Ridiculous, I know, but at that price, I don't wanna fight.

Weird thing is the shop called me later in the day and told me that the adjuster approved and that I would not owe them anything. So I'm kinda confused ATM. But will find out tomorrow, which I think is when my car is supposed to be done.

 

Exactly why I want to avoid aftermarket parts. Some are exact carbon copies of OEM, while some look like it was made in a high school shop class.

The shop didn't clarify whether the part they're wanting to use is CAPA certified vs. OEM. From what I understand, CAPA is the governing board in CA that decides whether a part's quality is acceptable or not via "various testing". So if Geico does not use CAPA parts, then I assume they are violating some type of local LKQ laws because they are unable to prove if the part is of "like kind & quality".

 

Called the shop today and they told me that the part Geico is trying to use is not CAPA certified, in fact there is currently no aftermarket bracket that is CAPA certified. Originally, I was confused and had thought that the brackets that Geico approved were CAPA, but just weren't OEM.

Now that I realize that Geico was not trying to just put aftermarket parts, but non-CAPA parts, I've decided not to pay out of pocket and to just take my time and let the shop deal with the adjusters. Afterall, Geico is paying $25/day for my rental as long as my car is in the shop, so no sweat off my back. They're actually losing money by refusing the certified parts.

 

I haven't brought my ins, State Farm into this bc they've been pretty useless so far i.e. failing to contact the other parties when both Geico and myself were able to, and telling me they are unable to pursue anything bc they didnt shell out any $$ due to the estimated damages were below my deductible. I'm quite surprised how unwilling they seem.

But I will notify them tomorrow. Im glad that the shop has my back. FYI Geico's claim handlers have been more than helpful. It's the adjusters that are trying to cut me short.

 

Update

So I called the Geico adjuster and told him I didn't want to pay extra bc I thought it was ridiculous to pay extra for a certified part. We went back and forth and it eventually got pretty heated.

I told him that they were losing money from my daily rental, and he told me to return the rental that very day for refusing work done on the Prius!

Later, the body shop calls and said that bc they were unable to order the aftermarket part due to it being out of stock, Geico approved of the oem part.

...So Geico won't shell out $28 on a part for my 2K MILE car, when I argue that it is proven to withstand certain circumstances and help to ensure SAFETY for my family. But then they don't hesitate to spend that amount when their part is on back order, and they don't want to wait bc it means they would have to spend MORE on my daily rental...

BTW, CA legislation does not require certified parts used, but only those that are "like in kind and quality" to the part pre-damage. Problem is how does one know if a part is LKQ without testing it?

 

I'm gonna have to check if Amica is offered where I'm at. After 2 insurance claims where I was not at fault and relied on State Farm to help me deal with the other insurance co, they did nothing for me bc the damages were under my $1k deductible. I've since lowered my collision deductible to $100 and my comp to $0.

 

Used tires?!? Wow