Question concerning putting in a claim with car insurance

You would have to pay the deductible on this claim.....which is probably going to be more than the spoiler on craigslist or ebay. I don't think this will go against her as a moving "accident", you can always call the insurance company and ask them to clarify. But with a claim, it might end up on carfax.com when you decide to sell.

 

It all depends on the type of insurance. I hit a deer a few years ago, insurance went up. A tree fell on the same vehicle a year later (more damage) and insurance did not go up (insurance deducted the deductible from the payout both times). If she has a high deductible, may be cheaper to buy it and install it yourself. Be aware, even if you only call and ask her insurance company, they will make a note of it in her file, even if they don't pay out...btdt, Also, does her insurance cover anything she drives-some don't, some insurance companies/plans only insure the car on the policy....

 

Unfortunately, I have had lots of experience with insurance claims.

Read Mercury's own take here: Auto Accident Insurance & Auto Accident Claims | Mercury Insurance

In my experience, you can pretty much count on a premium uptick. And, don't call the company and ask questions unless you are going to make a claim. Nearly all insurance companies will as a previous poster said, note that you called about an accident and this will count against the insured also -- even if you say there "has been no accident, but I was just wondering."

Faking the cause could also get you in trouble, because an adjuster may notice that the damage does not match what should be there -- ie -- tree falling versus snapping off against a beam.

That is called insurance fraud and will get you in hot water very quickly.

Basically, anything that will cost less than about $1.500 to repair, I do not report it to the insurance company.

Thanks to my mechanic, I found a local, reasonable body shop that does decent repairs for very reasonable rates. If the repair is something you do not want to tackle yourself and you have a mechanic you trust, ask for their guidance.

 

I'd phone your insurance, level with them, ask them what would happen to your rates, post claim.

BTW, life would be simpler if you kept this spoiler repair to one thread, lol.

 

The driver of the car is going to be responsible. Her insurance will cover the repair cost and you can submit a claim for the rental car.

Maybe her insurance rate goes up, maybe not. IMO, unless you really can't afford to to cover the cost yourself no good is going to come of getting the insurance company involved. Forgive and forget.

 

If you lie to your insurance agent, you're a criminal (insurance fraud), and it's not a nice thing to do.
Even a rookie insurance agent is going to be able to tell that a tree didn't fall on your car.
The purpose of insurance is supposed to be to cover a very large or unsustainable loss.

OK...so.
It's early, and I haven't had my first cup of coffee yet, so I'll leave that portion of your question lie where you left it.

You have to decide whether you're going to sick your insurance company on your GFs insurance company as a liability claim or pay for the whole thing for yourselves.That's a much more complicated decision for a GF than it is for a partner, or even a 'buddy.' for all of the usual reasons.

Smart money says fix it yourself and avoid the pitfalls of reduced car value, raised insurance rates, and sullied insurance history.

Besides......you still have a chance to build up some negative karma points by not having an insurance claim on your car.
Your car, like my truck, probably has a pristine Carfax record.
Your car, like my truck has been in a minor accident, despite what Carfax says.

I fixed my truck myself for less than $1,000 (trashed a bumper) and when I sell or trade my truck, I'm going to make full disclosures on any irregularities that I know about with the truck......even if I trade it in to a stealer.
I don't like to trade, since it's unwise---so it will probably be a frank, honest conversation with the prospective new owner.

Your call.
Good Luck.

 

There is something Kafkaesque going on there.

Personally, I get accident insurance, to pay for accidents. If I have an accident, I use the insurance. If I'm sullied, so be it.

 

It may be different in Canada, but in the US most insurance companies use the same philosophy that the military and my current employer uses.
When I was a squid, every military convoy began with a "Convoy Safety Brief."
Every Convoy Safety Brief began with the same preamble:

"Good drivers don't get into accidents."

It doesn't sound very fair, but there's a kernel of truth in it.
I've seen people get a black mark on their work record both in the military and working for Big Bell for getting into "accidents that aren't their fault." Life just works like that sometimes.

Since insurance is a regulated commercial product (in the US) then I personally don't care if people file claims to get their wiper blades changed. I do care if people commit insurance fraud, but that's a whole different topic.
I pay low rates because I won't file claims unless there is a hull-loss incident, or I HAVE TO because I caused a loss to another person that I can't cover with cash.

YMMV

 

I think it is different, well at least in BC: the vast majority of auto insurance is by a crown corporation, Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), think that helps.