I have a great car but it has a dent on it now, which I found when I came out of the store. Should I make a high performance car insurance claim?

Michael

I’m glad you asked, Michael.

You know, I think that one of the reasons that people can’t get cheap high performance car insurance is because they are too worry some about their vehicles. Now, don’t get me wrong. Most high performance cars are expensive, and thus even the smallest scratch could cost more money than usual to fix. However, you should not compensate for your worry for your vehicle by making a high performance car insurance claim for every little thing that happens. Even if it is something that will cost money to fix, that does not mean that your car insurance company will need to know.

The way I see it is that if something is under your deductible or you are otherwise able to afford to pay for the damages, then most of the time there is no reason to contact your high performance car insurance company unless you are a hundred percent sure that this would not put your clean auto insurance claim record in jeapordy. The reason I say this is, even though auto insurance companies want you to report all accidents in good faith even if you don’t file a high performance auto insurance claim for them, and they won’t punish you after the first couple, once you start a list then you will begin to see that they don’t think you are as good a customer as they thought you were before.

There are some guidelines that you should go by when deciding whether or not to report your high performance auto insurance accident to your company, and I’ll give you a list following this. You should think about these before you decide to call up and advise your company of your dent, although there are always going to be more factors and these should not be the deciding ones for your situation. Here they are.

• Can I pay for this?

This is the number one primary thing that you should consider. I got a dent in my car, too, recently, but I didn’t bother to call up my vehicle insurance company. It will probably cost me around fifty dollars to get fixed, which is five percent of my auto insurance deductible, so it doesn’t make any sense to report it. I can just wait and be lazy and go get it fixed when I’m ready, instead of having to worry about the long problems making a claim with my auto insurance collision coverage.

• Am I alone in this?

Another thing that will obviously play a huge role in you reporting your little accident to your high performance car insurance company is whether or not someone else is involved. If someone else is involved in the accident, then go no further. REPORT IT. I really don’t think there should be exceptions to this guideline, because even if the other person says they are okay and there is no need to report it and claim, that does not mean that it is true.

I’m not saying that the other person is lying, but I am saying that the evidence of damage may not be apparent right away after you get into an accident. The other person might start to feel back pains later that night, or might notice their vehicle making weird noises on the way home. One time I barely nicked a guy, and although there was no outer damage to my car, it wouldn’t start! You never know what will happen. If you get into an accident involving another party, report it.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

What is the effect on your car insurance premium if you lower your auto insurance deductible?

Amy

Good question, Amy.

The greatness of the effect of a lowering of your car insurance deductible on your premium depends a lot on what good of a driving history you have. For example, someone who has a very good driving record would not have as much of a negative effect from lowering their car insurance deductible as someone who already has a couple of speeding tickets under the belt. Why is that? Mostly it is because the way the car insurance company charges you for your auto insurance premium depends mostly on how likely you are to get into a car accident, so if you have a five hundred dollar deductible for a good driver premium, it’s not as big a deal that they would have to pay more on the off chance that you get into an accident in which you are at fault, because it is very unlikely that you will get into such an accident. Do you see what I mean?

However, it does not matter so much how good your record is if you want to keep your auto insurance premium low, because regardless, if you lower your car insurance deductible then your premium will go up. It just might go up less if you lower it with a good driving record.

One thing you should remember before lowering your car insurance deductible is that raising the deductible is one of the best ways for you to save money on your car insurance. It is one of the things that I always suggest to people who want to do so. Before you consider lowering your deductible, think about why you are doing it. Do you not want to be inconvenienced out of the higher deductible if you get into an accident? Think about the fact that higher premiums will inconvenience you out of way more money than a one time deductible. Don’t go ahead with lowering your car insurance deductible unless you know for a fact that you would be unable to afford to pay the higher one if you ever got into an at fault car insurance accident.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Hi, I’d like to know if I can give my medical bills to my own auto insurance company, where I have PIP auto insurance coverage, even if the vehicle insurance company of the at fault driver has already agreed that my medical bills will come out of the settlement that they give me?

Margeret

You should play it safe, Margeret.

I want to encourage you very much to walk on egg shells when you are dealing with an insurance company about any issue, especially when it comes to medical bills and PIP auto insurance coverage. When you are already medically covered by your own auto insurance company, but the at fault driver’s company is also ponying up money, then you are in a very hazy situation. In this case I would recommend that you hire a car accident injury lawyer to help you with your PIP auto insurance coverage claim.

When you’re hiring a lawyer, be careful of who you get. There are many who put out cheesy ads on TV but give no help at all. I can tell you from experience. Instead, either ask friends or relatives who have been in similar situations for recommendations, or you can call your state’s bar to get suggestions from them. Most lawyers who deal in this area of business are specialized, experienced, and often offer consultations for free, which would allow you to pursue your case without the worry of too much additional cost.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

My insurance company wants me to have my car repaired at one shop, but I want to use a different one. How do I work this out?

Jim

Sorry to hear that.

Normally, you can’t. However much you might believe that you have the right to decide who fixes your car, it is your car insurance company that is paying the money out, and in the end they are the ones that make the final decision. If they have already made that decision and don’t look like they will budge, then you’re done.

It is possible to convince them sometimes to use a shop you prefer, and if you like you can make sure they use a particular mechanic in the shop that they choose. If you do want to convince them of your own choice, then it might be good to get estimates and try to show that it is better. However, if the shop you want to use is owned by a family member or close friend, you probably don’t have a chance.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

뷤䲓

If I have car insurance, then I can’t get sued, right?

Rupert

Wrong.

Unfortunately, the possession of an auto insurance policy does not keep you from getting sued in the event of an accident. There are some states where you cannot be sued, and these are called no fault states. In those states, suing is prohibited for car accidents regardless of who is at fault. Most states, however, are tort law states, and some even have a mixture of no fault and tort law, so depending where you live the answer to this question could be different.

On the bright side, if you do get sued you aren’t exactly just left in the lurch. Having car insurance, you will be provided with the money and resources from your policy to help you defend yourself against the lawsuit, so it is definitely advisable to be insured on your auto for that protection and much, much more. Always get a free auto insurance quote so you can find out which car insurance company offers you the best help for the best price.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.