Paculdo

i didn't know that insurance companies will give you an option to have the damage repaired or that (me) keep the check.. i still have lien on the car - my assumption is that (this is still not my car and) the lender will "call the shots" - meaning i need to have this repaired.. but anyways...

so what if the adjuster/insurance gives me a low-ball price? is their price negotiable? i've inquired (MB dealer) that the bumper for 09 c63 is about $1450+ (just the cover/no fog lights, no nothing, etc).. + paint work/installation.. also - how would the adjuster know if there's any damage aside from the bumper? what if i chose to go to my own (known) shop - who negotiates the price then? me? or the shop? or my insurance agent?

i'm not going to a shop, rather an adjuster will come to see me at my location of convenience (this is also the first time that i knew i could request this)

any advise on dealing with this?

thanks

Case1906

The adjuster will give the conservative (low) estimate and the insurance company will send you a check for that amount, less your deductable. If you take it to a legit body shop, they will work directly with the adjuster/insurance company to actually cover the cost of doing the all of the repairs correctly. I just went through this with my E350 and adjuster's original eyeball estimate ended up being $1000 less than the actual repairs. They worked it out.

CoolBDPhenom03

Oh, I'm all too familiar with bumpers, since I'm on my 3rd one.

First of all, what happened? That explanation alone would help demonstrate the scope of the damage. Second, who is your insurance carrier? It doesn't matter that your car is under a loan, so is mine. I still call all of the shots with the insurance. The lender only cares that they get a check from you once a month. Third, the adjuster is supposed to be fair. They take into account market prices for parts and OEM usually, but not always, price higher than aftermarket parts. So my body shop guy almost always quotes OEM parts.

What is supposed to happen, is that the adjuster estimates the damage and gets the insurance company to cut a check to you or the body shop. There is supposed to be an allowance for a supplement. In my case, a lip + bumper estimate ended up being almost $7k of front end damage that wasn't visible until you started taking stuff off. The body shop submits the supplement for additional reimbursement and if the insurance company approves, the shop gets paid.

That's how it works with almost every insurance company I've been covered under.

Paculdo

i hit a debris in the freeway - here's the thread: https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...placement.html

i don't want to go to their (own) shop
i wanted to have the work done by an MB certified shop (but reading reviews, the MB certified shops aren't that 'recommended' -- but then again, maybe its a hit/miss).. looking at hanley bros and katy coach works
--or
i'm trying to see if i can get a 2012 bumper instead and fit it (09) if that is possible - i mentioned this to hanley bros and they said they won't do it.. warranty issues, etc.
--or
revozport

Paculdo

also, since i'm going through the insurance for repairs.. will this (accident) show up in carfax (that would lessen the value of the car) if i sell this in the future? who reports this kind of accident in carfax? the bank? insurance? or shop?

balthaser

Check with the most reputable body shops around your area. 99 out of 100 of them have direct connection with insurance companies.

Just pick one of these shops and bring your car there. Let these experts do the haggling with the adjuster.

Merc63

You have the right to have who ever you want fix the car.


Bring it to a Mercedes certified shop and have them deal with the insurance company. They will look after everything and direct bill your insurance.

You wont get a different bumper.

jvanbrecht

It will most likely show on a carfax report, but that all depends on your insurance company, as well as the shop you end up using. Reporting to Carfax is completely voluntary (which is why it is of limited use, unless every dealer/shop/mechanic participates in the program).

And while each state has its own set of insurance protection laws, I believe almost all of them provide for the owner to use whatever repair shop they chose (assuming the shop has not been charged with insurance fraud.. you would be surprised how many get charged and convicted.), the insurance company cannot prevent this. They can however jack up your insurance rates (will most likely happen anyways due to a claim), and they can even dump your policy if they so choose (usually an extreme measure for really bad drivers)

Paculdo

appreciate all the inputs.. ill just go with the OEM 09 bumper and have it done at the MB certified shop.. so far better reviews on the Katy Coachworks shop..i'll probably contact them later when the adjuster finishes the evaluation of the damage.. hopefully wont show up in the CarFax report..

Sincity

This is just a hypothesis, but if the dealer doesn't run the bodywork through their system, you should be fine. From the Carfax I have seen, you always see service work from the dealer so that tells me they are reporting it. I don't think the insurance companies report to Carfax, but I could be wrong.

If you have a leinholder, most likely the insurance company will issue the check to the shop instead of you since techinically the bank is the owner of the car.

As said above, the adjuster will "eyeball" what they can see and when the car is torn down and more damage is found, a supplement in generated and paid by the ins company. A smaller shop will generally work with you if you want a 2012 bumper and you just pay the part price difference if there is one.

CoolBDPhenom03

My body shop said he could get me a Revosport bumper for the same cost as list OEM, but since I was already getting a new Vorsteiner lip, that combo wouldn't be compatible.

Paculdo

so they assessed the damage, was so upset that they said its considered a collision than a comprehensive damage.. my collision co-pay is double the amount of the comprehensive.. "technicality" terms, etc.. i'm just pissed..

Paculdo

i'm gonna drop my insurance and change.. i've called my agent already..

hey CoolBD.. just a quick question.. since you've done 3x bumper change, did they replaced the bumper with a brand new OEM bumper? or do they just find the cheapest alternative (get a reconditioned OEM or get an aftermarket)? these are the options that was given to me.. since my deductible is about $1k (and the estimate is about $1.8k), i'll probably just go the REVOZPORT route (shoulder the $1.3 or $1.5 i assume) - this without any records in the insurance that would jack up my premium/price..

Paculdo

i have a front spoiler that i haven't used/installed yet so if i go the revozport replacement, i'll probably sell it

CoolBDPhenom03

Depends on what you want to do financially. If you're obsessed about perfection, a good body shop will source a brand new bumper. If you want aftermarket, they should be able to get it at almost the same cost as OEM. If you want to pocket the difference, they can hook you up with a reconditioned bumper. In any case, if they're a really good shop, they can make your deductible disappear

Paculdo

i just wanted to have it done right.. i mean, its ridiculous to pay my $1k deductible but then the shop will use a reconditioned one but i pay premium.. i'll try to source out a reconditioned bumper and pay it out of pocket so my insurance rate wont be affected..

Paculdo

.. hence i'm now again looking at maybe doing the revozport.. can you help me out figure this out? maybe your shop can help me? that is if its possible.. anyways, thanks for the input.. really appreciate it.

CoolBDPhenom03

I'm not sure how my shop could help you, being ~1500 miles away. I'll certainly pass on any questions you have or give you his # if you like. He's a super nice guy and has a lot of experience and advice.