Hail damage?

[Dragonbits]

Illinois is the state.

We recently had a hail storm, both our cars got some hail damage.

I am guessing the deductible is going to be higher than the actual repair, but the first repair place I called wouldn't do an estimate without my filing a claim, wasn't sure exactly why, something about hail damage,

Auto insurance companies usually have a low priced shop that does their repairs, if I go personally out of pocket it might well cost more.

My question is, is there any downside to my filing on claim on my comprehensive auto insurance for hail damage even if I think my repair costs will be less than my deductible?

 

[Zigner]

Auto insurance companies usually have a low priced shop that does their repairs, if I go personally out of pocket it might well cost more.

My experience has been the opposite. Cash is King

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

Last time we had a major hail storm that affected MANY people Allstate brought in one of those mobile hail damage companies and fixed all of their fully insured customers with no down payment.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[adjusterjack]

first repair place I called wouldn't do an estimate without my filing a claim

Don't call anybody. Go to two or three shops with your car and say "How much to fix. No insurance."

After you get a few estimates, then you decide if you want to make a claim.

 

[Dragonbits]

My experience has been the opposite. Cash is King

I have no experience paying out of pocket for auto damage, I just assumed it was the way health care works.

Hospitals / etc change very high fees to cash customers but insurance companies pay far less.

The closest I have come is paying for body work is buying parts like fenders using an auto body shop account and doing the repairs / painting the car myself. (When I was much younger.)

So your experience is superior to mine.

 

[adjusterjack]

I have no experience paying out of pocket for auto damage, I just assumed it was the way health care works.

Hospitals / etc change very high fees to cash customers but insurance companies pay far less.

It's different for body shop work. Insurance companies deal with so many body shops that any one shop isn't likely to have the volume that would demand discounts and they would have to jump through hoops to be a preferred shop.

Where you can save some money by not going through insurance is by looking for a shop with lower labor rates. Paint comes in a variety of quality levels. A lot depends on the age of your car, how long you will keep it, etc. A few years ago I had a car completely painted at Earl Scheib for $700. One might laugh at that but it was a cheap sedan and that was fine for my purposes. There were a couple of levels above that for a lot more money.

The closest I have come is paying for body work is buying parts like fenders using an auto body shop account and doing the repairs / painting the car myself. (When I was much younger.)

Same here (when I was much younger). I'm content to hire stuff out these days.

Give it a try with some local shops and see what you come up with.

 

[HighwayMan]

A few years ago I had a car completely painted at Earl Scheib for $700. One might laugh at that but it was a cheap sedan and that was fine for my purposes. There were a couple of levels above that for a lot more money.

Is that place still around? I remember the old commercials with Earl himself... "I'll paint any car, any color for only eighty-nine ninety five"...

 

[adjusterjack]

Is that place still around? I remember the old commercials with Earl himself... "I'll paint any car, any color for only eighty-nine ninety five"...

From Wikipedia:

"Beginning in July 2010, the company closed certain locations and franchised off the remaining locations to shop managers, giving them the opportunity to become small business owners. Specifically, the company offered them the rights to purchase all the equipment and fixtures in their shops and to use the Earl Scheib name for their own business. Many managers took advantage and agreed to the terms, resulting in today's independent Earl Scheib paint centers."

Which the owner of my local shop confirmed when I had my car painted.