Fisher Price My First Insurance Claim

I made a claim for the catalytic converter being stolen off the Jeep, because apparently the thief damaged the front pipe as well. The front pipe is obscenely expensive.

So far, State Auto has been REALLY on the ball about the whole thing, everyone has been polite, efficient, and knowledgeable.

This scares me. I have a feeling that they're going to try to screw me big time when it comes to fixing this thing.

I had OEM parts on the car with no issues or damage at all. For that matter, there was barely even any surface rust on the exhaust. (Truck is amazingly rust free.)

This is my only nice vehicle, i'd like to keep it that way. So, i don't want the $75 Walker replacement front pipe piece of E36 M3 on this Jeep. I can't find anything else available, even aftermarket.

My first step is going to be taking this thing to the dealer for a quote for OEM front pipe, cat pipe, hardware, and installation. I fully expect this quote to be over $2000. (Maybe total the truck?)

My issue is that as i see it, there's 4 potential routes to fixing the truck, in order from cheapest to most expensive.

1) $75 Walker POS front pipe + aftermarket cat/cat-back system. ~$400-$500 including labor. (Do not want.)

2) Decent full custom exhaust from manifold back. $500-$800 range including labor. (I'd be ok with this.)

3) New OEM front pipe, aftermarket cat/cat-back system. ~$1500. (Ok with this.)

4) New OEM parts. ~$2500. (Total truck?)

My worry is that insurance will only entertain options 1 or 4. Beyond that, i'm lost. I don't know how this works.

Halp?

Just wait until they give you what they are going to do "officially". From there, argue your point.

As far as OEM, Mopar should have their "value line" exhaust parts which amount to AM parts, but carry a decent warranty that do FIT without much, if any, modifications. I think you are worrying too much about OEM being expensive plus the labor.

Ranger50 wrote: Just wait until they give you what they are going to do "officially". From there, argue your point. As far as OEM, Mopar should have their "value line" exhaust parts which amount to AM parts, but carry a decent warranty that do FIT without much, if any, modifications. I think you are worrying too much about OEM being expensive plus the labor.

Oh, i don't care about the price... it's going to cost me the same no matter what happens. I just don't want option #1.

I'd actually PREFER option #2, as it'll be cheaper for insurance, and i get something put on the truck that probably won't be stolen again immediately. BUT, i don't know if insurance is going to be willing to do something like that.

The other thing here is that option #4 might very well total out the truck if prices are what i'm seeing online. I'm not mad about this.

Swank Force One wrote: Oh, i don't care about the price...

Liar, liar, pants on FIRE! If you are worried about a crappy repair, which you can reject before taking back possession of the vehicle, and totaling it out, which probably will NOT happen, you care about the price.

If I still had dealer access, I could tell you how much a full OE exhaust would cost. Internet prices on Mopar stuff is all over the board and most of the prices are higher then giraffe nuts.

option 4, buy it back from them, use the proceeds to fund option 2 and pocket the rest for your racing budget...

Ranger50 wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: Oh, i don't care about the price...

Liar, liar, pants on FIRE! If you are worried about a crappy repair, which you can reject before taking back possession of the vehicle, and totaling it out, which probably will NOT happen, you care about the price. If I still had dealer access, I could tell you how much a full OE exhaust would cost. Internet prices on Mopar stuff is all over the board and most of the prices are higher then giraffe nuts.

No i mean no matter what... it's costing me $250.

I don't care what the repair costs as long as it's an acceptable repair. Option #1 is not an acceptable repair. I've SEEN those Walker parts, and they ain't going on my truck, end of story.

I guess you're right though, we'll just wait to see what happens. I'd honestly rather save the insurance company some money and go with option #2, though. Just don't think they'll do it.

golfduke wrote: option 4, buy it back from them, use the proceeds to fund option 2 and pocket the rest for your racing budget...

If they won't consider option #2, that's probably the route i'll go. If it doesn't total out, great! If it does? Even better. I wasn't planning on selling this thing anytime in the next two decades anyways.

Swank Force One wrote: I'd honestly rather save the insurance company some money

Please explain this to me... I know there is a ultra thin fine line between being an shiny happy person and happy that your vehicle got fixed, but "saving an insurance company money"? I don't pay a premium to them to "save them money" when I have a claim, when they don't seem to give one E36 M3 about me in the first place. I'm just another sucker to siphon money from. Off my soapbox.....

golfduke wrote: option 4, buy it back from them, use the proceeds to fund option 2 and pocket the rest for your racing budget...

When I hit a cow in my 1993 laser the insurance comapny took so dang long to get back to me, that I had already put the car back together enough to drive it (seriously, I had it out and about 2 days later.) anyway, end result they wanted to total the car I had just put back together. sO I talked to them, and got them to bring the "payout" to just below the totaling line... and they wrote the check to me. since I fixed it all myself, it costs me about 700 and they gave me just shy of 2 grand. The difference between what they wanted to give to total it, and what I got was under 100 bucks, and I still got double what I paid for the car originally.

TL/DR: if they want to total, see if you can get them to give you a a lower payout, just under totaling, so you can keep the title clean, and keep the car, and get a good payout.

Sigh...how quickly these topics always turn into "let's try to find ways to bash insurance companies". Yawn...

Back to your question. How old is the Jeep, how many miles are on it? That's going to factor into how they write it. They're probably going to look for an aftermarket part that's designed as a direct for the Jeep. If there is one available, that's what they'll pay for (no betterment taken). If they can't find one and have to use OEM, they'll write for it, and take any appropriate betterment (on just the parts, not the labor). If you want to put some kind of performance parts on there, that's up to you. The insurance company simply writes the check. You can do what you want with the money.

Regardless, take the estimate to the shop of your choice. If the shop can't locate the part on the estimate, or it doesn't fit, etc...they'll call the insurance company for a supplement.

Hope this helps. Any other questions, let me know. Do this stuff all day, every day. I mean insurance claims, not ripping people off....

Ranger50 wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: I'd honestly rather save the insurance company some money

Please explain this to me... I know there is a ultra thin fine line between being an shiny happy person and happy that your vehicle got fixed, but "saving an insurance company money"? I don't pay a premium to them to "save them money" when I have a claim, when they don't seem to give one E36 M3 about me in the first place. I'm just another sucker to siphon money from. Off my soapbox.....

The less money they have to pay, the bigger the chance that it's going to go smoothly. I work in the insurance industry...

They're more likely to throw out a $500 check on a 13 year old truck than a $2000+ check.

The fact that i like option #2 the best is just icing on the cake. It would seem on the surface that it's the least hassle for everyone involved.

Klayfish wrote: Sigh...how quickly these topics always turn into "let's try to find ways to bash insurance companies". Yawn... Back to your question. How old is the Jeep, how many miles are on it? That's going to factor into how they write it. They're probably going to look for an aftermarket part that's designed as a direct for the Jeep. If there is one available, that's what they'll pay for (no betterment taken). If they can't find one and have to use OEM, they'll write for it, and take any appropriate betterment (on just the parts, not the labor). If you want to put some kind of performance parts on there, that's up to you. The insurance company simply writes the check. You can do what you want with the money. Regardless, take the estimate to the shop of your choice. If the shop can't locate the part on the estimate, or it doesn't fit, etc...they'll call the insurance company for a supplement. Hope this helps. Any other questions, let me know. Do this stuff all day, every day. I mean insurance claims, not ripping people off....

The Jeep is a 2000 Cherokee Sport 4x4 with about 185k miles on it. (I think.... i don't drive it. It gets driven about.... 40 miles a week by SWMBO.)

What is a "betterment?"

Are you saying that i get a quote, and then insurance pays ME? How does THAT make sense?

Swank Force One wrote:

Klayfish wrote: Sigh...how quickly these topics always turn into "let's try to find ways to bash insurance companies". Yawn... Back to your question. How old is the Jeep, how many miles are on it? That's going to factor into how they write it. They're probably going to look for an aftermarket part that's designed as a direct for the Jeep. If there is one available, that's what they'll pay for (no betterment taken). If they can't find one and have to use OEM, they'll write for it, and take any appropriate betterment (on just the parts, not the labor). If you want to put some kind of performance parts on there, that's up to you. The insurance company simply writes the check. You can do what you want with the money. Regardless, take the estimate to the shop of your choice. If the shop can't locate the part on the estimate, or it doesn't fit, etc...they'll call the insurance company for a supplement. Hope this helps. Any other questions, let me know. Do this stuff all day, every day. I mean insurance claims, not ripping people off....

The Jeep is a 2000 Cherokee Sport 4x4 with about 185k miles on it. (I think.... i don't drive it. It gets driven about.... 40 miles a week by SWMBO.) What is a "betterment?" Are you saying that i get a quote, and then insurance pays ME? How does THAT make sense?

You get quotes, they cut you a check for the average of the quotes less your deductible, and then you take it where ever you'd like to get it repairs.

m4ff3w wrote:

Swank Force One wrote:

Klayfish wrote: Sigh...how quickly these topics always turn into "let's try to find ways to bash insurance companies". Yawn... Back to your question. How old is the Jeep, how many miles are on it? That's going to factor into how they write it. They're probably going to look for an aftermarket part that's designed as a direct for the Jeep. If there is one available, that's what they'll pay for (no betterment taken). If they can't find one and have to use OEM, they'll write for it, and take any appropriate betterment (on just the parts, not the labor). If you want to put some kind of performance parts on there, that's up to you. The insurance company simply writes the check. You can do what you want with the money. Regardless, take the estimate to the shop of your choice. If the shop can't locate the part on the estimate, or it doesn't fit, etc...they'll call the insurance company for a supplement. Hope this helps. Any other questions, let me know. Do this stuff all day, every day. I mean insurance claims, not ripping people off....

The Jeep is a 2000 Cherokee Sport 4x4 with about 185k miles on it. (I think.... i don't drive it. It gets driven about.... 40 miles a week by SWMBO.) What is a "betterment?" Are you saying that i get a quote, and then insurance pays ME? How does THAT make sense?

You get quotes, they cut you a check for the average of the quotes less your deductible, and then you take it where ever you'd like to get it repairs.

Dealer #1, Dealer #2, new header-back exhaust at Performance Shop A?

So really insurance pays for damage done, not necessarily the fix? Interesting.

OK, that info on year and mileage helps. In that case, I'd push for aftermarket. If they write OEM, they're going to take a lot of betterment (unless you have proof the cat was new).

Betterment means that they won't pay for the full value of the part. At the time of the theft, you had a cat and exhaust pipe that were 13 years old with 185k miles on it. The concept of insurance is to put you exactly back into the position you were in prior to the loss. So if they write for a brand new OEM part, it's putting you in a much better position than you were in prior to the loss. Hence betterment. Tires are a good analogy. If a tire goes flat in an accident, but it was bald before the loss, the insurance company isn't going to pay for all of a brand new one since the old one needed replacing anyway. Same thing here. Not to say your exhaust was rusted, rotten, etc...but definitely well used. If it was in much better condition than your average vehicle of similar age/mileage, make sure the appraiser takes note of that. They may take less betterment. However, if they write aftermarket, they typically don't apply betterment.

Yes, when the appraiser from the insurance company writes the estimate, the insurance company typically pays you (or your lienholder if you had one). The insurance company has a contract with you, not the repair shop. So their financial obligation is to you. They can pay the shop if you specifically request it, but that's done as a courtesy by the insurance company (and even then, they may make it a two party check). What I was saying was to take the estimate the insurance company writes to the shop of your choice. If the shop has a problem with the estimate, or finds additional damages, they'll call the insurance company to say "Hey, this estimate isn't going to work because..." and they'll come to an agreement on repairs.

Ok, cool, thanks!

Yes, the truck is in much better shape than your average vehicle of that age and mileage.

So basically.... appraiser comes out today, writes what he thinks it will cost, and wants to cut me a check for that amount. IF i disagree, then i take the truck to a shop for a quote? If i don't disagree, i say thanks very much for the money, and go get it fixed where i want.

In reply to Swank Force One:

If you can make sprint help you, you should probably be capable of making the insurance company completely rebuilding your jeep from new OEM parts for $250

yamaha wrote: In reply to Swank Force One: If you can make sprint help you, you should probably be capable of making the insurance company completely rebuilding your jeep from new OEM parts for $250

Funny story about that... got my first issue taken care of, but they seem to be dropping the ball on the second issue. Luckily i got contact info of one of the people that handles FCC complaints, so.... yep. That's happening this week.

Swank Force One wrote: They're more likely to throw out a $500 check on a 13 year old truck than a $2000+ check.

Thank you, but this comment disturbs me greatly. Why do you have this kind of coverage on such an old vehicle?

You reap what you sow......

Ranger50 wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: They're more likely to throw out a $500 check on a 13 year old truck than a $2000+ check.

Thank you, but this comment disturbs me greatly. Why do you have this kind of coverage on such an old vehicle? You reap what you sow......

I'm afraid i don't understand the question.

I have this kind of coverage on such an "old" vehicle (second newest out of my fleet, and arguably the nicest) because of situations like this. I can afford my $250 deductible. I CANNOT afford at the moment to fix this truck in a manner that i would deem acceptable at the moment.

Luckily, i have this insurance policy.

This is a daily driver year 'round. I can't afford down time on it. My insurance policy is covering my rental at the moment, so that's saving me $25/day right there as well.

FWIW, i only have this kind of coverage on the Jeep and the MSM. The MX6 gets whatever legal minimum coverage, as does the Escort. (Will probably need to look into a declared value policy for that car.)

It might be hard to believe, but this Jeep is pretty much the nicest vehicle i've ever owned. It's also the second most expensive (talking purchase price), and i'm hanging on to it forever. I really don't mind having marginally more expensive coverage on it. As it is, it's only costing me about $40/month or something. Cutting coverage to save $10/month at most is dumb.

^ This, basic rule of thumb, can you afford to replace the vehicle out of pocket? No? Carry full coverage. Honestly the monthly savings between required liability and full coverage in NJ is so small it's silly not to carry it.

SCARRMRCC wrote: When I hit a cow in my 1993 laser the insurance comapny took so dang long to get back to me, that I had already put the car back together enough to drive it (seriously, I had it out and about 2 days later.)

No really, he did! Damn thing is still driving around today (albeit in slightly Chumpier form )

In reply to Swank Force One:

But that is what I am getting at without saying it directly... There comes a point when the value of the vehicle, no matter how nice it is, is only worth so much to your insurance company. Your premiums can or will stay the same amount, if not increased, for diminishing coverage. How much is your Cherokee seriously worth from your insurance company's view? If you are in "a total from a fender bender land", is the coverage worth it? Using insurance at this stage of the game to CYA seems pound foolish for ounces gained from poor foresight planning. All you are setting yourself up for is termination or huge policy increases come renewal time. JMO, if we disagree, I'll agree to disagree.

I'm not saying that paying the small difference isn't worth it up front, but are the repercussions on the backside, IE-a claim, worth it? I find after 8-10 years it isn't, unless you already started off with a vehicle or most anything that isn't readily replaceable.

Ranger50 wrote: In reply to Swank Force One: But that is what I am getting at without saying it directly... There comes a point when the value of the vehicle, no matter how nice it is, is only worth so much to your insurance company. Your premiums can or will stay the same amount, if not increased, for diminishing coverage. How much is your Cherokee seriously worth from your insurance company's view? If you are in "a total from a fender bender land", is the coverage worth it? Using insurance at this stage of the game to CYA seems pound foolish for ounces gained from poor foresight planning. All you are setting yourself up for is termination or huge policy increases come renewal time. JMO, if we disagree, I'll agree to disagree. I'm not saying that paying the small difference isn't worth it up front, but are the repercussions on the backside, IE-a claim, worth it? I find after 8-10 years it isn't, unless you already started off with a vehicle or most anything that isn't readily replaceable.

I don't know how much the Cherokee is worth to insurance... I know how much it's worth to me, and i know if i can afford to replace it out of pocket.

I could see your viewpoint making sense if we were talking about actual accident claims.... But i highly doubt (Nor do i think it would be legal) for them to lash back at me for an instance of theft/vandalism in this case.

This has nothing to do with poor foresight, or how much the truck is really worth. I know what i can afford to fix or buy at any given time. I cannot replace the truck out of pocket (Don't make much money, certainly not enough to just have $5k cash on hand to get another Cherokee just as nice. Maybe i'll have that in the future, but not just 3 months after i paid the truck off.), and i can't easily afford to eat the cost related to fixing this exhaust properly at the moment, so i'm glad i have the insurance i do.

I understand what you're saying... but i really don't see how carrying "full" coverage with a $250/$500 deductible on one of the nicest Cherokees ever is a bad thing, no matter the situation. I'd honestly be more likely to take the MSM off full coverage before the Cherokee, simply because i have to rely on it getting one of us to work every day. The MSM doesn't play that role.

In this particular case, the claim is absolutely worth it. Why? Because it ensures that we still have a vehicle to get SWMBO to work and back, and that the truck gets fixed in a timely fashion without any loss of work hours to me from shuttling her back and forth from work.

For some reason Cherokees are worth between $4-6k(even though you can buy a decent one all day for $1500) to insurance companies according to what I've seen on the XJ/Jeep forums. So I doubt this would total it.