Judy26
Pearl Clutcher
MOTFY Bitchy Nursemaid
Posts: 2,974 
Location: NW PA
|
Post by Judy26 on Oct 30, 2019 16:04:42 GMT
I had a fender bender (though there was no bend, fender is made of plastic and basically shattered. Cheap piece of *#$& !!). No other vehicle was involved. I got an estimate and it’s about $1,500 over our deductible. At what point do you call your insurance company rather than pay out of pocket to avoid making a claim? My poor brain is so confused on this issue!
|
|
|
|
Post by bc2ca on Oct 30, 2019 16:11:56 GMT
If it was my fault, we would probably cover up to $2000 total ourselves. DS took DD's bumper off in our driveway and IIRC, it was about a $1500 fix. We didn't go through insurance (our deductible is $500). Funny thing is, he was concentrating so hard on not going into the garden on the other side that he didn't realize how close he was to her car until it was too late. We told him next time to take out the $50 plant.  |
|
|
|
Post by kristi on Oct 30, 2019 17:45:50 GMT
It would depend on the age of the driver, prior accident history & if they have accident forgiveness on their policy.
If I could afford it, I would pay the $2,000 to keep it off my record.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Aug 18, 2025 19:31:04 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2019 17:48:18 GMT
Our deductible is $250, but if it was over $500 I would file the claim.
If it wasn't my fault, I would file the claim and make the other driver pay my deductible. (This has happened all times I have been hit. No o.o.p expenses for me)
|
|
|
|
Post by papersilly on Oct 30, 2019 17:50:29 GMT
$2,000 is my price point
|
|
|
|
Post by busy on Oct 30, 2019 17:52:18 GMT
It would depend on the circumstances. We have had no tickets and one claim on our auto insurance in the 21 years we've had it and that was some idiot who hit-and-ran into our empty, parked car in a parking garage. I wouldn't hesitate to make that claim. If I had more of claims history, I'd probably pay it out of pocket.
|
|
freebird
Drama Llama
'cause I'm free as a bird now
Posts: 6,927
|
Post by freebird on Oct 30, 2019 18:06:51 GMT
Collision, I'll probably go to $2k-$2500
Comprehensive, they can take care of it.
I guarantee my insurance company made NO money off of me last year so I'm trying to fly low for a while.
I've also stopped taking my car to the dealer for repair work. Every time I do, I get a little notch put on my record with the dealer which devalues my car.
|
|
|
|
Post by revirdsuba99 on Oct 30, 2019 18:16:33 GMT
OP states the estimate is $1,500 OVER her deductible. Is the deductible $500 or $2,000, makes a big difference.
|
|
|
|
Post by Layce on Oct 30, 2019 19:10:03 GMT
Our deductible is $250, but if it was over $500 I would file the claim. If it wasn't my fault, I would file the claim and make the other driver pay my deductible. (This has happened all times I have been hit. No o.o.p expenses for me) How does that work? Why would you even have to pay your own deductible OR ANYTHING if you are not at fault. Sorry So Dense.  Layce |
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Aug 18, 2025 19:31:04 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2019 19:12:02 GMT
Our deductible is $250, but if it was over $500 I would file the claim. If it wasn't my fault, I would file the claim and make the other driver pay my deductible. (This has happened all times I have been hit. No o.o.p expenses for me) How does that work? Why would you even have to pay your own deductible OR ANYTHING if you are not at fault. Sorry So Dense. Layce There is always a deductible. I am still filing a claim. When not at fault the other insurance company covers all fees |
|
Judy26
Pearl Clutcher
MOTFY Bitchy Nursemaid
Posts: 2,974
Location: NW PA
|
Post by Judy26 on Oct 30, 2019 19:16:45 GMT
OP states the estimate is $1,500 OVER her deductible. Is the deductible $500 or $2,000, makes a big difference. The deductible is $500. I think I’m leaning towards just paying out of pocket. Everything I’m reading says I will most likely end up paying for it in higher premiums down the road. DH made a claim 2 years ago so we won’t get any accident forgiveness. |
|
sweetpeasmom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,832
|
Post by sweetpeasmom on Oct 30, 2019 19:30:04 GMT
How does that work? Why would you even have to pay your own deductible OR ANYTHING if you are not at fault. Sorry So Dense. Layce There is always a deductible. I am still filing a claim. When not at fault the other insurance company covers all fees Why not go directly through the at fault carrier? |
|
|
|
Post by papercrafteradvocate on Oct 30, 2019 19:50:04 GMT
It would depend on the age of the driver, prior accident history & if they have accident forgiveness on their policy. If I could afford it, I would pay the $2,000 to keep it off my record. Isn’t this crazy? We gave insurance to cover these types of things, with monthly payments AND deductibles, yet we are all in fear of our insurance company dropping us, raising our rates, etc. the second we need to use the service that we pay for, and often handsomely. Now we all know how the insurance executives “earn” million dollar bonuses every year. |
|
garcia5050
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,815
Location: So. Calif.
|
Post by garcia5050 on Oct 30, 2019 20:14:04 GMT
The number would have to be high for me. Probably over $2k. I believe my deductible is at $1,500, since I know I’m willing to pay for most minor damage. It really brings down my annual rate.
|
|
tracylynn
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,905
|
Post by tracylynn on Oct 30, 2019 23:26:24 GMT
Are you sure the quote won't change? They won't be able to see what else might need replaced until they take the bumper off completely. That's when they can see if anything got bent that needs replaced for safety. Ask me how I know?
It added another $500 to the bill. I was already going through insurance, so no biggie, but still.
|
|
|
|
Post by pierkiss on Oct 31, 2019 0:43:17 GMT
We just pay the deductible and let insurance take care of the rest. It has never occurred to me to just pay for accident repairs out of pocket without involving insurance. Do they only increase your rates if you file a claim and make them pay the repair bill? Or will your insurance increase just because you had the accident?
Clearly I am not fully adulting with regards to car insurance. 🤷♀️
|
|
|
|
Post by chitchatgirl on Oct 31, 2019 0:59:44 GMT
There is always a deductible. I am still filing a claim. When not at fault the other insurance company covers all fees Why not go directly through the at fault carrier? I don’t get this either. My car is in the shop right now because some teenager rear ended it. I filed a claim with my insurance and as soon as they got the police report they waived my deductible. They did the same thing for my first accident when I was a teenager. The one one time I paid my deductible, I fully expected to since it was my fault. Forgot to add add that to fix my cracked and scratched bumper for this one was estimated to be $1,800. Plastic hides damage underneath so I wouldn’t be surprised if it is more. |
|
samantha25
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,320
|
Post by samantha25 on Oct 31, 2019 2:04:38 GMT
Why not go directly through the at fault carrier? I don’t get this either. My car is in the shop right now because some teenager rear ended it. I filed a claim with my insurance and as soon as they got the police report they waived my deductible. They did the same thing for my first accident when I was a teenager. The one one time I paid my deductible, I fully expected to since it was my fault. Forgot to add add that to fix my cracked and scratched bumper for this one was estimated to be $1,800. Plastic hides damage underneath so I wouldn’t be surprised if it is more. I think that it depends on your insurance coverage. My DH was hit and run at the gas station, with about $5-10K damage. We had to pay $500 deductible. State attorneys contacted him if he would testify in a trial to recoup our deductible, but they could not find the driver to prosecute. It was a construction company truck and I'm not sure why the state couldn't go after the company. |
|
samantha25
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,320
|
Post by samantha25 on Oct 31, 2019 2:13:42 GMT
OP states the estimate is $1,500 OVER her deductible. Is the deductible $500 or $2,000, makes a big difference. The deductible is $500. I think I’m leaning towards just paying out of pocket. Everything I’m reading says I will most likely end up paying for it in higher premiums down the road. DH made a claim 2 years ago so we won’t get any accident forgiveness. Even if your insurance premium went up, would it be as much as having to pay $1500 up front, over the course of say a year or two? That would be an increase of about $100 a month, which I don't think you're insurance premium would go up by that much, with a small fender bender. My premium went up about $20 a month when I had an accident with about damages of $5,000 or more (can't quite remember). I got an "official" letter from my insurance company stating there would be an increase. HTH |
|
|
|
Post by mikklynn on Oct 31, 2019 14:41:06 GMT
I'd make the claim. I've never had my rates go up an extreme amount. Plus, tracylynn made a good point - they may find additional damage when they tear it all apart. |
|
