Safe Collision Repairs

Pay Only As You Drive Auto Insurance Coming in 2009

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:36:02 PST

2009 will bring pay-only-as-you-drive (PAYD) auto insurance policies to the marketplace. It is reported that 14 insurers are already committed to launching such products in the coming year. Many more will, no doubt, jump on board quickly to prevent losing policyholders to competing companies. Not everyone agrees this insurance is worthwhile for consumers. In this article, we'll recap the pros and cons of PAYD products.

Minor Impacts to Toyota Prius Cause Expensive Repair Bills

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:14:32 PST

A recent series of low-speed crash tests were performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) on twenty small cars. The tests shockingly revealed that it cost almost as much to repair a Toyota Prius as it does to repair a luxury car after a minor bump. IIHS senior vice president, Joe Nolen condemned carmaker's efforts to merge repairability with stylish designs by saying, "bumpers on most cars aren't worthy of the term...Small cars are supposed to be economical, but there's nothing economical about three or four thousand dollars in repairs after a low-speed collision." IIHS believes impacts such as these, which are typical of minor parking lot bumps, should not cause damage to cars. IIHS then worked with Tech-Cor, the research arm for Allstate Insurance to prove costs could be reduced without sacrificing style and minimal effort from auto manufacturers.

Auto Repair Consumers Find Airbags Missing with Greater Frequency

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 19:21:42 PST

Auto repair shops are not always on the up and up. With greater frequency auto inspectors are finding cars once thought to be repaired correctly void of one or more airbags. Airbag fraud is a growing problem all across the country. The California Highway Alliance reports there are as many as one repaired car in twenty-five sporting non-functional airbags. Sometimes greedy repair shop managers or technicians steal the airbags from cars they are supposed to be repairing. But in a growing number of cases shops are not replacing airbags that detonated in an accident, even when they are paid to do so. While this is primarily the work of auto rebuilders in back-yard garages as opposed to mainstream body and mechanical shops, consumers are rarely knowledgeable that their vehicles are missing these life saving devices. Read this enlightening article and learn what you can do to prevent being a victim of airbag fraud.

Money Magazine's Tips to Make the Most of Car Insurance Claims

Wed, 04 Oct 2006 11:10:00 PST

Marshall Loeb�s Daily Money Tip, September 29, 2006, on thewww.marketwatch.com website had to cause heartburn in the belly of the insurance beast. Loeb, the former editor of outstanding publications such as Fortune, Money, and Columbia Journalism Review offers a few suggestions to help consumers make the most of car insurance claims after an accident. Some of the advice Loeb gave that would likely offend insurers are these tips:

Insist on OEM parts
Be careful of insurer's direct repair partners who may be prone to compromise quality while repairing a consumer's car to appease the insurer's concern for a cheap price.

Click this link to read more of Marshall Loeb's advice for dealing with auto losses and some additional commentary from www.SafeCollisionRepairs.com that we trust consumers will find helpful as well ... [MORE]

Beware of Salvage Parts From Hurricane Katrina Flood Cars

Mon, 19 Sep 2005 12:12:00 PST

As clean up and disposal efforts continue in Gulf states hit hard by Hurricane Katrina, record numbers of flood-damaged cars and trucks will be sold to salvage and recycling yards across the nation. Insurers and their partnering shops may want to use salvage parts from these bacteria-ridden flood cars to repair accident damage to your car. Should you allow them to do that? Of course not. Know your rights so you can protect yourself. ... [MORE]

Dealing With Insurance Claims Representatives: What you Hear May Not Always Be Right

Tue, 15 Mar 2005 19:47:00 PST

Ohio attorney, Erica Eversman intended to write this article on a completely different subject, but several things happened which changed her focus. Almost every day for a month, someone related an unpleasant personal experience involving a car accident and the struggle that person had dealing with the insurer. With that in mind, in this article, she dispels some serious misconceptions about the rights and obligations an ordinary person has regarding vehicle damage and repairs... [MORE]

Flaws, Fraud, and Limited Freedom: The Truth About Insurance Referrals to Network DRP shops

Sat, 08 Jan 2005 17:13:00 PST

Now days, there are almost as many direct repair provider (DRP) shops being recommended by insurers as there are truly independent non-networked collision repair shops. Should you heed your insurer's advice and allow one of the DRP shops in your neighborhood to repair your car or truck, or should you steer clear of your insurer's recommendation and choose a shop on your own? In this article, you will learn just how slim your chances really are of getting a good repair in either type shop, and in which environment J.D. Powers and Associates found the most satisfaction in its 2003 Collision Repair Satisfaction Index Study ... [MORE]

Beware! 9 Lies Insurance Adjusters Might Tell You

Thu, 09 Dec 2004 01:48:00 PST

You've just had an auto accident, and suddenly you find you are thrust into making sense of collision repair estimates and auto insurance policy exclusions that you know nothing about. Worse, it seems those you are dealing with demand that you make important decisions about your car and finances on the spot. Whose advice do you trust? If you believe the insurance company's claims adjuster will give you honest and impartial information, you may be on the fast track to being taken advantage of. In this article you'll learn nine lies that insurance adjusters often tell insureds and claimants, and the truths they will wish you hadn't learned. ... [MORE]