Macster

Yes, you are right but reporting it is not the same as filing a claim. It may take a bit longer but with that $50/day loss of use of vehicle hanging over the other insurance company -- and one asks about this up front -- there's an incentive to not drag this repair out.

My experience is the other insurance company is generally in a hurry to get these little things out of the way to save money. The delay often times comes from the body shop having to wait for factory parts.

Sincerely,

Macster.

simsgw

Depends on your insurance company. We have USAA and they are an active help and a strong back-up so we always report damage even when caused by others.

Most extreme example was when the Acura dealer picked up Cindy's car for service and their guy crashed it on a mountain road. Nice people in service and the general manager were reassuring Cindy they'd have it repaired in no time and even throwing in new upholstery to make up for the loss of value -- until the owner called me and insisted it wasn't her fault. "My insurance says I'm not liable. Could have happened to anybody. When are you going to get it out of my garage? I need that service bay."

USAA saved our *** at a time when we were both sick and entirely too preoccupied with more important issues to give the car the attention the situation deserved. Their head of West Coast damage handling had the car picked up for a long-distance haul to the premier NSX shop in California. Then he sent his best estimator to follow their work. Turned out the "quick repair, just a bent fender and a damaged wheel" included both ends of the car, it having spun, and damage to the underpan, the rear suspension, and a frame bent beyond insurable limits.

Had the owner shut up and let her GM handle it, we'd have been happier at the time, but we'd have owned a car that couldn't be trusted if an accident ever occurred and whatever compensatory work they did would not have been worth a sou in future sales. Since he planned to use a shop in his area, owned by a friend, it might have cost her as little as ten kay to get us out of her life. Instead she ended up buying the car outright at top of the market prices and paying for our expenses in the transition. She ended up with whatever the salvage value was on that NSX at a cost of almost forty kay. We were extremely pissed, but we came out of it whole. (With a Carrera for me, no less. A shotgun wedding, but a lovely bride.)

All because USAA got involved. They paid us and then took her to arbitration (as insurance companies must when dealing with each other) in lieu of our having to sue at a time when we couldn't possibly have mustered the time and health to manage that.

All depends on your insurance company. If you have a good one, get them involved.

Gary

C.Rock

Bummer. Happened to me last Dec just before Christmas. No note. They just drove off. Good luck.