I was rear-ended by a person with no insurance. In fact, he doesn’t even have a license, and he’s not here legally. My car insurance policy includes uninsured drivers, and I have full coverage (comprehensive). He damaged my rear bumper, both sides, trunk, and both brake lights. I was just about to leave on vacation and the insurance agent said I could do an “easy photo estimate”. So I did that, and left on vacay. They just emailed me that my estimate is ready…it says $370!?!? It’s one of my Audis that was in excellent condition. I feel this is a joke. I can’t imagine that any car in the world could have the bumper, trunk, sides, and brake lights repaired for this amount. I’d rather not need to get an attorney for this but is that what’s usually necessary or what other options do you know of? I live in Southern California and that’s where I was rear-ended while I was stopped at a red light.
Photo estimate for car – super low
byu/BriaRoberts inInsurance
Posted by BriaRoberts
12 Comments
Take a breath. It’s an estimate. Estimates typically go up. Also, the insurance company cannot write an estimate for what they cannot see. So once your vehicle is in a shop and it’s torn down the shop will request a supplement.
By the time repairs are concluded, all of your damages will be fixed.
Photo estimates work for like a scratch on the door. Anything else take it to a in network shop for your insurance.
It’s an initial estimate based on photos. These are usually very low, as the photos do not show the complete scope of damage. insurance company will likely advise you to take it to a network shop for a complete estimate.
Sometimes the photos provided are horrible…so close you can’t tell what part of the car was damaged, or so far away you can’t see the damage.
Relax – when you get back from vacation, take it to a shop in your carrier’s approved network and have them take a harder look at it. They’ll put together a “proper” estimate and you’ll go from there.
For whatever reason, the photos you provided seem to show little/minor damage. Or the adjuster/estimator made a mistake. Either way, an actual shop seeing the car in person will clear this right up.
And just go throw this out there – any chance you have a high deductible for UM coverage and the $370 is the amount above the deductible? Like a $2,870 repair but you have a $2,500 deductible.
i tell people like you all the time-it depends on the pics you took. i can bet you that your pics were trash.
its only a preliminary estimate anyways, go to a shop and they will submit a supplement estimate to insurance
btw there is no such thing as full insurance and comprehensive doesnt cover a collision loss like you had. im sure its just your lack of understanding what you actually bought. what is an attorney gonna do here except laugh at you when you explain them the reason for your call? theres nothing for them to do here.
The estimate you got is just based on the visual damages. If you read the estimate itself it probably says so. It’s not the full and final settlement for repairs. Once your vehicle is at a shop they’ll do a tear down and submit a supplemental estimate, and then so on and so forth until the repairs are completed.
You should talk to your insurance adjuster and seek clarification because you’re using a lot of buzzwords incorrectly and you’re setting yourself up for misunderstanding. California’s uninsured driver property damage coverage is different than in other states. What they’re most likely doing is using your collision coverage and waiving your deductible since they seem to have identified the other driver. That waiver may not be reflected in your estimate. Comprehensive coverage would not factor into this situation at all.
Hi. I’m currently going through the repair process on my truck. I did the photo estimate as well. Came in at $2k. Took it to the shop. Once the ripped it apart they submitted a supplemental for another $5k
Take your car to a shop and they will tear it apart and file a supplemental for more. The initial is just to get the ball rolling.
They “write. What they can see” but honestly it’s just a shit tactic to hopefully get you to cash out with the initial .
Once you get your car dropped off at a shop, they will disassemble it and write a supplement for damage missed.
Sounds like you need a rear body panel, bumper assembly, quarters are buckled so if not replaced at min. a sheet metal pull and repair, rear doors blend if buckled near ( for paint matching ) .
Expect the $ to go up once disassembled by a lot.
You could have gotten an estimate back for $1, as long as your shop agrees to the rates on the estimate they will submit the supplements for you. An initial estimate is always low, this is normal standard operating procedure.
> In fact, he doesn’t even have a license, and he’s not here legally.
What’s your point with this comment?
Sounds like you took photos that didn’t show the damage. Schedule a drop at the shop and go from there.
Your insurance company wants you to take the money and not get repairs done. They will purposely write it low and hope you don’t get it repaired so they don’t have to pay more. Anyone that says otherwise is wrong and I have proof from many years in the industry. Insurance is legally required to write a fair and accurate estimate, they 100% did not and I know for a fact without ever seeing your car or the estimate. You have a few options. You can use an appraisal clause (unless your insurance is State Farm). You can take your vehicle to your shop of choice and let them handle it. Lastly you can take the money and forget about it. If you need advice I’m happy to help.
Ask if there was an error. 1 taillight can easily cost more than your quote so its probably just a typo. I had a new bumper skin installed and painted and it was a little over $1000 so its obviously not a realistic quote. Call and ask