Insurance company covering rental car while vehicle is getting repairs

My insurance says they will pay for 6 days or a reasonable amount of time while the vehicle is getting repaired.

The problem is that the first appointment I can get is 3 weeks away plus however long to actually do the repair.

Anyone have experience with this? The rep on the phone when I asked if they would cover it just repeated the statement "reasonable repair time".

 

Yeah, it's part of your policy. You can change it to have it pay for rental for longer but you'll be more per month for the option.

I don't have rental on my insurance. Always had multiple vehicles as back up and can work from home.

Or pay out of pocket for the duration.

 

A couple years ago when I tree branch fell on my truck during a storm. I had it in the body shop for three weeks. My insurance company gave me a fixed allowance amount toward a rental car (I don’t remember the amount). So I could either get a subcompact cheap car for the whole time, or a full size SUV for like 5 days.

 

most companies offer rental reimbursement at $x/day for up to 30 days or $x max per claim. i’ve never heard of just six days. that’s messed up.

 

What about getting a time estimate in writing from the shop and presenting it to your insurance company?

Who decides what a reasonable repair time is? Staffing and supply shortages should be taken into consideration. Everybody is dealing with these issues across the board. The insurance Co can't cherry pick "reasonable repair times" from a few years ago

 

Read your policy. Don’t trust the claims adjuster for what’s covered and what’s not. Auto insurance policies aren’t that complex. Read it, arm yourself with information and then approach your company regarding rental. Then when you talk to the rep if he/she won’t be more specific or can’t answer your question adequately tell him you want to speak to a manager .

 

This. I've learned to always have a backup vehicle. Cars go down sometimes due to mechanical, collision, warranty, etc. Best to have a backup when they do. It also keeps the mileage lower on each car.

 

My insurance (usaa) has always been great to deal with. They’ve covered 3+ weeks because parts were on back order. Another time my vehicle wasn’t street legal to drive (headlight was broken) but the body shop didn’t have an appointment for a week out. They got me a rental for the waiting period and the repair period. Never had to pay out of pocket and never have had to “argue” with a adjuster.

you may want to look into another company.

 

I guess I'll share the story. It's my wife's car. It's a Tesla Model Y. The car is less than a year old. She was driving yesterday and a manhole cover shot up tearing one of the rear wheels off a E-350 van. The manhole cover just grazed the bottom of the Tesla. Very little damage. Pretty sure it's just the plastic skid plate and a little paint on the bottom of the front bumper. You can see the impact on the lower control arm mounts but I don't think anything is bent.

Cop said he's never heard of anything like this happening in his 20+ years of experience.

 

Why do you need a long rental period? Continue driving the Tesla and drop off the car at the shop in 3 weeks at your appt date.

 

This if the damage is minor and the vehicle is drivable while waiting for the repair appointment then the insurance doesn't owe rental until the shop is ready and vehicle is dropped off.

 

If her car is drivable, then she can use it until it's time to drop it off at the shop for repairs. You follow her to the shop then take her to the rental place to pick up the rental car.

If she has rental limit on her insurance policy, then drive tesla for next 3 weeks then get rental... or share a car with wife while tesla is in shop...

Other option, forget the rental, and she can use a friend or uber to get around while her car is in shop.

 

OP says the damage was minor:

 

Can't drive it since plastic is hanging. Insurance company says don't touch it or try to fix it yourself.

I've never been in an accident. I don't really know what the rules are here.

 

Is the plastic an underbody splash shield or something easily removed with a few clips and fasteners? Ask the insurance co. if they can send an adjuster over to inspect the vehicle. Once the adjuster had assessed the damage, you can remove the plastic.

 

You need to have the insurance company come look at it, then take the piece off. If they will not come look, then demand a tow to the body shop and request a rental.