Minor rear ended claim adjuster advice

I'm sure this varies from state to state, but in Florida the insurance companies dictate what they will pay for. Apparently insurance companies have the law written in their favor. I fought hard with USAA because they would only authorize aftermarket parts because my tundra was 4 years old and their policy was anything over 3 years was either used or aftermarket if available. I tried everything including asking if they would be liable for future accidents putting parts on that had not been crash tested and of unknown origin. Their response was just to repeat their policy that conformed to Florida law. Luckily my body shop had a deal with a local dealer to match after market parts or they would tell the insurance company that the aftermarket parts didn't fit correctly.

 

Big difference between being "certified" and an authorized dealer. This is how they get around it. Go into you service department and ask for aftermarket parts. Your dealer can't install pads from auto zone. That is part of their franchise agreement. There are only a few things they can do that doesn't have the Toyota label on it. If you go to a body shop, they can and will do whatever the insurance company pays for.

 

Both @23TacoSR and @RIX TUX gave you information, based on a question asked.

Your immediate response was to bash them, tell them they're wasting their time, etc.

By the way, the short bus comment? Very mature. We try to be inclusive here.

With that said, the information that you seek can be had by either your insurance company (you can ask for information, outside of this claim) or work with the other person's insurance since they were at fault.

They will tell you who they use, and if you choose to use someone else, you just share that info with said insurance company. Could also get a quote for said repairs and cash out as well.

But really, these guys told you who to check in with and you're blowing them off for giving you genuine information.

Maybe ask your parents next time before posting on here. They're just in the next room anyway.

 

@Kwikvette agree my replies were not PC. On TW you better be able to take it if your going to dish it out. I respectfully disagree with your LONG observations.

 

I would call your insurance company. I hate dealing with shit like this, but in this situation, your insurance company should your side and they typically argue on your behalf.

Definitely adds some middle man back n forth crap, but at the end of the day its easier for you to file a claim with your insurance company get your shit fixed and have your insurance company go after the other guys insurance for reimbursement. Just my 2C.

 

Oh for sure, I'm much harsher in other threads where I'll go on and troll people.

But the information provided was solid.

You pay a lot for insurance; use them for the resource they can be.

 

the 3 local Toyota dealers to me all have their own body shops and yes the dealer owns and operates them.

 

As an update and or to clarify, I contacted my agent directly after the accident, and I indicated I reserved the right to use my company or the other parties company.

In the interim before selecting which company to file the claim with the other party accepted full responsibility.

The intention of my first post was to solicit advice related to the repairs. And this thread yielded much more than expected. Mostly…solid advice and beyond my expectations.

TW has some solid contributors and I stand by that.

 

In a rear end collision, the person who was hit has a HUGE upper hand. The other guy's insurance knows there is a huge lawsuit potential here so in these situations they don't usually give a person a hard time about getting the car fixed properly. If they give you a hard time, go to the doctor with a neck ache and get a lawyer lol. Your settlement might be enough to buy a new TRD pro.

 

For any rear end hit be sure to have the frame checked, it's designed to bend downwards when hit from the rear which is great for dissipating energy and saving you from injury but not so great if it goes too far - from what I can tell this seems to be the leading cause of our trucks getting totaled when exterior damage appears limited.

 

Yes, they have a body shop. Anyone can have a body shop, but it isn't part of their Toyota dealer franchise agreement. They probably promote them as "Certified", but they are not the same as their service facilities.