Can I choose where to get my damaged car repaired?

My neighbor was flying his big model plane and hit my car. His insurance company needs three estimates. He personally recommended a place but I opted not to go there in case he was pulling strings for a discounted price. I went to three shops I chose and got the estimates. Is it true that no matter what his insurance company says about the quotes, I can choose which shop I WANT, no matter the price? The prices were $1,285, $1,035 & $715. Of course I know he will want the lower but I want the highest because they seemed the most thorough.

Taja L

Michelle F, Try getting an online insurance quote It's free and generally hassle free. http://www.goodinternetdeals.com/Auto-Insurance.html

avengence@pacbell.net

Take it wherever you want. If they wont let you just tell your insurance company and they will take care of it and go after his.

Scott H

It isn't up to your neighbor where you get your car fixed. He shouldn't have been flying a model plane in a residential area anyway.

oklatom

Of course. You can go to any shop you like. The insurance may not pay the full price for the shop you choose though. Everything is open to negotiation, so talk to them.

the cats' mother

The law requires that insurance claimants 'mitigate their loss' which means you cannot try to make your claim as large as possible to the detriment of the person who caused the loss. Generally you are required to get three competitive estimates and the insurance company is only required to pay the lowest as long as they are all on the same page with the amount of repairs etc. I think there is a very wide spread in your estimates and I would question why. The first thing I would ask
is why is the lowest estimate so low? Are they trying to lure you in the
door and then add a bunch of extras onto the bill which you will end paying for? Alternately why is the highest one so much higher? Are
they padding the bill or making it so expensive because they don't want the job which is a trick body shops used if they don't want your business. Yes it is possible for a body shop not to want your business. they may see your car as being a real pain to actually repair or see you as someone that will be a pain to deal with by complaining too much or demanding too much. By estimating high they can get rid of you. Lots of businesses will do this with people they think you are going to be a pain in the butt customer.. I would carefully check each estimate against the other with regard to the hours of repairs, type of parts and cost of the parts. Maybe the more expensive estimate is using new parts and the cheapest one is using used parts. As for reporting to your own insurance company before you do check to make sure that this will not effect your premiums. Some insurance companies will boost your premiums or drop you altogether even if they get their money back just for making the claim.

Terry W

You can take your auto any place you would like, even if it is the most expensive. If you trust their work and they areprofessional, than you should take it there. If your neighbor wants to argue about it ask hi if he will personally guarantee the quality the repair for as long as you own your vehicle. He will not. Go with who you trust.

GREGORY G

first,you should collect some resource by searching the relevant keyword in search engine,if you got good luck there ,then your problem solved.however,if you are not able to find the ideal answer by doing that,here http://www.CarInsuranceFree.info/free-car-insurance.htm is the resource i recommend.

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