Originally Posted by extrashaky
(Post 2267985)
Been through it. I'm assuming you have full coverage. I'm also assuming the vehicle isn't totaled, which it doesn't look like it is.
Your insurance company will have an adjuster inspect the damage and make an estimate based on bringing the car back to the condition it was in before the accident. They will not give you extra cash to get a slick aftermarket bumper cover. They will pay the cost of the stock bumper plus the cost of labor to replace it.
HOWEVER, if you're willing to shell out the difference, you can work with the body shop to install your aftermarket bumper cover instead. How easy that is will depend on your insurance company and whether you use one of their "preferred" shops.
The way it usually works:
IF you use their partner or "preferred" shops, the insurance company pays the shop directly for the work minus your deductible, then you pay the deductible directly to the shop. These places often have the claims adjusters right there in offices within the shop, so it's not always clear whether you're dealing with the shop or the insurance company. In those cases they try to present a united customer service experience. The advantage of doing it this way is that if the actual repair ends up costing more than the estimate, the insurance company works that out directly with the shop, and you're not stuck trying to go back to them demanding more money. The disadvantage is that since the insurance company and shop are dealing directly, you have less say in what happens with the vehicle.
IF you decide to use a shop of your choosing instead, the insurance company may pay the shop directly, or they may cut you a check to settle the claim, after which you can do whatever you want with that money. You can then do the work yourself if you want and pocket the labor cost. Or you can cut a deal with your body shop for less than what you got. Or you may end up finding that the actual repair cost was higher than what you received, in which case you're fighting with the insurance company for the difference. In some cases, when you sign the release, that's all you get, so any extra is on you.
To be clear, you always have the right to get another estimate, and it's often a good idea to do so. You do not have to use their partner shops.
So to your specific question about the aftermarket bumper:
If you're using the insurance company's partner shop, they will try to "manage" you into their process where they just deliver you a repaired vehicle with no special considerations. However, you can usually step around the claims representative and talk with the shop personnel to arrange for something different. You could work out with them that you want to replace the bumper cover with an aftermarket item and arrange to pay them the difference.
IF you're using your own shop, you get less interference from the insurance company. You just tell the body man what you want and arrange with him to pay any difference. Or, if you're getting a check directly from the insurance company, you just order the bumper yourself and take it to him, then make sure he takes the cost of the bumper out of the final bill since you already bought it.
I've been through this twice with my Jeep. The first time I used the insurance company's partner shop and felt like I got rather screwed. The second time I got a check directly and used a shop of my choosing, and I felt I had much more control over the process and what happened to the vehicle. That second time I had them do some custom work that would have been nearly impossible to get done at one of those partner shops. On the other hand, I knew exactly what needed to be done, so there were no surprises where I would come up short and have to fight the insurance company for more money.
Does that help?
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