My car got backed into and the driver was nice enough to leave info. I called up farmers insurance, they sent someone out and cut me a check for the repair of the bumper. They're using a "reconditioned" bumper; to which i refused and they said that it is the only option if such option exists. Is this crap legal?

 

I'm curious to see what Geico does. I gnared the front end pretty well with a semi-truck tire exploding infront of me on the way up to NC.
I'm taking the car to a bodyshop here in Orlando for an estimate, then going to Kuhn Collision based off of forum members reviews.

I kinda assumed those type of parts wouldn't exist due to the low production numbers of the s2000, but apparently they do. If you bitch and whine enough, I'd assume they will use an OEM bumper on the car. Or let them fix it, see how it looks, and if you don't like it, demand they fix it.

 

I just went thru this with a repair of my daughters Honda CRV (she was hit by someone who ran a red light, not her fault) and I learned that unfortunately it is legal especially on late model cars. I was dealing with the at fault persons insurance and they flat refused "new OEM parts". I contacted my insurance and they informed me unless I was insured specifically for OEM parts that aftermarket parts would n=be used.

Seemed my only option was to pay the difference between aftermarket parts and new oem parts out of pocket.

Good luck with your repair

 

My assumption was the good thing about the s2000 is that there isn't really an aftermarket manufacturer for our body parts. I've never seen anything pop up like that, so my guess would be the only thing to do would be replace it with OEM.

 

insurance company will only replace with new OEM pars if the car is less than 12 months old or used/aftermarket is not available. to the OP,is you bumper not salvageable? i would rather have the one on the car fixed if able.. n i reccomend Kuhn, they just painted my OEM top black and had to re paint the drivers side of my 2004 VW GTI which was black both came out great.. ask for Micky Euphinia they are only open to 6PM Monday to Friday though

 

I mean no disrespect by this but this is how it was explained to me by a friend in the ins world. Was the car new? Then why should the bumper be. If your engine was damaged in the collision would you expect a brand new engine? They are required to return the car to the condition it was in right before the accident. The work will be warrantied for life as long as its a reputable shop. So I wouldn't worry. Luckily for us, parts are getting rare and reconditioned ones are getting an expensive as new. When I was in an accident they replaced my headlight with a new one because finding a good used or recondition one was too time consuming. Good luck

 

I understand the concept and in some ways agree with it. However, how can the mileage/condition of the used replacement part be insured? Not all 40k mile engines are created equal, and I would be pissed if (for example) my 15k mile F20 was replaced with a 80-100k mile motor...

 

I just went through this with my car so I will try to keep it short and simple:

My S2000 was hit by another driver, car towed to honda dealership, state farm adjustor estimated $7900 in damages. They wanted the collision center
to get a quarter panel from the junk yard from an old S2000 and use it to replace my damaged one. Instead the collision center fixed my quarter panel
rather than cutting apart the car and using pieces from other cars. If you look at the car now, you cannot tell that it was in an accident. If the
money that is given to you is not enough than the collision center can fill out a "supplemental form" to get additional funding. Sometimes there are
damages to the car that cannot be seen until the car is taken apart.

I would take pictures of the damages and a printout or copy of what your insurance will pay for (mine was very detailed) and go to some collision
centers. I would ask them if there are other ways to fix the car besides what your insurance will pay.

I was a real pain in the ass but at the end I got my car fixed properly. I had the honda dealership paint my spoiler 3 times because they would keep
f@#king it up. At the end the other dumbass caused the accident so I wouldn't settle for anything less than perfection. I would just be clear from
the very beginning that you want the car to be 100% and will not settle for anything less. I kept my car for almost 3 months to get it done properly
and I just picked it up 2 weeks ago.

If you need more info or advice, pm me before friday ... will be going on a road trip.

omar

 

Thanks all for the replies. This is my third bumper incident with the S and also the first time that they're telling me they're using a reconditioned bumper. Here is what i have a problem with; I pay insurance just like everyone else to be made whole if i were to get into an accident, so why should i be ok with the fact that insurance companies are trying to save a buck at my expense? A reconditioned bumper could mean anything from a crack to a scuff, and to be fair, it could almost be brand new by the time it was reconditioned; but again, who likes paying for gold and get silver instead? The difference from the check they cut and the 2 estimates i got was $100.

 

On the surface I agree with your statement, however most insurance policies are NOT written for using OEM parts for repairs on older model cars. As I was told by my Allstate agent you can insure your car for OEM replacement parts and obviously you will be charged more for premiums however when you have an accident that isn't your fault the at fault persons insurance company will not likely include OEM coverage.

I recently changed my S to be insured by Grundy (collectors car insurance) and I was able to declare the value of the car vs. the Insurance company using "blue book value". At renewal the value is automatically increased by 5% & the premium is of course raised slightly. This is a 180 degree approach to the standard insurance practice of level premiums with declining value of the vehicle.

I assume in the end you paid the $100 out of pocket?

Obviously you were fortunate that the person who hit you left a note, otherwise you would be wrestling with your deductible out of pocket to affect repairs.