Fender Bender question

[FaithHopeJoy]

My husband backed up early this morning into my sisters minivan. He dented the side power door. It has a dent and the decorative metal strip will have to be replaced. We are getting an estimate in the a.m. My question is should we go with an insurance claim or pay for it ourselves? This is de javu all over again because 2 years ago my husband backed into our KIA and caused $1800 in damage. we used our insurance and much to our dismay when time to renew our insurance it went from $79 a month to $325 a month just from that accident!!! (I know why the call themselves Progressive insurance, they start out low and then really progress!) Anyways we switched to another company and are paying $175 a month (he also has a ticket that will go off this year) I am scared to use our insurance but what would be better? I am terrified to find out the estimate on her van!
any advice is appreciated!
thanks
ruth
P.S. My husband is a good driver it is just that he leaves at 4 a.m. and his truck has tinted windows and he is so tired he backs out the same way every morning and he forgot my sister was here for the night, her car is a dark color!

[HASAMA]

why dont you see what your deductible is against the cost of the damage, and then determine if a rate increase will be worth putting a claim in fo

[allie]

I'd see how much it is to repair the door and pay that out of pocket if you can. My Dad accidentally rear ended a guy going around a yield sign once (didn't expect the guy to come to a stop for no reason) and not only did they pay $300 or so deductible ($2k in damage) but then their insurance almost doubled on two of his motorcycles plus their new Thunderbird! Ouch!

I'm all for, if you don't have to claim it, don't! It's just so expensive and they get you on it for years!!

[SweepingBeauty]

I saw this neat gizmo called Pop a Dent on TV-I don't know if it works, but maybe someone you know has one they would let you borrow. Heck, I would even try a plunger in a pinch if I thought it would do the job.

The little metal strip thing you can order new from a parts store, or get at a salvage yard.

[Embee]

Hi Ruth, I work for an insurance company, and you can go get an estimate just to see what it would be. You don't have to fix it right away. As far as premiums go, they are calculated by the previous three years, regardless of who your company was. So if you had say a 1000 claim this year and an 1800 claim last year they are added together for the total losses of three years. Without getting into mathmatical calculations, your insurance will stay high for a couple of years, until they drop off. Hope this helps, if you need more clarity, you can PM me.

[HeliFlyrr]

If you could afford it, think about covering it yourselves....insurance rates can really kill ya sometimes, not only do you have to consider the increase rates, but now with another accident/claim, your just one step closer to them not renewing you when the time comes around. Just remember, even if you have an accident that's the other's fault, they still consider it a claim......there's alot of pro's and con's about it, just do what's best and affordable for you.....good luck

[bildstein1]

It happened at your house right? In your driveway, maybe if your driveway has ice on it because of winter or snow you may be able to use your homeowners insurance. I backed into a new kia last summer with my boat and they used my homeowners policy instead of my auto insurance. Because the boat is attached to that one. No damage to boat but the kia suv was ahhhh totaled. cheap thing backed into it at 10 mph. Don't know if you live in chilly weather place but give it a shot if you do.... :worry:

[ladysusan]

See what the estimate says, then go from there. If the estimate is lower than the deductible, leave insurance out of it. Also if the estimate is higher than the deductible you can try to figure out how much it will cost you in insurance premium a year, if it's going to be more than paying the damage....pay the damage and save some money.

I was in insurance for 7 years and alot of people do this, as long as the other party agrees not to contact their insurance company. Kind of risky with strangers, but family might be different.

Good Luck. :)

[Mgster]

I read your letter to my husband who works at a major insurance company here in Hartford. He said if it was us, he would pay anything that was $1500 and under. (If you can afford it). If it is over that he would use the insurance company. Believe it or not, this same story actually happened to us. However, it was teenagers (one daughter with two minor accidents, and a son with a speeding ticket). Even with my husband a managerial level employee for over 25 years, can you believe they CANCELLED us! And we had perfect records before this. They've got you where they want you.

[FaithHopeJoy]

Thanks everyone! All of your advice will help us make up our minds. I am going to try the home owners insurance before the car insurance, but will they report it to the DMV?

[bc37307]

I wouldn't be surprised if they contacted your auto insurance co. and the dmv. When I was much younger I was hit by a drunk driver, who was driving a stolen car (which the state trooper didn't bother to check on, that was found out later, he also wouldn't give him a breathalizer even though he couldn't stand up and had open liquor and beer in his car), The cop said I was a teenager and he knew how teenagers were and gave me a ticket for failure to yield though I went off the road to try to avoid the bum and there were 5 witnesses to the accident. I beat the ticket in court and the bum ended up in jail (later the cop ended up off the force), but the insurance co. canceled my parent's insurance even though I wasn't at fault and all of us had flawless records. Any wreck turned in will cost you on rates, even on a homeowner's policy, so unless it's just impossible to pay out of pocket, I would consider shopping around to get it fixed, as prices can vary greatly and you can find good quality deals. I just don't trust insurance companies at all.