Month: December 2013

After you get into a car accident in Dallas or the greater DFW area of Texas, you will need to call your auto insurance company to begin the claim process. You will be assigned a claims representative to handle your case and he or she will arrange to have someone come out to your Coppell home and give you an estimate of the damage.

You can then take the written estimate to a body shop in Fort Worth, Dallas or any other convenient location and have your vehicle repaired. Before any work is actually done on your car, the repair shop will look at the estimate and decide if they are able to do the necessary repair work for the amount of money approved by the insurance company.

Your insurance policy will pay for any required parts and repairs to restore your vehicle to the same condition it was in before the accident occurred up to the limit of your collision coverage. They will cut a check for the approved amount of the repair less any deductible you have on the policy.

If, while working on your car, the mechanic or body repair specialist discovers that there is some additional damage that was not part of the original estimate, they will contact the insurance carrier and either get additional funds or the insurance company will send out an appraiser to do a second estimate.

While a professional estimator is usually right on target when making an estimate, occasionally, when the fender or other parts of a car are disassembled, hidden damage is revealed. As long as the damage is related to the accident, your insurance company should pay the extra cost to properly repair your vehicle.

If you are having trouble getting your car repaired, give us a call. An independent agent can help explain the process and you will be driving around the DFW area in your fully repaired auto in no time at all.

When you read through your Coppell, Texas auto insurance policy provisions, you will come across a clause related to the type of repair parts that will be used when your vehicle needs to be prepared. Most standard car policies that you can buy in Dallas, Fort Worth or the greater DFW area, do not say that all of the parts used to fix your car must be OEM or the exact same manufactured parts when your car came off the assembly line.

Instead, the clause will read something like the parts must be of like and kind quality of that they are functionally equivalent to the old parts. Some insurance companies will pay for the more expensive OEM parts and others will only pay for less-expensive aftermarket parts. You should check your specific policy to see what is allowed when your car needs to be repaired. You can always choose either type of part when getting your car repaired, but you may have to pay extra if you want OEM parts.

You will not void your auto insurance warranty by using an aftermarket part. The manufacturer’s warranty will cover you if the part fails within the warranty period. Every reputable repair shop that accepts payment from a customer’s car insurance company, will also guarantee their work. You should not worry that you will be stuck with an inferior part if it is not an OEM part.

As your independent agent, we represent a wide number of insurance companies who all have slightly different standards about how repairs are done. Most have a large list of approved shops where you can bring your car to get repaired. Both the insurance company and the repair shop stand behind the quality of the work that is done. If you have any questions about whether your policy covers OEM parts, give us a call and an independent agent can answer that question.

When you are looking for auto insurance in Coppell, your car must be identifiable to the insurance company. You cannot request a policy without having the appropriate information for the company. Depending on the situation, you might be able to obtain a quote in Coppell, Texas if your vehicle is not yet listed in the area, but only if you meet certain circumstances.

Moving

If you are moving to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, then you will be able to obtain a quote from an insurance company before the move. Inform the company that you are moving to the area and your vehicle is not yet listed in Coppell.

You will need to provide the VIN number on your vehicle and all of the details related to your car before you are able to obtain a quote. Although you will not receive coverage on your vehicle until after you’ve moved and obtained Texas plates through the local DMV’s office, many companies will give you an estimate on the coverage you want for your vehicle.

Other Factors

Although moving will provide a legitimate and obvious reason that your car is not yet listed, you might not be able to obtain a quote on an unlisted car until after you have listed it with the DMV’s office. The only way to determine whether it is possible to obtain an estimate on your vehicle’s insurance coverage is talking an independent agent about the circumstances that are preventing you from listing your vehicle.

The situation will ultimately dictate the ability to obtain a quote. As your independent agent, we can help you obtain a quote that is appropriate for your circumstances and the vehicle you want to cover. Contact us today to talk to an agent for more details.