Nothing better about betterment

My wife’s van got hit on the front bumper  by an uninsured, unlicensed driver.  Our insurance will cover it 100%  

The bumper cover needed to be replaced because one of the mounting tabs was torn off. 

I then get a call that i get to pay a part of the bumper replacement because there was preexisting damage (a small scuff on the bottom of the opposite side) because of “betterment” - the bumper will be in better shape than it was before

I knew I was wasting my breath but still told them to just replace the part of the bumper that was hit (we can’t do this.  I know you can’t.) or to replace, repaint and then scratch the new bumper so it matches the old damage (won’t do this. Good;  because that would be messed up) 

in the end, the cost wasn’t nearly as much as I feared (I’m sure it would have been a $500 - $1000 estimate if I had just walked in and asked to repair the scuff and it ended up being $80) but the principle really bothered me. 

The gal at the shop said that every insurance company is doing it and there is nothing to be done about it.  

oh well.  First world problems!

A little over a year ago I experienced this too.  Someone hit the side of my car (their fault) .  I had it taken to the approved shop and they found that the car had been hit there before and they hadn't done te repair in the officially approved manner. 

To make a long story short I had to pay $600.00 out of pocket to fix the old repair before they would fix it the right way.  My feeling was that the previous repair was good because I never knew it was there and if their client hadn't hit me, I never would have known.  It didn't matter and I killed a lot of time trying to fight it.

Did they use a brand new cover, or one from a junkyard?

Hit them with a diminished value claim if you can, just to make them deal with $80 of paperwork.

In reply to Brett_Murphy :

Well, I assume a new one.  I didnt even think they wouldn’t have.  I’ll confirm. 

And diminished value..... also hadn’t thought of that.  I bet it is excluded somehow but I’ll look into it!

Sorry to hear about your situation.  I haven't been in the auto side of things for years but can almost guarantee that diminished value will not apply in a first party claim.  

In reply to jfryjfry :

Make sure the new one is actually OEM too, not some third rate aftermarket part.

If it is junkyard or aftermarket, advise them they owe you $80.

Just heard back that, as Greg predicted, diminished value doesn’t apply. 

Also got the paperwork that shows “quality replacement part”s were used for everything except one part. Most are insignificant stuff except for the cover. 

I’m pretty bothered that they would do that without informing me.   I sent a reply that they need to install a proper oem part.  

The paint actually wasn’t a good match and they need to repaint it anyway so it shouldn’t be a big deal but I have a bad feeling that this is going to be a battle.  

I've been with "the good neighbor" people for over 40 years. My wife's car got a crease in the fender when a garage door opener fell on it (it wasn't installed, was sitting in a box all day and 8 hrs later fell). Got a quote from a friend with a body shop, his quote included a new fender. Called the "good neighbor people" who referred me to a large national chain to get a quote. Both quotes were within $5.00 of each other. The chain guy quoted putting a used fender from LKQ on the car, the only new car I've ever owned, a 2014 Mazda 3 with 27,000 miles. I thought he was kidding, so I called the Claims Rep who said that this is part of a "cost containment plan". I asked for a Level 2 Rep to call me, 8 weeks later still no call. My family has 6 vehicles, a homeowners, and a Renter's policy with them.  But probably for not much longer.

And don't get me started on USAA....

Reading online, looks like if I didn’t specify oem only for the policy (and pay a higher rate for it) I’m probably out of luck. 

So, if I get into a wreck, and my leg (which has numerous scratches and other abrasions, a knee that clicks, and is currently festering a nice case of poison ivy) needs to be amputated, will I have to pay the difference betwen the Fair Market Value of my old, used leg and the new, synthetic one, because betterment?

In reply to peabody :

TBH i'd prefer a JY fender and a repaint over a cheap repop. Unless I could get an OEM replacement one.

OEM is usually junkyard. They'll usually only put a new one on if they can't source a used one.

Why doesn't diminished value apply? Is it because your insurance company is covering the damage?

My wife just got hit by a deer the other night and initially I thought we were really lucky. It only busted up the grille and the bumper cover. I popped the hood the next morning to make sure nothing else was mangled. Low and behold, the headlight assemblies have a plastic tab that attaches to the inside of the fender, on both sides the tabs are broken. In MA, if your car has over 20k miles they will NOT replace anything with OEM, only aftermarket. The bumper cover and grille I don't really see an issue with. The headlights are going to be a big deal as I have never seen an aftermarket set that didn't leak, yellow or have lousy reflectors. I hope my body shop has some trick up their sleeve to save them. 

On a side note, we just got our renewal notice a couple of weeks ago. I rarely read them but was flipping through it and came across this gem. They will cover up to $500 of vet bills if your pet is injured in a crash, except for 9 specific breeds of dogs. WTF how does the breed of the dog matter in a crash? Anything to weasel out of a claim.

Getting new, OEM parts out of pretty much any insurance company is nearly impossible these days.  It helps to have a body shop who knows what they're doing -- the last time I needed a big repair, State Farm wanted to put a used door on it.  The body shop had them ship the door they wanted, then when it got there they gave them an itemized list of the labor required to strip it down, remove door dings, paint, build back up, etc, and they quickly relented and paid for an OEM one instead.  There was one other minor item on the car (I forget what) that needed replacement, they couldn't get State Farm to do that one, but the cost delta was $50 so I covered that.

In reply to volvoclearinghouse :

I would need two. Because the other one would be broken off in someone's ass.

They will cover up to $500 of vet bills if your pet is injured in a crash, except for 9 specific breeds of dogs. WTF how does the breed of the dog matter in a crash?

Lemme guess, all little froofroo fit in a purse breed that old women and Instagram rejects always have between themselves and the steering wheel while driving around? 

I genuinely can't believe the number of people I see driving with a berkeleying dog on their lap. I think I'd rather they be on drugs and their phone at the same time.

jfryjfry said:

Reading online, looks like if I didn’t specify oem only for the policy (and pay a higher rate for it) I’m probably out of luck. 

 

I’d argue that I’m not "better" then. I had an OEM bumper,  now I don’t, that’s not "better" and I’m not paying the $80. I’d make them paint it until it matches 100% too.

i really do not get why they’d risk a canceled policy over $80. They just showed you, you’re nothing but a number to them, so don’t be surprised when I consider them just a price when I shop around, as they’ve added no value. 

As long as the used OEM part is in good shape, I see no problem with them using used parts. The part coming off your car is used, why does it matter if the part going on is used? However, aftermarket parts suck and I would not be happy with that.

@Peabody: I have State Farm, and they will just cut you a check if you want them to. Get the check for the amount their preferred shop quoted, and use the money plus $5 of your own to pay the shop you prefer. In my case, I got a $1200 check from them and did the repair myself for $200 using junkyard parts. Note that's not insurance fraud, it's perfectly legal.

As usual, lot of false or simply bad info in here.  You may not like it, but the insurance company is 100% in the right on all counts here.

Nothing wrong with an LKQ bumper (or any other part).  Your car is used, no reason not to put another used part on.  They are OEM parts and should be in fine condition.  If a perfectly clean 2012 car gets totaled from a rear end hit, what's wrong with using it's fenders for another car?  It's the shops' responsibility to make sure the part is in clean condition when it arrives. 

Diminished value is excluded on almost all first party policies.  Georgia has an exception and there may be one or two other states.  Even if it weren't, most carriers wouldn't pay it for a bumper cover only.  I wouldn't. 

In reply to imgon :

Why couldn't they find a set of JY headlight assemblies?  

dculberson said:

As long as the used OEM part is in good shape, I see no problem with them using used parts. The part coming off your car is used, why does it matter if the part going on is used? However, aftermarket parts suck and I would not be happy with that.

@Peabody: I have State Farm, and they will just cut you a check if you want them to. Get the check for the amount their preferred shop quoted, and use the money plus $5 of your own to pay the shop you prefer. In my case, I got a $1200 check from them and did the repair myself for $200 using junkyard parts. Note that's not insurance fraud, it's perfectly legal.

While this is a legal and viable option: in NY (at least) a "certified repairer" has to sign off on the repairs having been carried out per the insurance settlement, and this certification is then sent to the insurance company. Failure to have the work signed off on means the insurer is no longer responsible for future repairs in that area of the vehicle.

In reply to Eurotrash_Ranch :

Having lived in NY, I can say that this in no way surprises me.  

Couple points. LKQ headlamps are often more expensive than aftermarket ones. Shops don't much like LKQ lamps because of road rash, yellowing, etc and customers complaining the light doesn't match the other one.

Some aftermarket lamps hold up better to yellowing than OEM ones. It is a crap shoot, frankly.

Betterment sucks. I find it applicable with reason to wear items like tires and batteries. Applying it to body components is highly subjective. If you've got a rotted out panel and I'm replacing it with a better one then yeah, you are being made better. Scratches, dings and stone chips are 'normal wear' and I don't think much of companies that use that to punish owners and save a buck.

And not ALL companies use betterment. My employer doesn't, even on tires. They decided pissing of customers isn't a good way to retain them.

dculberson said:

As long as the used OEM part is in good shape, I see no problem with them using used parts. The part coming off your car is used, why does it matter if the part going on is used? However, aftermarket parts suck and I would not be happy with that.

I would rather used parts than even new "oem". With used I know exactly what I'm getting and that it is the same as what I am replacing.