Auto insurance: Live & Learn

[Apex]

Small dent in my right front fender, sorta like a baseball hit it.

[Steve M]

Most insurance around here want a 1000$ deductable. I have a company truck and I have been advised not to report anything unless it's absolutely neccessary. Try to work things out curbside with out involving a report. Just asking an insurance company about an event is enough to get your rates raised. Or you being dreadfully "Dropped"
(Nine times out of ten, fenderbenders can be resolved curbside because the other guy knows what will happen if he or she wants to file a claim).
And thats how I do it.       

[machineman9]

The cost of insurance over here is such that the first year for a new driver can cost as much as 5-7 times that of the car you've bought.

Any way to avoid them sounds like a good idea to me. Even if you parked in a secure parking area, I am sure they would find a way to blame you for parking in a bad area and not pay out properly if someone causes damage to your car.


Surely there's something that can be done?

[Steve M]

[quote]The cost of insurance over here is such that the first year for a new driver can cost as much as 5-7 times that of the car you've bought.

Any way to avoid them sounds like a good idea to me. Even if you parked in a secure parking area, I am sure they would find a way to blame you for parking in a bad area and not pay out properly if someone causes damage to your car.


Surely there's something that can be done?

[machineman9]

[quote][quote]The cost of insurance over here is such that the first year for a new driver can cost as much as 5-7 times that of the car you've bought.

Any way to avoid them sounds like a good idea to me. Even if you parked in a secure parking area, I am sure they would find a way to blame you for parking in a bad area and not pay out properly if someone causes damage to your car.


Surely there's something that can be done?

[Hagar]

Small dent in my right front fender, sorta like a baseball hit it.  So my insurance co. sends their claims adjustor out, and he does up this rocket science level analysis in his laptop, (gotta take the fender off, maybe repaint it, blah blah, etc.) and we wind up with a $730 fix estimate over 12.4 hours, and of course I woulda hadda leave my car somewhere overnight or so, maybe get a rental, whatever.  What a load.

I wouldn't even consider making a claim for a small dent. As you've discovered it's generally cheap enough to get it fixed privately. Depends on the type of insurance you've got. Most people in this country have some sort of excess to reduce the cost of the premium so it's not worth making small claims.

I've been driving for something like 50 years & can count the number of insurance claims I've made on one hand. Perhaps I've been lucky but I've always been treated fairly & promptly. I obviously can't comment on what happens over the Pond.

I have no connection with any insurance company & no particular axe to grind.

[Triple_7]

Insurance is a necessary evil.

[BFMF]

Don't get me started on insurance companies. I was in an auto wreck last wed night. I was coming home and a truck tried crossing the highway in front of me. He came out of nowhere and I slammed into him, totaling both vehicles. Now i'm in the process talking to both my insurance and the other driver's insurance. I've got a hunch that i'm going to get screwed over

[Hagar]

[quote]Adjuster came out a couple days later, did her magical estimate for the body work, took it to a shop to assess the rest of the damage.

[Apex]

Thanks for all the replies, guys.

[Ivan]

Car Insurance in Holland depends mostly on car type and driver age.

Anything worth stealing (speed or rare model) is terribly expensive, and getting insurance below 25 is close to impossible unless you have the financial means to take it to court.

For an indication of how the system works...
My swedish tank (1350 kilo, 150hp turbocharged, built in 2002) has the same insurance cost after 4 years as the Opel Corsa (about 1100kg, 90hp, built in 2006) after one year with the same driver age.

A good tip for future car buyers... check the insurance rates!!! you can get a lot more car for the same money if you choose wisely. I planned for a Peugeot 206 but that was more expensive to use compared to what i drive now, just because the combination of that Peugeot and my age indicated a high risk category. The Saab that i drive now is cheaper in insurance, while it has twice the engine power

[Fly2e]

[size=13]
My "day" job

[Steve M]

[quote][size=13]
My "day" job

[Fly2e]

That's OK Steve as I actually agree with a few 

[patchz]

There are usually two sides to every coin. In this case (insurance in general, not the original post), remember there are a lot of situations where the insurance company is a victim of fraud. Don't misunderstand, I'm not taking up for them, just stating the facts. We usually end of paying for what dishonest people do.