Auto Insurance Claims: damage claim

Question
Was rear ended by Geico insured, Geico "accepts liabiity", no injury to me, my vehicle has damaged bumper,trailer hitch. Went to Geico's approved body shop for estimate(they have an office in the shop, not good),they immediately want me to sign releases for work, I asked about parts quality,I want OEM parts to be used, they say aftermarket or "recycled", I refused and left, sent claims a message with my 3 options,1 they fix with OEM and we are done,2 I fix with OEM out of pocket and take at fault driver to court, 3 I hire attorney to deal with it. I made no mention of my time, diminished value,etc.Have not heard from Geico yet (2 days), can't imagine why (sarcasm). Am I on the right path, really don't want to deal with this, but I will not have trash parts on my vehicle, past experience working in a body shop,thanks.

Answer
Hi David,

As you appear to already know, do not go to a body shop that has a contract with Geico. The best way to deal with this is to select a body shop that you would have do the work. Hopefully a high quality consumer oriented shop. They should also assist you in determining the appropriate parts.

You did not mention what kind or age of vehicle you have. In many cases the insurance company can specify used or aftermarket parts if the vehicle is over 1 year old or has over 12,000 miles. But, you can also make enough noise to overcome this. You can also demand that any replacement parts can be either new OEM or used OEM. Even if used, an OEM part will be the same as was on your vehicle.

Between you and a good body shop going to bat for you, you should ultimately prevail.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh.