Auto Insurance Claims: help .. car stolen.., paint booth, automatic coverage

Question
State: MA

Hi, my car was stolen 2 days ago at a body shop. Car was still in their possession. An employee had parked my car in their parking lot as it was just painted. When I arrived on scene they told me it was stolen in broad daylight. This whole incident seems sketchy because when I arrived he was on the phone and wont let me walk towards the paint booth. I respected that so I waited for him to get off the phone. 5 minutes later he told me it is stolen. I asked if he called the cops and he said no. I called immediately. Cops came and filled out a stolen car report. 1 employee said he moved the car but didn't lock it. Another said he saw a girl enter my car but he didn't know it was my car.
Problem is I never registered the car. I had a bmw prior to this and transfer my insurance over along with the plates. I was going to register it afterwards. Now I don't know what to do. I haven't called my insurance yet as I don't think they will help since it is not registered. I do plan on calling later today to let them know. Is the shop liable?  Aren't they suppose to pay for my car? Please help.
The cop told me this is a civil case and I need to sue him? I need to know what to do. Thanks!

Answer
Hi Jay,

This will not be easy to sort out. With yopur insurance you should have automatic coverage for a newly acquired vehicle for 30 days from the date of purchase. So if you have paperwork that shows you bought the car within 30 days of the date it was stolen, then you should have coverage.

If you bought the car more than 30 days ago, then you need to get an attorney to sue the body shop. They should be responsible for the vehicle, but, you will need an attorney to get any money out of them for the vehicle. You should also ask the body shop for their insurance information so you can try to file a claim with their insurance.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh