Auto Insurance Claims: Auto Insurance deductible, time insurance, chec

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
I was rear-ended on Feb 2007. The surveyor who came and did an estimate on the car was incorrect and the body shop had to do it 2 more times. All in all my estimate came to about $2000, but the insurance paid me $1800 claiming they were not going to pay the complete cost to replace my exhaust which had to be changed, as it was older. Is that right. Why should I pay anything for an accident that was not my fault. I went to the insurance company of the second party because if I went through mine it would cost me $500 which is my deductible. Is there anything I can do to make the insurance company pay up the complete amount?
ANSWER: Hi Manoj,

Parts that are designed to wear out over time are subject to "Betterment".

This means that if they replaced your exhaust system with a new one, they are actually making you better than you were before since the exhaust system will wear out over time. Insurance companies will make you pay some of the cost when they are replacing items that wear out because you have already used some of the useful life of the item.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: But is it normal for my Insurance company to charge me deductible for an accident that was not my fault. Does it apply only to certain companies or is it norm throughout the auto industry insurance?

Thanks again for your answer

Answer
Hi Manoj,

Any time you make a claim on your own policy, you must pay your deductible. The deductible is the amount that you selected when you baught your policy to be self insured. This means that according to the contract you have with the insurance company, you agree to always be responsible for the first cost equal to your deductible.

If someone else was at-fault for the accident, your insurance company will go after the other insurance company to get back the money they paid out as well as your deductible. When your insurance company gets the money back, they will send you a check for the amount of your deductible. That process could take up to 8 months or longer.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh