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21st Century Policy Holders BEWARE!!!

4K views 41 replies 24 participants last post by  E92-Lighting 
#1 ·
My insurance is with 21st Century. Been with them for over 7 years. I have 3 cars with them including my 2007 335i.

The adjuster went to do a estimate on my 2007 335i on the accident I had last week (the other party ran a Stop sign, I didn't have a Stop Sign, there's witnesses). My point of impact is front end.

The adjuster from 21st was going to have the body shop put on AFTERMARKET parts MADE IN TAIWAN!!!:

* Hood
* Grill
* Lower mesh

I learned of this because the body shop called me after he left.

I called the adjuster right away to ask him why is he trying to turn my BMW into a Made in Taiwan car :confused: . He said that as a matter of policy, all cars that's older than 2 years old get's aftermarket part. But even he admit that he's not comfortable at all with the policy, especially on a newer BMW. I'm working on getting that remedy now, and will likely be taking my insurance business elsewhere after this period is up. :thumbdwn:

So all you 21st Century policy holders... BEWARE!!!
 
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#3 ·
I have found GEICO fantastic to deal with:thumbup:
 
#4 ·
we had a CLK 230 and it was 07, when we got into a accident in 07, they still put aftermarket parts on there, mainly because they didnt want to pay thousands to repair it.. We traded it in for a GLK and 2 weeks in my girl gets into an accident, and they were looking for used parts as well. Since the car is brand spanking new, all the parts came from Germany, just for a front driver side crash and airbag deployment, it came out to about 18K, so if your body shop is really on your side, they can request all parts be new, because they dont want to gaurantee crapy parts either.
 
#5 ·
It was the body shop that got on the phone right away after the adjuster left to warn me. Luckily this is a shop I can trust, because I sure as hell can't trust my insurance company!

In that same note: "Preferred" Body Shops = It's the INSURANCE companies that prefers them and is usually NOT good for the customer. I have a feeling "Preferred" shop will cut a lot more corners and do a shoddy job to save the insurance company $ so they can stay on the "Preferred" list.

I went to a 21st's Preferred shop last year when I got hit by a trash truck... I got a feeling I got screwed.
 
#19 ·
In that same note: "Preferred" Body Shops = It's the INSURANCE companies that prefers them and is usually NOT good for the customer.
Ain't that the truth!!! About 2 years ago a friend of mine borrowed my Mini and wrecked the front end in a pot hole. I took it to the dealer who said that several parts were bent and needed replacing. The bill would be $1,200. I called my insurance company, PROGRESSIVE, who tallked me into taking it to "their" place. I finally relented....bad move!!!!

3 days later I got the car back. They charged $1,700 to fix it. I didn't care since after my deductible it was all on Progressive's tab and they wanted it fixed here. Well I drive it back to work and feel that the car is not right. I look at the paperwork and see that they did $1,720 worth of "body work" under the car and a $80 alignment! I screen bloody murder and take it back. After 3 days of arguing and taking it to other dealers (luckily there are 2 mini dealers in the area), Progressive agrees to fix the mechanical parts (the reason I brought it in there in the first place). Progressive shells out another $1,000 and finally everything is fixed. So that's the end of it, or so I thought....

4 months later, my renewal comes in and they are charging me $900 a year more because of the "chargeable" accident! I again call and scream at them, but to no avail. Their policy is that if they pay out more than $1,300 its chargeable (and pot hole accidents are by their definition "at-fault")!!! I point out that if they let me fix it where I wanted it would have not been $1,300 but that did not get me anywhere.

I just switched to Geico! So far they are GREAT.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Do not let your insurance company get away with this. By law (I'm almost certain of this) you are ENTITLED to original factory parts regardless of what the insurance company's policies are here in the state of California.

INSIST on original BMW panels or nothing. Tell the adjuster you are more than prepared to take them to court if necessary and you KNOW the law is on your side.

EDIT: See link.

http://www.burbankbodyshop.com/18.html

Can my insurer require me to use non-original equipment manufacturer (non-OEM) replacement crash parts (also known as aftermarket parts or generic parts) for the repair of my car?
No - No insurer shall require the use of non-OEM replacement crash parts in the repair of an automobile unless:

* The parts are at least equal to the original equipment manufacturer parts in terms of quality, safety, fit and performance; and
* Insurers specifying the use necessary of non-OEM replacement crash parts shall pay the cost of any modifications to the parts, which may become necessary to effect the repair; and
* Insurers specifying the use of non-OEM replacement crash parts warrant that all such parts are of like kind, quality, safety, fit and performance as OEM replacement crash parts.
 
#9 ·
Tell your adjuster to take his Chinese parts and stick it up his arse, your not going to stand for that kind of treatment, policy or not. All parts come from Munich end of story!
 
#10 ·
It wouldn't be up his ass, he was actually siding with me and I can hear the shame in his voice, but he doesn't want to get in trouble with his bosses. I'll eventually have to shoot it up the food chain.

Since they want to use Made in Taiwan parts, when I get high enough, I insist that for my future Premium payments, I'll pay them with Taiwan money.
 
#11 ·
lol, what do you expect from the comply that is a part of an AIG. I sell insurance for a living and most of the carriers I represent use genuine parts, some carriers do try to pull crap like this but if you insist on it they will recalculate the estimate and get you what you want. Make sure you tell them that the aftermarket parts will jeopardize safety and integrity of your vehicle and may even void manufacturers warranty, also ask them to show you in your policy where it states that you agreed to such condition, your signature must be present. If there is no specific condition then "made in Taiwan" parts should go up to your adjuster's ying yang no matter how nice he is to you. :)
 
#12 ·
one more thing, in California basic insurance law states: vehicle must be restored to its ORIGINAL condition. You tell them that, also tell them that you will open a complaint with California Department of Insurance 1-(800) 927-HELP. Insurance Co's do not like DOI on or in their buns, it does hurt. As I always said, nothing is free, you want to save money? unfortunately they do to.
 
#13 ·
Amica. Stop fooling around.
 
#21 ·
Also have to agree with the GEICO statements, going through major PIA options with vandalism to my rear drivers side door glass, damage to the frame of the window and glass all over the vehicle. Got the vehicle back and then the battery went dead (apparently the body shop left the key in the ignition and killed the battery) GEICO was very professional about getting all of this fixed even though Hendrick Motors should be eating the cost of the battery. GEICO is also giving Hendrick additional labor time to clean the inside for glass, when I got the car back and turned the defroster on glass started blowing out... Now if I could just get the same level of service from Hendrick.

GEICO replaced everything my '06 E90 with OEM parts.
 
#24 ·
My insurance company let's me take my car to any shop I want.

The last accident we had required us to replace the rear bumper so I took it straight to Infiniti and that is what they did. I assume Infiniti would use Infiniti parts. :)

I'd never take the car to a shop that doesn't explicitly state that is uses OEM parts (most reputable shops will advertise this). Most likely I'd always prefer to take it to the dealership.
 
#25 ·
insurance

Good afternoon to all I am a State Farm agent in Los Angeles, CA. Unfortunately there are a lot of bad companied out their that will not respect you taking the car to your own body shop or dealer. They only will allow a body shop that they recommend; with our company is the complete opposite. You are able to take the car to any body shop of your choice or the dealer, which is the only place, my car goes when body work needs to be done only OEM brand new parts go on. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to pm me.

Thanks
 
#29 ·
Good afternoon to all I am a State Farm agent in Los Angeles, CA. Unfortunately there are a lot of bad companied out their that will not respect you taking the car to your own body shop or dealer. They only will allow a body shop that they recommend; with our company is the complete opposite. You are able to take the car to any body shop of your choice or the dealer, which is the only place, my car goes when body work needs to be done only OEM brand new parts go on. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to pm me.

Thanks
As an insurancer agent you should know that insurance companies in California can no longer require the repairs to be done at a specific shop unless its an RSVP policy and it clearly states that, even then you have an option to take it to any bodyshop of your choice but will have to pay 20% of the damages plus your deductible, otherwise this practice is ILLEGAL in California, consumer entitled to take their vehicle to ANY bodyshop of their choice. If you are trying to solicit business please say so otherwise stop misleading people.
 
#30 ·
I'm in Northern California and looking for auto insurance. It's between State Farm and CSAA (AAA). Farmers is somewhat in the mix because it's who I'm currently insured with. I'm so weary of being screwed during claim time .. there's so many horror stories out there.

Are there other considerations than OEM parts and choice of repair shop that I should be looking at (seems like in California we're covered in both cases). Edmunds has a few good article on choosing auto insurance and making sure you don't waive your right to sue seems to be a good one.
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/insurance/articles/92300/article.html
 
#31 ·
State Farm got slammed in the late 1990s over their requirement to use non-OEM replacement body parts when the replacement part(s) cost less than the OEM part (see for example, Tammy Snider and Michael Avery v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company). The basic principal behind the litigation was that the non-OEM parts did not conform to the OEM parts specification for crash performance (compressibility, energy dissipation, etc.), which degraded the future crash-worthiness of the car.

If I were the OP, I would call up the adjuster and mention the State Farm litigation and ask if they are certifying (in writing) the replacement parts to perform to the same specification as OEM parts (including corrosion resistance). If the adjuster says they are, ask for a copy of the certification statement. If the adjuster gives you the run-around, then it would be time to get an attorney in the picture.
 
#33 ·
There are many other excellent insurance companies to choose from, for instance Progressive, Safeco, Travelers, Unitrin, Firemans Fund, Ameriprise, etc... With some of them you can go direct with some you have to higher a broker. If you are a really good driver with 0 points and no accidents in the last 5 years Wawanessa would be an excellent choice (price+service). All of the above companies will offer you better service than Farmers, Statefarm, Allstate or AAA.
 
#36 ·
There are many other factors that are in play here such as age, driving record, territory and of course the car itself. Insurance policies are divided in three categories such as substandard (bad drivers), standard (average drivers) and preferred (good drivers). If you are a good driver it is important to find a carrier that specializes in preferred risk as they have a much better prices for a good driver than companies that specialize in substandard and standard risk.
 
#39 · (Edited)
In CA, can you have your car repaired at a facility of YOUR choice?

It's a YES, but there is a catch.

".... The cost of repair or replacement is based upon the following: an estimate written based upon the prevailing competitive price. The prevailing competitive price means prices charged by a majority of the repair market in the area where the car is to be repaired as determined by a survey made by us....."

In other words, what it is saying is that you can bring your E90 to any body shop of your choice, but they are only going to pay the price in which they feel is the normal rate of what shops would charge in that area. If your BMW dealer charges $200/hr for body repair, and all the other shops charge $100/hr, then your insurer is only going to pay $100/hr. If you insist on doing it at the BMW dealer, you will be responsible for the difference of that $100/hr.

I'm not supporting the Insurance companies nor am I saying this is right. I'm simply spelling this out as this is standard language. You can argue with the insurance company all you want, but what it comes down to is the policy language. When you buy an insurance, you're buying a promise ("contract"), the promise (as far as for collision coverage goes) is that if your car is involved in a loss, they will pay you for your loss. How they pay they pay you and how they go about judging how much to pay you is spelled out inside the language of your policy.

With that said, I know a lot of insurance companies will deviate from the policy language to the benefit of the policy holder depending on the situation (ie. newer car).
 
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