The Insurance Claims Process
If this is your first time dealing with hail damage on your car and/or the insurance claims process, we are here to help! Fear of the unknown (especially when it comes to your car) is understandable, so we decided to put together a timeline of events for the insurance claims process so you can know what to expect.
Step 1 – Filing the Claim
The first thing you will need to do to start the insurance claims process is call your insurance company and file a claim for hail damage. They will ask you a few questions about where you were when the damage occurred and what time. Once your insurance company has initiated the claim, they will provide you a claim number and direct you to a local facility to meet with an adjuster for the initial estimate.
Step 2 – Initial Estimate
Now that you have filed the claim, the next step is to get an estimate for repairs. When filing the claim, your insurance company will direct you to a location to meet with an adjuster. Upon arrival you will meet with the adjuster and he or she will go over the damage on the car, panel by panel, and write up the initial estimate.
IMPORTANT: Initial estimates are almost always 50-80% less than the actual amount required for repairs. It’s no secret insurance companies try to pay as little as possible to settle claims. Don’t worry, our in-house adjuster will go over your car again and write the real estimate, meet with your insurance company, and get every penny necessary for repairs.
The initial estimate is really more of a formality and an attempt by insurance to do two things…give you a check for half of what the true repair cost is in hopes you will find someone to fix the car for that price and two, steer you towards one of their DRP shops for the repairs. We discuss DRP, deductibles, and estimates in more detail on the blog.
Step 3 – Shop Selection / Sign Contract
Now that you have filed the claim and met with insurance for the initial estimate, it’s time to pick a shop to repair your vehicle.
Keep in mind, your insurance company wants you to pay your deductible and will steer you towards one of their contracted partner body shops (which require payment of your deductible as part of their agreement). You are absolutely not required to pay your deductible to have your car fixed and you have the freedom to pick your shop of choice for repairs.
When choosing a shop you want to look for the following:
- Is the shop/business fully insured? *ask to see policy*
- Ask about their quality control process
- Do the people working there look happy?
- Do they offer a comprehensive warranty?
- Are they local or headquartered in another state?
- Is the shop clean? (Dirty shops = disorganized)
- Do they have good reviews on Google and social media?
There are many quality paintless dent repair shops who employ top quality hail techs (of course we are biased and think we’re the best!), asking these questions should help you find a shop that will take good care of you and your car.
Step 4 – Rental Car (Optional)
Now that you’ve chosen a shop, unless you have a spare car or way to get around you’re probably going to need a rental vehicle.
If you have rental coverage on your policy, this step is very simple.
Just call your insurance company, let them know where you are going to have your car repaired, and let them know you’ll be needing a rental. Your insurance company will contact the rental agency of your choice, make the reservation for you, and then call you back with your reservation number.
For those without rental coverage, All Star PDR will provide a rental coupon good for up to $350 in coverage so you won’t have to come out of pocket. Rental agencies don’t allow us to rent the vehicle in our name and then “sub-rent” it out to you, so you will have to secure the rental with a credit card and pay for the days of use. Just bring us the receipt and we will write you a check for the amount up to $350 on the spot.
To recap, at this point you will have:
- Filed the claim
- Gotten the initial estimate
- Picked a shop and signed your contract
- Reserved your rental and dropped your car off for repairs
Ready for the good news? You’re done! We will handle everything from this point forward, all you have to do is kick back and relax.
Step 5 – Shop Estimate / Approval for Work
Once we have taken possession of the car, the first thing we do is clean the car and write our own estimate.
Quick note – To write a proper estimate the car must be looked at indoors, under a PDR light, and must be clean. Anything else will result in an estimate that is not accurate.
After we have counted the dents on each panel and accounted for any damaged parts, we write our formal estimate and send it to your insurance company for review. They will send an adjuster to the shop to meet with our in-house adjuster and the two of them will go over the damage and come up with a final number for repairs. Your insurance adjuster will “lock in” the numbers and call to let you know it is approved for repairs.
Now that the claim is filed and estimate approved, the claims process is over and the hail repair process begins.
