Sensei

Your adjuster did not wake up this morning hoping to screw over as many people as possible. It would be blatantly illegal to link bonuses to the number of claim denials. Again, they are people and will what they can to help. Sometimes they are overworked and sometimes they need further training. If there is a something in the policy that you do not agree with, there is little or nothing the adjuster or supervisor can do to change that.

Your insurance company is not ever going to write an estimate that will compromise your safety. They don't want that liability risk and every employee who drives also is a customer of the product. If someone is ranting about dangerous aftermarket parts, rest assured that person is misinformed.

The vast majority of certified aftermarket parts are indistinguishable from original parts.* This has been the basis of at least three lawsuits and none of the lawsuits have gotten anywhere. It is hilarious that vehicle owners who put the fugliest rims in existence, disgusting stripe tape, and hideous window tint say something "Oh you're not putting anything but brand new factory parts on my ride" after getting a DUI and wrecking their car. Let's say I, or anyone who sees the big picture, was given a check to replace a panel with a factory when a certified aftermarket part was available. I would use the aftermarket part in a heartbeat and use the difference to treat myself at Best Buy. When the insurance company rather than the customer needs to pay the difference then all of a sudden it’s the apocalypse if someone's 1998 Honda Civic has a non-Honda hood.

That being said, it can't hurt to ask for new original parts. If the answer is no then so it goes:

· If the damage estimate includes recycled parts, ask specifically what year salvage it is off of. If it is older than your car then the company is not restoring your car to its pre-loss condition.

· Look for trademarked logos and emblems on the damaged panel. Some Volkswagens have a "VW" inside the lamp. Sometimes the Ford oval is stamped onto the glass. If this is the case then aftermarket parts can often be refused.

· Truck metal face bars, as opposed to painted plastic covers, are rarely certified. Insist on certified parts.



******Aftermarket auto parts lawsuits struck down

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Slacking off with style since 1981.

genuinegirly

What handy advice! I had work done on my car a few years back, after I spun into a fence. The body shop assured me that they only used factory parts. My car was still under warranty at the time, and the body shop assured me that there weren't going to be any problems. After a couple of weeks I noticed my car had a rattling from the hatchback, so I took it to the dealership. The tech took one look at it, said the latch was completely wrong, refused to deal with the rattle. When confronted, the body shop showed me certification that the part was genuine. They also wouldn't deal with the rattle. 4+ years later The rattle is still there and I simply accept it as a quirk.

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"Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq

"violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy