Make sure you get paid when you wreck your truck

[adsm08]

That's the max they'll pay out. Not the average.

You know what? I'm tired, sore, getting over a head cold, just about hit my stupid quota for the week, and haven't gotten laid since LAST weekend, so I'm gonna short cut this particular debate and tell you the same thing I tell all the guys who want to rail against the dealership and the techs who work there:

Nobody cares about your crazy, pathetic, whiny, uninformed, moronity so SHUT UP!!!! Unless you decide you have something constructive to add.

 

[Pruples]

You know what? I'm tired, sore, getting over a head cold, just about hit my stupid quota for the week, and haven't gotten laid since LAST weekend, so I'm gonna short cut this particular debate and tell you the same thing I tell all the guys who want to rail against the dealership and the techs who work there:

Nobody cares about your crazy, pathetic, whiny, uninformed, moronity so SHUT UP!!!! Unless you decide you have something constructive to add.

Lol, I could say the same to you. Reality is, none of anything discussed in this thread really matters. It's all just argument for the sake of getting others' opinions/viewpoints in case I've not considered something (Though I do believe what I've posted), and so far nothing new to me has come up, so it's been a bit of a failure of an argument (at least, for me). Thanks for taking up the other side of the argument.

And with that, I'll leave this thread so it can be un-derailed. If anyone feels the need to discuss/argue further, just pm me. I'm always happy to oblige.

 

[upnsmoke]

I agree we should always have a choice, but I think it's important that it's required. But he isn't there to just guard your belongings. He's there to make sure you are ABLE to pay at least SOMETHING in a timely manner to the one you've wronged. There isn't a choice in that. How do you make sure the person is able to pay out for all the expenses incurred if they cause an accident? Is the other person REALLY supposed to be laid up in a hospital waiting for the other guy to make his medical payments (if that guy even can)? Or should he be able to rely on the fact that the perpetrator can cover at least most of the expenses? If you had the ability to choose not to have insurance, how would you pay for that guy? If you don't have the saved up money, how would his doctors be paid? Who pays for it? Are they to wait the 10 years it takes you to pay it back?

This is a good point and I can not disagree. It is important that insurance be required to protect anyone who incurs expenses as a result of someone else's actions. I also have a very basic understanding of the way they use statistics to determine changes in the price of an insurance policy, and don't feel that it is terribly unfair. Even so, I still can not help but feel that at least some of us may be paying too much for our car insurance.
I have been told that advertising is expensive and I feel that insurance companies do an inordinate amount of advertising. It seems that there are insurance agencies everywhere. The insurance portion of our yellow pages seems almost as big as that for lawyers. Some of the biggest buildings in the city belong to insurance companies. I understand that insurance is a huge industry, and do not necessarily see a problem with that, or any way around it, but I wonder if they are not making more money than they should be. Armadillon, you would likely know better than me if I am completely wrong about this or not, so, what do you think?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Also, if its your fault, and the accident was covered by collision, you can choose to pay the deductible or not. If they total your vehicle out, it's almost always more than what your deductible is (which means you still technically gain).

Something I didn't ever know, like if you have a $500 deductable and happen to back into someone, it will cost $500 for the deductable to fix his car, and $500 deductable to fix your car. IMO that is kind of decieving, the "$500 deductable" is really $1000 if it involves two vehicles. I backed into a guys Silverado a couple years ago, wrinkled the back door. It was like $800 to fix it, ran it through for him so I didn't have to deal with it or any surprises that popped up and then decided heck if I am paying that much I am going to get my tail light that was scuffed replaced while I was at it... no dice unless I paid another $500.

And it still isn't technically a gain, the insurance is giving you the deductable less than the vehicle is worth... before they nitpick the tires and overall condition well below street value. With a $500 deductable your $1000 Ranger is now a $500 Ranger and heaven help you if your tires don't still have stickers on them or there is a blemish anywhere else on the vehicle. Even with insurance you lose, not nearly as bad but it it still isn't a money making venture for the guy paying premiums.

My Ranger was totalled once over 12 hail dings in the hood and a picky sized hole in the tail light, IMO being a 15yo pickup it was totalled before they even looked at it.

For the medical side of it though, there is absolutely no way to justify not having at least liablity.

I do think they need to reduce/elimanate the payout for those who do not wear their seatbelt/helmet though. There is no reason to make others pay more to keep you on life support if someone is too stupid to take some basic precautions for their own safety.

 

[Rowdy Fitzgerald]

Pruples: Thanks for the info dude! I'm definaty gonna do that! Oh don't let some one else's bad day get to you. From this angle I can see where you're both comin from and you all have valid points.

 

[88_Eddie]

And it still isn't technically a gain, the insurance is giving you the deductable less than the vehicle is worth... before they nitpick the tires and overall condition well below street value. With a $500 deductable your $1000 Ranger is now a $500 Ranger and heaven help you if your tires don't still have stickers on them or there is a blemish anywhere else on the vehicle. Even with insurance you lose, not nearly as bad but it it still isn't a money making venture for the guy paying premiums.

My Ranger was totalled once over 12 hail dings in the hood and a picky sized hole in the tail light, IMO being a 15yo pickup it was totalled before they even looked at it.

I do think they need to reduce/elimanate the payout for those who do not wear their seatbelt/helmet though. There is no reason to make others pay more to keep you on life support if someone is too stupid to take some basic precautions for their own safety.

the insurance company does not give you a deductible, YOU choose your deductible. like i said previously, a deductible is YOUR assumption of risk. the higher the deductible, the more risk YOU are assuming if you have a loss. this means less risk for the insurance company and lower monthly premium.

i know what you mean about the 15 y/o ranger. my wife also works in claims and she had to total a bronco 2 when the little vent glass (triangular piece) on the door was broken. needless to say, i've only got liability on my bronco and if a piece of glass breaks, i'll be replacing it myself.

i completely agree with you on the last statement. motorcyles should require their own insurance and you shouldnt have to pay out your policies limits if you're involved in a wreck with one. wearing a helmet or not, riding a motorcycle is 10 times more dangerous than driving a car. if you get in a wreck with a hippie in a smart car, you're gonna be making a trip to the hospital.

 

[shane96ranger]

Thank you for the advice on the rider policy. I'd never heard of that.

EDIT: Two questions for you Armadillon:

1. Do ALL states require "uninsured motorists" coverage? Utah does.

2. Can you add paint jobs into the rider policy? I'm 2500 into mine, and it would be nice to know things like that before I make the call.

the insurance company does not give you a deductible, YOU choose your deductible. like i said previously, a deductible is YOUR assumption of risk. the higher the deductible, the more risk YOU are assuming if you have a loss. this means less risk for the insurance company and lower monthly premium.

Exactly. I have a 250 deductible on my Mustang, and 500 on the F150 and Escape.

I would like to add that there are a few shops around here (the shop that painted my Mustang for one) that will eat part of, and sometimes all of the deductible. There are shops that eat windshield deductibles as well (done this a few times), you just have to ask.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

the insurance company does not give you a deductible, YOU choose your deductible. like i said previously, a deductible is YOUR assumption of risk. the higher the deductible, the more risk YOU are assuming if you have a loss. this means less risk for the insurance company and lower monthly premium.

They explained that when I got it but I do not recall anybody saying it being x2 if I want my truck fixed as well. I always though a $500 deductable was a $500 deductable, you get in a wreck and $500 makes it all better... not the case. Not really a rant or anything, I was just stating that for anyone else that hadn't found it out yet.

 

[Dugan]

It's usually dirt cheap on our trucks because they're so old.

My 89 Ranger cost 55$ more then my 99 Mercury Sable... To me this made no sense, but my insurance company said its because of the "lack of airbags". Truely I hate airbags..

Also a friend of mine has a different insurance company. He has no job, 6 points and over 20 tickets in his career of driving. He has 3 vehicles registered to him and his first cost the normal price ~1200 a year, while the last two cost ~240$ a year each... one being a 78 bronco.. def a lot more unsafe then his 98 explorer.. I Just dont get how the whole setup works truely when we have 4 vehicles in my policy and they tell me I cannot add a 5 but have to remove my car to add my ranger. We can easily afford it but they dont care. Oh well.. welcome to 'merica. But I do agree, insurance is needed and in the state of nj if an uninsured hits you your paying for both vehicles... go figure. I've learned a lot reading this so far and im glad you had the time to share

Also, one of the many states I'm licensed to sell in is New Jersey. There state required Liability limits are a JOKE (15/30/5!). Therefore you have crammed courts with people suing others for not having insurance, and you also get people who have brand new cars having to obtain money for his damaged car because of UNINSURED people driving around. Maybe your car and home aren't worth protecting, but I know theres millions others who are quite happy.

i live in NJ I hate this state... But our insurance adj wont let us go below a 103k?? coverage just to save our asses in case of a major incident (Which im glad they do)

 

[shane96ranger]

Is that 55 dollars more per month Dugan?

Sent while I should be doing something else

 

[88_Eddie]

They explained that when I got it but I do not recall anybody saying it being x2 if I want my truck fixed as well. I always though a $500 deductable was a $500 deductable, you get in a wreck and $500 makes it all better... not the case. Not really a rant or anything, I was just stating that for anyone else that hadn't found it out yet.

i'd go back and talk to the insurance company, you shouldnt have had to pay a deductible on a liability claim. you would of course have to pay it for yours. not unless, you owned the silverado that you hit. then you would pay a deductible for both.

oh and i forgot another fun fact, when i was in policy school, we were given some intersesting statistics about insurance claims. how much the average one costs, you know stuff like that. i dont know if this was a national average, or our companies average, but 30-35% of insurance claims that are filed are fraudulent. so that's another thing that helps keep your premiums high.

 

[Dugan]

Is that 55 dollars more per month Dugan?

Sent while I should be doing something else

I believe per year. But still I was amazed to see it jump I thought I was getting a break

 

[armadillon]

i also work for an insurance company and i understand the OP's rant. i run into the same thing every damn day and it's annoying to explain it to everyone. people that dont like insurance companies dont understand how it works. you get a copy of your insurance policy when you have one written, it's nobody's fault but your own if you dont understand what you're paying for. each policy lists exactly what is covered and what is not covered and the limits for those coverages. [shortened for length's sake]

You feel my pain! I'm glad I can share sorrows with ya! Pruples isn't completely uninformed and still has his beliefs. Even if I think he's wrong I can't fault him for at least knowing more than 80% of my customers.

I didn't read all the posts, but what about buying a bond. I thought in Ohio you either had to have insurance, be able to show financial responsibility, or have a bond.

Ohio is on the list for my next 3 licenses. There are some states where you don't have to have insurance, but you have to have something like it. For Pruples: This is one aspect I'll agree with. If you can PROVE that you have financial responsibility I'm down with you not having insurance. But you need a metric butt-ton of money in your checking/savings account.

You know what? I'm tired, sore, getting over a head cold, just about hit my stupid quota for the week, and haven't gotten laid since LAST weekend, so I'm gonna short cut this particular debate and tell you the same thing I tell all the guys who want to rail against the dealership and the techs who work there:

Last weekend? Boy, better get on that!

Nobody cares about your crazy, pathetic, whiny, uninformed, moronity so SHUT UP!!!! Unless you decide you have something constructive to add.

I agree. This goes for any thread unless the moronic comment is funny Most of what has been said has been pretty valid though. It got heated for a bit and therefore anger can show through. *shrug* that's a forum!

Lol, I could say the same to you. Reality is, none of anything discussed in this thread really matters. It's all just argument for the sake of getting others' opinions/viewpoints in case I've not considered something (Though I do believe what I've posted), and so far nothing new to me has come up, so it's been a bit of a failure of an argument (at least, for me). Thanks for taking up the other side of the argument.

And with that, I'll leave this thread so it can be un-derailed. If anyone feels the need to discuss/argue further, just pm me. I'm always happy to oblige.

I agree that no minds have been changed and that nothing will come of this argument. Although I do hope people take the rider/endorsement into account. Also, I'm sure we've educated some on the business of insurance. I don't think either of us really think less of the other for what's been said. Although I think you're a poo-poo head.

I have been told that advertising is expensive and I feel that insurance companies do an inordinate amount of advertising. It seems that there are insurance agencies everywhere. The insurance portion of our yellow pages seems almost as big as that for lawyers. Some of the biggest buildings in the city belong to insurance companies. I understand that insurance is a huge industry, and do not necessarily see a problem with that, or any way around it, but I wonder if they are not making more money than they should be. Armadillon, you would likely know better than me if I am completely wrong about this or not, so, what do you think?

I could be fired for actually telling you how much we can profit in each state, but I CAN tell you that the state determines how much an insurance company can profit. Remember that there IS a huge amount of money involved and just like any business a large percentage is devoted towards advertisement. Are they making more than they should be? I don't think so since insurance is a requirement and the state does control how much we can profit. At the same time, remember that it seems like we have more money than anyone else because we have so MANY customers.

Something I didn't ever know, like if you have a $500 deductable and happen to back into someone, it will cost $500 for the deductable to fix his car, and $500 deductable to fix your car. IMO that is kind of decieving, the "$500 deductable" is really $1000 if it involves two vehicles. I backed into a guys Silverado a couple years ago, wrinkled the back door. It was like $800 to fix it, ran it through for him so I didn't have to deal with it or any surprises that popped up and then decided heck if I am paying that much I am going to get my tail light that was scuffed replaced while I was at it... no dice unless I paid another $500.

If you damage your car for $1000 and your deductible is $500, you will pay your part, $500, and the insurance company will pay the rest. On another note, if you back into someone and it costs $1000 to fix his car, you're not paying his deductible at all. You're paying for the damages (via your insurance). If you want your car fixed, it's your fault and yes, you pay your deductible. You only pay one deductible. His damages are covered under the Property Damage Liability coverage in your policy. So when you hit that Silverado, and your insurance paid for it, your PD Liability covered his damages. Since it was your fault, you paid the deductible on your vehicle. You're not paying a fee for the insurance to pay for the damage, your deductible is PART of the repair cost.

And it still isn't technically a gain, the insurance is giving you the deductable less than the vehicle is worth... before they nitpick the tires and overall condition well below street value. With a $500 deductable your $1000 Ranger...[shortened for length's sake]

Remember that you decide your deductible. Not to be harsh, but you say "heaven help you" but remember that it's your responsibility to maintain your vehicles condition and choose the appropriate deductible, not ours. Also, humans are human. I hear stories left and right about insurance paying out plenty, and ALSO about people getting screwed. The publics education on insurance is severely lacking, and it's incredibly important to tailor your policy to your vehicle and situation. Also, your deductible was too high for your vehicles value. If you had a $250 deductible you would receive $750 back. Therefore it is technically a gain. Also, if you had the rider/endorsement for additional equipment you would have received that in addition to the vehicle.

My Ranger was totalled once over 12 hail dings in the hood and a picky sized hole in the tail light, IMO being a 15yo pickup it was totalled before they even looked at it.

Obviously I can't change your opinion, but if you describe even a few hailstorm dings over the body, the company will replace the the pieces. Usually they've done it enough times on enough vehicles that they don't HAVE to look at the vehicle. Companies guarantee the repair for it's entire lifetime (at least our company does) and therefore we're not going to just go through with bondo and painting. We replace the body parts because the quality of the repair will ensure we don't have to repair it later. If finding the part and the labor of replacing it was more than the Actual Cash Value of the vehicle than the damages are then worth more than the vehicle. The Claims department isn't going to pay you more than the vehicle is worth, so there you go. Also it's important to remember that desirability is not a factor in the value of the vehicle. 5.0 Mustangs are technically worth very little, but everybody seems to want them.


For the medical side of it though, there is absolutely no way to justify not having at least liablity.

I do think they need to reduce/elimanate the payout for those who do not wear their seatbelt/helmet though. There is no reason to make others pay more to keep you on life support if someone is too stupid to take some basic precautions for their own safety.

I actually agree with this; I seem to recall something in the works or in place for this, so I'll look it up later.

 

[armadillon]

Pruples: Thanks for the info dude! I'm definaty gonna do that! Oh don't let some one else's bad day get to you. From this angle I can see where you're both comin from and you all have valid points.

What are you going to do? Do you mean the Custom Parts and Equipment? If so, I posted that you meaniehead, not Pruples!

the insurance company does not give you a deductible, YOU choose your deductible. like i said previously, a deductible is YOUR assumption of risk. the higher the deductible, the more risk YOU are assuming if you have a loss. this means less risk for the insurance company and lower monthly premium.

i know what you mean about the 15 y/o ranger. my wife also works in claims and she had to total a bronco 2 when the little vent glass (triangular piece) on the door was broken. needless to say, i've only got liability on my bronco and if a piece of glass breaks, i'll be replacing it myself.

i completely agree with you on the last statement. motorcyles should require their own insurance and you shouldnt have to pay out your policies limits if you're involved in a wreck with one. wearing a helmet or not, riding a motorcycle is 10 times more dangerous than driving a car. if you get in a wreck with a hippie in a smart car, you're gonna be making a trip to the hospital.

I hear good stories and bad all the time. It is infuriating to hear when filing a claim has terrible results. Remember that you don't have to file a claim with a company. Insurance companies actually LOVE it when you pay for damages yourself (hence, the point of a deductible).

Thank you for the advice on the rider policy. I'd never heard of that.

EDIT: Two questions for you Armadillon:

1. Do ALL states require "uninsured motorists" coverage? Utah does.

2. Can you add paint jobs into the rider policy? I'm 2500 into mine, and it would be nice to know things like that before I make the call.



Exactly. I have a 250 deductible on my Mustang, and 500 on the F150 and Escape.

I would like to add that there are a few shops around here (the shop that painted my Mustang for one) that will eat part of, and sometimes all of the deductible. There are shops that eat windshield deductibles as well (done this a few times), you just have to ask.

Question 1: o they all require the UI coverage?
NOPE! Usually they have to sell the policy with it because the state makes us, but you can almost always sign a form and REJECT it. To be honest, it's usually pretty inexpensive. Be sure to check on how much it's actually costing you, you may be surprised at how little it is.

Also, you can usually file a claim under your Collision coverage if you get hit by someone without insurance, or not enough. This is for property damage of course, not bodily injury.

Question 2: Can you add paint jobs?

HELL yes! This is one of the big ones actually. Sorry I didn't mention it! The list for what can't be covered is pretty small. Thigns that are covered include paint jobs, tires, rims, anything bolted to the truck permanently, stereos, speakers, amps, bedliner. Things that usually aren't covered are stuff that are taken out of the vehicle; cell phones, cd, digital media, (i think CB radios but you'll have to check, i can't remember if they are or are not covered)

They explained that when I got it but I do not recall anybody saying it being x2 if I want my truck fixed as well. I always though a $500 deductable was a $500 deductable, you get in a wreck and $500 makes it all better... not the case. Not really a rant or anything, I was just stating that for anyone else that hadn't found it out yet.

That's why we should learn how insurance works in freakin school. Yeah, I grew up thinking the same thing. Nope, gotta make sure your policy is perfect for you. Also, the older the vehicle is the cheaper the deductible is. Usually not a big increase to drop it down to $250. I wish we all were taught this younger.

Although, we DO sign forms that say we understand it. My recruiter for the military HATED that I read everything.

My 89 Ranger cost 55$ more then my 99 Mercury Sable... To me this made no sense, but my insurance company said its because of the "lack of airbags". Truely I hate airbags..

A few things here. It's NOT just based on value. There's quite a few things that can affect the risk of your truck. I have to explain this to many, many, many, and I repeat, many customers (And I know most of the answers to these questions, this is for an example to this situation): Things such as how common the vehicle is, how often that type of vehicle gets into an accident, how expensive parts are, how many recalls there have been, safety ratings, vehicle value, who that vehicle's grandfather is (kidding).

Dugan, most likely I think that the Mercury would actually cost MORE to insure than the ranger, but your company is giving a very big discount for having airbags. If it's 55 for the entire year, that would seem rather likely. Might be silly, but they also might be spending less on your broken butt when you get in an accident with the Sable rather than the Ranger, and they want you to get a newer Ranger

Also a friend of mine has a different insurance company. He has no job, 6 points and over 20 tickets in his career of driving. He has 3 vehicles registered to him and his first cost the normal price ~1200 a year, while the last two cost ~240$ a year each... one being a 78 bronco.. def a lot more unsafe then his 98 explorer.. I Just dont get how the whole setup works truely when we have 4 vehicles in my policy and they tell me I cannot add a 5 but have to remove my car to add my ranger. We can easily afford it but they dont care. Oh well.. welcome to 'merica. But I do agree, insurance is needed and in the state of nj if an uninsured hits you your paying for both vehicles... go figure. I've learned a lot reading this so far and im glad you had the time to share

Most insurance companies only go back either 3 or 5 years for tickets. Most of those could have easily fallen off his driving history. Check with your company, most policies are only designed for 4 vehicles. 5 car policies usually consist of 1 policy with the first 4 on it, and the other policy with other vehicles. The Additional policy is cheaper because any tickets are charged on the first policy, not the second. (That's how my company, which will remain nameless, works.) If your company can't insure 5 vehicles that's ridiculous, ask for a different representative/agent or check prices elsewhere that will insure all 5.

Also, like I said, there's over a hundred factors that determine insurance prices, I have too little to go on about your buddies 78 bronco, but any rating factors like credit, marital status, zip code, etc could be helping him out.


i live in NJ I hate this state... But our insurance adj wont let us go below a 103k?? coverage just to save our asses in case of a major incident (Which im glad they do)

NJ is one of my specialities, when you say 103k, do you mean your liability limits are 100k/300k? On paper they're usually a weird number that's like 103, but it's very close to 100. Just like on a lot of policies you have a $499 deductible, but for all intents and purposes its a $500. Usually you can't go below that amount if you have a lease or a loan on a vehicle in your household, but its usually a lease. That's rather strange if the INSURANCE company is forcing you to have 100/300. If it's a LOAN/LEASEholder I would understand, Check into that unless you're happy with your policy.

Also, you pay for both vehicles if the other guy has no insurance? Check that, because that sure as hell conflicts with the state guidelines. He should have a wrecked ride with no payout, if you have uninsured coverage it ONLY covers you if you get HIT by some jackA** without coverage.

i'd go back and talk to the insurance company, you shouldnt have had to pay a deductible on a liability claim. you would of course have to pay it for yours. not unless, you owned the silverado that you hit. then you would pay a deductible for both.

oh and i forgot another fun fact, when i was in policy school, we were given some intersesting statistics about insurance claims. how much the average one costs, you know stuff like that. i dont know if this was a national average, or our companies average, but 30-35% of insurance claims that are filed are fraudulent. so that's another thing that helps keep your premiums high.

^^^ That statistic sounds pretty close. Go Google "PIP Insurance Fraud in Florida" and you'll be ASTOUNDED. Eddie, you're correct, there IS no deductible for a liability claim that I'm aware of. Remember that some of these coverage names sound similar but they are not the same coverage.

I believe per year. But still I was amazed to see it jump I thought I was getting a break

Continue to check every 6 months on insurance prices. Insurance companies change prices ALL the time.

 

[Rowdy Fitzgerald]

Oh ha ha sorry Armadillon!!! Thank YOU for posting that. Yeah I've got a ton of pictures of my build I'm not too sure about all the receipts though. I'll just stow it all away in a file and if I need it which a really hope I won't then I'll have it.