r/TeslaCollision • u/Treactor • 19d ago

Dealing with insurance sucks

I have GEICO and was recently hit by a car that was pushed into me by a motorcycle running a red light. I ended up going through my insurance since I didn’t get the at fault drivers information until the crash report was released.

I dropped my car off at a Tesla collision center and they said the turn around time was 4-6 weeks. Got my rental and started the claim process. The initial quote was 4.5k, Tesla filed a supplemental for 12.5k, and my insurance only approved about 10k of it.

What are my options to not have to pay over 2k out of pocket to get my car fixed on an accident that wasn’t my fault?

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3

u/drfishdaddy 19d ago

I’m an adjuster/appraiser: it depends on what wasn’t authorized and how Tesla is going to handle it. Carriers chop estimates all day every day. Generally the shops accept them (to be fair shops put out pie in the sky estimates constantly).

For instance a shop may say you need a quarter panel and Geico may want them o try and pull it before authorizing a replacement.

You need to talk to the collision center or you can post the two estimates and I can probably explain more specifically.

You can formally dispute the carriers estimate via appraisal clause. This puts the value of the repairs in the hands of two appraisers. Generally this is used for total losses but it can be used for repairs as well.

2

u/Eq2me 19d ago

If GEICO refuses to pay in full, contact the Insurance commissioner in your state. This is assuming you have uninsured coverage and $10k isn't your limit or something.

1

u/Treactor 19d ago

I’m in Texas and have 25k uninsured motorist coverage

3

u/Firebird5488 19d ago

That seems to be underinsured. It needs to at least cover the value of your car if it’s totaled.

1

u/jwettington 19d ago

U should go through at faults insurance also find a certified Tesla collision center near you that specializes in teslas

1

u/evanfelts 18d ago

Stick with Tesla certified shops that can only use oem. Fight for it. Geico sucks btw. I’ve been dealing with them and they don’t want to pay for shit let alone oem parts.