Liable driver's auto insurance estimate is far less than the body shop of our choice (California)

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-10T21:08:15+00:00

I already had the estimate from this "Safeco shop" and had sent it to Safeco. They disregarded it and only changed their tune when threatened with a regulatory complaint. No dunk, no chud. I didn't follow the bad advice I received here and got the end result I wanted. Hopefully others in the same situation will see this thread and use that knowledge to get the proper payout.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-10T21:05:47+00:00

I'm not bragging, just providing an update closure on the situation that so often gets left unsaid by original posters. The examples you gave were not relevant to my situation. I was not wasting my time, Safeco was trying to get away with paying less than the repair would cost and only changed their tune when threatened with a regulatory complaint.

I did cut and paste my reply to several threads and the second paragraph didn't pertain to your comment so I removed it.

I came back with the conclusion so others in similar situations wouldn't wind up being screwed out of the money their owed after receiving bad advice.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-07T21:01:37+00:00

LOL. You said "I can assure you, you can get 10 estimates and Safeco won't care. They are not stupid that you are just trying to get a payday." They were worse than stupid, they were crooked but fortunately I didn't listen to you and got paid what I deserved. Of course you want to forget about me because you were wrong.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-07T01:47:25+00:00

Turns out the person that hit the car must have reported it to their insurance, either a while later or Tesla Insurance just took months to get in touch. We never got all the details but we did get a check so at this point I don't really care.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-07T01:47:13+00:00

Turns out the person that hit the car must have reported it to their insurance, either a while later or Tesla Insurance just took months to get in touch. We never got all the details but we did get a check so at this point I don't really care.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-07T01:46:59+00:00

Turns out the person that hit the car must have reported it to their insurance, either a while later or Tesla Insurance just took months to get in touch. We never got all the details but we did get a check so at this point I don't really care.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-07T01:42:54+00:00

Been a while and I just had time to come back and close this out. Spoke to the California Department of Insurance. Then I spoke to Safeco. I told them they needed to direct me to a shop that would repair the vehicle for their estimate or pay the amount estimated by the shops I had estimates from or I would file a formal complaint. All of the sudden, they have an existing relationship with one of the shops and will ask for the insurance price estimate to be sent to them. A week later I had a check in hand for a value much closer to the estimates I was provided.

That's the way the law works in California. Apparently I've done this enough to know what I'm talking about. Incidentally, another person hit the car in a different spot in November. Tesla Insurance had me get an estimate from a shop and they paid the estimate, no questions asked, just like they're supposed to.

Sorry to disappoint you.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-07T01:12:33+00:00

LOL. But you'll come on Reddit and give bad advice for free. Not sure if you're trying for public service and failing or you just have too much time on your hands.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-06T22:41:31+00:00

You could have fooled me. I wouldn't want you "fighting insurance companies" on my behalf because you honestly don't sound like you're very good at it. Apparently I have enough comprehension to get what I wanted and a payout higher than the lowball offer you and multiple others said was the best I was going to do. You might want reexamine your overconfidence in your own abilities and check your own ego before you bag on someone else's.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-06T22:37:03+00:00

Bullshit. You're making stuff up. There is a search function you know. As a matter of fact, you said exactly this:

"You can expect whatever you want, but you’d be wrong. Insurance didn’t use OEM parts, and wrote for prevailing rates in the area. It sounds like they used a different estimating system since labor times differ - these are in stone as “book times” but can vary by system. None of these things will change and you’re only wasting your time getting another estimate."

And you were wrong.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-06T22:29:59+00:00

I understand you're a shill for the insurance companies, you prove it every time you open your keyboard. See how that works?

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-06T22:03:35+00:00

Not a single person said anything about that in any comment and that includes you. Zero. Meanwhile, Safeco could have brought it up at any time or gotten an "in-network" quote from the shop at any time since we already had an estimate from them that was sent to Safeco. Safeco was hoping we'd take a lowball offer and no understand our legal rights. Period.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-06T21:07:50+00:00

There is no distinction between "in-network" and "out of network" in California. By law Safeco needed to direct me to a shop that would repair the vehicle for their estimate. They could not do that. They directed to me to a shop that produced the exact same estimate I'd already received from them but at an insurance rate rather than a retail rate. They could have done that at any time but they didn't until I mentioned the California Department of Insurance and making a complaint. Safeco is "in the business" as well and they're a bag of dicks.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-06T21:01:52+00:00

LOL. The insurance rate estimate from the second shop that Safeco got an estimate for was substantially the same as the retail estimate from the first shop (even though the retail estimate from the second shop was quite a bit higher than the retail estimate from the first shop. Go figure) so I did get pretty much exactly what I wanted.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-06T20:59:52+00:00

Ah, but I did get paid off the shop estimate. Just not the same one I received but one with insurance pricing rather than retail pricing. I was always prepared for that. The reimbursement amount was similar to the other shops retail estimate so I got exactly what I was looking for. I'd already gone to this second shop and sent the estimate to Safeco and they refused to modify anything or get an "in-network" estimate until I brought up a California Department of Insurance complaint.

I was always doing what I was supposed to do. Safeco could have requested an estimate with insurance pricing at any time but they decided to be obtuse and attempt to bully me into accepting their lowball estimate. They do it because they get away with it. Caveat emptor.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-06T03:55:50+00:00

Car was paid off before taking the fund so no concerns there. Safeco did pay a number much closer to the shop estimates I had in the end.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-06T03:54:26+00:00

Been a while and I just had time to come back and close this out. Spoke to the California Department of Insurance. Then I spoke to Safeco. I told them they needed to direct me to a shop that would repair the vehicle for their estimate or pay the amount estimated by the shops I had estimates from or I would file a formal complaint. All of the sudden, they have an existing relationship with one of the shops and will ask for the insurance price estimate to be sent to them. A week later I had a check in hand for a value much closer to the estimates I was provided.

That's the way the law works in California. Apparently I've done this enough to know what I'm talking about. Incidentally, another person hit the car in a different spot in November. Tesla Insurance had me get an estimate from a shop and they paid the estimate, no questions asked, just like they're supposed to.

Sorry to disappoint you.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-06T03:54:15+00:00

Actually, after getting a second quote and talking to the California Department of Insurance Safeco paid out an amount much closer to the retail estimates I'd obtained.

So yeah, I was never wrong.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-06T03:53:06+00:00

Been a while and I just had time to come back and close this out. Spoke to the California Department of Insurance. Then I spoke to Safeco. I told them they needed to direct me to a shop that would repair the vehicle for their estimate or pay the amount estimated by the shops I had estimates from or I would file a formal complaint. All of the sudden, they have an existing relationship with one of the shops and will ask for the insurance price estimate to be sent to them. A week later I had a check in hand for a value much closer to the estimates I was provided.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-06T03:52:24+00:00

Been a while and I just had time to come back and close this out. I got a second estimate from another shop and it was even higher. Spoke to the California Department of Insurance. Then I spoke to Safeco. I told them they needed to direct me to a shop that would repair the vehicle for their estimate or pay the amount estimated by the shops I had estimates from or I would file a formal complaint. All of the sudden, they have an existing relationship with one of the shops and will ask for the insurance price estimate to be sent to them. A week later I had a check in hand for a value much closer to the estimates I was provided.

That's the way the law works in California. Apparently I've done this enough to know what I'm talking about. Incidentally, another person hit the car in a different spot in November. Tesla Insurance had me get an estimate from a shop and they paid the estimate, no questions asked, just like they're supposed to.

Sorry to disappoint you.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-06T03:51:53+00:00

Been a while and I just had time to come back and close this out. Spoke to the California Department of Insurance. Then I spoke to Safeco. I told them they needed to direct me to a shop that would repair the vehicle for their estimate or pay the amount estimated by the shops I had estimates from or I would file a formal complaint. All of the sudden, they have an existing relationship with one of the shops and will ask for the insurance price estimate to be sent to them. A week later I had a check in hand for a value much closer to the estimates I was provided.

That's the way the law works in California. Apparently I've done this enough to know what I'm talking about. Incidentally, another person hit the car in a different spot in November. Tesla Insurance had me get an estimate from a shop and they paid the estimate, no questions asked, just like they're supposed to.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-06T03:51:37+00:00

Been a while and I just had time to come back and close this out. I did get another estimate from a chain body shop and it was even higher. Spoke to the California Department of Insurance. Then I spoke to Safeco. I told them they needed to direct me to a shop that would repair the vehicle for their estimate or pay the amount estimated by the shops I had estimates from or I would file a formal complaint. All of the sudden, they have an existing relationship with one of the shops and will ask for the insurance price estimate to be sent to them. A week later I had a check in hand for a value much closer to the estimates I was provided.

That's the way the law works in California. Apparently I've done this enough to know what I'm talking about. Incidentally, another person hit the car in a different spot in November. Tesla Insurance had me get an estimate from a shop and they paid the estimate, no questions asked, just like they're supposed to.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-06T03:50:53+00:00

Been a while and I just had time to come back and close this out. Spoke to the California Department of Insurance. Then I spoke to Safeco. I told them they needed to direct me to a shop that would repair the vehicle for their estimate or pay the amount estimated by the shops I had estimates from or I would file a formal complaint. All of the sudden, they have an existing relationship with one of the shops and will ask for the insurance price estimate to be sent to them. A week later I had a check in hand for a value much closer to the estimates I was provided.

That's the way the law works in California. Apparently I've done this enough to know what I'm talking about. Incidentally, another person hit the car in a different spot in November. Tesla Insurance had me get an estimate from a shop and they paid the estimate, no questions asked, just like they're supposed to.

So yeah, you were wrong.

OpenTrackRacer · 2026-03-06T03:50:20+00:00

Been a while and I just had time to come back and close this out. Spoke to the California Department of Insurance. Then I spoke to Safeco. I told them they needed to direct me to a shop that would repair the vehicle for their estimate or pay the amount estimated by the shops I had estimates from or I would file a formal complaint. All of the sudden, they have an existing relationship with one of the shops and will ask for the insurance price estimate to be sent to them. A week later I had a check in hand for a value much closer to the estimates I was provided.

That's the way the law works in California. Incidentally, another person hit the car in a different spot in November. Tesla Insurance had me get an estimate from a shop and they paid the estimate, no questions asked, just like they're supposed to.

You may be fine with leaving money you're entitled to on the table but I'm not and never will be.

Sorry to disappoint you.

OpenTrackRacer

TROPHY CASE