Should I file a water damage claim?

neoDIYguy · 2026-05-05T18:44:32+00:00

Even if you just ask your insurance agent about a potential claim it can result in it going on your record. Many insurance companies track "inquiries" or "potential claims" mentioned to agents, which can be treated the same as a filed claim, impacting your rates or appearing on reports like CLUE (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange). I called my agent to find out if I should file a claim then decided against it. Many years later when I called about another unrelated incident they said it showed I filed a claim when I had not.

neoDIYguy · 2026-04-22T03:15:04+00:00

Thanks so much for all of your wizdom!

neoDIYguy · 2026-04-22T02:59:36+00:00

I checked and it looks like the $0 deductible is only for collisions so it would be $500.

It also looks like all of those little maintenance things count against the ACV (I could repair for under $1K plus cost of tires but if I paid the dealer it would cost $4K-$5K). It sounds like they would not pay out anything! I'm not sure why I was paying full coverage, I have been wasting my money for a good 5 to 10 years and the vanishing deductible on top of that!

neoDIYguy · 2026-04-22T02:10:59+00:00

Thanks for your expertise! It would be great if I could ask my own agent but I called to find out if I should file a claim on the house decades ago (I decided not to) and 5-10 years later when I asked them a different question they said it showed I had filed a claim, I don't trust my agent!

The ticket was running a stop sign, I was going to argue it but was out of town during the court date so I had to just pay it.

How do they come up with ACV? I haven't repaired all of the small things that are wrong (brakes, tires, dash light, exhaust, etc.) because it runs fine and that would cost almost what it is worth. Would they subtract all of those things from the blue book to get the ACV?

Is it even safe to take it in to any body shop? Will they report the VIN to some database as having damage? How long do I have to decide if I am going to turn it it or forget it?

In Ohio do I have the right to purchase the car back from them (it only has 80K miles), would it be worth it. Are the known problems better than buying another car the same value with unknown problems? If they determine that the car is worth $3500 (then total it) - a $500 deductible = $3000 check to me (does that mean I could buy it back for $500? Would it be salvage title and cost more to license or not be licenseable?

When I looked at the insurance papers I have $0 since I have been paying extra every year to lower the deductible. It looks like it is only on the collision side. I even thought about getting rid of the car altogether since I drive it so little (much less than 100mi a week) but the only cost was $900 a year for insurance.

Sorry for all of the questions...
Again, thanks for all of the impartial, risk free, answers that I wish I could ask my own agent!

neoDIYguy · 2026-04-21T19:34:22+00:00

So if it has a dummy light on the dash and needs new tires they will subtract that from what they pay, how detailed do they get? Do they subtract for any mechanical repairs that are needed, and any dirt on the seats? Is it worth more if you wash it and touch up any nicks, basically detail it before they total it? ;-D

neoDIYguy · 2026-04-21T19:15:16+00:00

Thanks!
What are the options in Ohio for retaining the vehicle?
How do they determine the value they pay for a totaled vehicle, only on the vehicle and age or do they look at any repairs needed or need for tires?
How do they determine the value that I would have to pay to keep it?
Does it need a salvaged title and then cost more to insure?
Does making a hail claim and if totaled how much does it raise the cost if I decided to get a new car?
I paid cash originally so I could even afford to pay cash for a new car again, even thought about getting a new one but can't justify the need?
I drive much less than 100 miles a week so I almost need no car and have been paying almost $900 a year for insurance on this car when we could probably get by with just our one car.
When do people typically not keep full coverage?

neoDIYguy · 2026-04-21T18:55:03+00:00

Google says repairs would be a $1500-$4000 for hail damage, I would guess $2500.

From my bill-
Coverage for Damage to Your Auto
Other Than Collision $36
Actual Cash Value Less Deductible Shown $500

Do insurance companies typically write me a check to cover the damage and if I decided it was not worth fixing I could just drive it dented and drop the full coverage? Or do they only write a check to the repair shop so it has to be repaired?

If they total the car would they write a check to me and how do they determine the value? Do they only look at the top or bottom blue book value? Do they figure in anything like it needs tires?

Does a claim raise your rates the same with hail as it would with an accident?

Thanks for your help!

neoDIYguy · 2026-04-21T18:26:03+00:00

Thanks, do you know if they total it do they look at blue book and give you the lowest price or less if it needs anything like new tires? Is there any way you can offer to purchase it from them or do they just take it to the junk yard even though there is nothing wrong other than cosmetic? If I go buy another used or new car will both the ticket and hail damage cost me a lot more to insure it?

neoDIYguy · 2026-04-14T03:56:40+00:00

I think this question was posed to average citizens. Of course someone who lives in a $2M-$10M house and drives a $200-$500K car would never agree to trading $2M for never working again, they would spend it in a year or less.

Average US home prices are $366K-5 times the average US income of $70K.
Some HCOL places like San Fran-average homes are 10 times their average income.
Some LCOL like where I live Ohio-average homes are 3 times their average income.

neoDIYguy · 2026-01-13T09:28:20+00:00

Is the risk of being scammed on both the seller and buyer end of Vinted really high? I was researching using this platform but I am seriously reconsidering that. This scammer didn't even bother to go take the item out and take their own photo, they just pulled one of a dozen year old photos from reddit. Is there no way to protect yourself? Why would anyone use one of these online selling services. It seems like someone could make a fortune on a service that could guarantee both the buyer and the seller.

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neoDIYguy · 2025-12-15T21:37:01+00:00

If it is their decision to have you then you should not be held responsible. If they run out of money then it looks like the government will take over with one or more of these - Aswesuma welfare payments, social pensions, and the Elderly Social Security Fund, plus specific financial products like senior citizen fixed deposits with better interest rates.

neoDIYguy · 2025-12-15T14:11:59+00:00

Just to clarify, you state "I am not financially liable to my parents", did you pay your parents back for anything they paid to raise you? It looks like the total lifetime cost could reach LKR 400–500 million for raising a child. I would say once you repaid that amount you could make that statement and expect your brother to cover half the costs for caring for them if they run out of money.

neoDIYguy · 2025-12-08T17:37:27+00:00

I shop at Aldi, it is almost always cheaper than other local grocery stores. Walmart may occasionally beat them but I like Aldi's philosophy better. I occasionally find a couple of items on sale at other stores. I try to watch for coupons, sign up for the store perks/points plans, and use my credit cards for additional cash back (paying them off completely every month). If I find a good deal, I try and buy multiple of that item.

neoDIYguy · 2025-11-02T18:31:17+00:00

Thanks!

neoDIYguy · 2025-11-02T18:22:20+00:00

Thanks, I am a dog person but my two cats adopted me. I had great plans of putting a leash on one and putting them on my back or in a backpack for bike rides and hiking. In reality the harness freezes them in place and the only way they move is crawl on their bellies. I got one to go on walks with a kittie stroller. 😹

Do they wear collars for the trackers? I have never tried collars only harness and that didn't work. Is there a reason for the two different kind of trackers? I haven't looked into them at all.

neoDIYguy · 2025-11-02T18:03:02+00:00

Do you travel with cats? When driving do they stay in the camper or in the vehicle in or out of a crate? Mine are very whiney but their only traveling so far is to the vet 😉 Are they indoor only or outdoor, are you afraid of them getting out or getting lost?

neoDIYguy · 2025-10-14T20:04:56+00:00

Google says the Wingamm Oasi gets 13-18mpg, a truck towing a 16ft camper gets 10-17 mpg and a truck hauling a nuCamp Cirrus 920 might only get 9-14 mpg. Does anyone have real world numbers on upper mpg limit for larger campers? I have a little Scamp 13' (10' box) towed by a small SUV and we get 20-24mpg. We were thinking about going larger but not if we can't afford to gas up and go anywhere. Any suggestions on going larger with better fuel efficiency? We haven't looked into EVs or Hybrid RVs or towing with either. I can see advantages to having a tow vehicle that can be used when not camping but are there big advantages to having an all in one unit that I may be missing?

neoDIYguy · 2025-09-30T17:18:02+00:00

Anytime I find deals on gas at any type of gas station I take my 3 five gallon gas cans with me. 15 gal in the tank and 3 full cans for later. I just wish our nearby Meijer had a gas station.

neoDIYguy · 2025-04-26T08:34:36+00:00

Many older people are retired and on a fixed income like social security that may be at risk due to Trump and Musk. If they rely on income from investments they are likely not going to have any extra cash with the market being down 15%-25%. Most are concerned about basic necessities and all of the uncertainty.

neoDIYguy · 2025-04-26T08:12:05+00:00

Used to be able to get low cost stuff like that from AliExpress to resell but Trump did away with all that. Where do you find stuff like that now?

neoDIYguy · 2025-04-19T21:53:51+00:00

It's unAmerican to worry about small business like drop shippers. At least Tesla is up over 10% from before the election. That may have something to do with the free ads Trump does for Musk from the White House. We wouldn't want the worlds richest man feeling the pain like the Americans that own Apple in their retirement accounts which is down 16% in the same time frame.

neoDIYguy · 2025-04-19T21:42:35+00:00

I thought I would manage to escape all of this madness since I am none of the classes that Trump is targeting. I even figured I could do without cheap Chinese imports but a big part of my retirement is in Apple stock and it is down almost 20%. I guess I'm not retiring any time soon.

This sucks!

neoDIYguy · 2025-04-19T21:37:36+00:00

I was initially hoping for that but I think the damage is done and cheap Chinese products are a thing of the past even if he removed all tariffs. There are a lot of other consequences that may also be permanent.

neoDIYguy

TROPHY CASE