Take a tape measure and with a friend helping, measure from the say the right front wheel rim (not the tire) to the front of the rear wheel rim on the same side. Then repeat the process for the other side.
Those measurements should be within 1/8th of an inch. Start getting into a quarter or an inch or more then something is out of whack. The reason I’m a bit emphatic about this is that I’ve done quite a few suspension repairs on cars which were “lightly hit” so to speak.
If they claim their sub-contracted mechanic determined the alignment is within spec then…
Based on what? Being on an alignment rack? If so, then produce the printout of that alignment. If they can’t they’re lying.
Some years ago my son wrecked his Camaro. It was still drivable and other than a right front wheel that was canted inwards a bit one would be hard pressed to even know it had been wrecked. A closer look showed the right inner fender was buckled along with the firewall and floor pan. He sold it to a pro body man (who was told of those issues) and the body man decided to just part it out rather than fix it after deciding it was just not worth the effort.
That’s good advice, thanks Ok4450. I’m going to do that.
Yeah, the whole thing is weird. This has only happened once before and I didn’t have to deal with any insurance peoples’ BS. My adjuster says the other guy’s insurance company (Chubb) is known to drag their feet and fight accepting liability. I only called the Chubb adjuster when suddenly I was expected to pay the deductible that I was told Chubb would cover via direct payment on my behalf. Once I got them on the phone, they blamed me for their own 10-day delay on claim processing and they still weren’t accepting liability. Now, Progressive is getting their legal department involved to recoup my deductible and the repair costs. My adjuster said it normally doesn’t have to involve legal, but she wasn’t surprised given we’re dealing with Chubb. Honestly, it could be worse, and I’m very lucky to no longer be in an impoverished position where I couldn’t just pay the deductible and go back to my normal life. I’m glad for that.
The external work on the car looks great and it felt a little tighter on the freeway test drive but no vibrations, noises, or lurching on acceleration. I’ll take the advice of measuring both sides, getting an independent alignment check, and look into a grace period on the repairs which I didn’t think to ask about when I picked up the car. You’ve all been a huge help and I really appreciate it!
Depends on how the claim is filed and what insurance each party has.
For example, when I was hit head on by a wrong way driver four years ago I chose to file my claim through my insurance for everything, repairs and medical. I let my insurance deal with his. I eventually got back my deductible.
That’s called subrogation. Your coverage pays and you pay your deductible and your insurance company collects from the other one. When they collect you get your money back. It’s a guaranteed way to make sure you get your car fixed with no delay in dealing with the other company. Why a person would pay someone else’s deductible is a mystery or maybe we just don’t know the whole issue. A parked car getting hit should be pretty clear though.